Quote:
Originally Posted by GrumpyOldMan
I had to laugh when I saw an article about a new class of flying, because recently a number of posts were complaining about how cramped the seating is now.
Well, turns out something is being done about that in various airlines around the world. I haven't seen any indication it is coming to the US anytime soon...
It's called "Suite Class" for private suites in commercial flights.
What It'''s Like to Fly the $23,000 Singapore Airlines Suites Class |
US$18,400 round trip, Singapore to New York and back.
I’ve just checked on Travelocity. Round trip in Steerage is at the lowest $1,000 to $1,300. Round trip in First Class is around $7,500. In First Class your seat is converted into a bed where you can lie flat. It’s almost that good in Business Class.
But this is one of the longest flights you can get: 27 to 30 hours, though that includes a layover of 1.5 hours to 5 hours in, say, Amsterdam, Paris, or Doha. In the airport, that is, not seeing the sights. And then there is also the time change to deal with.
I flew from New York to Singapore once, in Steerage. It was horrible. The seats were much better than your average seat on US flights (but it was twenty years ago). There was a choice of, I think, eight movies. But that’s a very long time to sit, even in a plane that wasn’t full. I think there were nine seats in each row. I couldn’t sleep.
Singapore was a great airport, though. I rented an in-airport short stay hotel room for four hours, got some sleep and a hot shower, and was feeling much better for my next flight, to Indonesia (Sulawesi), then to what used to be called Borneo. But oh, that terrible flight.
So if money were no object, a room on a plane would be nice.