AirTravelGenius Blog

British Airways have today started their ex-UK Club and First Class sale for destinations worldwide along with their extended economy sale which has been running for some time. Bookings must be made by Feb 9th 2010.

Fare levels are not as low as some previous sale offers, but here’s a look at some standout fares. You might also check with Virgin Atlantic who normally match BA sale fares on overlapping routes.

BA Club World Offers - note, various travel dates apply.

Montego Bay £1,099
Doha £1,199
Muscat £1,199
Male £1,299
Bangalore £1,299
Delhi £1,299
Mumbai £1,399
Tampa £1,349
Orlando £1,349
Antigua £1,399
Barbados £1,399
Tobago £1,399
St Lucia £1,399
Montreal £1,549
Sydney £2,799

For completeness let’s take a quick look at current business class offers from various airlines for ex-London long-haul flights.

Lufthansa offers a business class trip deal to Johannesburg (via Frankfurt) for £1,419 for early April. If you are up for a trip to Cairo then fellow Star Alliance member EgyptAir will get you to Jo’burg for £1,215 in business  - fare bookable on Netflights.

Oneworld’s Finnair can get you to Beijing and Shanghai in business class from London via Helsinki for £1,685. Hong Kong is also available, at £1,689.

Etihad has a few decent Pearl Business Class offers from London Heathrow via Abu Dhabi - bookable by Feb 1st:

Delhi £1,199
Bangkok £1,329 (£1,281 on Netflights)
Jakarta £1,679
Sydney £2,899

Emirates has the following companion fare business class deals available (2 people must book together) via Dubai - available until Feb 1st:

Johannesburg  £1,648
Mauritius £1,649
Seychelles £1,653
Christchurch £2,739

You can fly with China Airlines business class via Taipei to Sydney from London from £1,713 via Netflights. China Airlines use Airbus A340 and A330s for this route.

As we have just entered 2010 (and happy new year to readers) lets take a look at the airfare market from London to see if there are any decent economy class offers available. Looking back 2009 had some spectacular deals - however, as airlines have cut schedules this winter and with business class revenue remaining under pressure, it is likely that economy prices will be firmer during 2010.

So what’s on offer currently? Unfortunately nothing really outstanding - but lets summarise the market…

As always British Airways is holding its January sale to destinations worldwide - this runs until 26 January. Standout fares are:

Rome £49 one-way
Moscow £109 one-way
Cairo £269
Hyderabad £346
Mumbai £349
Nairobi £399
Montego Bay £399

Travel dates vary, check on BA’s site. Note, bmi currently has a “sale” fare to Moscow for £214 return.

Predictably Virgin Atlantic is also holding a sale with similar fares on routes that overlap. They also have a reasonable £669 economy fare to Sydney for travel between 16 April and 20 June. Premium economy is available at £1,148 for the same dates.

Emirates has a £592 fare to Perth, Australia from London Heathrow for travel between 20 April and 30 June. Book by 1 February. You can also fly to Sydney for £678 or Melbourne for £667.

Malaysian Airlines has sale fares to Sydney, Perth and Auckland for £639 - book until 18 January for travel between 15 April and 31 May.

The cheapest fare Down Under: Netflights has a £563 fare from London to Perth with Royal Brunei and £577 to Brisbane during April. An acquaintance recently flew with them to Oz and reported service was pretty good - just watch the layover connection time in Brunei as some of the cheaper fares can leave you waiting overnight at the airport. (There is also a refuelling stop in Dubai).

Air New Zealand has flights to Hong Kong for £417, book by 27 January and travel between 21 January and 31 March. Qantas can get you to HKG for £422 on similar dates. They also have a £613 fare to Perth, £659 to Melbourne and £668 to Sydney between 16 April and 20 June.

Swiss has some very limited availability fares from London: Mumbai £337, Hong Kong £396 and Shanghai £410.

KLM can get you to Kuala Lumpur for £465 and Singapore for £479, book by 1 February. Check dates on klm.com.

Air Transat-Thomas Cook have one-way flights from London Gatwick to Toronto (£129) and Vancouver (£149) - limited dates available. Note Air Transat uses an Airbus A310 whereas Thomas Cook operates A330 equipment.

