With cheap business flights, you can fly in style for less. Discover our tips for scoring discounted business class flights in this guide.
When you’re booking seats for regular business travelers, finding discounted business class flights is a sure way to stay within budget. Amenities like lie-flat beds and five-star meals normally come with a hefty price tag, as the usual cost of a business class flight soars into the thousands.
But as any business travel manager knows, flight prices are constantly in flux. With the right timing and the right carrier, your well-traveled team members can enjoy all the luxury of business class for less. Read on for our top tips to finding affordable business class flights.
So, what’s the benefit of sourcing those discount business class flights? Wouldn’t your team do fine in premium economy? For long-haul flights where colleagues need to maximize their in-air time, the higher cost of business class flights comes with plentiful perks.
Lie-flat seats or full beds mean they can get a good night of rest to beat jet lag, while tastier in-flight meals, access to business lounges, and complimentary internet access boost productivity and performance. Of course, some business classes are more luxurious than others, so it’s worth comparing amenities alongside the cost of business class flights.
Flight prices are driven by the laws of supply and demand. When you’re looking to score great deals on business class flights, book them at less popular times where demand will be lower. Avoid high-season times like the holidays where possible.
Mondays and Fridays are always popular with business travelers, with better deals available during the in-between weekdays. Widen your travel window, if possible, when looking at fares. A little flexibility goes a long way toward finding the best business class flight deals.
While you can sometimes score a great last-minute deal, it’s better to book your flights in advance. You’ll get better fares at least 21 days before the flight, and even cheaper flights a few months ahead.
Some carriers are known for their affordable business class flights, including budget and big-name airlines. Here are a few to try:
A budget Portuguese airline, TAP Air Portugal offers lie-flat seats and plush pillows in business class on routes between Europe and North America. Travelers also have access to a top-class menu accompanied with Portuguese wine, with prices that regularly dip below $2,000 roundtrip.
Emirates can be one of the most expensive airlines with its premium services, but the carrier also offers a ‘special’ class of business fares. While these don’t grant access to Emirates lounges and chauffeur service, they still give travelers top-flight perks onboard the plane. These cheap business class tickets often come in at about half the price of the full, unbundled fare.
Like Emirates, Qatar Airways offers an unbundled version of its usual business class experience. When comparing business class flight prices, look out for the ‘Business Class Lite’ category for discounts. Travelers can still enjoy the ultra-luxurious Qsuites experience with its fully closing doors for privacy, along with gourmet meals.
This German carrier may be small, but Condor does connect major European and US gateway airports, making it a strong option for business travelers. You’ll find cheap business class flights that clock in below $1000, with full access to Condor’s lounges along with 4K entertainment and the standard lie-flat beds.
Before booking any flight, it’s always important to explore your options to find the best deals. Try playing around with search engine filters including airlines, departure times, and stopovers, to narrow down your results. Flexible dates always go a long way to finding the best business class flight deals, too.
Aside from flexibility, here are some tech-savvy techniques to help you find discount business class flights.
It may seem obvious, but one of the best travel hacks is to join airline loyalty programs. You’ll collect air miles when you fly, which translate into points redeemable for discounts and exclusive offers. Air miles credit cards like British Airways American Express or Virgin Atlantic Rewards are also a terrific way to bump up those points and book your seats.
It’s also important to remember that if your company has a preferred airline, you may be able to access their loyalty program and collect air miles, which will enable you to earn discounts as your team logs more miles. To find deals on business class flights, be sure to check whether your company is entitled to access any kind of airline loyalty scheme.
Another thing to watch out for are airline partnerships like the Star Alliance, which let you use your mileage points to book flights on any collaborating airline. You’ll usually get the best business class flight deals if you use your membership rewards to book directly, rather than buying an economy ticket and upgrading.
Carriers run sales at regular points throughout the year, so it’s well worth keeping an eye on the calendar if you want the best business class flights price. These usually take place four months before each travel season. For example, if you’re looking to book your flight in August, you should check the airline’s website in April. Popular sale periods like Black Friday and Boxing Day can also yield some bargain flight deals. Be sure to join your carrier of choice’s mailing list for a heads-up.
