Rising airfare costs make already-pricey business class seats a luxury, but savvy travelers looking to fly in style can find discount business class fares if they research their options in advance. Travel websites like Orbitz and Expedia offer the option to search for discount business class airfare, but the best prices are typically advertised on websites that cater specifically to non-coach travelers. It may take longer to search and compare prices, but the deep discounts will be worth the time.
1st Air
This website only lists first and business class fares, and it is ideal for travelers looking for last-minute business class deals. The savings can be upwards of $1,000 off of the published price, and 1st-Air actually shows customers a comparison between the published price and their discounted rate. Frequent flyers can also become Passport Premiere members and receive even greater discounts than those offered on the website.
The annual membership fee is $399, but with savings up to 20% off the discounted rate, frequent travelers can save a lot of money on discount business class. Travelers who aren't committed to a specific airline will appreciate that searches pull up offers from multiple airlines along with a photo of the business class cabin and seating. Customers can book online or by phone, and during regular business hours, live help is available through chat. The major downfall of the website is poor web design, a flaw that can be overlooked when the company offers such drastic price cuts.
Horizon Trip
Travelers seeking a more sophisticated web design similar to travel giants like Orbitz and Expedia will feel right at home booking with Horizon Trip. The website has a user-friendly interface, and it pulls from a broad range of airlines; the results page also allows customers to filter through discount business class offerings and choose a specific airline or the number of layovers on a flight to further narrow results. Unlike 1st-Air, customers are unable to compare published prices to the website's discounted rate.
Yet, overall, Horizon Trip offers a cleaner interface and more flight and airline options. Travelers can book online, but the website advertises that the lowest fares are offered over the phone. While discount business class fares are always a positive, there's no way of knowing how much of a discount is offered without calling, even though booking by phone can be an inconvenience.
Travel Consolidator
With a number of different options for getting the lowest discount business class rates, Travel Consolidator is one of the best websites for finding the cheapest airline tickets. Similar to Horizon Trip and 1st-Air, Travel Consolidator allows customers to use an airfare search engine to pull up the most relevant results based on travel dates and departure or arrival cities. However, the website is unique in that it offers discounted group rates that apply to parties of four or more traveling together.
They also offer custom quotes wherein customers input their travel information along with a contact number so the website can contact the traveler about specific discount business class deals catered to a user's specific trip. While there are a number of websites that offer custom quotes, Travel Consolidator is unique in that it offers both search options and custom quotes.
