I once flew from London to Kuala Lumpur with Air Asia, it was shite. There was no TV screen, food was not included with the ticket and the seat reclined 1.5mm. They don’t fly that route anymore and thankfully my travel budget has increased since I started out in 2005.
If you’re the type of person that takes years to accrue air miles, but you really want to fly business class, then keep reading. Here’s how you can book discounted business class tickets, without air miles.
Search for one way business class flights using Sky-scanner between major flight hubs
If you’re flying one way, which travelers often do, then you can use the Sky-scanner app to search for business class flights. Adjust the search function to business class and look around for business class deals. This option works the best for short haul flights between major hubs.
As you can see from the search below, business class is more expensive than economy, but not by a huge amount.
I’ve flown this same route with Royal Jordanian. With the ticket I had access to the business class lounge. I also earned a decent amount of One World air miles.
Book with a major airline and wait for an upgrade email
Malaysian Airlines allows you to bid on business upgrades, once you’ve booked an economy ticket. You won’t necessarily always win the bid, but if you do, you’ll get a heavily discounted business seat. I’ve flown business class with Malaysian Airlines on both short and long haul flights. All business class seats were flat beds.
Emirates send upgrade emails for their off peak flights. Again, you’ll have to pay to accept the upgrade, but it will be much cheaper than if you had booked it in the first place.
Ask at check-in how much an upgrade for that leg will cost
I’ve been told before, that if you dress smart and ask for an upgrade at check-in, then you might get bumped to business. This has never worked for me. However, if you ask for the cost of an upgrade at check-in, the prices are generally a fraction of what you would normally pay. When flying between Auckland and Kuala Lumpar, I was quoted $500USD to upgrade on an 11 hour flight. I didn’t go for the upgrade, but it was still a good deal for a long haul business flight on an A380, considering how much they cost to book in advance.
This option is the most expensive. It might be something to consider for a special occasion such as an anniversary, special birthday or honeymoon.
I asked for a business upgrade for my birthday this year on a short haul flight, because I’d rather an experience instead of an item I won’t ever use.
When you fly economy you cant wait for the plane to land. When you fly business you never want the flight to end.
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