Purchasing business class advice

$3800 per person r/t each is a decent price. If for the both of you is a fantastic price.

Buy from the AIRLINE.

Always, always, always go through the airline.
That price seems pretty decent, given the price of most flights this year. Since you have lots of time, you could always sign up for flight alerts on Google Flights, which would monitor prices for the flights you're interested in.

We use SeaTac but the prices are probably at least similar. It used to be that I was happy with any nonstop to Europe in business class for $3200 or under per person. (I choose to change planes in Europe, generally, for my final destination) I won’t buy anything with more than one stop - I’ll pay more to avoid stops - so my price guidelines reflect that.

Currently, I am okay with anything under $3700 a ticket. I got my fall tickets for next month for $3200 a person - but this was about 8 months ago. For my next trip - next April - I had to pay the $3700. I’ve been following both fares ever since. My $3200 October fare is crazy - like $10,000. My April fare has stayed the same.

One thing that makes it all a bit more palatable for me is that we do all the flying lately on Delta. And so we rack up a lot of Delta miles and then I do my US flying on Delta for just miles. And, since I have status with Delta now from flying with them, I get upgraded a lot on my US trips - I’ve been upgraded to First Class at least 5 times and to Comfort Plus the other times - it’s a nice bonus for the ticket outlay on the Europe trips.

Is it a good idea to go through a consolidator?

There is no such thing as a "business class consolidator." Only scammers. Run away.

Thanks for your replies.
Valerie do you have a credit card through Delta or are you just racking up the miles through frequent flyer program?

Hi Karen,

I am in England right now. I flew business class from the west coast of Canada and it was worth every cent. Lie flat seats allow for some sleeping, but even sitting up watching a movie or reading while resting with feet up is heaven. The privacy of your own pod allows little in the way of distraction. I was rested and refreshed on landing and I had absolutely zero jet lag. My flight was about 3600 US return. I don’t think I’ll ever do another international flight in cattle car or premium economy.
As all others have said, book directly with the airline.

A friend who flies out of SFO, and travels a lot for his job, uses Cheap Biz Class for his tickets. He can even earn miles. The prices he told me sound similar to what we pay directly to the airline, so I'm not sure you'd save much. He always gets his preferred airlines for his status.

hi Karen,

Having an extremely tall husband, I always try to find business class flights for us when we do a big trip, especially on the way over to Europe.

We are United people so sometimes to save a bit of money, I book in Business on the way over and Premium Economy on the way back. Just an idea. My tall husband has no issue on day flights sitting in Premium Economy. (Note that Premium Economy on united is different than just Economy Plus). Of course the problematic part of Premium Economy is that connecting flights (like Newark to Chicago) is that Premium Economy doesn't exist.

Also, don't forget that if you are an AARP member, you can get a slight discount on British Airways. I became a member at age 43 just for that reason!

I do not have a Delta Amex. I use only the miles I earn flying. I just recently booked two trips to Southern California - they were 14,000 miles round trip each. I bought a mileage ticket for 13,000 miles for a trip I took to Southern California in June of this year - and I was upgraded to First Class both ways for that 13,000 miles.

That adds a lot of value to my Delta purchase price since I need to go to California a few times a year.

I fly business class across the pond. $3800 on an open jaw ticket from SFO is a good price.

ALWAYS BUY DIRECTLY FROM THE AIRLINE.........

But since it is a long ways away, I would wait and monitor ticket prices. Sometimes they have a sale if things are slow. Usually in winter.

We have always flown economy but now that we are older and have more expendable income we would like to book business class with lie down flat seats.

Amen, sister! Another benefit, so I've heard, is access to the lounges: food, internet, quiet, isolation, and possibly even a shower.

I've provided for my wife and our son so I'm planning carefully to spend everything else. I am flying first/business next spring to Spain.

