Looking for cheap business class tickets or want to score an upgrade to first class? Here are some tips and tricks to help you find the best business class deals for your next flight.
Please note: Before your trip, stay updated on the latest travel restrictions by checking official government advice from your destination and on on Smartraveller.gov.au before your trip. This article was last updated in December 2021.
Seven effective ways to get cheap business class tickets:
Many people spend a lifetime travelling without seeing what’s behind the business class curtain. Price plays a big part in that decision, but it’s possible to turn left on a when you board a plane for cheaper than you think.
- Find cheap business class flights by being flexible
- Book with low-cost carriers
- Bid for an upgrade in online auctions
- Upgrade with frequent flyer loyalty programs
- Wait for sales on business class airfares
- Travel alone
- Dress nicely and be polite
1. Find cheap business class flights by being flexible
If the experience is the most important part of your trip, it pays to be flexible. By searching for deals by the best month, you can get cheap business class flights to your chosen destination much more easily.
Alternatively, you might need to be flexible with your destination. Different airlines have business class sales at different times. If your dates are set in stone, having a look at a variety of airlines and airports can help get you discount business class airfares.
To help you, Skyscanner has the capability to search for the cheapest flights on any route in any class. Looking for the cheapest business class flight within Australia? Search Australian domestic flights. Looking for the cheapest business class fares from Australia but flexible on destination? Search for cheapest flights to everywhere.
2. Book business class seats on low-cost carriers
Take a look at the airlines with a cheaper business class. ScootPlus is the name given to business class on Singapore Airlines low-cost offshoot Scoot. Flying Boeing 787 Dreamliners, ScootPlus is a no-frills business class, more like what full-service airlines call premium economy.
The business class benefits on offer from ScootPlus include a 30kg checked baggage allowance, complimentary entertainment streamed to your own device, premium meal service including one alcoholic drink, priority check-in and boarding, sizeable armrests between leather seats that recline 20cm, a power socket that takes Australian plugs, twice as much legroom and adjustable headrests.
Another low-cost carrier that offers a more affordable business class is Jetstar Business. With Jetstar Business, you’ll have leather seats that recline 20cm with legrests. In business class, you’ll get complimentary inflight entertainment and noise-cancelling headphones. You can also enjoy amenity kits, pillows and blankets, as well as priority boarding.
3. Bid for an upgrade in online auctions
To get cheap business class tickets, fly with an airline that offers an auction system for its economy passengers. This gives passengers the chance to make a blind bid on an upgrade to business or first class, offering a great deal on the original fare.
This isn’t a surefire way of getting an upgrade, but when you do win it’s one of the easiest ways to get cheap business class tickets. There’s also the option of paying for a fixed price upgrade when you check-in from most airlines.
4. Upgrade for free with frequent flyer loyalty programs
What’s better than a cheap business class flight? A free one! Frequent flyers will see that they get points every time they fly and one of the perks that these can be spent on is upgrading your seat. Suddenly you’ve gone from economy to business class without adding anything onto your fare.
Virgin Australia’s Velocity program is one of the few that allows ‘family pooling’. This is one way to accrue enough points for a free business class upgrade.
Both Virgin and Qantas programs allow points accrual on purchases other than flights, which can eventually be redeemed for flights. Be aware though, you’ll need to spend a lot of money before you’re flying business class to London.
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5. Wait for airlines to put business class airfares on sale
Whether you want cheap business class airfares to London in Europe or to LA in the USA, there are times when airlines will have specials on their best seats. One of the best ways to find out about business class sales is to subscribe to airline newsletters.
Deals like ‘companion flies free’ or early bird special fares in conjunction with package tours are typical deals offered to subscribers and frequent flyers first. As airlines are also using social media to advertise deals you should make sure you follow your favourite carriers.
Because airlines work closely with websites like Skyscanner, it pays to follow us on social media, sign up for our newsletter or download our free app. These are all great ways of keeping up to date with upcoming deals.
6. Travel alone
The chances of multiple business class flights being available for an upgrade are slimmer than a single chair being free. It’s no guarantee, but if you’re travelling alone you’ve more chance of getting that free upgrade. It also helps if you’re a member of the airline’s frequent flyer club.
7. Dress nicely and be polite
It doesn’t hurt to dress as though you’re travelling in business class even if your ticket says economy. Because airlines work the assumption that not every passenger will show up, they often overbook flights. That invariably means that a couple of economy class passengers get ‘bumped up’ to business. Ask nicely when you check in if there are any business class seats available and you might be rewarded with a seat number in the single digits.
FAQs about flying business class
Although both business and first class are a step up from economy class, they’re not the same. First class areas offer a higher level of service than business and are normally only available on long-haul flights with full service carriers.
Whether your business class fare comes with bed depends on which airline you fly with. Some business classes have seats that fold out into beds (like British Airways and Singapore Airlines), but others simply have larger seats than economy class.
For travellers who want to arrive at their destination as rested as possible, business class flights could be worth the money. Business class tends to be quieter, more spacious and more comfortable than economy class, leading to an overall less stressful flying experience.
