Delta Business Class Fares/Insignia 2/2/05

[donmimi]

Delta is offering RT business class fares to South American Cities including Buenos Aires and Sao Paolo for around $2200 -- at least $6K less than everyone else! For those on the Insignia sailing 2/2/05, you can fly in to Buenos Aires, board the ship and then take a 2 hour hop (extra) back to BA for 2x less than full business class air from anyone else. You do need to book a short hop from Rio back to BA -- around $400 each.

 

Our 2 for 1 air credit was $500 each plus $110 taxes and stuff -- so the additional air is actually only $1590 each.

 

Our routing with Oceania down to BA was horrible -- 3 plane changes and over 19 hours travel -- home was ok, but it made the decison easy.

 

Hope you all can take advantage of this offer from delta!

[Jane110]

Donmimi,

 

You don't need to spend $400. pp and 2 hours in the air to fly back to BA.

 

Book the ticket into BA and then the flight home from Sao Paulo. Delta flies back to the states from there. The flight from Rio to SP runs often, is cheap and is a much shorter flight than to BA.

[donmimi]

Thanks for the tip, but unfortunately the airfare specials are only good round trip to and from a single city destination. So, RT to BA, or RT to Sao Paolo to get the fares. Delta won't give the special fare for an inbound leg to BA and outbound leg from Sao Paolo. We tried of course, but settled for one extra flight (Rio to BA) rather than two (Sao Paolo to BA, then Rio to Sao Paolo) to get the Biz fares.

[Jane110]

That's a shame.

 

We're using FF miles and flying to BA and then after docking in Rio, we're making our own plans to fly to Sao Paolo. We'll pick up the flight home from Sao Paolo.

 

Too bad the great fare isn't more flexible. But you're getting a great rate, so I guess it's worth the bit of inconvenience.

[ClaudiaF]

Surprising that the $2200 fares are less than when we were boking many-many-many months ago ( and would have had to pay that and use miles to get biz class) so that is a great deal.. and you can keep your miles.

[spindrift]

I'm sorry to say that I think the Business Class fares are outrageous. The last time I flew with TWA, it was $500 each on top of the regular fare for us to fly first class. On British Air to join Silver Seas, it was $1,200 each. I don't know why you all say that $2,200 plus is excellent unless you are pushing for someone. I am sooo sorry to see the fares. I just flew to Europe, and the fare for Business Class on KLM was only $800 more than economy. Who's trying to fool who?

[joan24]

We upgraded from coach on Delta to Business-Elite using miles. The price for next May was $1,700 and 50,000 miles per person. The day we wanted was sold out of upgrades. We were told for $2,100 pp we could use their discounted Business Elite without using miles and getting credit for 1.5 miles instead of 1. I decided that since we had the miles and could travel with the upgrade 2 days earlier than planned we'd spend that extra $800 in Venice.

Joan

 

 

Our flights were Ft. Laud. to Venice and return from Barcelona to Ft.Laud.

[ClaudiaF]

I'm sorry to say that I think the Business Class fares are outrageous. The last time I flew with TWA, it was $500 each on top of the regular fare for us to fly first class. On British Air to join Silver Seas, it was $1,200 each. I don't know why you all say that $2,200 plus is excellent unless you are pushing for someone. I am sooo sorry to see the fares. I just flew to Europe, and the fare for Business Class on KLM was only $800 more than economy. Who's trying to fool who?

 

 

Dear "Spindrift" The last time I flew with TWA they were in business.

And I did work for them, in the late 70's ( not to show my age or anything. but,, if there was a 500 dollar fare rt to Europe w/ TWA then it must have been then..

;-)

$2200 is excellent for biz class airfare from Los Angeles to BA from Rio to LA on rebound ( with no miles added).. if you can find a better price book it.. all I am saying is I paid more than that 6 moths ago to make sure we got our seats in biz and Delta is doing a pretty good sale.

No I don't work for Delta or any travel company.. so see you in BA however you get there..but hope you get a good deal!

[meow!]

