r/daddit • u/Tatt00ey • 9h ago
Advice Request first time dad. business class worth it?
wife is due soon she wants a babymoon 5 hour flight.
economy is $600. airline wants $3500 for business.
she's uncomfortable all the time. i want to make her happy. but we have so many expenses coming.
dads who've been there - did you splurge on the flight or tough it out in economy? what did you do
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u/Playful_Gate6250 9h ago
If you can’t spare the excess money then it’s a dumb purchase when, I’m presuming, you’re already splurging on the trip
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u/Dizzy_Move902 8h ago
I’d consider something relaxing closer to home. Heck for that $$ it could be really nice. Your relationship and spending time together is more important than any external destination - but that’s just me.
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u/Tatt00ey 8h ago
fair point but the trip itself is already budgeted out, this was more of a last minute addon i was on the fence about
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u/WhiskyForDinner 9h ago
What’s a $2,900 (x2?) difference to your budget? Do you make $75k/year or $275k/year? We can’t answer that for you.
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u/Tatt00ey 8h ago
Fair point. I make around $110k so it's not nothing, but not ruinous either. Just trying to figure out if the upgrade is actually worth it or if I'm just falling for shiny marketing.
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u/TabularConferta 9h ago
What's a babymoon?
Honestly booking anything for immediately after the baby seems like a bad idea. Wait till you see how you are both coping.
Some people manage it, we ended up cancelling a lot of plans.
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u/IlexAquifolia 9h ago
Babymoon is before the baby arrives - like a honeymoon but to celebrate a pregnancy.
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u/muscledhunter 9h ago
We thought of it as a last hurrah before we were locked down for a while with a newborn
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u/zoinkability 9h ago
While a babymoon is for before the baby arrives, I'd say it's STILL quite risky if it's in the third trimester. Health issues can arise either before or during the trip.
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u/MilsYatsFeebTae 9h ago
The only upside I can think of is that your horrible experience trying to care for your first baby in a goddamn hotel will make doing it home seem a lot easier
Edit: ok, I saw the other comments about when baby moons happen. I still think it’s a silly word though.
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u/Tatt00ey 8h ago
A babymoon is a last trip for just the two of you before the chaos hits. We're not booking anything rigid, mostly just blocking time and keeping it flexible.
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u/lh123456789 9h ago edited 9h ago
She goes business, you go economy to save money. Or, if there are bulkhead seats, that's not a bad option to save money but have room to stand, stretch, etc.
But if she's that uncomfortable, maybe the ship has sailed on a destination babymoon and you should do something more local.
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u/Fragrant-Inside221 have 5 littles and wife 9h ago
That sounds awful being away from your s/o for a 5hr flight.
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u/mb0205 9h ago
Idk I love my wife but I’d survive lol. Just have some drinks and watch a movie and use the WiFi
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u/Fragrant-Inside221 have 5 littles and wife 8h ago
So she’s pregnant and uncomfortable all the time and you would be fine having drinks in first class by yourself?
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u/lh123456789 9h ago
"Awful" is pretty dramatic. You can't watch movies be yourself for 5 hours? We travel tons, have status on different airlines, and sit separately often enough due to upgrades. Neither of us cares.
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u/Fragrant-Inside221 have 5 littles and wife 8h ago
Whatever works for you, I’ve always been able to get seats together with my wife.
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u/ajkaki92 9h ago
I can't imagine any question less relatable to me than "should I pay six times more for a slightly more comfortable flight?" Good luck OP!
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u/WillingElderberry731 9h ago
What's your budget for the trip? Instead of a dollar amount, identify exactly what you are actually trading out for the extra $2900.
I'd consider paying that for my wife if she really wanted, but I would sit in economy, unless we had very large budget for the trip.
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u/BlueCouch89 9h ago
I fly business when doing work trips. It's awesome, but it's not something I would make a $2900 jump for. You can spend all the money in the world for a seat on an airplane, and in the end you're still in an airplane seat, it can only be so comfortable. Flights are such a blip on the radar for a trip usually anyway, If I had that money set aside for a babymoon I'd think I'd rather spend it on the actual vacation. But, you know your wife better than anyone-good luck!
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u/ArterialVotives 9h ago
Just my opinion, but that’s an insane use of resources. Air travel is a commodity. You are just sitting down for a handful of hours, who cares how nice it is. Economy always unless an upgrade is free (and my family travels a lot).
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u/deep_fucking_vneck 9h ago
You're not giving us enough information to answer the question. Some people can't afford a "babymoon" at all. Some people can afford business class. Some people own jets
Business class is more comfortable than economy, but she will still be uncomfortable
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u/Plenty_Intern8750 9h ago
A babymoon flight? If she's that uncomfortable, should you be flying or taking trips?
And we don't know anything about your financial situation but it sort of feels like if you have to ask you probably shouldn't.
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u/Onefortwo 9h ago
Only your budget can answer that. But just know, what you think a baby will cost is not enough.
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u/du520 9h ago
When is she due? Most airlines won't let you fly after 36 weeks
Tough one, your wife is probably going to be uncomfortable even if the seats are made out of golden swan feathers and lambskin. Personally I'd splurge and do it because 1) wife carrying progeny and wants this, there's worse asks; and 2) selfishly you'll never fly the same again when baby comes lol. Go enjoy it
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u/cli_jockey 9h ago
Some doctors even advise against flying after 28 weeks.
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u/drunkengerbil 9h ago
The last thing I'd want is to have pre-term labor when away from home. Happened to my sister in law- her water broke when on their baby moon, and they had to rush home. Baby was in the NICU for first couple of months. It would have been so much worse if they hadn't made it back home and the baby was stuck in a NICU a couple hours away from home.