We usually pay average about $2500 each RT for business class. I have paid as low as $1600 RT (British Air sale in 2017), $1900 for this past spring's trip to Germany ( tickets bought nine months earlier, again British Air.)
COVID has really upset air sales, and I haven't seen any decent prices for BC in the past several months.
We do have a British Airways visa, which offers 10% discount, and I'm told you can stack that with the AARP discount.
Having the British Airways visa, we earned a companion pass, so our May 2023 Italy trip cost us $3800 RT total for both of us.
Other airlines may have similar deals with credit cards and bonuses, and you have a lot of time to open a new credit card and spend the required amount for mileage /bonuses.
Do buy directly from the airlines- avoid third party vendors at all costs.
Google Flights is a great tool for research, and setting up price alerts.
If air sales do start up again, and the sale fare expires before your trip, play around with dates - twice I have found the sale air fare beyond the printed expiration dates (for select locations) and purchased those BC seats.
I say treat yourself, if it's within your means, and enjoy the voyage as much as the trip.
Safe travels!

I have a price point of $3500 RT for First/Business Class. I just continue to troll the airfares and when it hits my price point I pull the trigger and buy my tickets. I started flying First/Business Class in 2021 and it has made big difference in my comfort level. To make it more affordable, I got an American Express Delta card that gives me access to the lounges, free luggage and other perks. I also joined AARP which took $200 off my fare for my May 2023 trip. Like others, I only book with one stop and try to make that stop be in the U.S. Virgin Atlantic has a non-stop from SFO to Heathrow that is pretty good. VA is a partner with Delta so you could buy a ticket on the Delta website and get Delta points.

I have found with the pandemic and with everyone now flying, it is hard to get a first/business class ticket from the West Coast for under $2500. Like others have said, buy only from the airlines. It is easier for changes and they will do more for you if there are any problems. Also be sure to buy insurance in case you can't make the trip or get covid.

My experience pretty much mirrors Valerie’s. We’re happy if we can get something at $3200, although there were a couple of years where we were able to get something in the $2500-$2700 range. I have actually been keeping loose track of business class airfares for about 10 years and there are many times where they’ve been in the $4000+ range. Our primary rewards are through Alaska with the addition of OneWorld Alliance partners. Making sure we accumulate international miles within the alliance means that we can achieve enough status through the year so my husband can qualify for premium seat on his domestic travel. So, the cost of the business seat can actually pay dividends in other ways

Some random thoughts from me.

• It’s hard to go back once you’ve flown international business class or first
• Biz class on intraeuropean flights is often just an empty middle seat. No big deal for a short flight to a gateway airport
• British Air charges for advance seat selection. Even in BC. No charge for those who have status or you can wait until online check in opens at the 24 hour mark.
• Be sure to check. Not all airlines have BC with lie flat seats. Some offer recliners that do not go fully flat

I'm with AMANN about flying business class. I do have the money to fly Business Class, but I wouldn't be able to travel to Europe 2x per year if I flew Business Class. The time to fly Coach is the same as in Business Class.

My wife recently had back surgery and then fell and broke a leg. If and when she's able to travel, she will be traveling Business Class for the better leg room. I've not told her, but I'll be flying back in steerage. And the chances are we'd get an airline credit card and charge $3000 on it the first 3 months to get 85,000 "miles" to go toward the Business Class for one seat.

We've been flying to Europe since 1970, and consider ourselves "budget travelers." We only travel if a flight is 50% or less of what most travelers are paying, Our last flights into London were $603--up from $400 the year before our flights got cancelled because of the pandemic.

And after a terrible experience with Ovago Travel 2 years ago, we'll only purchase airfares from airlines direct.

I would suggest booking directly with the carrier, no need to go through a third party.

I have only flown business class twice, totally at random when I was told at check-in of being upgraded to Business Class. Nice. A very pleasant surprise indeed. Other than that it's always Economy from SFO to London, FRA or Paris CDG. Business Class is obviously more comfortable.

About miles accumulation via a new credit card--check how many miles your possible airlines require for a biz seat. Delta jumped to 400,000+ for transatlantic tickets, so even a 100,000 mile bonus won't get far. Delta's gold standard is the fully enclosed biz seats, sometimes double the price of their other transatlantic biz seats.

