Business Class Travel...it is possible!

A few weeks ago I booked my trip to Europe for June 2012! Holiday planning is definitely one of the best ways to start the new year! My destinations will include and not be limited to Madrid, Barcelona, London and Paris for a 25 day period. Aside from seeing these great cities, I am most excited about experiencing business class travel for the first time ever! Yes, that's right I am a newbie to business class travel. For someone that does zero business travel for work, I think I have done quite well to achieve my return business class ticket on Thai Airways. 

I have shared this with some of my friends, and everyone is asking - how did you score a business class flight for the price of an economy price ticket? 

I am about to share my secret, which is not so much a secret when you ask google about it. 

The secret: points. 

Points? But it takes FOREVER to accumulate credit card points &/or frequent flyer points unless you are travelling for work all the time. That statement is correct. However, another option is to buy points. 

Over a 2 year period I have been buying US Airways miles (points) whenever they have the 100% bonus special on. This enables you to buy up to 100,000 miles for about US$1,600. (I have to thank my travel savvy cousin for sharing this secret with me 2 years ago) Now to travel from Australia to Europe on business class requires 120,000 miles, which equates to approx US$1,900. To me, that sounds like a bargain, especially when economy flights from Australia to Europe are about AU$2,000+. But why would I be buying US Airway miles if I am in Australia? Thankfully US Airways is part of the Star Alliance network which inclues Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand to name a few. Once you have accumulated the required miles, you can claim on ANY of the Star Alliance airlines. All you need to do is pick up the phone and call US Airways (I use skype since it is an international free call), tell the call centre representative the trip you would like to make, wait for them to do the relevant searches, confirm your booking and pay the taxes and fees. For my Europe booking the taxes and fees was about $250, so all up less than $2,200 for a return business class trip to Europe.  I think it was worth all that effort and planning! 

Easy! 

Kind of. 

It's been a learning experience, but I am willing to share more secrets. 

1) If you are planning to redeem a business class flight on Singapore Airlines - forget it. 

SIA make it pretty much impossible for business class flight redemptions. In 2010 I tried to book a business class flight with the points I bought from Singapore-Munich. But because I was such an amateur back then, I ended up booking an economy class ticket! Now that was a waste of points  because I didn't even save that much money! However, given the circumstances of that trip, it all worked out OK. 

2) It is best to know the exact route you want before calling up US Airways. Otherwise, you will spend over an hour on the phone trying to make a booking. How to find my exact route? Use the Star Alliance website to find out which member airlines will suit your itinerary. There is also another tool to use to find business & first class availabilities, but that requires another lengthly blog post. 

3) Book your holiday more than 3 months in advance. I actually tried the business class redemption method last year for my mum's holiday to the UK. I booked 3 months in advance, and whilst I managed to get her to London on business class from Sydney, she had to go via Bangkok & Zurich. A long way, but she got there in the end! 

4) Best to book tickets more than 6 months in advance to popular destinations like London. Unless of course you are willing to travel for more than a day to get there. 

Now I just have 4 months of waiting to look forward to this!

Thai Airways A340-600 Royal Silk Business Class

Important Note: US Airways have recently increased the value of points. So even if they do have the 100% bonus special on again, it is unlikely that you will be paying US$1,600 for 100,000 miles.  But given I don't accumulate points fast enough, it is still a viable option to make business class travel possible!