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

For most of us, turning left when boarding and enjoying unlimited bubbles and a lie-flat seat is something we can only dream of.

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

Before the pandemic, the smartest cabins were mainly occupied by people flying for work. But when companies stopped sending executives abroad for meetings, airlines began slashing prices to entice vacationers.

Research for the Mail by The Flight Center shows that 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).

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

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

Frequent flyer clubs are worth joining and most allow you to redeem points for an upgrade. Pictured: Business Class cabin on an Emirates flight, which turned out 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, allowing airlines to demand high prices,” said Justin Penny, chief aviation officer at The Flight Centre. 'But from the beginning of 2023, demand fell and capacity increased again, meaning airlines now have to fight for their position and win over customers with low prices, especially those flying transatlantic. Prices have fallen significantly in 2023 and there are still very good offers.'

Here's how to get the very best business class deals on a budget:

GET OFFER

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

Airlines typically open their online bids between two and seven days before a scheduled flight (and only close it five hours before the flight). Travelers are usually notified by email by the airline and asked to place a bid (usually there is a minimum bid) and enter payment details. If the upgrade is successful, you will receive an email from the airline and you will be entitled to all the benefits of your new travel class, including lounge access and additional baggage allowance.

CHANGE PLACES

IF you're looking to connect at a major European airport, you can make big savings. And if you are willing to accept a long layover or even better an overnight stay, there are even bigger discounts. For example, TAP Air, the Portuguese national airline, offers big discounts if passengers stay overnight at its hub in Lisbon (see table).

BOOK early for business

FOR the cheapest rates it is important to consider when to book. For domestic economy 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 before departure.

However, when it comes to business class, you should book as early as possible. “For leisure travelers who want to fly business, the further in advance you can book, the better the prices,” says Justin Penny. 'Business travelers generally tend to book three to four weeks before departure, so if leisure travelers book during this period they will pay these high prices.'

'ERROR RATES'

ERROR fares are pricing errors made online by an airline or travel agent due to human error or incorrect currency conversions. These fares are often up to 90 percent cheaper than the standard price and must be honored by airlines after purchase. Error fares are often only available for an hour or two before they are noticed and removed by the airlines, 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 with Google Flights, which will track prices for certain routes and send you an email when prices increase or decrease significantly. You do this by selecting your departure and destination airports and travel dates. Select return or one-way tickets and which class you want to fly. Once the flight prices appear, you can click a switch that will enable the tracking.

JOIN THE CLUB

COMMON flyer clubs are worth joining and most allow you to redeem points for an upgrade. BA lets you upgrade a premium economy seat to business from London to Dubai with 20,000 Avios points, while you need 65,000 points to upgrade from economy to Virgin's Upper Class cabin on a flight from London to Washington, DC.