In part 1 of this article (below) we mentioned the following points on getting the best seats on your flight:

*picking your airline

*choosing your aircraft type

*studying seat maps to find the optimal seats

*advance seat assignments (paid vs free vs elite status)

*using Online Check-In (OLCI)

In this part we continue our seating discussion…

Another factor to consider is whether the seat(s) next to you will be taken - this could make your journey a lot more comfortable, especially when flying in economy class. The extra space an empty seat can provide could make a big difference on a long-haul flight.

This is somewhat out of your control, especially if the flight has a full load. However if the flight is less than full it is possible to select certain seats to reduce the possibility of someone being next to you. (Again, this is purely a personal preference - some people may like to have a seat mate to talk to).

Note, top-tier elite status passengers in some programs (eg Lufthansa) are able to request an empty adjacent seat, subject to availability.

This strategy comes down to seating psychology and the fact that people don’t really like to choose the middle seat if the aisle and window are occupied.

If you are travelling in a couple you can always pull the old trick by selecting a window and aisle seat on a 3 seat window row. If someone does turn up with the middle seat they are usually more than happy to swap so that you can sit together.

If travelling alone, by choosing a 3 seat row with 1 window or aisle seat already occupied, you will leave the middle seat which is less likely to be taken if the flight is not full.

So in the following seat configuration example, most single passengers would tend to choose a window or aisle seat in the empty row 19. However, choosing seat 20D will mean middle seat 20E is less likely to be taken. If you chose 19F then the chance is there that a couple will take 19D and 19E. (Although if you wanted a window seat then you would have to take 19F!)

If as a couple you want to be guaranteed aisle access on a widebody aircraft and don’t want to have anyone else climbing over you then choose 2 seats together in the middle row. Or choose the 2 seater rows as discussed in part 1.

Don’t forget that with the exit/bulkhead rows being popular it is less likely that you will have an empty seat next to you - but at least you will have extra legroom.

And on flights with light loads it can be worthwhile grabbing an empty row in economy class which can be turned into a “bed”.

Final thoughts:

At the end of the day as long as the airline gets you to your destination safely that is all that really matters. If you can find and secure a seat in your class that will give you a little more comfort then of course that is a good thing.

But if you want to guarantee extra comforts on your journey then book a first class or business class ticket on a top airline.

In this 2 part article we will look at some considerations for finding the best seat on your flight.

Before booking on your designated airline you should first consider which aircraft will be flying on the route - you may have a choice of aircraft available. An example is Singapore Airlines which currently uses an Airbus A380 and a Boeing 777ER on their London to Singapore route.

Check the aircraft layout on your airline website seat maps which will give you an initial overview. You should then refer to the more detailed seating maps at SeatGuru and SeatExpert - which are available for most of the major airlines’ aircraft. They will illustrate the good and bad points of many individual seats and from this you will have a very good idea where exactly you would like to sit in your class.

Seat Expert also has the facility to put in your flight number and date to get back the exact aircraft that operates on the day, although this is not 100% accurate.

Now seating location is always a personal choice - you may prefer the window seat (for the view, or to lean against), the aisle seat (for easier access out), a seat at the front of the plane (for less turbulence or to get out more quickly at your destination), an exit row (for more legroom or just to feel “safer”), a bulkhead row (if you have small children), the upstairs on a Boeing 747 (for a quieter cabin)… etc.

Your choice will also depend whether you are travelling alone, as a couple or in a larger group. And what type of configuration is available on the aircraft.

If you are travelling as a couple in economy class long-haul you may wish to sit in a 2 seater row - these are commonly available on the window rows of Boeing 767s and Airbus A330s and A340s. The last 3 or 4 window rows at the back of many Boeing 747s also have 2 seaters (which can be popular).

If considering travel in business class then do check the cabin layout.

British Airways has 50% rear facing seats in Club World which some travellers dislike. Others are not so keen on the “herringbone” angled seat arrangement on Vigin Atlantic, Cathay Pacific and Air New Zealand.

