[GunznButta]

(02-09-2012 03:29 AM)pitt Wrote:  

Does anybody on here fly on first class flights? Are there any advantages in doing it? What are some options to get cheap first class flights?

so ya got some free $$$ to give an airline to burn?

2 answers to this q:

1. to my experience the benefits of going 1st would come in only when you have a super-long haul (12hrs+) nonstop flight. (when i think 1st i think something like an emirates or singapore/cathay seat on transcontinental widebody.)

otherwise, business works just fine.

2. it depends.

there's no cheap 1st class seats. it's an airline's main $$$maker. you can make it cheaper by buying biz seats and upgrading but you'd be kicking in a boatload of points -- better to buy econ and upgrade to biz.

i fly united so i'll use that as reference. until 2 yrs. ago i traveled enough to keep my travel perks at the premier exec/premier level. at united this gets me pretty regular upgrades into business (when i plan my travel times right.) that said, i got upgrades to business on my econ tickets -- not first. it's very unusual for an economy ticket to be bumped up 2 classes to 1st. the SOP is for airlines to bump up their passengers 1 class.

there are of course exceptions to this rule. it's fact some airlines have "secret" service tiers above what's public for their MOST LOYAL customers. these i think kick in for people with 2M+ miles. needless to say they vary from airline to airline.

when you say you were bumped up to first on an econ ticket, i'd bet the seat was the front of a 2 class narrowbody (anything like a 757 or smaller.) a real 1st class seat is something you see only on a widebody (like a 747/777/big airbus.) on 2 class planes 1st & biz are same. nowadays if a seat doesn't lie flat w/a down duvet it's not really 1st.

if bagging a stewardess is your goal, it's obvious you're thinking of foreign carriers. US cabins are so gay/ghetto/grandma. unlike some of the above suggestions age isn't a factor. some carriers (singapore, thai, malaysia, emirates, etc..) have strict rules that include only unmarried women and/or college grads. being a stewardess is a TOP JOB for girls from certain countries.

heck yeah i'm sure some will be dtf but i think you're better off trying to get in their social circle. maybe start off by flying bangkok-hong kong (or any other combo) every other week on the same flight for a few months? they'll know, after a few trips they will recognize the familiar faces!

good luck!