Summer Business Class to Europe for Less Than the Cost of Premium Economy
On oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance
When it comes to buying airline tickets with cash, many travelers think Business Class is too expensive. So, in order to get a bit more legroom and improved service than economy, they go straight for Premium Economy without comparing.
Currently, on many routes, mostly in July and August at the moment, and on lots of airlines such as American, Air France, British Airways, Delta, Lufthansa, and United, you can get a much better deal on Business Class fares. At the same time, Premium Economy fares have nudged higher. This perfect storm creates the conditions for a free upgrade, and how we love that here at FCF.
Why is this Happening?
Two reasons:
- Premium Economy fares during summer months are often priced at their highest (this is also the case for economy) for travel to Europe. That’s because airlines know that summer is peak season for Europe, so they charge the most for economy and Premium Economy during vacation / leisure travel season, if only because that’s when economy fares are highest.
- Business Class fares during the summer months are often priced at their lowest for travel to Europe. This is also true for Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays. The reason is simple: Most people traveling for business and buying Business Class tickets avoid doing so in summer. This leaves the airlines with many unfilled seats on some routes, so they run special low Business Class fares during this time.
As the chart below shows, you can even pay less in Business Class than Premium Economy for the same flight. Wouldn’t PE flyers be happy to hear that in the next cabin back? NOT!
Sample Routes Pricing Business Class Less Than Premium Economy
| Sample Route | Travel Month(s) | Airline With Business Class Fare | Business Class Fare | Airline With Premium Economy Fare | Premium Economy Fare |
| Orlando-Brussels | July, Aug. | Delta | $1,707 | Lufthansa | $2,700 to $3,200 |
| Washington, DC-Moscow | Sept. to March | Delta | $1,738 | Air France | $1,600 to $2,000 |
| New York-Moscow | Sept. to March | Delta | $1,844 | Air France | $1,600 to $2,400 |
| New York-Brussels | Aug. | Lufthansa, United | $2,024 | Lufthansa | $2,100 to $2,700 |
| Miami-Bologna | July, Aug. | American, British Airways | $2,209 | Air France | $1,700 to $2,200 |
| San Francisco-Lisbon | July, Aug. | American | $2,260 | British Airways | $1,700 to $2,300 |
| Houston-Paris | July, Aug. | American | $2,282 | British Airways | $1,900 to $2,400 |
| Los Angeles-Lisbon | Aug. | United | $2,350 | Lufthansa | $1,900 to $2,500 |
| Houston-Munich | July, Aug. | American | $2,358 | British Airways | $1,600 to $2,200 |
| San Francisco-Frankfurt | July, Aug. | American | $2,363 | British Airways | $1,700 to $2,300 |
| Los Angeles-Athens | July, Aug. | Air France, Delta | $2,466 | Air France | $2,170 to $2,600 |
| Dallas-Copenhagen | July, Aug. | Delta | $2,466 | Lufthansa | $1,500 to $2,400 |
A Time and a Place for Premium Economy
It’s certainly been the flavor of the last couple years with many airlines. Europe has had PE for years and the U.S. has been slow to take it up. But that’s changed. That said, Premium Economy is great when the price is right—and when Business Class fares are high and much more than you might want to pay—as it is clearly an improvement over economy. The price is not right over the summer months we’re talking about.
Opportunity Traveling
Now, we’re talking general trends here, not every summer flight to Europe. Airlines don’t need to have European summer sales across the board anymore with limited competition and a strong economy, so you need to be what we at FCF call “an opportunity traveler.” Beat the airlines at their own game, don’t just play along blindly and accept the dice numbers they roll. More on being an opportunity traveler here:
Even More oneworld Savings
Keep in mind that the fares shown in the chart DO NOT include other discounts offered by British Airways such as $200 off for AARP or the 10% Visa discount. This can take a $2,000 ticket down to $1,600.
Here’s an example. New York to Berlin goes for as little as $2,020 round-trip (inclusive) at the moment, but with the $200 AARP discount for Business Class and the 10% discount for the British Airways Visa Card (current promo code is CHASEBA10), the fare drops to $1,638.
Even More Skyteam Savings
Amex’s International Airline Program (IAP) offers fare discounts of between 8% and 12% on many published First Class, Business Class, and Premium Economy fares. That could easily be a couple hundred dollars in your pocket and not in the airlines’.
An Added Seat Bonus
Not only are you getting a much better seat and service on the long-haul international flight when you buy a Business Class ticket, your domestic connecting flight is in domestic First Class. And if connecting in Europe, you fly in inter-Europe Business Class. On the other hand, when buying a Premium Economy ticket, any connecting flights in the U.S. or Europe will almost always be in economy. That’s enough to seal the deal.