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Every single day hundreds of thousands of people worldwide
will board an aircraft and
sit down in ‘sardine’ (economy)
class to enjoy hours and hours
of 'comfort' in a standard
seat of 29” to 34” pitch.
Your seat space will depend
on which airline you fly -
some are more generous than
others. And we’ve all been
there! Probably nothing worse
as the captain switches off
the seat belt sign and the
passenger in front immediately
reclines his seat towards
our face… Economic conditions
dictate that most air travellers
will have to fly economy,
as business and first class
tickets are simply out of
range price-wise. Only the
flying ‘elite’ get to travel
up front. This is particularly
the case for long-haul flights.
There will always be a demand
from corporate travellers
and wealthier individuals
for for these higher priced
premium air tickets. In fact
this high revenue group is
the lifeblood for many an
international airline, particularly
on the lucrative Trans-Atlantic
and Trans-Pacific routes.
Fly from London to New York
in the upper classes and you
will pay upwards of ₤1700-₤4000
($3000-$7000) to fly on the
major carriers. Or fly from
LA to Sydney, Australia in
biz and it will set you back
₤4500-₤6000 ($7500-$10000).
Not exactly small change…
Let’s face it, we all want
to sit at the front of the
plane. Nice comfortable chairs
which recline into flat beds,
plenty of space and privacy,
gourmet dining, service with
a personal touch. Not to mention
free lounge access where we
can escape the crowds at the
airport. So you think that
you will never be able to
enjoy the trappings of international
first class air travel? Well,
all is not necessarily lost…
There are a number of tips
and techniques which can get
you flying in the premium
cabins much cheaper than you
ever thought possible. We
will mention a couple here
for readers... Think All Business
If you are flying Trans-Atlantic
price up your journey on one
of the new specialist all-business
class carriers. This is a
relatively recent phenomenon
and could lead to more competitive
pricing for premium seats
in the future. For example,
discount Maxjet and first
class Eos Airlines both fly
out of London Stansted to
New York JFK. Maxjet also
flies London to Washington
IAD (from April 2006) Special
offer prices on the NY MaxJet
route are as low a $750/£430
return all in - great value.
Eos provides a high-class
service and thus pitch themselves
against the first class cabins
of competing airlines such
as British Airways and Virgin
Atlantic. Keep an eye on how
the major airlines respond
- they may be forced to reduce
prices or at least offer extra
special deals. Note, there
are other all-business services
out of Switzerland, Germany
and Netherlands to the US
run by PrivatAir in conjunction
with Lufthansa and KLM. Because
these are run by the major
airlines, prices on these
routes remain high. Go Off-Beat
Book a ticket on one of the
more off-beat carriers. For
example, there are a large
number of airlines flying
trans-Atlantic (such as Air
India or IcelandAir) and they
often undercut the major carriers
by up to 80%. There are some
great deals out there. Join
the Frequent Flyer Elite You
should join up with 1 or 2
frequent flyer program and
try to attain elite status.
There are clever ways of getting
top status within a few weeks
if you know how and this will
help you greatly in your quest
for first class flying. And
be careful how you spend those
miles as most travellers end
up using them in the most
inefficient ways, at great
cost to themselves! Invest
in Your Travel Future If you
would like to learn a lot
more about maximising your
chances of travelling in business
or first class including little
known advanced airfare arbitrage
techniques, making the most
of your airmiles, how to find
the lowest fare every time
- even if you fly economy
- and much, much more, then
you should invest in the ‘Ultimate
Airfares & Upgrades Guide’
from AirTravelGenius.com.
This high-end e-book is for
the aspiring elite traveller
who wants to join the global
jet-set - a must for any international
flyers. The 'Ultimate Airfares
& Upgrades Guide' ebook is
available at http://www.airtravelgenius.com.
These secret insider tips
and techniques could really
save you thousands of pounds
or dollars in airfare costs.
Invest in yourself and your
travel future. Want to know
how to get the best seat on
an airplane or get a free
airline upgrade? Then check
out more air travel tips and
strategies in the comprehensive
free articles section here:
http://www.airtravelgenius.com/articles
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