We’ve all been there – crushed into an economy seat with no leg room and your elbows tucked in tight because your seatmate has commandeered the armrest and then some. Just when you manage to wrangle your laptop up onto the narrow tray table so you can work, the passenger in front of you slams their seat into full recline and you suddenly feel like a short-armed T-Rex typing with your hands up under your chin. This scenario never happens when you fly business class.

You probably don’t need further convincing to fly business class; however, many companies have travel policies outlining business class travel authorization. Policies may only include senior management, approve business class only to flights longer than a designated number of hours or apply to any international travel. Read on to find out the benefits of business class and why it makes sense for long flights.

Pre-flight VIP Services

The business class experience begins long before the flight ever takes off. In fact, sometimes it starts before you even get to the airport. Seven airlines, including Emirates, Qantas, and Virgin Atlantic, offer chauffeur driven cars to/from the airport. Each airline has its own terms of service, but the convenience of door-to-door service is without question. You can make last-minute phone calls on the way to the airport and forget about the expense of airport parking.

When you fly business class, you’ll usually enjoy priority check-in and a more liberal baggage allowance – another cost-saving benefit. At the gate, you’ll enjoy priority boarding, often via a separate jetway on international flights, so you can get onboard and settled in without queuing up in the carry-on shuffle.

Business Class Onboard Services

When you fly business class, certain perks are standard across most airlines. Because you boarded so efficiently, your reward is a “welcome” glass of juice or champagne while the economy section continues the hurry-up-and-wait of overhead storage in the back. If you’re flying business class internationally, you might use that time to peruse your complimentary toiletries kit or change into your in-flight socks.

Business class seats typically have larger entertainment screens – up to 23-inches! – and more robust programming than in economy. Noise-canceling headsets keep distractions at bay. If you need to work, you’ll find charging ports and/or outlets to keep you powered up. In-flight Wi-Fi is becoming more available across all flights and although most airlines charge for the service, some, like Aer Lingus and Finnair, offer it free to business class.

Greater Comfort in Business Class

The most oft-cited reason people choose to fly business class is to be more comfortable. The seats are wider and there are storage cubbies and pockets for your personal items that you want to keep close at hand. Most airlines’ business class seats are in their own little pod, affording space and a measure of privacy, although configurations also accommodate two people traveling together.

If you’ve ever flown overnight with a meeting scheduled as soon as you land in the morning, you know that arriving well-rested is invaluable. Nearly all business class seats convert into a lie-flat bed or at a minimum a full reclining position so that you can sleep comfortably on long flights. Some airlines even supply cotton or foam ‘mattress’ overlays to pad your nest. Sleeping comfortably on a long flight just may be worth all the other perks combined.

Better Food

Upgraded dining experiences are another benefit of business class travel. Airlines continue to raise the bar with menus designed by award-winning chefs and elevated wine offerings. Singapore Airlines offers a popular ‘Book the Cook’ experience that allows you to order from a fine dining menu up to 24 hours in advance. Qantas famously has hundreds of trained ‘Sommeliers in the Sky’ to advise travelers on food and wine pairings and will even provide a personal wine tasting in the galley on long haul flights.

Additional fine dining accoutrements further enhance the experience. Your tray table is dressed in a linen cloth, a linen napkin, and weighty cutlery, tiny personal salt and pepper shakers, and possibly even a flower. Meals are served, often in courses, on bone china place settings. Business class dining is a tremendous improvement in both taste and presentation over the foil-covered plastic containers of tasteless mush served in economy.

Airport Lounge Access

When you fly business class, your boarding pass allows you the privilege of admission to that airline’s private airport lounge. Behind that golden gated entry lies comfortable seating to relax in, complimentary snacks and hot food to sustain your energy, and an open bar if your body clock thinks it’s cocktail time.

Business class lounges often have showers, massage services, quiet areas for resting, desks for working and even play areas for children. The attendants are polite and deferential, creating a calm atmosphere in the midst of the airport chaos outside. Some, like the Ethiad Club in Washington Dulles, even have boarding access directly from the inner sanctum into the business class cabin of the plane, so once you enter, you never have to set foot back into the airport. Now that’s VIP service!

A Final Word About Why You Should Fly Business Class

Whether you’re traveling on business or for vacation, flying business class allows you to arrive relaxed and ready to participate fully in the events at your destination. You’ve already made a significant investment in time and money with your destination arrangements. Why would you ever want to set yourself up for less-than-optimal returns by arriving exhausted and bedraggled?

For a business class quote on your next flight, contact our expert ticketing agents.