Some of the newer generation on biz class cabins may be more suited to single travellers where each seat is a separate suite with its own aisle access. For example, biz cabins of Etihad and on Emirates’ A380 have the following config:

This means couples wanting to sit together are limited to the 1 middle seat pair - which is fine unless you really want a window seat. Etihad’s window seats are very private (excellent for solo travellers) but you would be quite separated from your travel partner.

In that case the more traditional 2-2-2 config would be more suitable for couples wanting to be near the window and each other - such as Qantas Skybeds on many of their aircraft.

Options for choosing your seat

Some airlines (example: Virgin Atlantic) will allow any passenger to choose their seat immediately at booking. Others will give that choice only to elite status passengers (Cathay Pacific, British Airways) and then open up the seating fully when online check-in (”OLCI”) opens usually 24 to 48 hours before the departure.

Note, British Airways has yesterday made an informal announcement that from October it will be possible for non-status passengers to select seats between 10 days and 4 days before the flight. Club World seats will cost £60 per flight, exit seats in economy/premium economy cabins will go for £50, other seats £10-£20. While this new policy will probably annoy some status passengers it does open the door for anyone to pick the exit rows if available.

Air France/KLM have a similar option at online check-in where “preferred seats” in exit rows or 2 seaters cost between €20 and €70, depending on the flight distance. Gold and Platinum Flying Blue members get this for free.

Low cost airline Air Asia offers advance seat assignment for around £5 for a standard seat and £20 for a “Hot Seat” in the front or exit rows. The likes of Monarch Airlines, Air Transat, Aer Lingus and JetBlue all offer similar advance seat selection for purchase.

United Airlines has extra legroom “E+” economy seats available at extra cost - from $9 to $109 depending on the flight (top tier elites are not charged). An annual option is also possible for $349.

Most major airlines still offer free OLCI but in the current economic climate seat selection is increasingly being seen as an extra revenue stream - especially when you consider that some economy exit seats have business class legroom.

In general you should try to do OLCI as soon as it opens which will give you the widest possible choice of available seats. That still may mean that the best seats could already have been taken by either elite passengers, passengers who have paid or those checked in due to having an earlier connecting flight.

While doing OLCI at home is easy it may be more difficult on your travels - you may need to investigate hotel business facilities or internet cafes with printers - and these could be closed if OLCI opens very early or late in the day.

It’s time to update our list of airlines that accept payment via Paypal for flight bookings online. The list has grown a little since last year’s article - but this still remains more common in the US than other parts of the world.

“Paypal” airlines (as of September 2009):

American Airlines - US/UK customers only
Northwest Airlines - US customers only
Delta - US customers only
US Air
Continental Airlines
Southwest Airlines
JetBlue
Midwest Airlines

Lufthansa (Germany)
Monarch Airlines (UK)
Jet 2 (UK) - GBP/EUR transactions only
Emirates (Dubai) - GBP/EUR transactions only
Air Asia (Malaysia)
Air Asia X (Malaysia)

Some airlines are currently offering incentives to book through Paypal. For example Jet 2 and Monarch are waiving booking fees; JetBlue will give you a free first checked bag; Emirates and AA are offering a 1% cashback to UK residents.

Online agent Hotwire also accepts Paypal as payment for flights.

And AirTravelGenius.com accepts Paypal for purchases of the Ultimate Airfares & Upgrades Guide.

Let’s take another look at the airfare market ex-London to see where we can fly for £400 or less. The last time we did this in April ‘09 we could get pretty much anywhere except South America and Australaia. This year has seen some incredibly low fares - in early summer Singapore Airlines had sub-£400 fares to Australia and New Zealand.

Qantas and British Airways held a very limited “Ashes Cricket” sale in July with return flights from London to Sydney priced at an amazing £215 - flights sold out within minutes. The Middle East carriers have also had some consistently aggressive prices to Asia and Africa.

As of today what can we book for our £400??

North America

US Airways has some reasonable deals to New York (£283), Las Vegas (£327), Los Angeles (£349) and San Francisco (£354) bookable at Netflights.

