November 5, 2004 -- Why should the men and women in suits have all the fun and all the luxury? Business class used to be the domain of the rich and brief-cased, but today, with online booking resources, business class is not only more accessible, but also more affordable.
Top reasons to consider traveling in business class:
- Shorter lines at check-in
- Larger luggage allowance
- Greater comfort, legroom and entertainment (especially on long-haul)
- Cuisine instead of food / beverages instead of drinks
- Your luggage is first out on the conveyor belt
- You get on flights that are booked out in economy
- More service with a smile
- Those toiletry bags, slippers and eye patches you receive on international flights
- Because you always promised yourself you would
- Just to say you did
To see some of the best business class deals out there in one place, visit www.cheapflights.com. It may save you a bit of time and effort compared to searching individual agency and airline sites. Many airlines still do not include business class reservation facilities on their websites, but hopefully over time, this restrictive practice may cease.
American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com) has discounted its business class fares from select U.S. cities to dozens of destinations throughout the Caribbean, Mexico and Latin America. This is not an airfare sale, rather the new fares are part of American's regular fare structure, based on advance purchase and availability. The lowest-priced fares require a 14-day advance purchase, with slightly higher fares available for seven-day, three-day and no advance purchase. Fares require a roundtrip purchase, and most are nonrefundable, but there are no minimum or maximum stay requirements. Some blackouts dates apply and taxes are additional.
Sample roundtrip fares purchased 14-days in advance include:
- New York to San Juan (Puerto Rico): $578
- Miami to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos: $638
- San Juan to Caracas: $685
- Los Angeles to San Salvador: $975
- Boston to Cancun: $1,127
Continental Airlines (tel. 800/231-0856; www.continental.com) currently has a holiday season "businessfirst class service" fare sale to European destinations. Prices are valid for flights departing from the US between December 18, 2004, and January 1, 2005, and returning December 22, 2004, to January 6, 2005. No blackout dates apply but the sale ends January 1, 2005. Taxes are additional.
One-way fares include:
- Newark to Lisbon, Madrid, Milan, Oslo, Edinburgh or Paris: $775
- Houston to London, Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam or Zurich: $875
- Cleveland to Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London or Oslo: $875
Delta (www.delta.com) has introduced lower priced business class airfares to South America. Fares require 50-day advance purchase and seven-day minimum stay with a maximum stay is 30 days so you'll need to plan well in advance. There are no blackout periods and taxes are additional.
Current roundtrip fares to Sao Paulo, Brazil are:
- From Jacksonville: $1,893
- From Detroit or Pittsburgh: $2,058
- From Atlanta: $2,410
To Santiago, Chile:
- From Atlanta: $2,110
- From Boston: $2,175
- From San Francisco: $2,467
To Buenos Aires, Argentina:
- From Detroit: $2,062
- From Houston: $2,109
- From New York: $2,226
Access Fares (tel. 888/318-4287; www.accessfares.com) specializes in business and first class discounted fares with weekly specials on ongoing deals. Most fares listed are tax-inclusive with no advanced purchase necessary, no minimum stay required, changeable for a fee and eligible for award mileage accrual. They guarantee to save you up to 60% off the airlines published fares with electronic tickets or free overnight ticket delivery service if required.
Sample roundtrip fares valid for departures before December 31, 2004 include:
- Los Angeles to London: $3,060
- Detroit to Tokyo: $3,725
- Chicago to Beijing: $3,877
- New York to Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris or Milan: $3,950
Travelteam (tel. 800/788-0829; www.travelteam.com) has lower-priced business and first class options to Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Prices start as low as $2,550 for roundtrip first class airfares between Los Angeles/San Francisco/Seattle and Sydney. Their business class fares from Los Angeles to Auckland start at $2799. European business class fares start at $1,869 for roundtrip flights from Newark or Washington DC to Madrid, Paris, Budapest, Milan, Rome, Nice, Prague or Warsaw. Prices are seasonal and taxes are additional.
Airfare Planet (tel. 800/995-1081; www.airfareplanet.com) offers business class fares to certain destinations in Europe, Africa, India and the Middle East. Their specializing often means that fares for particular destinations are lower than elsewhere.
Current sample fares include:
- New York to London: $1,552
- New York to Tel-Aviv: $2,811
- New York to Cairo: $2,938
If you fly business class, we want to hear from you. Tell us why you choose business class and where you get the best prices on our Air Travel Message Boards today.