This week our members reveal their strategies to score cheap Business class flights to Europe! Having originally looked at a Qantas fare to London of over $9,000, one member was recently able to save thousands by using our members’ handy tips and suggestions.
The first recommendation is to plan ahead and wait for a sale. Qantas and other airlines regularly run “early bird” sales on flights to Europe, offering significant discounts on flights booked up to a year in advance. Some airlines also offer discounts to couples travelling together through “companion” sales.
Another suggestion is to compare prices on alternative airlines. For example, oneworld’s Finnair often sells Business class flights from Australia to Europe for thousands of dollars less than Qantas – even though half of the journey is flown on a Qantas aircraft. Our members also suggest checking prices with Emirates and other airlines.
This next tip could cut the cost of Business class in half! One member suggests booking separate tickets between Australia-Asia, and Asia-Europe. It’s possible to score Business class to Europe for less than $3,000 return by beginning the journey in either Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok! And that’s using premium airlines such as Qatar Airways, Sri Lankan Airlines, Finnair or Vietnam Airlines. Then, all that’s needed is a return flight from Australia to South-East Asia. Low-cost airlines like Scoot and Air Asia often sell Business class on this route for around $1,000 return. Frequent flyers should also find it relatively easy to redeem their points for a flight to Asia. By combining these fares, premium travel to Europe can be had for less than half the price of a regular Qantas fare! And as an added bonus, you’ll get a free stopover in Asia along the way.
Another member suggests that it may work out more cost-effective to extend the holiday and purchase a round-the-world ticket.
In this instance, our member was happy to snap up a Qantas sale ticket when it became available. But they were still able to use one final trick to save an extra few hundred dollars. By flying home from Germany instead of the UK, they avoided paying the UK’s hefty Air Passenger Duty.
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