Air Transat (operated by a Thomas Cook Airbus A330) can fly you from London Gatwick to Vancouver for just £298 return - out Sep 24th and back Oct 2nd. Air Transat flies to Toronto using an Airbus A310 from £258 around the same dates.

Middle East

Qatar Airways has offers to Dubai (£229), Abu Dhabi (£239) and Bahrain (£251). Book by August 15th for travel Aug 15th to Mar 25th 2010 with some blackout dates applying over Xmas / New Year.

Netflights has even cheaper Qatar flights available to Bahrain (£233) and Dubai (£210).

Africa

Swiss and Egyptair have flights to Cairo for £250 return. Qatar has sale offers to Johannesburg (£352) and Cape Town (£382) - whilst the Joburg flight can be purchased on netflights for £327.

Egyptair can get you to Khartoum for £328 whilst Iberia has a deal to Lagos for £394.

India

Some good return deals are available to Mumbai with Qatar (£264), Etihad (£269) and KLM (£272). Qatar also flies to Delhi for £273.

Asia

Etihad will fly you to Kuala Lumpur KUL for £369 via Abu Dhabi. Travelocity UK has Etihad fares to KUL for £364 and Bangkok for £354.

Air Asia X can get you from Stansted to Kuala Lumpur for a base fare as low as £248 for some dates in November. Don’t forget to add on £5 each way for 15kg checked luggage and £12.60 for all meals.

Qatar will take you to Hong Kong for £297 (£280 on netflights, who also have Qatar fares to Singapore for £390). From Hong Kong you could also get on a cheap Air Asia flight to KUL or Bangkok.

Air France can fly you to Shanghai for £384 and KLM to Beijing for £389.

Central/ South America

More difficult to find deals under £400 - however Lufthansa has a special offer from London to Mexico City (£339) and Caracas (£379) - these are £10 cheaper if departing Birmingham. Their London - Sao Paolo fare of £419 is just over budget! Depart Sep 1st to Oct 16th, return between Sep 8th and Jan 16th.

Australaisa

No sub-£400 schedule deals on the market at the moment. The cheapest fare is Royal Brunei’s £469 to Perth and £489 to Auckland. Note, these flights stop in Dubai for re-fuelling and then transit in Brunei.

However it is “theoretically” possible to use Air Asia X to get to Oz for under £400. The cheapest Kuala Lumpur - Perth flights is currently £109 return, added on to the £248 cheapest base London - KUL fare does come to £357. Because separate bookings are needed it is more difficult to co-ordinate the dates to find sale fares that match up. That said, KUL is a good stopover location with great value hotels.

Final tip, if booking with online agents do check the fare restrictions and compare them to buying direct with the airline.

The swine flu outbreak has made big news headlines this year and has had a serious impact on many people’s travel plans. We’ve heard of some contacts who have had to cancel holiday flights to the US on orders of their employers (big corporations). Let’s discuss some ways of trying to remain healthy if you do have to take that flight.

Obviously sitting in a confined metal tube with hundreds of other passengers means there is always a risk of catching something. Generally, economy passengers in close proximity to each other carry a slightly higher risk than those travelling in the more spaced out business and first class. That said, if the passenger next to you in any class has the flu your risk factor is magnified.

If you are a corporate flyer and/or have the means, consider using private jets to minimise contact with other passengers on board and at airports. For most this won’t be a possiblilty - so when flying on commercial airlines there are a few prevention measures we can take:

-Hydration - Drink plenty of natural mineral water and avoid dehydrating liquids such as alcohol, coffee, tea and carbonated soft drinks. Once past security you can buy water at the airport.

-Eat only lightly on board as digestion is slowed and takes up a lot of energy. It is better to eat on the ground before and after your flight - if you have access to a quality lounge then exercise your pre-flight dining option; alternatively find a good restaurant at the airport or bring your own food.

-Remember to wash your hands regularly and avoid hand contact with your mouth. Be aware of what you are touching - lavatory door handles, in-flight entertainment players, tray tables, laptop keyboard, your mobile phone - any of these could be contaminated with bacteria.

