Flat beds in Business Class
 

I am currently looking to book flight tickets between Manchester and Calgary. Just wondering if anyone has travelled on that route with an airline that offers flat beds in the business class? I know Canadian Affair operates directly between Manchester and Calgary but I am not sure if they have a business class in their fleet. I have some sleep issues and will have to be at work the next morning when I arrive in Calgary. So I think its a good idea to give my body time to rest on the way so that I can arrive fresh and get on with my work the next day. I don't mind taking a stopover on the way if theres no direct service.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

The Canadian Affair flights are with Air Transat or Thomas Cook and do not offer flat beds.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

The only way to go.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

You could fly or take the train from Manchester to London and then take Air Canada to Calgary. They offer flat beds.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

Air Canada lay flat beds/pods...not bad at all. Thanks to upgrades, I have enjoyed 22 of them in the last 12 months.... mainly to Frankfurt and Munich. From there cattle class....

Don't think I would pay for the AC Executive First experience unless the offer was a good one.....

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

The flat beds are great, but going from the UK to Calgary is normally done in daylight hours, so it makes it more difficult, for some, to sleep. Air Canada has flat beds, but they fly out of Heathrow. AC does fly out of some regional airports, but only at certain times of the year and I couldn't say what type of aircraft they use on those routes. BA probably has flat beds.

On a "scheduled" flight from LHR you will arrive in Calgary in the mid to late afternoon, depending upon the airline. This will give you at least one nights sleep before heading to work. In recent years, whilst flying LHR to YYC, I have been taking a product called " No-Jet-Lag" and I swear by it. My jet lag was always worse flying to Calgary and these pills made such a difference. I was a bit skeptical when I first saw them in a local travel store in Calgary, but after speaking with the person in the shop I decided to give them a try and I am now a convert.

Good luck.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

It's also known by its other name, Don't-Get-Pissed-On-The-Flight.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

You realize don't you that this is a homeopathic product i.e. one that contains absolutely no active ingredients and which relies entirely on the placebo effect?

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

Don't doubt it, but it worked for me, so after the tedious flight to YYC from LHR it is nice to know that I didn't face days with a fuzzy head.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

I prefer the traditional flight mix, antihistamines and gin. Works for me.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

I never find the flight from abroad to Canada that bad. Usually go to bed at Canadian bed time and back to normal the next day. Worse is the overnight flight outwards.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

You're right, its worse going from abroad to the UK as you miss out the night. If you don't have to be in a meeting the next day the best thing is to down about five pints in the airport lounge and then keep sucking them down until after the dinner then have a nap.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

Oh I'd love to but unfortunately the airlines don't provide babysitting service and so we've to look after our 3 little ones ourselves and although all 3 are really good and quiet flyers I fear boozing kind of interferes with that :lol:.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

You obviously aren't giving them enough ;)

OP - Sleeping tablets may help.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

Through a combination of business travel policy for longer flights and e-upgrades I fly fairly regularly in AC exec first. The lie flat pods are pretty good, especially on the long overnight flights like YVR to HKG. Much better than the back of the bus ( where I am if its my dime I'm spending!)

AFAIK the charter carriers don't do lie flat...needs to be scheduled and not all airlines business class is lie flat. Seat guru.com is your friend.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

Thanks a lot everybody. Its interesting to see the topic going from seats on the plane to gin on the plane :D.

Anyway I have been researching airfares and found some deals on KLM and Lufthansa to Calgary. Has anyone flown with them who would like to comment on their service please?

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

Lufthansa operates a lot of times through Air Canada. My dad usualy bookes with Lufthansa from Munic to Ottawa and he'll fly Lufthansa Munic-Frankfurt and then Air Canada to Ottawa. They are a good airline. They are comparable to Air Canada or British Airways. Lost luggage service is great!
Never flew KLM.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

Damn it that's where I went wrong! Note to myself "booze for the kids not for me"! ;)

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

I'm reliably informed that travel savvy parents book their children as unaccompanied minors
on a different flight

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

They have to be a certain age though and mine are 5,3,1 :lol: Plus and that sounds probably mental but if there was something going wrong with the plane/flight then I'd rather be on it as a family.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

I think KLM are ok, I've flown with them to Holland umpteen times and to the UK several times. Their lost luggage service is horrible but, if they don't lose your luggage, you've no need to worry. Their staff are about half as old and twice as friendly as those on Air Canada. I'd tell you that I choose them ahead of AC but everyone knows I choose Greyhound ahead of AC.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

LH is also my airline of choice (after AF). Never heard of Munic though.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

You're having a laugh right....of course you are....

