How to Travel Business Class on a Budget
The business class cabins have to offer premium passengers with superior services. You can expect high-quality drinks, fine meals, personal spaces, comfortable seats, and luxe airport lounges. But, these facilities come at higher prices. Are you wondering to experience the world’s best business class airlines at affordable airfares? Then, you should know that there are hacks that can help you travel on a budget. Let’s discuss a few ways to fly business class without breaking your wallet:
Look for Business Class Deals (Airfare Sales)
Internationally, many premium airlines offer sales or provide business class tickets at affordable prices to retain loyal passengers. Usually, airfare deals are made available to fill up empty business class seats. Sometimes airline companies do this to put pressure on competitors. But, it can be a great deal for passengers who love traveling business class at affordable prices.
You must look for cheap business deals on a specific route before buying the ticket. It would be reasonable here to mention that a business class seat is just like security in the financial market whose price is dependent on market fluctuations. It can go up and down in no time. Thus, it is vital that you learn the art to analyze business airfare sale prices in order to fly business class for cheap.
Consider An Airline Consolidator
An airline consolidator is like a broker or wholesaler of tickets that can offer significant discounts to travelers. If you aim to travel business class for cheap, then it is ideal to contact a business class consolidator. You can get a quotation for the best business class airline tickets. The business class consolidators have access to unpublished premium international airline tickets. This can help you buy a business seat ticket by reducing the standard fare by up to 50%. If you have planned your trip 1 or 2 months before, then contacting an airline consolidator is best.
When deciding on a business class consolidator, you need to make sure that the agency has a good market reputation, and it is registered with IATA, ASTA, or ABTA. Moreover, you must ensure that quotation price includes the surcharges, taxes, cost for changes, etc. It is advised to pay via credit card and validate the ticket with the airline to mitigate any potential risk.
Split Your Airline Tickets
Have you ever thought of flying from point A to point B and then point B to point C just to save some money? Well, if you haven’t, then you must know that “Split Ticketing” is actually a great trick. It allows you to buy separate tickets to reach your destination while significantly reducing your airfares for business class flights. You can use economical countries as your points to split tickets.
It is better that you employ this trick when you have ample time to reach your desired location. So when you are buying separate tickets, it is safe to ensure some time for connections, just like a stopover. If you want, you can even spend time at your split country point.
Use Lesser-Known Airlines
If your ultimate goal is to fly with business class luxuries, but at cheaper rates, then there is no harm in buying a ticket of a lesser-known airline. It is a suitable strategy to cut-price the business class fare. Lesser-known airlines usually have to offer affordable tickets because they are new in the market and have a small/limited structure. I assure you that such airlines will provide high-quality services as they want to attract loyal passengers and gain a high market share. They offer cheap business class fares to beat their market competitors. And encourage passengers to fly with them by delivering safety, good seats, ground facilities, and comfortable flights.
Bring Your Own Amenity Kit
An amenity kit is a small-sized travel pouch filled with personal care items, such as toothbrush, toothpaste, hand wash, face napkin, lotion, lip balm, and eye mask. Sometimes it also includes socks and earplugs. An amenity kit is offered to long-haul business class passengers who are traveling internationally. Sometimes it is also supplied to premium economy class passengers. All the business class amenity kits have to offer basic items, but some airlines often charge for them.
If you believe that you are being charged for an amenity kit in terms of the high ticket fare, then you can skip on the amenity pouch. It is wise to pack your own amenity kit when traveling for a long distance. You can include travel socks, mints, an inflated pillow, moisturizer, mini toothpaste, hand wash, toothbrush, etc. in your personal amenity kit.
Bring Your Own Non-Liquid Snacks
You probably find this odd, but never think that you will get enough to eat on a long-haul business class flight. If you feel hungry during the flight, you will have to ask for snacks, and that will charge you extra cost. So there is no shame in bringing your own non-liquid snacks with you for the long flights. You can pack smoked almonds, dry fruits, chocolate bars, etc. You will only be served with drinks and main meals. Some business class airlines don’t even serve full breakfast, and they tend to be skimpy. You can expect small yogurt, a piece of bread, a muffin, a cup of coffee, fruits, etc. If you feel super hungry in the morning and love to have a healthy breakfast, then you can pack your own supplements for the flight. This will help you save extra cost on snacks.
The Bottom Line
Understandably, business class airfares can be quite costly, but they have to offer private space and other facilities to ensure the comfort of passengers for long haul flights. The business class lounges are priority checks for passengers who often travel from one pace to another for business meetings/sessions. This allows them fine dining, bigger & better seats to use laptops, priority boarding, etc. conveniently. However, if you desire to fly with business class but at affordable rates, then you should consider employing the aforementioned strategies.