The Basics: How To Fly Business Class For Cheap With No Points

Intro

People always seem to ask me how I end up in the pointy nose of the plane, and the answer is quite simple: knowing how airlines price tickets. If you happen to have a vacation coming up or a honeymoon, this article might be the article for you.

Let's get into the details!

A Stopover

Oftentimes, if you are willing to add a stopover to your trip, the price can be reduced significantly. As an example, let's look at a roundtrip flight from New York City to Delhi. A nonstop flight in Business Class comes out to around 4500 in Business Class, while an economy ticket comes out to about 1000$.

Flight Price From New York to Delhi

While for most business travelers, this is somewhat of a good deal. However, for the average person, spending 4600+ isn't the best idea for a flight.

Let's take a look now at a route that consists of a stopover in Paris. The total cost of a roundtrip ticket to fly to the other side of the world comes out to 2700$. That represents a savings of almost 40% just by adding a short stop to your flight. If you love Paris, for example, you could add a night in Paris free of charge as well.

New Flight Price From New York to Delhi

This specific routing would even allow you to check out the Delta One Lounge in New York! People tend to ask me why I seem to be in so many different places throughout the year, and a lot of it is due to stopovers. Who doesn't love a good night out in Paris, Mexico City, or wherever the routing takes you?

Second Option: Positioning Flights

Airlines thrive off of business and leisure-heavy markets; it's just known. For example, the two cheapest airports from which to fly business class are Cairo and Jakarta. For example, say you want to fly from Southeast Asia over to the East Coast of the USA. The main airports most people would think of are Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Hong Kong etc. However, a quick search on Google flights showed that flight prices sit around 5,000$ roundtrip in business class... with a stop!

Flight Price From Singapore to New York

What you probably don't know is that Qatar has been offering a fare from Jakarta to New York for 3,000 roundtrips in Q-Suites for years. A couple of years ago, I ended up flying this route for even cheaper (2400$) and enjoyed my 40 hours in Q-Suites for 2,400$. That is a deal and a half!

Qatar Secret Fare Jakarta to New York

Okay, but then I have to fly down to Jakarta from Singapore... I understand it can be a tedious process. However, why not spend a little bit of that saved money on a nice night at the Four Seasons and fly on Batik Air from Singapore or even Air Asia for 60$? Jakarta is certainly on the cheaper end when it comes to cities, meaning your money goes a long way.

Another example I was personally looking at is Southeast Asia to the US over Christmas. I had to go back for 3 nights over Christmas, and flights from Singapore were absurdly expensive, as it should be illegal.

Flight Price From Singapore to New York

Once again, if we go back towards Kuala Lumpur of Jakarta, the flight price drops down to mid 3,000's roundtrip.

Flight Price From Kuala Lumpur to New York

Final Thoughts

Even in the USA, this strategy can work frequently. I have a trip coming up down to South America shortly, where I will be flying on United Polaris and Copa Business Class for 1174$ Roundtrip. The point is: play around with your departure airport. Sometimes, it can be cheaper to fly from a non-hub airport, like an American from Houston or a United from Philadelphia, than just flying an American from Dallas.