Budget Travel - Cheap Business Class Travel?

I fly from LAX to Mumbai, India (BOM) all the time. I'm looking for ways to get inexpensive seats on Cathay Pacific or British Airways in business class. With a few agents I've spoken to, their fares are almsot the same as those quoted on the airline's sites. I've been told there are certain 1st/business discounters like there are consolidated travel agents.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

I do not know about consolidators but OZ (Asiana) ply this route with a 4 or 5x weekly connection in Seoul and their business class is pretty good - their service is TOP notch and very passenger focused.

It's also a good value considering the distance traveled. I have priced SFO-ICN-DEL-ICN-SFO a few times and it's normally between $2500/3000 r/t. From LAX-ICN it is one of their un-retrofitted 747s; from SFO it's a new 777, and from ICN-India they use 777 also.

Good luck getting a good price!

Edited to add: DUH. I just looked at your original post and see you are seeking flights to BOM, not DEL. OZ do not fly there.

I fly from LAX to Mumbai, India (BOM) all the time. I'm looking for ways to get inexpensive seats on Cathay Pacific or British Airways in business class. With a few agents I've spoken to, their fares are almsot the same as those quoted on the airline's sites. I've been told there are certain 1st/business discounters like there are consolidated travel agents.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

BA/CX don't seem to be offering consolidator fares.

Aeroflot offers USD 3213++
Air India offers USD 3356++
Eva Airways offers USD 3791++
KLM offers USD 4499++

Cheers

Eva Airways offers USD 3791++

Hm, Eva flies there?

While I've only flown them once, I'm an instant fan of their Evergreen Deluxe on the 747. Better pitch, though because tables are in armrests not much wider than coach, but much better ^ Kinda like US domestic FC on CO or NWA, for not much more than coach. Certainly nowhere near lie flat seats, but hey, this is the budget forum.

EmailKid

Hm, Eva flies there?

While I've only flown them once, I'm an instant fan of their Evergreen Deluxe on the 747. Better pitch, though because tables are in armrests not much wider than coach, but much better ^ Kinda like US domestic FC on CO or NWA, for not much more than coach. Certainly nowhere near lie flat seats, but hey, this is the budget forum.

EmailKid

I am not sure if they fly there, but they certainly offer a fare. I agree that the evergreen deluxe product is excellent.

Cheers

next time you are in India, do some local research

you may find a local agent offering "special" fares

look at ads in the local papers then visit (not phone) the agency

try an "ethnic" shop- if he's chinese, maybe there are CX deals

(but he's got a better deal on Air China or Ethiopian via Beijing!)

in BOM, you buy a new round trip, its actually BOM/LAX/BOM

so you are then going out from LAX on the return leg of a bought in India ticket

since you say you travel there a lot, this works

Let us not forget about mileage brokers, evil as the practice may be :rolleyes:

next time you are in India, do some local research

you may find a local agent offering "special" fares

look at ads in the local papers then visit (not phone) the agency

try an "ethnic" shop- if he's chinese, maybe there are CX deals

(but he's got a better deal on Air China or Ethiopian via Beijing!)

in BOM, you buy a new round trip, its actually BOM/LAX/BOM

so you are then going out from LAX on the return leg of a bought in India ticket

since you say you travel there a lot, this works

On a similate note, if not in India, try in an intermediate point like BKK where fares are cheaper than most of the rest of the world. Eg I found a r/t C fare on NH BKK-LAX US$1600 (and one way US$900).

CX Business is hard to find but British Airways to India and London FORATICKET.COM has (not on the site, have to request a quote).

Rates off hand are in the low/mid $4000's from New York to Delhi in British Airways Business with Mileage Accrual (NOT via the mileage buy/sell game, its your basic consolidator fare).

BA is the only way to fly!

I fly from LAX to Mumbai, India (BOM) all the time. I'm looking for ways to get inexpensive seats on Cathay Pacific or British Airways in business class. With a few agents I've spoken to, their fares are almsot the same as those quoted on the airline's sites. I've been told there are certain 1st/business discounters like there are consolidated travel agents.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Is it possible to get cheap business class deals to the US from Australia? Any companies/travel agens that give discounts?

Adam

I do not know about consolidators but OZ (Asiana) ply this route with a 4 or 5x weekly connection in Seoul and their business class is pretty good - their service is TOP notch and very passenger focused.

It's also a good value considering the distance traveled. I have priced SFO-ICN-DEL-ICN-SFO a few times and it's normally between $2500/3000 r/t. From LAX-ICN it is one of their un-retrofitted 747s; from SFO it's a new 777, and from ICN-India they use 777 also.

Good luck getting a good price!

Edited to add: DUH. I just looked at your original post and see you are seeking flights to BOM, not DEL. OZ do not fly there.

At first I thought it was an error until I saw the fare rules – MAXjet filed a special business class fare for their Washington Dulles (IAD) to London Stansted (STN) route. Leave May 6 and return May 7, 8 or 10 and the total comes to $498.19 after all taxes and fees. Amazing! Roundtrip business class to London for under $500!!!

The airline is all business class so I wouldn’t expect inventory to run out fast.

These are the terms and conditions I found:
Promotion fare is only valid for travel from Washington-Dulles departing on May 6, 2006 and returning on either May 7, 8 or 10, 2006 from London Stansted. Travel must be booked by May 5, 2006 by visiting www.maxjet.com and using Promo Code: madmax. Promotional tickets are nonrefundable, nontransferable and may not be reissued.

Is it possible to get cheap business class deals to the US from Australia? Any companies/travel agens that give discounts?

Adam

G'day Adam,

The post above lauds FORATICKET.COM as a seller of cheap business/first class tickets.
Here's our experience with this company: More than 6 months ago we made enquiries through FORATICKET.COM's website for return SYD-JFK first or business + internal flights. They offered business class on United and urged us to pay asap even though we were not travelling for some 5 months. We paid and, you guessed it, the tickets never showed up. They made all sorts of promises that they would be issued, "next week, in 10 days, shortly, after our manager has a meeting with UA next week" etc. etc. We asked for our money back one week before travel and were promised a refund. That was May 2006 - we're still waiting but thanks to the California Attorney Generals' Department and the local police fraud department, MasterCard Australia's fraud division and Amex, they are now "really" promising to refund our money. Minus fees, if you please, despite the fact that they stuffed it up.
In this case cheap tickets are just not worth the risk. We got similar fares for business to Paris, although first leg to Singapore was economy.

You will not be surprised to learn that ABRAR who recommended FORATICKET.COM in the above post is the same name as the manager
at FORATICKET.COM who makes the empty promises.

Moderator - please look into Mr Abrar's posts for his company.

Fo rone thing, you would not be posting this request at the BUDGET TRAVEL forum.

Business Class is not cheap. If it was, it would not be called Business class anyway.

If you want a way to get cheaper tickets, the way to do it is to buy a one way to India. Slog it out in coach class going, and buy all your return tickets from there to LAX on the airline of your choice with a local Indian travel agency who does not even bother advertising on the web. No they probably do not have a web site. No, they probably don´t even take credit cards. No they don´t even have email. but yes, they do speak English.

So ask your local contacts in India who is bound to know of someone who is a friend of a friend of a friend who can recommend you the best price!