How to fly business class for less on your next holiday – an insider’s tips on flying in style
From monitoring sales to researching seat layouts, it’s possible to fly business if you plan ahead
Do you wish you could travel business all the time – or even just once? For many, upgrading a flight to business class will be a once-in-a-lifetime treat, and even then it will be down to collecting air miles and looking for the best possible prices. Here are some tips on how to find an affordable “treat seat”.
1. Look for a good sale
You might think that the birth of a brand new route will mean cheaper business class seats, but that is not necessarily the case, particularly if the airline has a monopoly over the route, as is the case with Australian airline Qantas’ new non-stop London-Perth flight. You are actually much better off looking at the frequent sales.
“Cathay Pacific offers Vantage Pass every so often, which involves cheaper rates for premium classes,” says Cecilia Yee, marketing director at Flight Centre Asia in Hong Kong. “Middle Eastern carriers such as Emirates and Qatar offer great specials starting from HK$16,000 [US$2,030] to Europe and beyond.”
British Airways and KLM also offer regular deals. “Qatar Airways is often very competitive, with examples this year including London-Hong Kong for HK$14,340 [US$1,826] and Manchester-Auckland for HK$13,730 [US$1,749],” says Dave Smith at AirTravelGenius.com. “Sales can often be available during holiday periods, such as Christmas and New Year, when business travel reduces.”