Long haul business class has changed a lot in the last fifteen years or so. Before 1990, business class on B747s used to be eight per row and 42" pitch (more like "economy plus" on British Airways or Evergreen Airline these days). The business class today is more like first class a dozen years ago. Most trans-oceanic business seats today are 28" total width (including armrest) x up to 60" pitch (depending on the airline), while the average economy class is only 21"x32". So, in terms of floor space, business class can be 2.5x economy class. So if the economy class fare is $1,000, then business will be $2,500 to be "fair" (assuming that the food/wine and service also are worth 2.5x). However, the economy class fares are often subject to sales as well as "restrictions", so it is difficult to estimate the "average" economy fare to directly compare with the "average" business fare.

 

At the other end, the present first class "seat" tend to become "open cabins" (somewhat like an office "work cubicle" with a recliner-bed instead of a desk). They tend to be 50% more expensive than full fare business class (business class are on sale more often than first class). First "suite" seats (as shown on websites) are not much wider than business class but are some 80" long, and they can become true horizontal beds all with direct access to the aisle (or have an additional 8" clearance at the feet), unlike business seats which usually either have just deep recline, or can become flat on a slant rather than truly horizontal (British Airway has truly horizontal beds but these are "opposite facing" between neighbouring passengers).

 

Through the years, as the gap between business class and economy is ever widening (with improvements on the latter and little basic change on the former), I think that airlines should try to offer more "economy plus" seats. This should be welcomed by passengers who would be willing to pay say 40% more than basic economy (with the same terms and restrictions as well as discounts in each case) in return for simply 40% more space, at perhaps 24" total width (including armrest) x 39" pitch for example. Then the passenger would not feel so cramped and would have a little room to stretch (instead of rubbing your knees against the seat in front). At this price level, it will still be a lot more affordable to a lot more people. Do you agree with this idea?

 

I realize that this is a cruise board, not an airlines board, but I still think that air travel is an integral part and therefore of interest to the cruise travel community. Thank you.

[meow!]

addendum: Third paragraph first parenthesis, exchange the words "former" and "latter".

[ASmith]

Through the years, as the gap between business class and economy is ever widening (with improvements on the latter and little basic change on the former), I think that airlines should try to offer more "economy plus" seats. This should be welcomed by passengers who would be willing to pay say 40% more than basic economy (with the same terms and restrictions as well as discounts in each case) in return for simply 40% more space, at perhaps 24" total width (including armrest) x 39" pitch for example. Then the passenger would not feel so cramped and would have a little room to stretch (instead of rubbing your knees against the seat in front). At this price level, it will still be a lot more affordable to a lot more people. Do you agree with this idea?

 

I totally agree with this statement and wished that more airlines would offer something in between business and economy. We flew Virgin Atlantic in premium economy last year and while it's not comparable to business class, it wasn't the excrutiating experience that is long haul coach. We found it quite comfortable for a 10 hour flight.

[Winner]

Spindrift--I, too, used to fly TWA and could upgrade from coach to first class (those were the terms in the 70s) for $100.00 each way. Not a bad deal and TWA included free helicopter flights from atop the Pan Am building to JFK. BUT those days (and TWA) are long gone. The Delta deal sounds reasonable for 2004.

[HBINDC]

My thoughts run along the lines of sprindrifts. Of course if you have the money, it doesn't matter, but to me, whether the business class add-on is $500 or $2,200 or $6,000 extra, it is too much for my blood. I wold pay a bit more, but not much more for business class, the cramped leg room, etc. is not so bad.

 

I am going to BA next week - package deal for $950 per person inc. airfare from DC and 4 star hotel (NH Jousten) for a week. To me a much better travel value than the add-on cost of business class.

[digby]

I wold pay a bit more, but not much more for business class, the cramped leg room, etc. is not so bad.

 

 

As a big man 6'1' tall, it is worth extra money to avoid being cramped for 1000s of miles. I will be flying First/Business from SFO to Santago returning from Buenos Aires. I paid about $1200. for an economy ticket and used FF miles to upgrade. The flights within the USA will be First Class and for the transcontinental flights Busuness Class. I find this to be my best use of FF miles.