Flying business class is a dream for most people. Easy-to-sit-in chairs, plenty of room for your legs, great food and a bed can all be part of air travel. But a large part of us simply cannot afford what they charge. The wonderful thing about that is You don’t have to pay every cent to experience luxury. If you have a basic idea of where and how to check, you’ll find easy tricks to save money.
Keep an Eye Out for Offers and Discounts
Airlines run special deals all the time, but they’re not always easy to find unless you’re looking. A good first step is to sign up for airline newsletters. They often send out offers, flash sales, or discount codes that aren’t advertised publicly. This includes business class seats too—especially when they’re trying to fill up the cabin closer to the flight date.
Flight deal websites are also super useful. Sites like Secret Flying, Airfarewatchdog, and even Google Flights can help you spot low fares. You can set alerts so you get a message when prices drop for business class tickets on the routes you want.
Ask About Government or Public Service Discounts
If you’re employed by the government, a school or in specific public services, you should check whether they provide special business class rates. Although a number of airlines reduce ticket prices for government employees, you may not see that offer on their websites. Whether you can travel or not often depends on getting in touch with a travel agent who manages government or official travel.
Even if you’re booking for personal travel, some airlines are flexible and still give a discount just by verifying your job ID.
Other Simple Ways to Save Big on Business Class
Even if you don’t travel often, these suggestions are useful.
- Try to be relaxed when you fly. Many airlines lower the price of business class fares during the week and during periods such as early spring or late fall.
- If you have miles or points, take advantage of them. Some credit cards allow their rewards points to be used to move from economy to business class for just a small fee, even if you don’t have many points.
- You can upgrade your ticket after you book economy. Some airlines give customers a chance to upgrade to business class for less a few days ahead of their flight. The upgrade doesn’t happen all the time, but if it does, it’s much cheaper than buying a business ticket at the outset.
- Pay attention to error fares. You don’t see these very often, but when you see one, it’s amazing. It’s possible that a business class ticket will be advertised at a price much lower than it should be. If you buy one right before they fix it, you’ll save a lot.
You don’t need to limit yourself to dreaming about business class. Do some preparations, keep a flexible schedule and figure out the right spots (or crews) to use and you’ll get a great front seat at an affordable price.
Make sure to ask about those employee discounts if you serve in government or the public sector. They let you fly in taste without spending a lot.
