How to get a business class bargain: The tricks to finding luxury travel at the cheapest possible price

For most of us, turning left while boarding and settling down to unlimited bubbly and a lie-flat seat is something we can only dream of.

But fares for business class seats have dropped significantly in recent years as airlines struggle to fill their swish cabins.

Pre-pandemic, the smartest cabins were taken up predominantly by those flying for work. But as companies stopped sending executives overseas for meetings, airlines began slashing prices to tempt leisure travellers.

Research for the Mail by The Flight Centre shows seats in business class cabins for April to December this year are 10 per cent lower than for the same period in 2023 (flightcentre.co.uk).

Business class direct return flights to New York with Virgin Atlantic are now available from £1,799, while direct return flights in business from London to New Delhi with Air India are from £1,503. For those happy to travel with a stopover, passengers on the latter route can save almost £500 if they have a one-hour layover in Abu Dhabi when flying business with Etihad (£1,043).

It’s also now possible to book business returns from Manchester to the golden beaches of Cancun, Mexico (via Lisbon) with TAP Air Portugal from £1,503, and the traditionally expensive route of London to Sydney (via Beijing) for £2,799 with Air China through Trailfinders (trailfinders.com).

Frequent flyer clubs are worth joining and most will allow you to exchange points for an upgrade. Pictured: Business class cabin on a Emirates flight, which was found to be the third best airline for business travel

‘Demand for business class seats came back extremely quickly after the pandemic and capacity was low so airlines were able to demand high prices,’ says Justin Penny, head of aviation for The Flight Centre. ‘But from the start of 2023 demand dropped and capacity increased again, meaning airlines are now having to fight for their position and win over customers with low prices, especially those who fly transatlantic. The prices came down quite heavily in 2023 and there are still some very good deals out there.’

Here’s how to secure the very best business class deals on an economy budget:

GET BIDDING

IN addition to the low fares, many airlines such as Virgin Atlantic, Etihad, Cathay Pacific and Qantas now allow travellers with seats booked in economy or premium economy to bid online for a business upgrade.

Airlines typically open online bidding between two and seven days before a scheduled flight (and close it as few as five hours before the flight). Travellers are usually informed by the airline via email and are asked to submit a bid (there’s usually a minimum bid) and enter payment information. If successfully upgraded, you’ll be emailed by the airline and will be entitled to all the perks and benefits of your new travel class, including lounge access and extra baggage allowance.

CHANGE PLANES

IF you’re happy to change planes at a major European airport you can make big savings. And if you’re willing to accept a lengthy stopover or even better, an overnight stay, there are bigger reductions still. For example, TAP Air, the Portuguese flag carrier, offers large reductions if passengers stay overnight at its hub in Lisbon (see table).

BOOK EARLY FOR BUSINESS

FOR the cheapest fares, it’s important to consider when you should book. For economy domestic flights, the cheapest time to book is five months before departure, according to flight engine Kayak.com, while for international economy fares the ideal booking period is eight to 23 days prior to departure.

However, when it comes to business class, you should book as early as possible. ‘For leisure travellers wanting to fly business, the further you can book in advance the better the prices,’ says Justin Penny. ‘Corporate travellers generally tend to book three-four weeks before travel, so if leisure travellers book during this time then they’ll be paying these inflated prices.’

‘ERROR FARES’

ERROR fares are pricing mistakes made online by either an airline or travel agency due to human error or incorrect currency conversions. These fares are often up to 90 per cent cheaper than the standard price and have to be honoured by airlines once purchased. Error fares are often only available for an hour or two before they’re spotted by the airlines and removed, so sign up for email alerts from the likes of kayak.com, hopper.com and secretflying.com.

SET PRICE ALERTS

YOU can set up alerts using Google Flights which will track prices for particular routes and email you when prices significantly increase or decrease. You do this by selecting your departure and destination airports and travel dates. Select round-trip or one-way tickets and which class you want to fly. Once the flight prices appear, you can click on a toggle which will turn on the tracking.

JOIN THE CLUB

FREQUENT flyer clubs are worth joining and most will allow you to exchange points for an upgrade. With BA, you can upgrade a premium economy seat to business from London to Dubai with 20,000 Avios points, while you’d need 65,000 points to upgrade from economy to Virgin’s Upper Class cabin on a London to Washington, DC flight.

Which airlines have the best business class cabins?

1. Qatar Airways

2. Singapore Airlines

3. Emirates

4. ANA All Nippon Airways

5. Delta Air Lines

6. Virgin Atlantic

7. Air France

8. Hainan Airlines

9. Cathay Pacific Airways

10. Etihad Airways

11. Turkish Airlines