Business Class Fares Fall Up to 46%.
As FCF has been reporting for some time now, world-wide Business Class fares have come down a lot in the past year—a trend that was started by Delta for travel to Europe in 2012 when it introduced EasyUp Business Class Fares.
[aside headline="What are EasyUp Fares?" alignment="alignright" width="half" headline_size="default"]
In short: An EasyUp Fare is an anomaly airfare that is surprisingly close in cost to the fare in the class below it.
You simply pay the First Class fare rather than the not-much-less Business Class fare—or pay the Business Class fare rather than the not-much-less coach fare.
Think of the relatively small dollar difference as the "fee" for your bargain upgrade... your easy upgrade. (No need to use miles, or work any other upgrade strategy.)
Mind you, airlines don't call these fares EasyUp. FCF coined that term when it discovered them back in 2012.
And airlines seldom promote them.
But FCF's tag team of global researchers find them, 24/7. Making low-cost upgrading easy for FCF members.[/aside]
Now the Trend Has Arrived for Travel to India
Fares to India have historically hovered in the $4,000 to $5,000 range from the East Coast and $4,500 to $5,500 from the West Coast on major carriers. But over the last nine months, on many routes Business Class fares have gone on sale, with prices plunging.
Major Airlines Drop Business Class Fares Up to 46%
One Example: On Los Angeles-Mumbai, Air France, Delta, KLM, Lufthansa, SWISS, and United recently charged $2,742 round-trip (see July 26 FCF Alert). On July 25, the fare was $5,119, a drop of $2,377 (46%).
How Are New EasyUp Fares Behaving to India?
As it is often the case with a new fare trend, it’s a bouncing ball: on sale, back up, back down a few weeks later, or the fare is restricted to certain routes and carriers. But keep the bigger picture in mind: discounted Business Class fares—FCF refers to them as “EasyUp” fares—have landed in India.
Which Alliances Are Most Low-India-Fare Friendly?
13 EasyUp fare cuts were found by FCF on SkyTeam airlines (Air France, Delta, and KLM); four were offered by oneworld (American and British Airways); and 12 were offered by Star Alliance (Lufthansa, SWISS, and United).
Which Alliances Offer New Low Fares Most Often? (July 2015 through July 2016)
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What Departure and Destination Cities Are Most Likely to Offer the Fares?
Destinations: SkyTeam and Star Alliance both offered the most fares for less than $3,000 to Mumbai and fewer—about four—to Delhi. Oneworld fares, even when on sale, came in at over $3,500 to Mumbai. To Delhi only four fares (on American) came in under $3,000.
Which Major Destinations in India Offered Fares Under $3,000
(July 2015 through July 2016)
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U.S. Departures: SkyTeam and Star Alliance carriers offered new lower fares to Mumbai from nine U.S. gateways (Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, and Washington, DC), but from only one city (Los Angeles) to Delhi for less than $3,000. From other cities, fares are $1,000 to $3,000 more.
Why Do We Call Such Low Fares “EasyUp” Fares?
Because the lowest economy fare on this route is $714 on United, and upgrades are 70,000 miles, plus a $1,200 co-pay round-trip. That yields a ticket price of $1,914, a Business Class ticket is only $582 more. However, those 70,000 miles (with the current deal) have a value of $1,316. So, save the miles for high-priced international destinations.
