Is Business Class worth it?

My company paid for business class pre-pandemic for travel 10+ hour flights for important meeting occasions. It ultimately helped reduced the effect of jet lag for me because we would present <24 hours of landing. Keep in mind, depending on your status with the airline and how often you fly, that business class seat will gain you enough points for a domestic flight based on the multiplier (You earn a little of your money back).

is it a vacation trip or a business trip? if you need to be sharp/focused/mentally ready I'd splurge on the seat (maybe see if your company can pay for half) but if it's general vacation I wouldn't

Have only done it once. Went from DC to the Maldives for vacation.

Flew Emirates and had a layover in Dubai.

Used a decent amount of credit card points for the trip, but I went thru one of these business class consolidators that you see when you do a Google search. They advertise whatever it is, 60% off, but while I did save a decent amount of money, it was probably more like 30% AND I booked my trip like 8 months out during the Maldives "slow" season, so it wasn't as expensive.

Was it worth it? In my mind, absolutely. Not only is the entire experience better from check in to the lounges to the in-flight, but I was able to get a good amount of sleep and arrived relaxed and NOT jet lagged both ways, basically saving me a day on my vacation. I had probably a 10 hour layover in Dubai and had the use of a private driver...which was an awesome experience and we got to see and do some stuff in Dubai rather than just sit in the lounge/airport.

One of the common complaints that I hear about flying business class is that once you experience it, it makes flying in coach miserable. What a lie. I've flown probably 50 times since, granted none more than 8 hour flights, and I've never been like "Oh, I *HAVE* to fly business class."

It depends on your financial situation. Based on what you said, sounds like it might not be worth it for you.

In my experience, the best way to get business class seats is with credit card points. If you are in a position to have a credit card and use it responsibly, I'd recommend saving your credit card points exactly for this purpose. Your dollar goes farther if you use points for travel vs. converting those points to cash. I'm in no position to be spending $6-7k for a flight, but ~125k points isn't nearly as bad. Airlines (like United) also offer an option for you to pay with a combination of points and dollars.

For the last 20 years, I have only ever flown a minimum of business class for international flights over 4 hours. To Sydney, I would absolutely fly nothing less than business class. So to me, paying the extra is definitely worth it. But then again I can afford to do so.

Worth every dollar.

Depends on the airline...and maybe even connecting airports....as well as flight duration of course.

"Business class" is not the same as "First Class" on many airlines (also depends on the model of plane...be it an A380, 777 or 747 etc.)

Generally though on an airline like United if you're "Polaris" Business Class that's as good as it gets...especially with the newer seating arrangement of 1-1-1 in the front and you have more privacy with a better work desk and lamp etc. Obviously Emirates is a totally different story.

But a key is the flat bed really....And access to an airport lounge/shower/quality food buffet at the airports.

I've been United Premier 1k for a few years and buy economy plus tickets and get lucky sometimes with free upgrades (or use points). They say the "opportunity cost" may be worth buying a Business Class ticket if your salary works out to over $100/hour as the amount of fatigue/jet lag and waiting time may be worth it for your "work productivity"...or something like that. It was an interesting calculation but they tried to quantify the "value" of Business Class (depending actual ticket price, flight duration etc) vs how you value your time and money and subjective comfort level.

I can't see business class being worth it unless you're very wealthy and very large.

Of course, I'm neither.

A few hours?? LOL...it's over a 20hr flight from Heathrow to Sydney

Just flew DEN -> LHR in United Polaris (fully flat biz class) on vacation with my family. 10x better than coach for 5x the price (about $6k r/t each x 4). Worth it.

In general, flying business class on long haul flights is wonderful, but it does vary a lot by airline. If you haven't already, you should look around at other airlines. Some smaller international airlines have business class that might be 10% less wonderful but 50% less cost. And some airlines that have cheaper business class but less direct routes let you stay overnight at a stopover destination for no extra charge.

In 2003, my brother, dad, and I flew from LAX to Italy. It was my dad's only trip to the homeland where his dad emigrated from, and he died 3 years later. Anyways, my brother was consulting at the time and had a crapload of miles. He and I flew Luftansa business class, and Dad was in coach (Dad was fine with this). If I was only travelling domestically for 5 hours or so I don't think it's worth the cost, but for a 10-12 hour flight, it's amazing!

Economy plus is the way to go for daytime flights. For 4am when you body wants to be sleeping, business class is worth a lot per hour of torture avoidance.

Nonsense. Nothing with the word economy in it is ever the way to go.

You must have never flown business or first class. Torture avoidance is worth every penny.

Have you ever flown international business or first class? If so, on which airline?

I've been lucky to have flown many long haul flights in business, although I've never paid for it outright (except for a canceled trip a few months after the pandemic started), as I've used miles (either fully or as an upgrade to paid Econ). This was a hobby and never from work. The problem is once you've experienced it, it's going to be painful going back. To me it's worth it, but it's gotta be a "good deal."

One way SYD-HAN-LHR on Vietnam Air lie-flat can be had for $2,145USD on many dates, which isn't horrendous. I'd investigate miles getting you there (or econ/prem econ). You can also look out for deals in Flyertalk premium fare deals. Great deals last briefly, so it's a matter of being patient but alert.

Great timing. Airlines are giving Business Class away. I just upgraded for $72euro from JFK to Lisbon. Flight is this weekend will report back if worth it!

Is $6k worth a more comfortable nap or a nice experience at the destination?