August actually- but yes its tough to get business class saver awards, and 90k one way is still not a "true" saver award. For that award had to book almost 12 months in advance. And the taxes/fees roundtrip were $430/person. The fee levels you are talking about are pretty common on BA and Virgin Atlantic. |
For a family of four, she didn't. |
480k points can typically be cashed out at $4800. $1720 in taxes and fees + $4800 means the real cost of your tickets is $6520. I can buy economy tickets to Paris even in August for $3-$4k for four. Up to you whether the extra 2-3k is worth it. It isn't to me. |
My family has put a hard rule in place. If a flight is longer than five hours, we plan for business class. Economy is only for travelers under 25. Past that age, the body simply doesn’t tolerate long hours in a confined seat, and the medical risks stop being theoretical. They become real exposure points. Multiple studies make it clear that long-haul economy seating isn’t just uncomfortable. It can be dangerous. The World Health Organization warns that flights over four hours significantly increase the risk of venous thromboembolism because cramped seating suppresses blood flow in the legs. A major case-control study in The Lancet found that remaining immobilized in tight seating for extended periods raises the odds of a deep vein thrombosis two to three times compared with normal daily life. Ergonomic research paints an equally serious picture. Studies in Applied Ergonomics and the Journal of Travel Medicine show that standard economy seat pitch forces the spine, hips, and neck into stressed positions that heighten the chance of nerve compression, severe muscular strain, circulation impairment, and sleep disruption. These effects compound with age. What a 22-year-old can bounce back from often leaves older travelers stiff, fatigued, swollen, and in some cases unable to fully recover for days. By your mid-twenties, your circulation slows, tissue resilience drops, and inflammation responses spike under prolonged pressure. That combination makes long-haul economy a genuine health risk. People have ended flights with dangerous leg swelling, impaired mobility, and in rare cases serious clotting events that required immediate medical attention. If you are over 25, treating long-range economy travel as harmless is its own kind of gamble. The medical issues linked to cramped, extended seating are well-documented and potentially severe. Saving and budgeting for safer seating isn’t luxury. It is risk avoidance. |
It’s great that you have decided to travel business class as it is much better for your body. But you have a very warped perception of the risks of economy class travel. |
Might want to tell your family to exercise a bit so they can "handle" such an arduous task. 25! seriously, maybe 65 or 75 |
I think it's pretty hard to get nonstops to continental Europe in summer for $1k/person, but yes I agree that's a generally reasonable assessment. And yes for me it's worth $500/person to upgrade the overnight one way because of how much better it makes the trip, especially the first few days because of the sleep on the plane and adjusting to jet lag much better. But yes may not be worth it for others. |
You’re reducing a medical and ergonomic issue to “just exercise,” which is simply wrong. Long-haul economy risks are tied to immobility, restricted seat pitch, and impaired circulation. Fitness does not prevent deep vein thrombosis, nerve compression, or the circulation problems documented by the WHO, The Lancet, and travel-medicine research. Calling it a toughness problem is uninformed. Physiology changes after the mid-twenties, and prolonged cramped seating creates real, measurable strain regardless of how fit someone is. Pretending this is only a concern for people in their seventies is exactly the kind of myth airlines rely on to sell cheap travel at the expense of passenger health. Ignoring the evidence isn’t a flex. It’s just taking the bait of budget-travel bravado while dismissing well-established medical risks. |
If the risks were as profound as you state, we’d hear about the high numbers of 28 year olds with DVT. I actually had a family member pass away from a DVT at age 58. He had multiple risk factors including high weight, smoking, and drinking. I’m well aware of the risks of DVT. You are overstating them. |
You are far more likely to die in a car accident than you are from a blood clot/embolism after a long flight. Given your aversion to flying in coach due to risk, I assume you also forego riding in any cars. |
Going to Germany this summer. I’m 50 years old and will be in economy. Hope I survive! Nobody is going to say flying economy, especially overseas, is fun. That said, you are really exaggerating the “risks.” I’ve flown to Asia many times in economy. My strategy is to get an aisle seat and to get up and stretch every 90 minutes. Economy is a reality for most people. I can’t afford it and work never paid for anything else. |
You say people are ignoring the evidence, but you’re not giving us any actual statistics on the rates of DVT. I accept the risk of DVT increases with long haul flights but, even if quadruples, that’s still 4x a very very small risk. You do realize some of the risk factors associated with flying such as dehydration, immobility and low cabin pressure also apply to business class travel? |
+1. Terrible advice. |
You are rich. |
It's the only way I do it now that I can afford to book a room the night before. Check in, take a shower, get the blackout shades going and about 5 hrs, you wake up like a new person and continue on with yoir afternoon and evening. No jetlag at all. It beats stumbling around bleary eyed feeling like crap for the whole day to check in at 3 and suffer til a barely reasonable time to get in bed. |