Flying business class in a lie flat seat is the ultimate dream – but the cost can easily reach several thousands of pounds. So whilst it’s on many of our bucket lists, it’s something that hardly any of us feel is on the cards for our next trip.
However, what if I told you that, it could be cheaper than you think! Yes, that’s right, I’ve got a long-haul business class hack that saved me 70% on a business class fare on my recent trip to Bangkok. And not only that, part of my journey was in Qatar’s incredible Qsuite which is arguably the best business class in the world.
And the best bit? It does not involve collecting points and miles.
This hack may involve booking multiple flights which could impact your travel insurance so make sure you check your policy before trying this hack for yourself.
My Favourite Cheap Business Class Hack
Recently James and I flew to Bangkok, which is a pretty chunky flight – around 12 hours direct and even longer if you’ve got a stop. That’s a long time in the air, and with economy fares coming back around £500, I wondered how much it would cost to be able to do the same journey in business class?
Plus, I had a long haul hack up my sleeve and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to give it a go for myself…
So what is this cheap business class hack?!
My favourite cheap business class hack is pretty straightforward, and is actually not about where you’re flying to, but instead where you’re flying from.
And that’s because some routes are just much cheaper than others, especially if you’re flying business class.
This becomes particularly apparent for those of us travelling from London as these flights can be some of the most expensive options out there! And with many regional airports only offering business class options via London, it means that this cost can impact many people travelling from the UK.
Why is business class so expensive from London?
There are a few reasons why it’s particularly expensive to fly business class from London.
Airport taxes
London Heathrow charges high airport taxes – at other airports in Europe, they’re much lower.
Demand
There’s high demand for business class flights from London – as it’s such a popular spot to fly from for those who are able to afford these premium flights. At other major airports in Europe, like Amsterdam, Milan and Oslo, business class is less popular, so prices drop.
Competition
Competition is low at an airport like London Heathrow, because there’s so much demand – so prices stay high. But at the ‘quieter’ airports in Europe, airlines have to fight harder for your booking, and that drives down prices.
Seat sales
Because of the high demand and low competition, airlines operating business class routes from London Heathrow don’t need to offer seat sales. But at the European airports, they’re fighting harder for your custom and so sales happen more often.
Which European airports are cheaper to fly business class from?
There are certain airports that can offer cheaper prices to fly business class from, though this doesn’t mean it will be the case every single time!
However, it’s a pretty consistent trend – especially if you’re travelling off peak – so it’s always worth a check.
City | Airport Code | Value to me |
|---|---|---|
Amsterdam, Netherlands | AMS | KLM can have competitive deals, though taxes are high |
Athens, Greece | ATH | Low taxes and good pricing from Middle Eastern carriers |
Barcelona, Spain | BCN | Frequent Qatar and Emirates sales, especially to Asia |
Brussels, Belgium | BRU | Frequent premium fare sales especially for Africa and USA routes |
Dublin, Ireland | DUB | Cheaper taxes than UK with many cheaper routes to USA |
Frankfurt, Germany | FRA | Major hub with fifth freedom routes (e.g. Singapore Airlines) |
Helsinki, Finland | HEL | Finnair long haul sales to Asia and lower passenger numbers |
Istanbul, Türkiye | IST | Major Turkish airlines hub, competitive premium pricing |
Lisbon, Portugal | LIS | Lower fees and taxes and TAP Portugal sales |
Milan, Italy | MXP | Frequent deals, fifth freedom flights (e.g. Emirates) |
Oslo, Norway | OSL | Often low premium fares with Qatar and Lufthansa |
Prague, Czech Republic | PRG | Lower taxes, often low fares with Lufthansa and KLM |
Sofia, Bulgaria | SOF | Low taxes, often low fares with Qatar and Turkish Airlines |
Stockholm, Sweden | ARN | Lower taxes, often lower fares with Finnair and Qatar |
Vienna, Austria | VIE | Austrian Airlines sales, strong Middle Eastern airline presence |
Warsaw, Poland | WAW | LOT sales, competition from Emirates and Qatar |
Zurich, Switzerland | ZRH | Sometimes good business class sales to Asia |
What is a ‘fifth freedom flight’?
A ‘fifth freedom flight’ is when an airline flies between two countries that aren’t its own, as part of a longer route that starts or ends in its home country.
For example, Singapore Airlines flies from Singapore to New York, stopping in Frankfurt. However, you are able to just book the Frankfurt to New York leg – and that leg is called a fifth freedom flight.
The reason this is important is because these flights can be cheaper – even in business class – because the airline is competing with local carriers to fill seats on that segment.
My Experience Using This Business Class Hack
To bag us a luxe flight for less, I simply booked myself and James a flight from Oslo (Norway) to Bangkok, rather than from London.
The outbound business class flight from Oslo - Bangkok
From London, it would have cost £2756 to fly in business class one way!
However, from Oslo it was only £813 one way! That’s a huge saving of £1943 each for a flight of a very similar length, stopping in the same place and offering a similar product.
