Would You Pay $900 for a Business Class Upgrade on an 8-Hour Flight?

Here’s a fun First World Problem debate.

Would you pay $900 for a Delta One business class upgrade on your flight from Amsterdam (AMS) to Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP)?

That’s the decision someone on Reddit had to make.

For the uninitiated, Delta One is a business class product offering lie-flat bed seats, better meals and alcoholic beverages than coach, and usually better service.

And it’s much, much, much more expensive.

Redditor /redditmyeggos posed this question in the Delta subreddit:

Have an upgrade opportunity on an A350-900 for a morning flight from AMS to MSP. Wonder if anyone has flown on this recently and can speak to whether the Delta One seats are more recently upgraded/worth about $900 for the upsell.

Quick AMS-MSP Basics

Flight time: Delta offers three Delta-operated flights from AMS to MSP. Right now, they are:

• Departing at 9:40 AM, arriving at 11:24 AM
• Departing at 12:40 PM, arriving at 2:41 PM
• Departing at 2:40 PM, arriving at 4:42 PM

They’re all daytime flights. The sun won’t go down unless you read this in the winter and take the last flight of the day. If your body is acclimated to European time zones, you might not need the comfort of a lie-flat bed, as opposed to taking a redeye.

Aircraft: The person posing the question is scheduled on an Airbus A359. (I don’t think I’ve flown Delta One on that model yet.)

Flight length: from takeoff to touchdown, the flight is about 8 hours and 30 minutes. Factor in, though, taxiing time at AMS Schiphol, which sometimes seems as long as a tour of Holland itself. (At least, based on my experiences.) You might be looking at another half hour or so.

SkyPriority: Delta One passengers get access to priority check-in lines (dedicated Delta One lanes were available). Plus, they’re the first to board the plane after folks needing special assistance.

Lounges: Delta One passengers receive complimentary access to KLM’s Crown Lounges in AMS and the two Delta Sky Clubs in Minneapolis: F/G and G18. (A DeltaOne Lounge is potentially coming to the Twin Cities.)

Checked Baggage: Delta One passengers can check up to two (2) bags for free. Main Cabin passengers may check one (1) free on international trips outside North America. (Assuming the agents know are told the rules and/or abide by them.)

Feel free to add any other nuances worth mentioning in the Comments section.

Is $900 Worth It?

When I first saw the question, my immediate response was “YES!”

Here’s why.

I usually work during flights. I’m either busy with photo editing or writing projects. There are times I take the odd nap — especially in a lie-flat.

I’m a bigger guy (a little over 6’1″ and was a defensive lineman in football) and treasure space. My shoulders barely fit in coach seats. I’m far more productive in business class.

Plus, it’s way nicer to wait out long taxis and holds in the nice seats than it is in coach.

Here’s something I noticed during my last time flying Delta One. Because the plane usually boards from door two, it’s a lot quieter upfront in the Delta One cabin during boarding. You’re barely aware that anyone else, other than your 26 or whatever new bougie best friends in the good seats, is flying with you. Plus, all the seats have aisle access. So, there’s no “Excuse me, that’s my seat” stand-up, sit-down, stand-up, sit-down routine — especially in wide-body planes — that puts Catholic Mass services to shame.

Hooray for better food, that’s always a plus. I’ve had, like, two drinks in the past year and a half, so the upgraded booze isn’t a factor.

I don’t pack too heavily, so the free extra luggage isn’t necessary. (You get two free checked bags anyway in coach).

For those without a credit card that offers lounge access or Delta Sky Club access, lounge access can be a great luxury worth the cost. That would factor into my saying yes if I didn’t already have SkyTeam Elite Plus status and a qualifying Delta credit card.

If Delta also accepts SkyMiles for this upgrade, the cost would be 90,000 SkyMiles or fewer. I sometimes have that in my account. Or I could always transfer miles from my Membership Rewards balance. On the other hand, that’s an entire domestic award trip — probably two.

The cons:

I usually keep the flight tracker or headline news on the entire time because I’m a big nerd. If there’s a college or professional game I want to watch, I’ll put that on. But I rarely watch movies or TV shows on flights. (When I do, it’s on my tablet or laptop.) So, the big screen doesn’t do much for me.

It’s $900. I’m a freelancer with a family. I never know when $900 will be truly needed. I’ve sat in coach plenty of times on 8-12-hour flights. It was uncomfortable. But I lived. And I’d do it again.

But $900 is such a great deal! 🙂 And it’s more Medallion® Qualification Dollars (MQD) for those of us who keep drinking the Delta Kool-Aid.

Your Turn

I’d love to hear your thoughts! What would you do? Please share in the below Comments section!