£1,000 business class fares to NYC are back (with restrictions) – is it a sign of market softness?

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

• the_real_a says:

  20 May20 May 12:29

  Have been lucky enough to visit NY many times in the past – but no plans to return any time soon. The costs have risen to ridiculous levels, far in excess to value. Unless you pay top $ food and hotels can be awful, everyone now expect 20%. And the safety salutation has fallen off a cliff, New York is quickly becoming like San Fran, LA Etc. Far better places to visit these days on less coin.

  • David says:

    20 May20 May 14:37

    How do you manage to leave your house? ‘Safety situation has fallen off a cliff’; really.

    • the_real_a says:

      20 May20 May 19:17

      Go for a walk in queens, or even a block of main in Brooklyn after 8pm. Someone was robbed at dumbo a few meters from us last year. Large fight in Time Square at 5pm amongst rival gangs / police. Plenty of insane people pushing carts and begging. If you uber everywhere, avoid the subway after 9pm or stick to main street in manhatten then of course you wont see it. But that’s boring.

      • Kevin says:

        20 May20 May 22:53

        You are correct. Middle-of-the-road hotels now over $400/night. I will be in New York this winter, but only for a few hours in JFK!

  • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:

    20 May20 May 15:05

    When was the last time you went to any of those places?

    I’ve been to NYC and San Francisco this year and had absolutly no worries about the ‘safety situation’

    • optomdad says:

      20 May20 May 16:33

      Maybe over dramatised on the safety issues, however, the tipping culture is now so out of control that we won’t be going back to USA for the foreseable. Firstly the whole 20-24% is outrageous, but alongside quality of service dropping, it takes the enjoyment out of any meal (or nowadays even a Starbucks takeout) away.

      • CarpalTravel says:

        20 May20 May 22:39

        I was out there last year and having been to NYC oh so many times over the decades, it was the first time that I came back feeling pretty dejected. It was like I had been passively mugged (which I actually physically was, back in the 90’s) and smelling rather badly of weed.

        Anecdotal – I was buying a coffee and cake and saw the lady in front at the till, clearly a local, and on the tip screen it prompted her for a 5, 10, 15, 20% tip. Next up was me, with an almost identical order, and I was presented with something like a 15, 20, 25%, other tip option.

        I absolutely love NYC, for so many reasons, but this time it felt rather tawdry.

    • the_real_a says:

      20 May20 May 19:22

      Come on, San Fran is ferell. Every green square has ten’s if not hundreds of homeless and insane people. True most just ask for coins but its in no way pleasant. One block from Union square and the streets are deserted after 7pm. Hotel advised to taxi everywhere after dark – which we perhaps unwisely ignored. Its significantly worse than 5 years ago when i worked there.

      • Rob says:

        20 May20 May 19:30

        Recommend the Financial Times Magazine article today on the state of SanFran. One of the two writers, in the space of a week writing the story, was robbed, was assaulted on the subway and had someone break into his house. 1% of the population is now homeless (which would be 80,000 homeless people if London was at the same level).

        • Will says:

          20 May20 May 21:46

          I guess the moral of the story is that metaphorically once the floor becomes lava (financially speaking) crazy stuff happens.

          I was in SF 6 years ago and although I can’t say I felt particularly unsafe the homeless and crazy person problems were insane to see with so much wealth present everywhere.

        • Mark says:

          21 May21 May 01:56

          Rob, come on. That article was sensationalist. We have friends and plenty of clients who live in SF and yeah, it has its problems right now, but it suits a right-wing agenda to paint it as in a “doom-loop”. As for the comments here on NYC – laughable.

        • His Holyness says:

          21 May21 May 17:18

          Fisherman’s Wharf has tonnes of boarded up commercial premises.

    • r* says:

      20 May20 May 22:42

      I noticed a big difference in both sf and ny between 2019 and 2022. Maybe it was cos of postcovid but they were much worse.

• Tony1 says:

  20 May20 May 14:52

  Any idea if ( ever ) BA will fly to BKK ? Mrs does not want to stop mid flight somewhere.

  • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:

    20 May20 May 15:09

    This is one of the most asked questions and the answer is no one knows.

    It seems only Eva Air and Thai Airways fly LHR-BKK non stop.

  • Qrfan says:

    20 May20 May 19:14

    Has the Mrs actually tried stopping over on a decent airline? It’s not much of a chore…

• Rob H not Rob says:

  20 May20 May 15:08

  NYC coming up in July with VA upgrade V. Intercon Barclay reward nights means just gotta feed ourselves and find a couple of decent gigs.

  Tips for good unexpensive eats please!

  • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:

    20 May20 May 15:11

    I tend to stock up on salad, cheese and meat etc at Whole Foods or Trader Joes and make a picnic of it.

    Plenty of diners that will give a good feed too.