However, their Air France partner biz class is good and requires fewer miles.

I had one biz flight on their Virgin Atlantic partner and won't repeat the experience.

Great information here, much appreciated! It is a little hard for me to jump to Business class but my hubby needs that comfort level with a chronic condition. And, like I said...we have worked hard all of our lives, are now 70 and have some extra funds. What do they say? A young man's wishes is an old man's necessities, or something to that effect!

Did not know about the AARP discount! How do you get that when booking online or do you have to call to book? What airlines honor that?
Thanks and happy travels

Yes, the duration of the flight is the same in coach as in Business Class, but the perception of the flight time can vary greatly. My last - and only- international coach flight, I had the window seat as the two people next to me slept, and our meal service trays were not cleared for an hour. It took every bit of self- control I had to sit in that very confined space as I needed to use the restroom and stand up and stretch, knowing there was seven hours remaining in the flight. I am a senior, and appreciate all those who can tolerate coach, but it just isn't an option I would chose ever again.
Safe travels to all!

Karen -

if you belong to AARP, use your account information to log in to the website. Expand the menu and choose "Member Benefits". Under the Travel section, there will be a section for Flights - click on British Airways and the link will take you to British Airways page that explains how much you can save as an AARP member. Click the button that says "Learn More" and you'll be taken to a booking page and the discount will be activated.

To add to Karen’s advice…we’re currently lurking in the shadows waiting for BA business class fares to drop a bit. I was a little leery of going through AARP to get the discount, which for business is $200 per person, but you are directed to the BA website to book. The price is identical to what you would find by going to the BA website or to the app…but the price is lowered by exactly $200 per person. Still hoping those fares will drop, though!

Thanks Amyk, I had no idea!

Oops, Karen…I meant amyk in my message!

AMann and others I may have offended with my “cattle car” comment.

I am truly sorry that my flippant remark offended anyone. In retrospect, it was inappropriate. I travelled for many years in the back of the plane. If I travelled as much as some of you do, I would be happy getting to a destination whatever way I could go within my budget. I will only be travelling to Europe every 2-3 years, so my budget allows the extra expense.

Again, my intention was not to denigrate economy seating. As someone up line of me said, we all get there at the same time. My point was to respond to someone who was looking at business class, and tell them of my experiences.

No worries, Susie. I think I understood your comment to be aimed not at the individuals flying economy, but at the airline created environment in that class of seating. Or maybe my skin just isn't that thin.(shrug)

Regarding the "cattle car" description: For years the airline known for that was Southwest since at the end of its TV commercial you heard the cow mooing. Flying domestically I always tried to fly Southwest in coach.

Fred, are you saying that Southwest has other options than coach?🙃

@ Pat,...Only coach? Never asked. Come to think about it, all the seats look alike. All I know is I always end up in the towards the rear or there since those are the only seats left when my seating group boards and find an overhead bin still semi-empty.

Business Class isnt something I know much about. But on my last trip (July) I am sitting the bar at the airport and I get a flight update on my phone from KLM. I went to my flight information on their website and saw an offer to upgrade per leg, and the long haul was $200. I had a meeting in Budapest a few hours after arrival and thought, what the heiI, maybe I will sleep better. I few Business Class that day. So, $200 upcharge on a $750 economy class ticket worked for me that day.

Don't get too upset with the term "Cattle Class." Airlines, internally, refer to passengers as "human cargo" to differentiate them from the actual cargo in the hold. Almost all airlines internationally carry cargo as well as people.

Cattle class is no comment on the clientele, it's a description of the quality of service. Which even airlines will admit has decreased noticeably over the years

In another thread I shared what fares were like for a premium economy flight I was tracking from LA to vienna, they very quite a bit. From what I've seen however the variations in business class are much less because the airlines are willing to take a chance they can fill that seat and they need/ want to. Just set up a Google alert and look at their history graphs and you'll see the trends

Anything under $4000 per person works for my wife and I. Business class makes those 13 hour flights a lot more comfortable.

