Air 4-5 9/3/10 13:41 Page 47
ttglive.com
air knowledge
Upgrades
A better class
for less cash
Leisure clients might presume they cannot afford
premium air fares, but there are ways to bring
them within reach. Gary Noakes reports
A
nyone who thinks they can
cadge an upgrade to business
class by dressing smartly,
asking nicely and pleading that
it’s a special event should speak to a good
agent, who will immediately put them
right.
Unless you are a frequent flier with a
gold loyalty card, the chances of getting
bumped up are slim, unless it’s your 70th
wedding anniversary and economy is way
over-booked. Unfortunately, the best way
to guarantee a posh seat is to pay for one,
which is expensive.
There are however things an agent
can suggest to soften the blow for clients
on the look out for a premium cabin
bargain.
Times & dates
One solution is to alter date and time of
departure. Business travel to major cities
like New York drops sharply at certain times
like August, when corporate road warriors
head to the beaches, so there is always a
rash of cut-price premium offers and
two-for-one deals. Other specific dates in
premium class
the year provide an opportunity to get a
cheaper seat in the front cabin. Many
think of jetting off for Christmas, but few
actually travel on Christmas Day, when most
airlines that are operating are forced to cut there are several frequencies a day, such as Fare categories
UK rates to attract sales. New York, fares can vary dramatically on Once the date and individual departure has
All good agents know that to get a lower individual departures. A flight to JFK on been sorted, there is the question of fare
premium fare, the booking must include a Saturday lunchtime will cost a lot less than category, another way in which agents can
Saturday night stay, as this prevents business one leaving on Monday morning that score for their clients, particularly if they are
travellers from travelling on the cheaper delivers a corporate customer to Wall Street prepared to book a long way in advance.
tickets. Similarly, on destinations where in time to do an afternoon’s work. British Airways revised its Turn to 48
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