As you can see, there were actually two options from Oslo, but I went with the flight that included the Qsuite on the second leg.
The first leg was their business class product on the Boeing 787-9 and on any other airline, this would be the best seat they have. It was amazing and we were able to bring the wall down in the middle to open the suites up between us.
I actually didn’t tell James I’d booked us these amazing seats and had to blindfold him to get him on this flight without finding out!
However the second leg between Doha and Bangkok was another level, since Qsuite is one of the best business class seats in the world! If you book seats together in the middle, you can turn it into a double bed!!
And yes, I also managed to keep this seat hush hush up until we boarded and so you can watch James’ surprise and delight in my video!
The flight from London - Oslo
For the flight to Oslo, we flew with British Airways and I was able to use Avios + £1 to pay for this flight – but you can fly with Ryanair to OSL for as little as £17 one way. Just make sure you’re flying into the right airport as some destinations have multiple – Oslo has two!
We also opted to stay near the airport overnight so as to give plenty of margin for error – and so a night at the Radisson Blu Airport Hotel cost £127 a night.
The return flight from Bangkok - Oslo
For the return leg, we opted to travel from Bangkok to Oslo in economy because whilst the £813 rate was available, we didn’t – or should I say I didn’t – want to spend that much both ways.
Instead, a return in economy cost an additional £219.50 each. This low rate was thanks to booking both legs as part of the same journey on Qatar’s website. It’s great that it lets you mix the cabins in the same booking like this!
The flight from Oslo - London
As for getting home from Oslo, we booked a flight to London with SAS only 3 hours after we were due to land, but opted for their ‘SAS Plus Pro’ fare which meant it was rebookable, refundable and we were able to change to earlier or later departures on flights on the day of travel if available.
This cost us £219 each and included checked bags, fast track, lounge access, seats, meals and drinks on board. Basically, it gave us a lot more comfort and flexibility for our 3 hour wait, and the chance to get the later SAS flight should we have any major delays.
However, we ended up being able to swap our flight to Oslo flight direct to London flight by simply going to the Qatar customer service desk whilst on our layover in Doha and asking if we could change it. We were able to do this for just an admin fee of £35 each and then were able to refund our SAS flights in full – so we actually ended up saving money by swapping!
This was not our plan, just an idea that occurred to James when we were there and boy am I glad we tested the theory out! What a win!
This was not a bookable option on the Qatar website but in hindsight, I do wonder if we would have been able to book this route (departing Oslo in business and returning to London in economy) over the phone – so I’d definitely try that out for our next flight.
The overall cost
Overall, including our flight to Oslo, the Oslo hotel, our business class flight to Bangkok, our economy flight home to London and the admin fee to change our flight home, our total cost came to £1206 each.
It was a little extra faff, but I would definitely do the same again for the saving!
What’s the catch?
This business class hack is a legit way to save a shed load of money, and experience something you might never have dreamed of doing – it just needs a bit of extra planning and organisation.
So whilst there’s no specific catch, there are a few things to think about before you book…
Positioning flight
You’ve booked your business class flight from a more competitive airport – so now you need to sort out how you’ll get there from the UK. This is pretty simple, you just need to factor in the cost of this flight to your plans, and how much extra time it adds to your overall journey.
Hotel stay
The timing of your positioning flight might mean you need to stay overnight in the city you’re connecting in. If that’s you, you just need to factor in that this will make your overall trip a day longer – and you might need to do the same on the return leg – and the cost of the stay.
Travel insurance
If your flight to your final destination doesn’t depart from your country of residence (i.e. you’re catching a positioning flight), then some travel insurers might not cover you as standard. Check your policy carefully, and contact your provider if you need to sort extra cover.
Passport/visa requirements
Remember you’ll need to follow the rules of the country you’re transitioning through. So for example, if you’re positioning to an EU or Schengen country, you’ll need at least three months on your passport, even if your destination country requires you to have fewer.
Return leg
I was able to book business class on the way out and economy on the way back making it a much more affordable price for me overall, and that was thanks to booking directly with Qatar who allowed me to do this on their website!
However, if you book just one way in business class and then have to find a separate flight for the other leg, you may not get the discount you often get by booking a return flight.
Risks
Just be mindful of the risks involved in travelling this way. For me it was 100% worth it, but I had to properly consider what could happen and whether I was OK with it.
For example, if your positioning flight is cancelled, you could miss your connecting flight – your next airline will probably not care! That’s why it’s so important to leave enough time for error, but also have insurance that covers you for this scenario.
Snap up a luxe trip for less than half price with my favourite cheap business class hack
If you’ve always fancied trying out business class – or you’re travelling for a special occasion – then use my long-haul business class hack to save over 70% on the price of your ticket.
There is some extra organisation and planning required – and even if you don’t get a kick out of that like I do – the GIANT saving should make it all worthwhile.
Just remember to check your travel insurance covers you for travelling this way, and that you’ve allowed enough time for your positioning flight to get you to your departure point.
