Out of Office: How to Justify Booking That Business-Class Seat

This post is part of a series in which LinkedIn Influencers and members share their business travel advice and stories from life on the road. Read all the posts here.

We all know that during tough economic times, the first budgets to be sliced are the luxuries like business-class travel. But when it comes to traveling for work, here are six solid reasons why I believe travelling business class for long-haul flights (i.e. those that are over 6 hours) is justifiable and pays for itself.

1. Sleep: I don't care what anyone says, unless you are 4' 2" there is no way you are getting a great sleep on a 12-hour long-haul economy flight! Your ability to hit the ground running (literally) when you land is dependent on the quality of your journey to that destination. Business class allows you to travel to a meeting knowing that you can arrive fresh and ready to do business. An economy-class passenger would usually have to factor in major jet lag (leave earlier) or arrive over-tired for a business meeting. Either way... it's not optimum. Ultimately, lost time and poor client meetings result in lost money.

2. Work: If you do have to travel during business hours, then at least you have the lounge and the plane journey to work (many planes have internet access now) and get that presentation in top condition. It also gives you great "me" time, allowing you to reflect on your goals and business in general. Your company gets another day's work from you when ordinarily that would have been lost.

3. Networking: Whenever I travel for business, I make a point of speaking to people around me. In fact, I have met some amazing people on plane journeys which have resulted in new business won and even an award winner for The Asian Awards. Many decision-makers travel business class and you have several hours to get to know them (providing their business is relevant) and get their interest in your products/services.

4. Price: Business-class fares are becoming very competitive. Ten years ago a business class trip to New York would not be less than ￡3,500, now several operators offer fares of around ￡1,500 or less. In some instances, fully flex economy is more expensive than restricted business class fares. On certain routes, particularly to Asia, the difference between economy and business can be a matter of a few hundred pounds as economy fills up much faster than business class.

5. Loyalty: Speculate to accumulate...I am talking air miles... If you are loyal to an airline and travel business class, those air mile rewards rack up very quickly, resulting in free tickets worth tens of thousands of pounds over a matter of a few years. I know people who have earned over ￡100,000 worth of airline flights in a single year, having spent less than ￡50,000 with that airline. The more you spend, the better the returns. American Airlines are known to have one of the most rewarding loyalty schemes to the point that many executive platinum members never buy more than an economy ticket, yet travel business and first class on every journey. Also I never understand why people use airmiles to buy economy-class tickets. For example on BA, it takes 50k miles for economy return to New York. That fare is worth about ￡500 approx. But for another 50k miles (100k in total) you can get a business-class fare worth around a minimum of ￡3000 (i.e. for double the miles, you get 6x the value of the ticket!)

6. Health: Perhaps this is the most important aspect. If you are a regular business traveller, then economy class will take its toll. Much has been mentioned in the press about Deep Vein Thrombosis and a lack of movement due to the so called "Economy Class Syndrome." But its not just DVT, it's the lack of sleep on the plane, the food quality and the recovery time you are given after the journey that will determine the long-term detrimental effects of economy-class travel. Thankfully most airlines offer advice on movement during a flight, but if you are stuck in a window seat, it's not that easy to get up and move.

Obviously we all have budgets we adhere to, but hopefully you can see that taking into account the six points, there exists a strong ROI for travelling business class.

Whatever you choose, I bid you safe travels!

Photo: Author's Own/Instagram