It's hard to put a price tag on the comfort of a lie-flat seat during a long-haul flight, yet the airlines always seem to find a way – and it often tops $6,000 or more. That's simply not an option for you, me, or 99.9% of all travelers.
While using points and miles to book business class or premium cabin seats to Europe is typically where you'll find the best value, we've been seeing more and more cheap business class fares lately. Buying a business class flight for a low cash price saves you the headache of stacking up points and miles and then finding the award space to actually use them. It also lets you earn airline status and a good chunk of points or miles.
Better yet, you can use Google Flights – the most powerful flight search engine – to hone in on the very best flights at the very best times for the very best prices, too.
We search for business class flight deals every day and send our Thrifty Traveler Premium members alerts about the best ones as soon as you can book them. It's a labor of love, made worthwhile by all the feedback and replies we get from subscribers who book a dream trip for pennies on the dollar. In doing so, we've noticed a trend over the last few months: Business class fares at economy prices.
If you've given up on flying business class because it's simply too expensive, it's time to reconsider. Read on for the best business class flight deals we've found in just the past few months.
Air Canada to Brazil for $2,522 RT
While you can typically expect to pay $5,000 or more for a roundtrip flight to Brazil from Toronto (YYZ), especially during peak summer and Carnival, Air Canada decided a big ol' sale was in order instead.
These nonstop flights from Toronto (YYZ) to Rio (GIG) and Sao Paulo (GRU) went on sale simultaneously earlier this summer for next winter (summer in Brazil) at the incredibly low rate of $2,538.
Roundtrip itineraries in peak season never get this cheap, especially for those coveted nonstop flights.
QSuites to India for $2,871 RT
Qatar QSuites, widely considered the best business class in the world, is usually priced like … well … the best business class in the world. It's not uncommon to see $8,000 or more for even just a one-way flight in QSuites.
That's why we were floored by this fare flying in QSuites from Chicago (ORD) to Doha (DOH), with onward connections to Mumbai, India (BOM), too!
With availability next winter (peak season) and through May, this was one of the rarest QSuites deals we've ever seen.
Delta One to Japan Under $2,957 RT
Delta One seats are similarly bargain-averse, and that's doubly true on Delta's popular Pacific routes to Japan. But this sale targeted a handful of U.S. and Canadian cities, offering some stellar rates to Tokyo (HND) this summer and fall.
This deal included many Delta One Suites flights connecting through various U.S. hub cities (including a nonstop from Seattle (SEA)), but some were also flying WestJet on their 787 Dreamliner lie-flat business class from Calgary (YYC).
Whatever plane gets you there, lie-flat fares for these rates to Japan are almost unheard of!
Canada to Europe from $2,027 RT!
How about more love for our neighbors to the north? Canadians tend to get more competitive cash business class fares than we do here in the States. So much so that it might be worth booking a positioning flight up north just to jump on these fares!
This Toronto (YYZ) to Barcelona (BCN) fare on ITA Airways was the lowest, at $2,027 if you booked directly with ITA. But you could also book with airlines like Air Canada, Air France, KLM, and SAS to get many of these fares – a true fare war for business class seats flying to Europe at prices like these!
Bottom Line
Don't write off a chance at flying business class next year, because right now we're seeing some of the lowest premium cabin cash fares we've ever seen – some for close to the same price as economy.
You don't need a huge stash of points and miles to book these incredible seats. We search for business class flight deals every day, and Thrifty Traveler Premium members get alerts sent to their email inboxes as soon as we find them.
I would really like to try business class (lie flat seat) to Italy or near Italy in 2024. Usually I book flight first, but that might be a challenge if I book a tour of the Dolomites. If I join TT, would that help me book that business flight? The most miles I have is 38,000 with Delta.