Have you walked past the business class cabin on the way to your economy seat and thought, ‘One day, I’ll be able to sit there?’ That ”one day” could be closer than you think: Good news. Business class seats don’t always have to be expensive. In reality, there are plenty of ways you can fly without emptying your bank account—although you won’t be in 5-star luxury. Here’s a way to get business class flights for less, stress free.
Adjust according to price fluctuations
Flexibility matters if you want a good deal. Airlines base the price on how booked the ticket is so they will tend to be cheaper mid week (like Tuesdays or Wednesdays) than on the weekends. Flights booking also during early morning and late in the night are much cheaper against prime-time slots.
Be flexible with where you are headed. On the other hand flying into a nearby city to take a domestic short flight or train will save you tons of money. For instance, you may be able to fly from Brussels to Paris or from Milan to Rome and pay less — and still get to your intended destination.
Also, book your flight tickets in advance — generally 2 to 3 months prior to your holiday. While there are last minute business class deals that exist, they are exceptional and hazardous to be trusted if you don’t have a pliant system.
Use points, deals, and upgrade tricks
Frequent flyer miles and credit card points are one of the finest ways someone flies business class for less. Should you have travel credit cards—especially one with free upgrades or business class redemption choices—you should take advantage of them. Certain cards will also provide you a companion ticket or discount premium passes annually.
And don’t forget to sign up for airline newsletters and deal sites like Secret Flying, The Flight Deal or Scott’s Cheap Flights (now called Going). These sites shoot you an alert when business class fares drop or when mistake fares appear — because mistake fares actually happen and they’re your best friend.
Also, look at what smaller or lesser known airlines you can fly with. Sometimes, a big name U.S. airline doesn’t even offer the best business class for the dollar and Middle Eastern, Asian or European carriers will have better service at cheaper business class prices.
Book economy and hope to get upgraded when you get there. A lot of airlines now allow you to bid for a piece of business class after you’ve booked your economy ticket — and you can sometimes get a bargain upgrade for a few hundred dollars. You may not luck out, but if you’re on a budget, it’s worth a try.
A few more tips that might surprise you
- Check on different sites you’re booking from. All at once, deals appear on international website versions of airlines or flight search apps like Google Flights, Skyscanner or Momondo.
- Look at one way tickets. I know it’s weird, but sometimes two one way business class flights (on two different airlines) can even be less expensive than booking a round trip flight.
Go during the off season. Whilst flying to Europe in winter and Southeast Asia in the wet season might not seem like something you want to do, prices drop big time and business class fares aren’t excluded.