    • Andrew. says:

      20 May20 May 16:21

      Definitely Wholefoods. Can get a generous hot (or cold) buffet main course for about $12. Cheesecake or Cake course for about $5. Buy hot Pizza by the slice.

      When you start paying attention, you soon realise that you’re buying your main course at WF for about the same price as the tip at a mediocre New York restaurant.

  • Rob says:

    20 May20 May 16:00

    Local deli will see you ok – or add lounge access to your Barclay stay.

  • Blair Waldorf Salad says:

    20 May20 May 16:03

    I was at the Barclay for 11 days and 10 nights in April. The lounge offering was mostly all I ate. Lunch is sandwiches and cakes. Evening is sufficient hot and cold bites to make a light meal; that’s all I’d want when heading to a Broadway show.

    • Rob H not Rob says:

      20 May20 May 18:29

      Thanks Blair,

      So the lounge offering there is decent?

      • tony says:

        20 May20 May 22:01

        So you fly to New York on holiday then hunker down in the hotel for 10 days? My serious question is why even bother? Is there genuinely cultural ‘appeal’ that can only be found in NY and nowhere else in the world?

        • Charles Martel says:

          20 May20 May 22:35

          I don’t splash at the expensive restaurants unless its a special occasion but I find the mid price places are generally par in any multicultural western city; its a irony that the more diverse cities are the more they become like each other and globally things start to feel a bit identical. The culture of these same cities to me is hidden in the museums and galleries.

  • paulthetaxman says:

    20 May20 May 19:55

    Look at the Michelin Gourmand list for NYC. They have some really good recommendations – I know you might be turned off by Michelin and think it means $$$$ but this list is really good / well priced. Other tips are : Marta for pizza happy hour (it’s a Danny Myers restaurant) and Mamouns for falafel / Kebab

  • the_real_a says:

    20 May20 May 19:58

    Trader Joes (Aldi) is the cheapest place for food in Manhattan (midtown). Stop on the way back to your hotel and stock up on basics, sandwich or picnic items with fruit etc. You cannot beat a bad slice of pizza at Sbarro (eat in or to go on times square) which is surprisingly cheap (nostalgia from being broke student). I liked to eat with the Taxi drivers at “Salt and Pepper” one bock back from Penn station. Old school diner, grab from the counter and eat at a table so no tip required, Decent $1 coffee. Jacks on 32nd street for $1 food basics and wash bag items.

• Wally1976 says:

  20 May20 May 15:32

  I’m saving up gazillions of Hilton points for a US trip next year although having 2nd thoughts (even more so after reading this thread!).

  • No longer Entitled says:

    20 May20 May 16:52

    I love the US. Been many times, lived there for a decade, but for the foreseeable I am only flying east. Add in the fact that Hilton still give you breakfast as a Gold in my destinations of choice and I am very happy with my decision.

    That said, spending so long in the Americas has left lots of Asia for me to still explore. If going to the US is what you want to do then that has to be worth something.

• jannis says:

  20 May20 May 18:39

  I am planning to fly to US to buy this year apple’s new products.
  the price difference between US and UK is shockingly 30%.
  The money I would save from buying iPhone and VR headset is enough to justify the ticket costs

  • Jonathan says:

    20 May20 May 22:32

    You clearly like spending a lot on tech.
    You’d also probably travel to somewhere like Oregon / Montana to avoid sales tax as well ?

  • Charles Martel says:

    21 May21 May 00:01

    You can claim the VAT back if you buy in most European countries (minor Brexit benefit).

    • His Holyness says:

      21 May21 May 17:17

      Can you recommend one that doesn’t involve using one of those scams like Global Blue?

• His Holyness says:

  21 May21 May 17:16

  NYC is the only place I saw someone publicly defecate. He laid a log between two parked cars.
  Dump.

  • Gordon says:

    21 May21 May 17:20

    I witnessed the exact same thing in Great Yarmouth?

    • His Holyness says:

      21 May21 May 20:46

      Another dump then.

      • david says:

        22 May22 May 23:03

        Least he gave you something to remember.

• When I Travel The World says:

  23 May23 May 16:08

  The comments in here on NYC are amusing.
  I’ve been every month for work so far in 2023 and just got back again yesterday.

  Yes there are homless people, but like most cities. The reason you can smell WEED everywhere is because its legal, so yeah people are going to smoke weed in public.

  Hotels are expensive, but shop around, I often see 4 stars for $180 a night + 15% NYC tax remember that.

  Who’s buying starbucks for $9 ? Even Blue Bottle in Midtown is only $5 for an amazing coffee, Starbucks $3.75 or go to Dunkin for $2.79 if you just want coffee.

  Pizza ? Plenty of places for $1 slices.

  Drinks…Well this depends where you go, plenty of bars with $5 beers all over the place. Granted if you wanted fancy high end cocktail bars or rooftop its going to set you back between $22-$27 a drink + 20% Tip + Tax

  NYC has always been one of the most expensive cities in the world, nothing has really changed there in my view.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.