According to most every travel news sources I read, domestic Business and First Class tickets are cheaper than they’ve been in years. I wish it were so, but front cabin fares have, in fact, risen dramatically in the past two years.
In December 2007, a transcon ticket in American Airlines’ Business Class sold for $1,208. By December 2008, the fare for that seat had soared to $1,778 (+47%). Today it sits at a lofty $2,244, an 86% increase from 2007, and 26% more than a year ago.
To put this “runway” inflation into perspective, a coast-to-coast round-trip in Business Class is now as costly as some promotional Business Class fares from the U.S. to London: flights that are one to six hours longer.
Maybe we should be grateful that most fares saw a lower rate of increase in 2009 compared to the the spike in 2008. In 2010, domestic ticket prices will probably edge higher still. Here are three of my favorite strategies to keep costs down:
The “Elite Flight Shuffle” – This strategy has you eyeballing the “availability” of elite upgrade seats on the flight before and after the one you’re already booked on, within the time frame the upgrades are allowed (24 to 120 hours prior to departure). Many times the upgrade will be available, when yours isn’t, and only costs you between $50 and $150 to change.
“Elite Double Booking” – This works when you have two elite cards, which many of you do, and many of you could if you wanted (lots of ways to achieve). With this strategy, all you do is purchase two economy tickets on the two different airlines to double your chances of an elite upgrade actually being confirmed. Worst case scenario has you paying $150 to reuse the second ticket. Not a bad hedge cost to double your chances of saving $1,000 to $2,500.
Domestic Upgrade Awards – Most people save their miles for international travel, myself included. Nowadays, however, if you don’t want to risk flying coach, when your elite upgrade doesn’t get confirmed, just plop down the miles to upgrade at time of ticketing. If you’re concerned about your stash of miles being depleted, always remember how many miles you can buy every year, and don’t!
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