If you’ve ever flown with an airline, you’ll likely be aware of just how much better those in business class have it. Not only do they have more space, better food and faster boarding, but they also get a wide range of perks, including free food and drinks. The only downside with traveling business class is the fact that it is so expensive – often costing two or three times that of an economy flight.
Because of this, most people will never get the opportunity to upgrade. If you find yourself in this category, you might be happy to know that there are actually ways that you can get upgraded to business class on low-cost – you simply need to know what to do. Keep in mind that there is no guarantee of an upgrade, but by following these steps, you’ll have a good chance of making it on the upgrade list.
How Do I Bid On Business Class Tickets?
While you won’t be able to simply find discounted business class tickets on your local airline website, they aren’t impossible to find. There are certain third-party websites that align themselves with airlines and they allow economy customers to actually bid on business class upgrades.
By bidding on flights in this way, you might find that you pay around $100 for a roundtrip flight, rather than more than $1,000. It’s usually best to start searching for these websites about a week before you fly. Make sure that you are bidding on reputable websites by looking at reviews before handing over any money.
Why Should I Be Searching One-Way Flights?
If you’re looking for a great price on a business class ticket, try searching for two one-way tickets, rather than a roundtrip – this will ensure that you can pick out the cheapest possible options on a business class flight.
One way sales are especially great ways to get low priced tickets at the last minute.
What Are The Benefits Of Flying With Less Popular Airlines?
When you’re booking business class flights with premium airlines, you should expect to pay premium prices, but this might not be the case with the less popular airlines, so be sure to give them a chance.
Within the US, you might want to consider airlines such as Norwegian Airlines, KLM or even British Airlines, as these tend to take a backseat to the more prominent American brands. You might not find these types of sales to be advertised widely, but a bit of research will bring up some great deals.
How Often Should I Be Checking For Great Business Class Deals?
When you’re looking for a cheap upgrade, you need to be constantly searching, right up until the day before your flight.
Websites such as BusinessClassConsolidator.com often display some of the best deals on these types of flights, so make sure you include them in your search.
What Are The Perks Of A Frequent Flyer Program?
If you’re looking for the best deals on flights, it never hurts to join a frequent flyer program, even if you do so before you board your upcoming flight. When you join, some programs will give you a signup bonus, and you could trade in these points for a discounted upgrade.
Some companies, such as the Velocity Program by Virgin Australia, actually allows families to pool their points, which makes it much easier to trade these in for upgrades. Other companies, such as Qantas, allow you to accumulate points by using your credit card, rather than simply flying, so you could be constantly adding points to your bank.
Why Should I Subscribe To An Airline’s Newsletter?
Every now and again, an airline will put their business class tickets on sale, and these tend to be snapped up very quickly.
When this happens, you don’t want to miss out, and since they are usually advertised via their newsletter, you’ll want to sign up right away. Via the newsletter, you’ll find great deals, such as early bird specials or companion flies free deals.
How Can Social Media Get Me Better Airline Deals?
In this day and age, social media is used for just about everything, including advertising great deals on travel. By adding airlines to your social media account, you can be one of the first to be notified of business class airfare deals, allowing you to snatch them up before anyone else.
What Are The Benefits Of Traveling Alone?
Traveling alone is often much cheaper than travelling together – not only because one ticket is cheaper than two, but because one ticket is often cheaper than one of the two tickets sold together.
This is because those who purchase two tickets often require seating together and this can be tricky to accommodate when there are loads of people vying for seats on the same flight.
How Can I Improve My Chances Of Getting Upgraded To Business On Low-Cost?
Often, airlines will overbook economy flights because they assume that some passengers won’t show, but this means that in the event everyone does, they need to make arrangements to accommodate them.
In these instances, they might end up upgrading a couple of economy class passengers to business class for free. If you’re looking to get on this list, it helps to be kind and courteous to all the staff members you engage with.
How Do I Upgrade A Flight For A Special Occasion?
If you’re celebrating a birthday, marriage or anniversary, it might not hurt to let the airline know that this is the case – they might end up upgrading you for free simply as a gift on your special occasion.
How Do I Increase My Chances Of An Upgrade At Check-in?
If you want to increase your chances of getting an upgrade when you check-in, make sure that you’re the first to do so – this will ensure that you are first in line in the event that there are upgrades to be made.
If you can’t make it first, be the last to check –in. This might seem contradictory, but ticket agents usually wait until 15 minutes before check-in closes to give away seats, so if you’re coming up to the desk at this point, you could end up scoring big.