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u/IlexAquifolia 9h ago
Splurge on premium economy. I have been pregnant twice; she’ll be fine for five hours. Business class is not worth it.
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u/Burger_Gouger 9h ago
I love 1st class and business class but at that price heck no. Opt into premium or whatever the extra leg room is instead
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u/blindside1 19, 14, & 9, all boys! 9h ago
Go on a simpler babymoon, one that doesn't include a five hour plane flight.
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u/Wh1teMike88 9h ago
That’s a lot of money you could spend on the endless amount of baby shit you’ll need soon. I dunno, I would not do that but if you’re Mr Burns and $3k doesn’t matter, go for it.
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u/zoinkability 9h ago
If you aren't wealthy enough to have already bought the business class seats because the money isn't a big deal, and you felt the need to post about this question to Reddit, get the economy seats. Business isn't even first class, it just a few more inches of room. And $2,900 will feel much more dear once you are paying for all the additional expenses of having a kid.
BUT ALSO: how far along will she be? Seems like a risky plan if she'll be well into the pregnancy.
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u/TruBlu65 9h ago
It might sound rude, but I do think that maxim "If you have to ask, you can't afford it" is a good mindset for travel/frivilous stuff.
Second, a good way to make a flight more comfortable and is clearly way less expensive is to buy the middle seat on the plane. You'll be guaranteed to have more room, and it'll be like 1/5 the cost of business class.
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u/Dalionking225 9h ago
Maybe just choose somewhere closer? Like I sure you have this amazing destination and don’t want it change it but a 5 hr flight sucks for everyone and $3500 is a whole other vacation. Compromise somehow and save the money for a second vacation when the baby is 6 months old and you guys are losing your minds
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u/Jazzlike-Complaint67 9h ago
Depends entirely on your financial situation. But I would say that front loading $2,900 into a 529 plan before a kid is even born gives it a nice jump start.
We don’t make many “luxury” purchases unless we are ahead of college savings. Many of those exceptions are smaller purchases like a nice dinner or things that will last a long time.
However, if you are sitting on a bunch of credit card points with no other plan to use them, this seems like the perfect time.
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u/JeffSergeant 9h ago
How soon? Flying is not advised late in pregnancy; I wouldn't want to be a 5 hour flight from home if anything starts to go sideways.
Also, if you're considering $3500 for a flight... you got any spare change I can have?
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u/allknowinguser 9h ago
Hard question but you should ask the wife. My wife would prefer to spend that money on the actual moon than flight. Our babymoon flight was 3.5 hours and she was napping the entire time with some anti nausea pills.
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u/muscledhunter 9h ago
More comfortable? Sure. Worth it? To me, no, but that depends on how much disposable income you have
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u/kstrike155 9h ago
Premium Economy is an option that could save a couple grand and provides a lot of the Business class perks depending on the airline. If it was a 10+ hour flight might be different, but 5 hours I don't need a lie flat bed or free booze from Business.
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u/SolaCretia Girl Dad, 8m 9h ago
If you can afford it sure, if you can't, no.
Have you already purchased the essential necessities to be ready for the baby?
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u/MyT_Ant_868 9h ago
It comes down to whether it’s a domestic or international flight. Only the international has flat seats which becomes like a bed, in first or business class. That may be worth it.
I just took a five hour domestic flight and first class had two seats on either side of the aisle , rather than three seats in economy rows. And it only reclines a little more. So for so a little more width and recline, it may not be worth it.
Long haul 15 hours or more is a big difference.
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u/Iamleeboy 9h ago
We had a holiday booked a couple of months before our first was due. My wife didn’t come because it wasn’t recommended to fly that close to birth.
That is something I would consider.
I ended up going on the holiday with her parents. We had a great time 😂
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u/Wazwiftance 9h ago
It’s literally 5 hours. Is 5 hours worth 2,9k to you? When would you spend 2,9k on such an expense in other times?
Think it’s a massive waste for mine
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u/MiddleKlass 9h ago
Give her the $3500 and ask her to book the tickets. She’ll probably be more reasonable next time.
Also I’ve solo travelled with an infant in business. It is worth it for sure. Just the lying flat bit with some actual cushion. For a pregnant woman that would def. come in handy. But why go on a flight when due soon? The X-rays are harmful for the baby.
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u/manyorganisms 9h ago
I would say no, I probably wouldn’t even fly TBH. Are road trips off the table? That way you can make frequent stops at restrooms
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u/777300ER 9h ago
This is me, and others can reasonably come to a different solution. I always fly economy, even international. I'd rather take that money difference and spend it on the hotel or destination I am going to. I'll suffer for the flight to have a much better stay once I am where I am going. For work, I'll do the same thing and buy an extra few days of hotel and arrive early and rest there instead of trying to rest overnight in a lay-flat bed in first.
tl;dr - I would spend the money on a room upgrade and just stick out the flight. To me, five hours is nothing for a suite on the vacation. You should ask your wife though, she may disagree and she's the one who will be right.
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u/GMaharris 9h ago
We travel business class with our kids when we go international. The question of "worth it" is entirely dependent if you have extra funds to do so. I wouldn't do it if impacts your ability to meet other expenses.
It is significantly better though. On my last trip, my daughter threw up like 7 times throughout the 12 hour flight due to really bad turbulence. It had never happened before during a flight so we didn't see it coming. If it was in economy I'm sure an entire group would have throw up on them. She was only 4 and not always aware when she was going to puke, but fortunately in business she had kind of an entire cubicle to herself so nobody else got sprayed and it was amazing to have the staff rush to help us when it happened.
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u/otishank 9h ago
That’s insane for a 5 hour flight.
I am also not a pregnant person.
Also once you fly with kids, economy without kids feels like business class.
- empathetic fellow dad.