When it comes to airfare and airplane seating in general, there’s no more highly sought-after and romanticized section than first class. People write books about it, there are movies about it, and there are plenty of urban legends and stories about what goes on in first class. With so much fanfare about a single section on an airplane, the question that naturally springs to mind is whether or not first class is really all that.
In a nutshell, the answer isn’t really a yes or even a no — it’s really one of those questions that only have one real answer: it depends. Indeed, first class can be an awesome experience, or something that isn’t very interesting at all. It depends on the length of the flight in question. For example, if you live in St. Louis, Missouri, and you plan to fly out to Boston, Massachusetts, your flight really isn’t long enough for first class seating to really make that much of a difference. Most of the time the plane will be a simple turboprop “puddle jumper”, and with such a short flight, you’d hardly have time to really kick your feet up in first class before the plane lands in Boston.
On the other hand, if you plan on doing a longer flight — say, Los Angeles to New York City or even New York City to London or Paris, that’s when first class really can make a strong difference. It’s a matter of total flight time — a long international flight is enough time for you to enjoy the cushy seating of first class seating, as well as some of the other perks that come with sitting in first class. Of course, the benefits of first class do depend directly on the airline in question. if you’re really serious about first class, it never hurts to go directly to the specific airline and see what perks are offered for that airline’s first class section before you go out of your way to book an expensive first class ticket. However, first class tickets do often go on sale, and if you’re willing to put up with a few restrictions, you could get a great first class ticket with a price tag that could fit nicely in your budget.
All in all, first class is something that can be a positive or negative experience depending on your specific travel needs, wants, and desires. Take the time to look into first class for yourself and see whether or not you want to spend the extra money — no matter whether you choose first class seating or not, you’ll be on your way to a great trip!