Something's never change....

AC...beat them both hands down.....LH and LH Group can be abysmal (unfortunately I fly them all too often) and my last long haul AF experience into de-gauling was appalling including a lost bag drama that you could not make up. Due to recycled baggage tag numbers....two AF victims flying at the same time with the exact same tag...

All fun...you have to be game for a laugh with those lot...

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

ok seems like more people prefer AC over BA.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

No I'm not joking. I've been flying at least 2 round trips a year from YYZ to Frankfurt each year for the last 20+ years (usually business class) and have never once had a negative experience. Also I've had one or two round trips per year to Paris for even longer on AF cattle class and again never a problem (except of course arriving at CDG which is probably the most chaotic and poorly designed airport in mainland Europe).

YMMV I guess.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

Are you kidding? :rofl:

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

Back to beds...

http://www.flatseats.com/Reviews/ac-j.htm

http://www.flatseats.com/Reviews/lh-f.htm

http://www.flatseats.com/Reviews/ba-j.htm

Horses for courses....

AC seems to win this race....no arguments from me. Have to be honest years since I have flown long haul on BA...last was an upgrade from Business to 1st...no complaints.

Slam customer service and AC always step up and correct. LH, bullshit letter and 20 euro voucher although I do have an unexpected 20 % off voucher to be used by Jul 8. If I can't use it myself, it can be passed on....so may be up for grabs.

AS :angel:

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

Your comments and the those of the other usual suspects are predictable...with never a good word for anything to do with Canada or the US no matter what the subject.

WTF you are still doing here remains lost on me.

Life goes on....

Yours aye...etc.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

Nope - have tried both and prefer BA but would fly AC if it was more convenient.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

That's quite the logical stretch there. This about airlines, one with pleasant staff and decent service and the other served by disinterested old sea hags.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

:lol: the "h" got lost somewhere. I'd spell it differently anyways but my "Umlaut" got lost when we moved. ;) I don't mind AC, I don't think there is much difference to LH or BA. I fly what's most convenient, depending on which part of the family we want/need to visit abroad and is economically feasible for a family of 5.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

Here, you can borrow mine, ¨ ;)

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

You are too kind ;) got them ¨ when do you want them back? Cheers!

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

Where are you going to keep them?

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

They've not done this for a good few years unfortunately. Their Manchester one went first, followed by the Glasgow one.

They are introducing Edinburgh - Toronto flights this summer under the 'Rouge' branding. It's their new low cost offering (in all but price).

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

Everyone will think we've gone dotty. :)

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

So for a laugh I decided to look into booking an example flight using Air Canada on the Pearson to Heathrow route using 1 Sep to 15 Sep online booking no discounts special offers etc. to see the difference.

Executive 1st class lowest fare for the 7 hour flight outbound and 7 hr 40 min flight back was $4033.41
Same flight using the Flex fare outbound and Tango fare back was $1183.95

Total difference of $2849.46

I guess if someone else is paying then go for it but if its coming out of my pocket then I will fly with the great unwashed in economy.

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

:lol: mentally unbalanced or amusingly eccentric?

@bats: I'll attach them to some U,O and A that are hanging around here and tell them not to lose them again, they are Novocastrian's after all!

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

Oh the latter.

NovoGBUSCADCAF

Re: Flat beds in Business Class
 

[QUOTE=Former Lancastrian;10672267]So for a laugh I decided to look into booking an example flight using Air Canada on the Pearson to Heathrow route using 1 Sep to 15 Sep online booking no discounts special offers etc. to see the difference.

Executive 1st class lowest fare for the 7 hour flight outbound and 7 hr 40 min flight back was $4033.41
Same flight using the Flex fare outbound and Tango fare back was $1183.95

Total difference of $2849.46

I guess if someone else is paying then go for it but if its coming out of my pocket then I will fly with the great unwashed in economy.[/QUOTE

If paying on ones own dime, book flex fare each way and use e-upgrades to get upgraded to business class. That's my approach. Note that the lower Tango fares no longer are upgradeable.