BUSINESS CLASS FLIGHTS ON THIS EUROPEAN AIRLINE ARE SOME OF THE CHEAPEST IN THE WORLD

‘Help me, I’m poor…’

The iconic plane scene from Bridesmaids always flashes into my mind when I’m booking a flight and looking at the prices of different seats.

Obviously, I always end up going for an economy ticket, and simply hope that a flight attendant will take pity on me and I’ll somehow wrangle an upgrade to business or first class. It’s not happened yet.

But it seems that maybe I’ve just been travelling with the wrong airlines, as new research has revealed that luxury travel doesn’t have to totally break the bank, and who you fly with can make all the difference.

Illuminating new data reveals the price differences between economy and business class tickets, from 30 of the world’s biggest airlines. 

And it’s good news for European travellers – as four European airlines are listed in the top 10. In fact, one of them is really close to home, as Aer Lingus, the flag carrier for Ireland, is in 10th place.

The price difference between economy and business class flights was 204.15% – which while pricey, is impressive compared to the industry average of 250.19%. For mid-haul flights it was 100.08%.

Other European airlines with smaller price differences included Austrian Airlines (7th) Lufthansa (8th), and SWISS (9th).

'Never had I boarded and plane and turned left, until now...'

Metro’s Deputy Lifestyle Editor, Kristina Beanland, recently travelled from London to Chicago, on a business class flight with Aer Lingus.

She says: ‘Never had I boarded and plane and turned left, until now. And, as I settled into my seat, I knew this was the life for me.

‘I’d barely stowed my bag in the overhead locker when a friendly member of the cabin crew asked me if I’d like a ‘pre take off’ drink. I enjoy everything about this premise. You’re essentially given an alcoholic drink (boring, sorry, virgin, options are also available), that you must down before you have to hand the glass back and strap yourself in for take off. I, of course, ordered champagne.

‘It was then time to start investigating what all the little cupboards and cubby holes were for that surrounded my seat. There’s the usual – charging ports – but also a handy little toiletry bag that includes an eye mask and ear plugs. You also have a nice thick duvet and pillow, perfect for when you decide to fully recline your chair into a completely flat bed and get some sleep.

‘While investigating my surroundings, I did wonder what the large cupboard below my feet was for, only to have a cabin crew member practically hurl themselves at me, to stop me from accidentally inflating my life jacket.

‘When it comes to food, you get an actual menu to pick from, metal cutlery and, the piece de resistance, a table cloth.

‘After dinner, I watched Mrs Harris Goes to Paris and Pretty Woman – which felt apt for my current situation. More champagne was followed by a snooze, and I was soon waking up in the USA.

‘As you can tell, I loved everything about my business class flight. Of course, they don’t come cheap, but if you fancy spoiling yourself for a big birthday, or on your honeymoon perhaps, I’d highly recommend it.’

Fly from the UK to Chicago via Dublin with Aer Lingus and go through US Customs and Immigration pre-clearance in Ireland. Aer Lingus offers up to 14 weekly flights to Chicago, with economy fares starting from £229 return and Business Class from £1179 return.

But if you really want to get some bang for your buck, you’ll want to book All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan’s largest airline, which topped the list.

ANA flies to around 50 destinations in Japan, as well as 32 international destinations including North America and Europe. 

The company had the smallest price difference between economy and business class flights, with business tickets being 82.2% more expensive than economy.

The research highlights a flight from Tokyo to Seoul which was £823.50 for economy, while business class was just £289 more.

The price of this ticket also included access to a business class lounge, fast-track security, comfier seats and other amenities, so it was hailed as being ‘good value for money’ by the experts.

The route with the lowest price difference was actually from a different airline — Iberia. With this airline, a flight from Madrid to Athens, had economy tickets priced at £454 and business class at £562.

Iberia also has flights to and from the UK, including London Heathrow, so could be one to look out for when planning your next holiday.

At the other end of the scale, Oceanian airlines were found to have the biggest price discrepancies, with Air New Zealand and Qantas’ business classes being 263.55% and 342.34% more expensive than the economy tickets respectively.

The top 10 airlines for best value business class flights:

  1. All Nippon Airways, Asia
  2. Japan Airlines, Japan
  3. Asiana Airlines, South Korea
  4. Air Algerie, Algeria
  5. Hainan Airlines, China
  6. American Airlines, United States of America
  7. Austrian Airlines, Austria
  8. Lufthansa, Germany
  9. SWISS, Switzerland
  10. Aer Lingus, Ireland

The flight route with the biggest difference in price between economy and business was Etihad Airway’s flight from Abu Dhabi to Muscat. An economy price seat on this plane started at £48.15, while a business class ticket was a whopping £660.22.

The research, compiled by Holidu.co.uk determined the price difference in fares across a sample of short, mid and long-haul flights from different airline’s headquarters airport, and on the same day across the board. An average price difference for each ticket was then worked out.

So it’s clear that it’s definitely worth doing your research before booking a flight as you never know, a comfier seat might not be completely out of your reach.

And if you are planning a holiday soon, but are in need of a new passport then it might be worth noting that there’s an ideal time to renew it in order to save money. 

From April you’ll have pay to £88.50 for adults and £57.50 for children, compared to £82.50 for adults and £53.50 for children before the price hike.

The change comes into effect from April 11, with adults whose documents expire before December 17 and children whose run out by August 14 have advised to renew now to beat the increases.

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2024-03-28T17:24:05Z dg43tfdfdgfd