I don't currently have enough disposable income to purchase business class, but a few years ago I started playing the credit card points game. I used The Points Guy website to learn the basics and it's both fun and pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I don't fly very frequently and would never earn enough frequent flyer miles for a free ticket. But, using a credit card to pay for every single thing possible and paying it off at the end of each month generally earns me enough points for RT business class to Europe once a year with some free hotel stays here and there. I'm flying ORD-IST-FCO on Turkish Air in business for $11.50 out of pocket next month. Staying 5 nights in Florence on points, so only have to pay city tax. And am flying FCO-LHR-ORD on British Air in business for about $300 out of pocket (BA charges very high fuel charges, but it was the best option for me because I had to fly home on a specific day). I'll have access to some very nice lounges there and back and I find that makes a huge difference in my experience. The bottom line is if you are disciplined enough to only use credit cards for purchases you were going to make anyway and then pay them off each month, it can be a very inexpensive way to travel and still get some luxuries like business or first class. You do need to be flexible with your travel dates and generally willing to have a layover somewhere and stay in chain hotels, but those are compromises I'm willing to make if it means I can travel more frequently.

I learned a lesson the hard way as a European travel rookie: when purchasing a European business class flight with miles, ensure both the US and Atlantic legs are in business class. What I thought was a lovely deal with my miles was: first class Seatac to the East coast, then economy to Italy. The split ticket price was reflected with a tiny seat icon, that I totally ignored. Duly noted!

"cattle class" ...eloquent and an apt description.

Karen, not sure if you have made your decision or not yet but I will chime in with my 2 cents worth. For the last 5 years on all of our RS tours I have flown business class. I have purchased my tickets from both the airlines, a ticket consolidator in the SF Bay Area and this year a travel agency that specializes in business class travel. I know I saved over $1000 across to tickets the first two trips but the last purchase ended up not being a good deal. I dropped the company. Both my wife and I agree that our vacation starts when we get on BART train at our local station for the trip to SFO. Knowing I have a lay flat seat waiting for me, early boarding, and pretty decent food makes the start of our trip so much better.

Good luck with what ever decision you make.

Please please please stay away from these so-called consolidators. No the airlines aren’t giving these people super secret discount fares. What a lot of them are doing is selling you tickets bought with someone’s miles

so they contact a frequent flyer like me who has a lot of mileage and we buy the ticket for you. We then get cash. That is a violation of the terms and conditions for every frequent flyer program out there. I’ve read several horror stories of people who got too places, including one couple that got to Asia and the airline figured out it was a fraudulent ticket under their terms and conditions and canceled the return. now you’re stuck in Europe or Asia or wherever you are without a way home and not much sympathy from the airline because you didn’t play by the rules. Now you probably didn’t realize you were breaking the rules but that’s not an excuse in their mind

If it sounds too good to be true, it’s probably a scam

Wow I am so envious of those prices. We recently paid US$5000- per person from Australia to Norway in business class with JAL and have just booked our next trip at US$6100- each for Australia to the UK with QANTAS. When your flight is 27 hours the added comfort is essential.

A Mann and David, many of us who now fly Premium and Business remember with fondness our earlier flights in Economy when we were so thankful to have that economy class ticket because we never thought we'd be able to afford any ticket.

So I did just buy a business class ticket to London this spring for $2,100 which is about what a coach seat is going for out of Atlanta...

The "downside" It's out of Boston so I have to get myself there. Luckily my best friend lives there so I will spend a night with her both ways :)

Here is something I learned when I was peeking at business class seat upgrades on United to see if I would be willing to pay for them. The one-way upgrade to business class that I first saw for $1300, became $899 within about a week of the flight and then dropped to $599 a day or two before the flight. That's as low as I saw it go and I think there were still a couple that flew empty.

That was on a not-very-full flight, in December. My section in economy was so empty that I had a row (of 4 seats) to myself and decided that I could lie-flat quite happily right there!

I'm quite sure this wouldn't happen during high season.