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Recently, I’ve been doing a lot of flying in cabins that aren’t towards the front of the aircraft and which don’t have the word “First” or “Business” in their name.
This isn’t particularly unusual, but it has been a few months since I took a truly long flight in anything other than Business Class, and as I type this from the comfort of my British Airways Premium Economy seat, I’m finding that I have a renewed appreciation for Business Class, but not for the reasons you may think.
On this particular flight, I’m exceptionally fortunate. I may be in Premium Economy, but I’m in a bulkhead seat with lots of legroom and with two empty seats next to me, and that’s a lot more than I could have reasonably hoped for.
The seat is fine (this is a daytime flight so I might be feeling differently if I needed to sleep ahead of a full day of work), the meal wasn’t terrible, the crew seems friendly, I’m getting some work done (although I appear to have broken off from work to write this!) I have all the entertainment I need on my laptop and iPad, so the appalling inflight entertainment screen on the British Airways A380 won’t be an issue, and if I wanted an alcoholic drink (which I don’t), there doesn’t appear to be a shortage.
Sure, a bit more room to move around in my own little area would be nice, a larger tray table would be nice, and some storage within arm’s reach would also be nice, but none of these things are what’s making me miss Business Class right now.
I’m not even missing the lie-flat bed.
What’s making me miss Business Class is the “protection” a Business Class seat and the extra space you get can give you.
Unless you’re in an old-style cabin, most modern Business Class seats cocoon you away from everyone else around you and this means that you (mostly) don’t have to listen to or deal with other people. The distance between seats helps as well.
A lot of modern-day Business Class cabins have seating arrangements that make it quite difficult for two people to talk to each other unless one stands up and makes a special effort, and that can make a big difference to how much chatting goes on in the cabin (I have a special love for the reverse herringbone layout because it’s a terrible cabin layout if you want to spend any time speaking to the person next to you).
So far, on this flight, I’ve had the couple just across the aisle from me chatting non-stop for three hours without making any effort to lower their voices (I have no idea what they were talking about, but it started to feel like they were going for some kind of record). I’ve had the couple behind me talking so loudly that I could hear them quite clearly through my AirPods (they’re both seniors so they may be hard of hearing), and now Mr McChatty from across the aisle is snoring so loudly that there’s a good chance he’ll burst his partner’s eardrums or awaken a Norse God (possibly both).
I’m sure some people make just as much noise in Business Class, but in Business Class, you seem to hear it a lot less.
D’you know what else doesn’t happen in most Business Class cabins? No one uses the back of your seat to lever themselves up out of their chair. Your seat is usually so far ahead of the one behind you that it’s physically impossible to attempt that.
We’re only half-way into this flight and I’ve already lost count of the number of times Mr Loud from behind me has put (what feels like) his whole weight on my seat back before releasing it (once he’s pulled himself upright) and nearly catapulting me head first into the bulkhead in front of me – that’s another reason you should always wear your seatbelt!
You also don’t get smacked in the face with other people’s luggage as they walk past you in a modern Business Class cabin.
In Business Class, people with backpacks can stand next to your seat and then turn around suddenly to talk to the person behind them for no good reason and you won’t get a face full of backpack.
That’s definitely not true in Premium Economy and Economy Class.
Admittedly my face remains backpack-free so far on this flight, but that’s due more to my Ninja-like reflexes than to any kind of care from my fellow passengers!
So, there you have it – a few reasons to appreciate Business Class that you don’t usually see mentioned.
Forget the priority boarding, the lie-flat seat, the giant IFE screen, the endless legroom, the improved (although not always good) dining, and the champagne on demand. Those all pale into insignificance once you realise what’s really important.
The main reason to love Business Class is because it often offers a cabin layout and a seat, which, to a large extent, can insulate you from your fellow passengers 🙂
