Eight ways to save if you can’t book 150 days out, and a little-known route where you can fly for $2,511 r/t tomorrow (space permitting) with a top-shelf airline and seat.
For most of the past 20 years, the lowest Business Class fares usually required a 50- or 90-day advance-purchase, but that all changed in August 2015 when FCF discovered a new transatlantic Business Class fare version that required a 150-day advance-purchase to Europe on many routes.
Back then, FCF thought that these fares had a very good chance of becoming a new norm, despite being about $200 to $900 more than Flash EasyUp fares. Now, a year later, 150-day advance-purchase fares are still around, proving that the airlines value them.
The defining characteristic of the 150-day fare is that they are available everyday, unlike Flash EasyUp fares, which are often here this minute and gone the next. The fares are also offered on more airlines and on more routes than Flash EasyUp fares.
But what if you can’t book 150 days (5 months) in advance? That’s the fare’s major disadvantage.
Eight Ways to Save if you Can’t Book 150 Days Out
1. Book ‘Low-Restriction’ Airlines: Not my first choice so I’ll get it out of the way:
These airlines, among them, Airberlin, Air Europa, Lot Polish, and TAP Portugal, do not require a 150-day advance-purchase to get their lowest fares. All of them often offer low 28-day advance-purchase fares (and sometimes even low walk-up fares), while still providing a lie-flat seat in Business Class on many aircraft.
Take Airberlin‘s Chicago-Copenhagen route (via Berlin): It costs $3,422 in Business Class with no-advance purchase (the Berlin-Copenhagen segment is in economy). United charges $5,534, a difference of $2,112 (38%).
2. Book ‘Low-Fare Destinations’:
Consider destinations that don’t require a 150-day advance-purchase. Best bets: Spain (Barcelona and Madrid), Ireland (Dublin and Shannon), and Lisbon. On Boston-Lisbon (via Frankfurt), Lufthansa charges $2,463 round-trip in Business Class (28-day advance-purchase required) for example, and not bad for being able to book such a short time before departure, especially if you consider that a Boston-Paris ticket with a 28-day advance-purchase costs $7,670. If your destination is not on the list, consider making a connection in one of the cities above.
3. Don’t Miss the 90- or 50-Day Markers:
Mark them on your calendar, as people frequently miss them. Ticket prices can rise 35% to 60% once you’re within 50 days of departure.
4. Be Aware of Flash EasyUp Fare Opportunities:
The advance-purchase requirement always varies but can often be minimal. In the most recent deal the advance-purchase requirement was only seven days, and fares started at $1,603 from the East Coast (New York-Milan). Keep up with these fares through our newsroom.
5. Travel During ‘Low-Fare Seasons’:
Summer and the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter) are the best times to look for short-notice discounted Business Class fares. For example, short-notice summer fares starting at $1,713 on the Boston–Lisbon route, posted in our newsroom on August 11, only required a 14-day advance.
6. Use Miles for a Free Award Ticket:
The best use of miles is when the ticket price is high, of course, as it can be with short-notice Business Class fares. (Check FCF’s Sweet Redeems alerts for routes with good mileage award space.)
7. Use Miles for an Upgrade When Biz Class Fares are High:
Upgradeable economy fares often only require a 14- or 21-day advance-purchase. Most people don’t think to use miles to upgrade when in fact they are often better because the major carries make more upgrade seats available than they do for free awards. Upgrades also earn elite credit, which free awards do not.
8. Connect in New York and/or Leverage Germany (if not with Singapore Air, too):
The lowest, everyday no-advance-purchase, non-stop route I know of on major carriers is New York-Frankfurt.
Yes, it’s unusual in that the everyday lowest Business Class fare on Lufthansa, as well as United and even Singapore Airlines.
(based on availability of ‘D’ inventory), does not require an advance-purchase. The fare is $2,496 round-trip, whereas New York-Paris in Business can easily be $7,000 to $8,000 on Air France for last-minute travel.
Frankfurt is a major hub, so look into purchasing a separate ticket from there to your destination.
Are you a business traveler or like to fly on a whim? Let us know how you work it.