-If you are really paranoid you could wear a face mask during your travels - this could be uncomfortable on a long flight though and you will probably feel a bit strange if no-one else is wearing them! Standard 3M masks (N95 and N100) are classed as dust respirators - they will reduce but not eliminate the risk.

-In the week before you fly try to eat a healthy, balanced diet - include plenty of garlic, onions and use herbs like oregano - all exhibit “antibacterial properties”. Eat citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits, lemons) for a shot of vitamin C. You should also stay well rested.

-Make sure you get some exercise during the flight and go for a walk outside when you arrive at your destination.

-Keep your immune system in the best possible shape before you travel with a regular supplement program. Probably the best daily natural supplement for air travellers (or any traveller for that matter) is Total Balance (*) from New Zealand. We have used this product for 4 years in combination with their Omega 3 DHA Fish Oil (*) and give them our highest recommendation. Their customer service is friendly and top notch.

For further protection against any flu they also produce a natural supplement called Viral Protec (*) - this is optimal when used in combination with Total Balance.

Note: Article is for information purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or instruction. Always consult your doctor or a qualified health professional on any health matters.

(*) Affiliate product link - this site receives a small commission from referring any sales.

Following on from our previous article on business class offers from UK let’s now have a look what’s on offer to Australia and New Zealand. You will see there is currently a very good choice of premium carriers to fly Down Under in business for less than £2,000.

Australian carrier Qantas has special offer business class deals to various Aussie / Kiwi cities from London. Travel is up to 13th December, book by 30th June.

Prices are:

Perth £1,990
Melbourne £1,991
Adelaide £1,998
Sydney £1,999
Brisbane £2,001
Christchurch £2,089
Wellington £2,089
Auckland £2,099

It is possible to fly on the QF A380 via Singapore. Some flights are code-shares operated by partner British Airways. The flight is bookable at the Qantas website but we found cheaper fares on Netflights (£1,938 to SYD, £2,041 to AKL). Note, (1) these are non-changeable / non-refundable fares and (2) these don’t seem to be available on ba.com.

Emirates has an exceptional 2-for-1 business class offer from the UK to Australia / NZ (and other worldwide destinations). Note - you have to fly from Birmingham BHX with a companion. Prices are:

Perth £1,565
Melbourne £1,566
Sydney £1,574
Brisbane £1,575
Christchurch £1,587
Auckland £1,597 (£1,549 on Netflights)

These are excellent prices, some of the lowest business fares Down Under for a while. You must book by 10th June using promo code UKBHX21, outbound travel by 30th November.

This companion offer also has fares to Asia and South Africa at around the £900 mark.

You get a complimentary chauffeur as long as both passengers are collected from the same address. Changes are permitted (for a charge) as is a free stopover in Dubai.

You could fly on the EK A380 on some sectors - currently utilised on daily flights Dubai to Sydney/Auckland (EK 412/413). Also EK 372/373 Dubai - Bangkok if you’re heading to BKK.

Cathay Pacific are selling business class flights to both Australia and New Zealand for sub £2k. This seems to be a reaction to the Qantas sale. Prices:

Sydney £1,980
Melbourne £1,972
Adelaide £1,978
Perth £1,970
Brisbane £1,981
Auckland £1,990

Book by June 30th, some changes are allowed for a fee.

If you are considering Qantas or Cathay and are not 100% sure of your travel plans then it would probably make sense to go with the slightly more flexible Cathay fares.

We found lower fares on some agents, for example Netflights / Travelocity had Cathay flights to Sydney for £1,870 - however no changes or refunds are allowed!

Tip: Always understand the terms / conditions of your ticket before booking with an airline and especially an agent.

Finally, Travelocity is selling Singapore Airlines business fares to Sydney in July for as low as £1,926 (Perth £1,947). Travelocity also has Etihad flights to Sydney for £1,938 (via Abu Dhabi).

There are some tremendous business class deals to be had from the UK this summer. With the airline industry having a tough time there are great offers on the market to entice flyers back to the premium cabins. Let’s take a look..

United Airlines is running a half-price business class sale ex-UK, bookable by 2nd June. Travel is between 11th July to 31st August - peak season when trans-Atlantic flights are normally at a premium.