Most corporate bookers already use aggregator sites or platforms that offer the same feature, like Booking.com for Business, to find cheap business class flights. These scan hundreds of travel sites to find the best fares. But are you using them to their best advantage? Explore each site’s tools to make it work its hardest. One great tool is the price alert function, which sends you emails when fares drop.
Although aggregator sites already scan multiple websites on your behalf, you’ll still notice that the deals vary between providers. You should still compare prices yourself to find the best deals. Cross-check results to make sure you’re getting the industry-best fare.
If you have some flexibility with your business travel, a good feature to look at is the monthly flight calendar. There are plenty of online options available to use for free. Input your destination and arrival airports (or even just the countries), then scroll through the calendar to see which time of year is cheapest for your chosen itinerary.
Sometimes called error or mistake fares, glitch fares give an extreme discount on business class flights – up to 90% off in some cases. You’ll have to work quickly to take advantage of these pricing mistakes before the carrier takes the deal down. Of course, most admins don’t’ have time to constantly survey all prices, but you can sign up for flight clubs like Going and Jack’s Flight Club that do the hard work for you.
Another way to reduce the cost of business class flights is to upgrade your seat with an airline auction. Not all carriers follow this system, but many do, including Cathay Pacific, Etihad, Air New Zealand, Singapore Airlines, and others. Once you’ve already purchased an eligible economy (or economy premium) ticket, you’ll receive an alert closer to the departure date asking if you’d like to make an offer on an upgrade to business class.
Of course, you probably won’t win the auction with a bid like $1. Aim for at least 25% of what the airline suggests as a minimum bid amount. The flight upgrade won’t be free, but it will come at a significant discount.
Have you ever been bumped off a flight due to overbooking? When you have a week full of meetings, this isn’t ideal. However, if the itinerary has some built-in flexibility, consider volunteering your seat. Most airlines will offer some compensation, such as an upgrade to Business Class on the next flight. There’s usually some room for negotiation but be sure to read the fine print on any travel policy before signing.
You’ll usually find the best business class flight price on a Tuesday, as it’s less popular with business travelers. Wednesdays and Saturdays are also good days to fly if you’re looking for affordable prices. Weekends are the most expensive, as are shoulder days like Fridays and Mondays.
Yes and no. Normally, waiting to the last minute to book a flight is ill-advised and will cost you more. This is because airlines know that last-minute travelers are very keen to score seats, so with this increased demand comes higher prices.
On the other hand, carriers don’t like to take off with a plane full of empty Business Class seats. If Economy’s full and Business is empty, the airline may offer cheap business flight ticket upgrades at the last minute.
Seat upgrades are a common way to fly discount business class flights, but whether it’s cheaper to upgrade online or in-person at the airport depends on numerous factors.
The first is availability. When airlines overbook Economy, they’ll need to upgrade some passengers to Business, which means they may offer the best deals last-minute at the airport.
Another factor is the time of year and its associated demand. If you’re flying off-season, you’ll often be offered an upgrade online before flying to fill empty seats.
Be sure to compare prices carefully before taking what you think is a good deal. Finding cheap business flights ahead of time often yields a better price than paying a separate fee to upgrade at the airport.
No. While it may be tempting to slip into Business Class when seats are empty, if you haven’t paid for it, you’ll be sent straight back to your assigned seat. Airline gate agents run a tight ship, providing flight attendants with a complete head count and all seat assignments. Expect to be challenged and even removed from the plane if you try to sit in an unassigned seat.
From loyalty rewards to flight aggregators and airline auctions, there are plenty of ways to find discounted business class flights and ensure your team travels in comfort. Flexibility, as always, goes a long way, keeping budgets in check for improved spend management.
Before packing bags for your next business trip, add another tool to your travel planning arsenal with Booking.com for Business. You’ll access exclusive prices on cheap business flights, with up to 20% off the standard price and flexible options from over 420 airlines. Plus, travelers can earn air miles through frequent flyer plans like the Star Alliance, Oneworld and SkyTeam to get even better deals in the future.
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