Tips to fly business class for cheap

Buying a business class air ticket means sometimes spending a fortune. While the amenities in this section are significantly lavish, you may have to shell out a lot of money to travel to the destination you want. However, we would all love to get the coveted seat without worrying about the business class airfare. Read on to learn how to buy a business-class ticket at an affordable price.

Booking a business-class flight can feel like you are spending your fortune. However, the reasons behind such high prices are the priority check-in facility, comfortable seats with extra legroom, access to the first-class lounge, discounts on the food ordered, and premium beverages.

Tips you can follow to book a business-class seat
Whether you are a regular flier or an occasional traveler, your eyes will skim through first- or business-class airfare. You might think that business class tickets are expensive and instead book economy-class. What if we told you you could get a business-class seat without emptying your bank account? Would you believe it? Well, it can happen. All you have to do is follow the tips mentioned below:

  • Choose a time of traveling that is less popular
    It is not unknown to anyone that airlines hike the flight price during the holiday seasons. Sometimes, weekdays can be significantly overpriced since most business travelers tend to fly during the week. You can get the best deal on business-class airfare if you are flexible with your dates.
  • Keep an eye on the airfare
    It might sound exhausting to always keep an eye on the airfare. However, you can land a good deal if you are ready to spend a few minutes scouring the airlines’ websites daily. Many airfare search engines will let you search for dates with prices mentioned on different airline websites simultaneously. This way, you can save money for yourself.
  • Opt for a last-minute upgrade
    Airfares are never cheap, and airline companies hate to have empty business-class seats. This is why they sometimes offer cheap upgrades to cover their daily losses. So before your flight, go to the ‘My Bookings’ section of the concerned airline app or website and look for any such upgrade. Alternatively, you can inquire at the airport counter if any cheap upgrades are happening while checking in. This way, you can travel business class without paying business class airfare.
  • Travel with air miles
    For the uninitiated, air miles are a specialized loyalty program for regular flyers. It is one of the cheapest ways to fly to any place you want. All you have to do is sign up for the airline loyalty program and collect the air miles every time you fly. You can use these air miles to pay the airfare for a business-class seat without shelling out much cash.
  • Signup for the airline credit card
    When you sign up for a premium airline credit card, you earn points every time you make a purchase. The benefits of having this card are mentioned below:

    • You can spend anywhere, from shopping for groceries to paying bills. The airline’s credit cards collect points on your behalf.
    • You can use all the earned points to pay for business class airfare and book a seat for your trip.
    • You can get many complimentary services and benefits while traveling.
  • Look for the airline’s pricing mistakes
    You might not believe this, but airlines sometimes make mistakes in their pricing. Sometimes, you may find ridiculously cheap airfare for business class. These are website glitches. If you notice such a glitch, you shouldn’t think twice about booking the flight. Many flight clubs and their newsletters will help you get such deals on time.
  • Volunteer to be bumped if a flight is overbooked
    Sometimes, airlines overbook their flights by selling more tickets than the number of seats available on the aircraft. It happens because they expect no-shows sometimes, and instead, they have to offer cracking deals to the flyers that opt for the next available flight. If you grab such an opportunity, you might be offered a business-class seat at no extra cost.
  • Target the airline sales
    Many airlines offer annual sales on domestic and international flights. The price at this time remains static if you purchase from their official websites. You can even visit the airport counters to purchase the ticket because you can bargain for a cheap rate on your business class airfare. If you know how to haggle, you might get the best deals. However, the timeframe for this travel tends to be specified.
  • Hire an agent to book your business-class seat
    Many airlines offer special discounts and offer to fill the expensive first- and business-class seats. They refrain from advertising this in the ads because it might upset their regular customers. The news of such discounts is only available to specialists’ preferred partners. If you let your agent handle this, you may get excessive discounts on business-class airfare.
  • Corporate travel discounts
    Your company may have tie-ups with a specific airline. You can use this contact to get a special business-class airfare offer. In this way, you can travel business class without spending extra money.
  • Try an onboard upgrade
    If the seat on the flight is toward the front of the plane, listen for the cabin door closing. If you notice any vacant business class seats, you can politely ask the flight attendants to check if the upgrade is possible. Even though free upgrades only happen at the gate, you can try this onboard upgrade option. Since this is not a conventional method, you should first build a rapport with the attendant.

Business-class airfare is generally expensive, but that doesn’t mean you can’t afford it. If you pay attention to the details and plan your trip months in advance, your dream of traveling in business class might come true. However, if you are a regular flier, getting a business class seat might be easy for you if you use these tips.