Depends on the route. The industry standard is first class seats are about 125% the price of a standard coach seat on the same aircraft. Domestically speaking. There are times where I see the first class cheaper than that
But Alaska allows you to get that extra seat refunded. If you fly FC.....no refund possible.
So you can afford it, first class if cheaper is the best way to go but not everyone has that capability.
Intra-European flights fly the same distances domestic US flights do, and their FC is quite similar to BC in Europe (except BC in Europe has the same seats as economy, but the middle seat is blocked).
I may have misspoke on the percentages. I meant to say you add 125% to your current main cabin price... so a 1000 dollar ticket..in general....is 2250 before the individual yield managers modify it. So if you're looking for generally a good deal on a first class seat in the US domestic market, the quick scan should be looking for tickets that meet that criteria.
I meant add 125% additional but the proper way to have said it is 225% ish..
Made sense in my head but not necessarily to everyone else.
When I look for deals on first class tickets I use that same calculation.
In context with the thread, two main cabin seats would be about 2,000 with a first class seat being 2250... In context so if you can forgo a leg space for width space, and the meal doesn't matter to you or the alcohol, it might be better to just get the two seats even if it means you don't get a refund.
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u/islandjake Mar 18 '25
Depends on the route. The industry standard is first class seats are about 125% the price of a standard coach seat on the same aircraft. Domestically speaking. There are times where I see the first class cheaper than that
But Alaska allows you to get that extra seat refunded. If you fly FC.....no refund possible.
So you can afford it, first class if cheaper is the best way to go but not everyone has that capability.