It’s never too early, when your dates are firm, to book Business Class seats to Europe. This summer is no exception as the weak dollar is attracting Europeans this way — along with Business Class fares that are lower than ever. The discounting has already begun, and with the heavy demand, you should get in the game early. I recently spent time looking at the airlines’ Computer Reservations System to get the big picture. Here’s what I found.

Buy now on routes with low fares, but limited service.

There’s a $1,970 Chicago-Rome round-trip fare on American, for example, but with little non-stop service from the US to Italy, seats are going fast.

Premier carriers are charging more.

While I was able to find Business Class fares with 10 airlines (see page 6 for airlines and fare codes) in the $1,500 to $2,300 range, carriers specializing in premium service — British Airways and Virgin Atlantic — so far are holding out for $2,700 to $3,200.

Best bets for upgrading from Business to First.

British Airways and Singapore. That’s because this duo permit mileage upgrades with heavily discounted Business Class fares. Most airlines don’t allow this. (See First Class Flyer Mar. 2004, page 2, for full story.) If you’ve taken my advice and gotten the Starwood Amex credit card, you’ll be able to use your Starpoints to upgrade to First Class with these three carriers.

[table_opt id="4980" style="blue-header" heading="thcenter" rows="tdcenter" responsive="all"]