How to get best deals on business class tickets?

Business class is one of the world’s best types of air travel. It’s not too difficult to score a good business class ticket deal. Back in the old days of air travel, it was easier for passengers to get business class deal in general.

Now this is also possible, although it may not be easy and in most cases the upgrade will cost you some money. In the end, the investment you are going to make in a business class ticket will definitely pay off.

Taking a seat on a business class cabin will require from you some effort but it’s worthy. It just requires you to apply some special strategies we will share with you in this article.

As you know business class flights offer:

high quality services
great level of comfort
privacy and exclusiveness for each passenger

If you have never traveled on business class, once you try it you will never want to go back again to coach or premium economy. If you need to travel on a long-haul flight, it’s recommended to pick up business class flight.

By traveling on business class flight you will arrive well-rested on your destination and you will have your own personal space for working or entertainment.

Comfort and luxury come at a price when it comes to air travel and this is true for business class flights. But every rule have its exception. We are talking about business class traveling. Business class flights tend to be expensive as they offer on-board and ground services of high quality.

It’s completely possible to travel super comfortable and enjoy a wide range of first class services without playing high ticket price. Boarding a business class flight isn’t as expensive as most of us probably think.

In fact finding cheap business class deals isn’t impossible. You can enjoy high class air travel by doing some research in advance and by careful planning.

In the past frequent flyers with an elite status were granted a business class upgrade at the gate desk. This was mostly common for long duration flights where the airplane has a big seating capacity and a high number of first and business class seats. Now the situation is different with the smaller in size airplanes and the smaller amount of free business seats.

So here are our tips for getting business class tickets in affordable way:

Don’t book a business class flight

This tip may sound a bit odd but it’s true. Business class flights are expensive if you book them. A ticket for business class flight can be five times more the price for an economy class ticket. There are other ways to get a seat on business class.

Be member of a loyalty program

Being a member of your company’s frequent flyers program can win you a free upgrade to business class. Make sure to check regularly the expiration dates. Check as our mail box for emails from the airline company to avoid missing the points’ expiration date.

Get advantage of easy-up fares

The standard price for an international one-way business flight can go up to $2000 and this can be for a considerably short flight. The good news is you can find sales fares for such types of flights.

Sales fares can be found even on world famous air carriers. Business class tickets of airline companies like Qatar Airlines can go down by 50 or 75%.

Upgrade an economy flight

You can travel on a business class flight by upgrading your booked economy or premium economy ticket. This specific tactic is one of the most unpopular but it can be actually really helpful. You need to buy an upgradable economy or premium economy class ticket.

Make use of your points and miles

You should not miss this opportunity to get a business class deal, if you have some points and miles saved. Mile points can also help you get an upgrade to first class and their number depends on the airline company.

Upgrades on international business class fights can start from 25,000 advantage miles and require a co-pay per way of $350. Some airline companies may require only points for an upgrade of eligible fares.

Go to online auctions and bid for a business class upgrade

Don’t forget to regularly check on the sales on business class airfares. Buy an eligible fare on an airline company that attends upgrade auctions. Then you will receive an email a few days before your flight. It will contain an invitation to make an offer for a business class seat.

You should strive to bid higher as this increases your chances of getting a cheap business class ticket deal. In fact, one surprising advantage of this tactic is most business class upgrade auctions have allowing lower limits.

Join frequent flyer loyalty programs

Becoming a member of frequent flyers club is a wise step towards getting a business class seat. This can help you be among the priority names in the list of candidates for business class upgrade.

Elite air travel credit cards

You can use miles and points to score a deal on a business class ticket. They can be either earned from frequent flights, credit card sign up bonuses, car rental, hotel stays. This makes business class travel more accessible for larger group of people.

One way to get a business class deal is to book a one-way business class award ticket. Some types of credit cards offer great bonuses. So one of the best things you can do to get a business class ticket is to choose an airline company and get their co-branded card.

Elite airline credit cards offer you great benefits. Co-branded cards such as Delta SkyMiles American Express card, United Mileage Plus Card and the cards American Express Platinum and Chase Sapphire Preferred offer you the option to get big bonuses if you sign up.

The condition for this is to spend a specific amount of money for a certain period of time. The minimum sum is usually 3000$ and when you reach it, you can get a second credit card and gift to a close person such as a spouse or used for yourself or your business. Many of the airline credit cards offer sign-up bonuses reaching up to 50,000 miles.

If you are a frequent flyer, you can pay off easily the annual fee which cards like American Platinum require thanks to the perks you will get.

Buy points

That’s another option to try if you want to travel on business class.

There are websites that offer you the opportunity to buy and sell points. Be careful when trying this option as some of the largest airline companies may not allow it. You can end up losing the miles you have purchased or not being able to use them.

Fly on the weekend

Business class passengers are flying 7 days a week but they avoid flying on Saturdays and Sundays in general. Therefore, you may find available business class seats on the weekend, so schedule your flight at this time.

Change seats

If you have an economy seat towards the front of the airplane, you can ask to be upgraded to a business class seat. Wait until the cabin door is shut and check if there is an empty seat on business class.

If you find one, ask the flight attendant if you can change your seat. There is an option to ask the flight attendants about this when boarding the airplane.

Get a business seat at the check-in desk

Some airline companies may upgrade you to a business class if you purchase a business class ticket at the check-in desk. This method may be a little more expensive when compared to the others but at least the positive result is guaranteed. After you do this, you are quickly granted a business class upgrade and you are ready to take up your comfortable seat.

This option may be helpful if you don’t have earned miles to use for a free business class seat upgrade. Also, it may suit you if you don’t want to try your luck in asking for a business class upgrade at the gate.

Check in online

You can buy yourself a business class upgrade when booking online. There is a common practice among airline companies. When there are some business class seats available on a flight, some air carriers may sell them at discounted prices to those customers who use online check-in services.

But you should first ask the flight attendants about the rate of the upgrade. Sometimes business class upgrade at the check-in desk can be at a lower price than the discounted online business class upgrade.

Use apps

There are some mobile apps that notify you about the best business class deals. These apps use filters and you just need to enter the dates you plan to flight and your desirable destination, they will show you the best time of the month to fly on business class for cheap.

Sometimes the difference in the prices for a business class flight can be hundreds of dollars depending on the day of the month or the week. Apps are very suitable for people who have flexible destinations.