Business class flights in Europe

SpannerMonkey

hi . does anyone know of any business/first class flights in europe that go non stop from any irish airport. im looking at booking a break in europe for myself and the mrs but i dont want to be crushed into a economy seat. at 6ft 5'' / 300+lbs its torture . for me and those around me . any help would be appreciated

killbillvol2

Off the top of my head:

Turkish have business class seats to Istanbul. They're nice and service is very good.
Swiss to Zurich although they're the same seats as economy just with no middle seat.
Finnair to Helsinki - same seats as economy though, just at the front.
Air France to Paris, operated by Cityjet, small enough seats too IIRC.
There's also BA to London and I think Lufthansa to Frankfurt?

SpannerMonkey

killbillvol2 wrote: »

Off the top of my head:

Turkish have business class seats to Istanbul. They're nice and service is very good.
Swiss to Zurich although they're the same seats as economy just with no middle seat.
Finnair to Helsinki - same seats as economy though, just at the front.
Air France to Paris, operated by Cityjet, small enough seats too IIRC.
There's also BA to London and I think Lufthansa to Frankfurt?

thanks . are some really the exact same as economy seats ? no bigger?

VG31

British Airways - London Heathrow/London City
Air France - Paris-CDG
Lufthansa - Frankfurt/Munich
Swiss - Zürich/Geneva
Iberia Express - Madrid
Luxair - Luxembourg
Finnair - Helsinki
Aegean Airlines - Athens
Turkish Airlines - Istanbul
S7 Airlines - Moscow-DME

I know that on LH and Swiss the business seats are the same size but the middle seat is blocked off.

athtrasna

SpannerMonkey wrote: »

thanks . are some really the exact same as economy seats ? no bigger?

Quite often the business class section is the front few rows of economy with the middle seat left empty. Most have been identified above. Air France also use that model.

It means that when there's no demand for business class service the plane can be used as all economy with maximum seat availability. You can usually see this on the seat maps.

SpannerMonkey

thanks guys . fairly limiting so

VG31

You can pretty much go anywhere you want in Europe with those options by connecting in LHR/CDG/FRA/MUC/ZRH etc. And you get lounge access in the airports.

veetwin

Aer Lingus fly the A330 from Dublin to Malaga and Faro during the summer. You can book the business class seats on these flights. They are proper business class seats with plenty of room.

Actually don't see the A330 scheduled for FAO this year but it is definitely going to Malaga, 07.00 departure on certain if not all days of the week.

Yamanoto

Pre-paying for an emergency exit seat (row 13 on EI's A320's) will get you enough legroom to be semi-comfortable on flights of a couple of hours duration intra EU. Row 12 has no recline, so you're not going to be encroached upon.

Row 11 A, B, C & D on Lufthansa's A321's have no seat in front of them, so there's more stretch than you'd find in their business cabin.

athtrasna

Yamanoto wrote: »

Pre-paying for an emergency exit seat (row 13 on EI's A320's) will get you enough legroom to be semi-comfortable on flights of a couple of hours duration intra EU. Row 12 has no recline, so you're not going to be encroached upon.

Row 11 A, B, C & D on Lufthansa's A321's have no seat in front of them, so there's more stretch than you'd find in their business cabin.

The op mentions weight being an issue as well as height. Standard seats not ideal for someone of that size and they wouldn't be allowed to occupy an emergency exit row even if booked.

SpannerMonkey

athtrasna wrote: »

The op mentions weight being an issue as well as height. Standard seats not ideal for someone of that size and they wouldn't be allowed to occupy an emergency exit row even if booked.

im not that big haha . might sound huge but my height balances it out . i have often got emergency row seats and the do help but still very narrow and uncomfortable

HeidiHeidi

Would it be an option just to buy two economy seats, and prebook them in the emergency row? Then you'll have a vacant seat beside you and after take-off you can lift the armrest between them.

Would surely work out cheaper than a business class ticket??

SpannerMonkey

not really its about the same price as business class and its not ideal as the armrest is just sticking into my shoulder if i do that . and if i was going to spend the same price as a business class flight id like the perks/comfort

VG31

With two economy seats you will just get more space but in business class you will get proper meals, better cabin and checked bag allowance, lounge access, fast track security, newspapers etc. And if the middle seat is blocked you effectively have 1.5 seats.

coylemj

For a European flight, I doubt if the upgrade to business class would be worth the expense. I'd just fly Ryanair and pay for a 'premium' set in rows 16 or 17 beside an emergency exit where there's extra legroom.

athtrasna

coylemj wrote: »

For a European flight, I doubt if the upgrade to business class would be worth the expense. I'd just fly Ryanair and pay for a 'premium' set in rows 16 or 17 beside an emergency exit where there's extra legroom.

I disagree. Swiss business class is delightful and Air France is decent though the seats wouldn't suit the OP. The upgrade on most European airlines isn't hugely expensive. If you've got the cash then why not do it for a far more pleasant experience.

coylemj

athtrasna wrote: »

I disagree. Swiss business class is delightful and Air France is decent though the seats wouldn't suit the OP. The upgrade on most European airlines isn't hugely expensive. If you've got the cash then why not do it for a far more pleasant experience.

Because the limited availability of business class flights within Europe means that you are effectively making a decision on destination based purely on the fact that for two hours at each end of the trip you will have a bit of extra legroom, only the possibility of a wider seat and maybe 'free' food and drink - that doesn't make sense to me at all.

Decide where to go first, then pick the best transportation option, not the other way round.

LXFlyer

athtrasna wrote: »

I disagree. Swiss business class is delightful and Air France is decent though the seats wouldn't suit the OP. The upgrade on most European airlines isn't hugely expensive. If you've got the cash then why not do it for a far more pleasant experience.

Totally agree about SWISS Business Class!

LXFlyer

coylemj wrote: »

Because the limited availability of business class flights within Europe means that you are effectively making a decision on destination based purely on the fact that for two hours at each end of the trip you will have a bit of extra legroom, only the possibility of a wider seat and maybe 'free' food and drink - that doesn't make sense to me at all.

Decide where to go first, then pick the best transportation option, not the other way round.

That depends upon what you want - we are all different.

Some of us actually enjoy the experience of being looked after personally for a few hours - when you do everything for yourself at home it's a very pleasant change.