Lowest prices from London are:

New York £795
Boston £845
Washington DC £845
Philadelphia £845
Atlanta £905
Miami £939
Las Vegas £1,109
Los Angeles £1,109
San Francisco £1,109
Seattle £1,165
Honolulu £1,309

British Airways is running another business class sale at the moment, running up to June 30th.

Club World offers (return) to North America from London:

New York £1,099
Boston £1,199
Miami £1,399
Toronto £1,499
Los Angeles £1,699

Travel 1st July all the way to 13th Dec.

Other offers worldwide available include Caribbean destinations for £1,319 return.

Note, BA are also targetting some members of their Executive Club with £200 off Club World bookings with promo code BAUK-VALUED which means flights to New York can be had for £899.

As usual Virgin Atlantic are matching or slightly undercutting many of BA’s Club fares. Upper Class flights to New York JFK are priced from £1,096.

American Airlines has the following business class offers from London:

New York £1,098
Boston £1,198
Orlando £1,311
Miami £1,398
Los Angeles £1,658

Book by 30th June, travel to 13th December.

Air Canada is also matching the BA/AA sale with the same booking and travel dates. Return prices from London to the US (via Canada) are:

New York £1,047
Boston £1,157
Orlando £1,293
Miami £1,383
San Francisco £1,633

Air France has business class fares from London, Manchester or Edinburgh to New York from £1,051. The flights are operated by partner Delta Airlines.

Swiss has some good business class offers worldwide from Birmingham, Manchester and London. Prices from Birmingham:

New York £1,054
Boston £1,204
Johannesburg £1,289
Sao Paolo £1,601

They also have intra-Europe business class deals, the best of which is London-Barcelona at £215.

Air New Zealand has business class flights to Los Angeles from £1,628 - travel to 13th Dec, book by end of June.

Emirates have some value business class fares out of Birmingham:

Cape Town £1,387
Hong Kong £1,376
Singapore £1,378
Christchurch £2,222
Sydney £2,261

Travel up to 9th December. Prices from London are £200-£500 higher.

Perhaps the best deal of the lot - you can currently fly from London to Melbourne or Sydney on Singapore Airlines in business class for under £2,000. This can include some legs outbound on the A380 - we found prices of £1,977 to MEL and £1,986 to SYD.

Malaysian low-cost airline Air Asia and its long-haul subsidiary Air Asia X are offering “free” flights for travel in 2010. You do have to pay taxes and charges but there are some good deals to be had.

For Aussie flyers, Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) is available from AU$120 all in return. Perth to KUL is priced from AU$115 return and Gold Coast to KUL can be found for AU$104 return, which is a very reasonable price. Don’t forget though, extra fees apply for checking in luggage, seat assignments and meals.

This ‘taxes only’ offer is available on many of Air Asia’s route network around south-east Asia. Under this deal we found return flights from Perth to Bali for just AU$87 all in - this is operated by Indonesia Air Asia.

The booking period is limited to 13th May to 15th May, so hurry up if you want to book. Travel between 5th Jan and 30th April 2010.

London - Kuala Lumpur is not included on the ‘taxes only’ deal, but there is a promo fare of £283 return all in. Air Asia X’s new service from Kuala Lumpur to Taipei can be found for MYR389 return all in (around US$110). Same booking and travel dates apply.

Tips for booking flights with Air Asia X:

1. Get on their “Red A!ert” email newsletter list.

2. Monitor prices - only book the very best promo fares (not the usual promo fares). It probably is worth the extra charge to bag the exit row, especially on the long haul flights.

3. Compare fares with Malaysian Airlines who can be very competitive and are a full service airline - sign up for their Grab-A-Deal promotions. If flying to a resort check through-fares to that destination as they can be similar to fares to KL.

4. Compare prices with other full service carriers. For example, Qantas has some very competitive fares out of London currently to Hong Kong - prices are as low as £250 return this June if you know where to look.

5. For Australia-Asia routes also check prices with Jetstar.

5. If you do book with Air Asia be wary of any flight time schedule changes, as this does happens on occasion. And allow plenty of time for connections.