Isn’t it frustrating when you get on the plane, dreading the next 9 hours in economy, and you have to walk past all those lovely business class seats, with large TVs, endless legroom and comfy cushions? What’s even more furstrating is knowing that some of the passengers have paid less to sit there than many people in economy paid for their tickets.
As the airline industry struggles to cope with the drop in business travel as a result of the Covid pandemic, we’re starting to see some great consumer fares in an attempt to fill those premium cabins. Read on to find out how you can travel in style for economy prices.
In brief
- Oneworld business class sale on BA, AA, Finnair and Iberia
- Flights from UK airports to east and west coast US from £1,047
- Travel must be booked by 30 September 2020
The deals
You can fly from most UK airports, but Inverness offers the cheapest deals, thanks to its lack of air passenger duty. The best prices we’ve found, return per person, are –
Flying from Inverness
| New York | £1,047 |
| San Francisco | £1,147 |
| Chicago | £1,247 |
| Miami | £1,347 |
Flying from Glasgow and most other regional airports
| New York | £1,206 |
| Boston | £1,319 |
| San Francisco | £1,319 |
Flying from London
| New York | £1,173 |
| Boston | £1,306 |
| San Francisco | £1,306 |
| Chicago | £1,406 |
Note that there is no financial penalty for ending your trip in London on your return, even if your trip started from a regional airport
Fare rules
- Advanced purchase restriction of 120 days
- Outbound Transatlantic flight must be on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday
- Inbound Transatlantic flight must be on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday
- Stopovers are not permitted
- Minimum stay requirement of 24 hours and Saturday night, prior to return Transatlantic flight
Tier point potential
If you’re chasing status with British Airways, it’s worth noting that you will earn 140 tier points each way between London and the US in business class. Adding on a domestic connection, such as Aberdeen or Glasgow, will give you an additional 40 tier points each way so you could potentially earn 360 tier points, taking you more than halfway to Silver status in one trip. However, if you’re prepared to visit a couple more airports along the way, this one trip could get your all the way to Silver, the sweet spot in the British Airways Executive Club, or, indeed, almost halfway to Gold.
Taking a trip from Inverness to San Francisco as an example, where you would normally earn 360 tier points for the return trip, going via New York and Los Angeles could increase this to 720 tier points. The screenshot below, from ITA Matrix, gives one example of how this can be done. And the best part? The difference in price for doubling your tier point tally is just £4!
Watch out for our upcoming tutorial, showing you how to use tools like ITA Matrix and Expert Flyer to plan your flights.
It’s also worth noting that BA now operates the new A350 on some US routes. With selective booking and a little bit of luck, you could find yourself sitting in the new Club Suite, pictured below.
Book with Confidence
With uncertainty over Covid-19 weighing on people’s minds, it’s worth remembering that BA is currently allowing free changes to all new bookings. All you will pay is the difference in price. Alternatively, you can cancel your booking and get a travel voucher that is valid until 30 April 2022. This policy currently applies to all new British Airways bookings made by 30 September 2020, for travel to 31 August 2021.
