How about stretching out in the lie-flat seat, sipping champagne and bypassing the cattle call at boarding? Playing smart, being flexible and having a sense of where one should look is everything. Proceed to set alert system on popular website
You’ll be notified when prices drop. Add that to a little patience and watch prices for a few weeks before buying. If you notice a sudden dip, go for it. Airlines more often than not release business class seats at discounted rates to fill up the cabin, so don’t ignore those alerts, they are gold.
You can also sign up for airline newsletters and loyalty programs for another sneaky trick. If you have enough frequent flyer miles they can turn into upgrades or even full business class tickets. Also, double miles promotions and sometimes targeted companion fare deals where they cut your partner’s fare by 50–75% are things to look out for.
If you’re required to travel for work or have a corporate credit card, you can look into whether your credit card offers you complimentary lounge passes or status fast tracks. At check in, you’ll be offered those perks and they can offer you extra upgrade opportunities.
Lastly, error fares and flash sales aren’t to be undersold. Every now and then, airlines and booking sites glitch and sell off business class seats for peanuts. As these offers come about, websites like Secret Flying or The Flight Deal aggregate them.
Error fares can be gone within hours. If you’re willing to go last minute, try bidding for an upgrade through your airline’s website. Occasionally, airlines will simply sell you a $200–400 ticket onto a business class flight.
Timing is everything—when to book and fly
When booking a business class ticket, try to get a hold of it about 2–4 months in advance. But that sweet spot tends to be a balance of availability and price. If you are preparing to take a long haul flight, it’s a good idea to begin checking as early as six months beforehand — as this is when airlines tend to release their best premium seats. However, airlines can also make bargains available for last minute bookings (within 2–4 weeks of departure) in order to fill up their premium cabins.
When it comes to the best time of year to fly, the shoulder seasons (i.e, late April to early June and early September to early November) are your friends. Since demand is lower, business class can also often dip. Fares are usually lower on flights mid-week (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and on overnight “red eye” services, as there are less business travelers competing for seats.
Knocking hundreds off your ticket sometimes means flying into one hub and out of another. It can also save you big chunks of money, by playing with departure days leaving on a Tuesday morning, for instance and returning on a Wednesday evening.
A few tips
- Booking two separate one way tickets on different carriers can be cheaper than round trip on one airline sometimes.
- Transfer credit-card points to partner airlines during transfer bonuses to get some extra value for those points.
- Direct premium seats can actually be less expensive than flying through a large international hub such as London, Dubai or Singapore.
With these tips in hand, you’ll be lounging in that spacious business class seat before you know it without emptying your wallet.
