Who doesn’t want to fly the odds of a jetset life in business class? It had big seats, better food, more legroom and a peaceful experience. The only problem is that those tickets can be expensive (to put it mildly). What was the good news? If you understand a few tips though, there are ways to score cheaper business class flights. In this post, talk about travelling in comfort without crashing your budget.
Look out for those surprise deals (they do happen!)
Sky high prices don’t always stick with airlines. Sometimes, they sell off those surprise deals on business class seats to fill a plane or two. It’s not always announced, it can really help to stay alert.
Join the email list for travel discount newsletters and fare alert websites. Often tracking uncommon business class discounts include The Flight Deal, Scott’s Cheap Flights (formerly renamed as Going) and Secret Flying. You don’t have to visit every day; the alarms will let you know when you should.
Keep an eye on airline sales, as well. Yes, big carriers rarely have seasonal sales or flash offers, but you know what does? Business class. Of course it doesn’t hurt to also follow airlines on social media from time to time, as they occasionally offer special discounts to just their followers.
Use your points, miles, and some smart thinking
You can really benefit from collecting points and miles even if you aren’t a hardcore travel hacker, especially on business class tickets. If you’ve been using a travel rewards credit card, see if you can book or upgrade your seat using points. It sometimes costs you way fewer points to upgrade from economy to business than it does to buy the full price business ticket.
Check out airlines that let you ‘bid upgrades’. It also means you’ll be able to make an offer on a business class seat before you’ve even bought an economy class ticket. You fly business and at a very low cost against your next best offer if it wins. But not all airlines will do this and many (especially around international carriers) do.
And if your last flexibility dates for travel are flexible, consider searching for flights mid week or during slow seasons. If demand is low businesses will cut their class fares and sometimes flying a day earlier or later you’ll find an unexpected fare.
Think Differently
Using different airports or different airlines can really save a lot. Instead of flying with one airline the whole way, why not try ‘multi-city’ or ‘2 one way tickets’ on booking sites. The better business class might be had, for example, flying from New York to London on one airline and the return on a different one.
Also, check out leaving from other airports. Smaller airports can’t offer as good a deal as big international hubs such as New York, Los Angeles or Toronto, when it comes to long haul business class flight offers. Of course, if you can fly cheaply from one of these cities then it will be worth it.
Finally, don’t write off travel agencies and flight consolidators. You bet and occasionally they can book you on special business class fares that aren’t showing up on the large booking sites. You could get some major savings simply by making a quick call or email.
