How to Save up to 72% on Business Class to Australia

The creature comforts of flying Business Class make for a formidable experience, and for the airline, although the premium cabins account for just 13% of the total seats yet it fetches half of the revenue.

As a rule of thumb traveling Business Class costs 7 times as much as the price of a Business Class in a reputed airline. However, the comforts of flying Business Class are also umpteen. Besides plenty of privacy and comfort, airlines woo their passengers with top-end perks like seats that recline into 79” flatbeds, branded amenity kits, and panamas, crafted menu by renowned chefs.

Say goodbye to those jet-lagged, bleary eyes from flying the cattle class as you can travel Business class to Australia without a fret with some of our best industry tips on how to save up to 72% on Business Class to Australia.

Usually, Business Class fares are bank breakers but using miles to upgrade gives significant returns. However, scoring a discounted trip through the Frequent Flyer program requires skills and a whole lot of luck. Well, we’ve tried to unravel the skill part in this series that can also work a way around some of the luck parts.

At the moment there are lots of discounts available, as much as up to 72% off on published fares by upgrading from an Economy to Business Class on most of the prominent airlines by using miles points.

Take, for example, right now United is offering the best in the industry saver award that can be booked via their Star Alliance partner. With United, it just requires 30,000 miles and an additional co-pay of $600 – both ways – for an upgrade from the lowest economy fare to business class.

How to save up to 72% using miles program

Upgrades are the way to go:
For an easy calculation of benefits, let’s pick the Houston Sydney route, where a business class fare is quite steep even when booked in advance. The lowest Economy fare checked on some of the best fare aggregator sites currently is $1,120 via Air New Zealand ( inclusive fees and taxes) for Coach Class, while the Business Class is $6,246 in the first week of November and returning a week on.

The difference comes out to be $5,126. So, even with the $1,200 co-pay, the total savings is $3,926 or 62% off on the published fare by using 60,000-mile points. Extend this date a little further and the savings can easily cross the 70% mark.

Another example is of the Los Angeles Melbourne route on Air Canada where a business class ticket costs $3,886 in the first week of November and returning a week on at a minimum Economy fare of $704.

The difference in class prices is $3,182, and with the $1,200 co-pay, the advantage cost is still pegged at $1,982 which is around 51% when a passenger uses 60,000 miles to upgrade. Again, pushing the date a little further and the benefit can scale up significantly and cross the 65% mark.

No miles? Look out for mile sales

Airline miles go on sale every now and then. It’s easy to purchase the deficit mile points and transfer it to the reward account.

Be wary of the free mileage awards:

Free mileage awards don’t earn elite credit which allows for benefits that are not available to other travelers like priority booking, separate boarding, access to the cushy executive lounge, free checked baggage, elusive seat upgrades, and more.

Apart from being bereft of these advantages, free mileage award programs are hard to find.

Instead, make that glass of Grange Shiraz wine taste even better by using miles to upgrade only as these are more easily available and they also earn miles and elite credit on traveling.

Sign up for a credit card:

If you already have an American Express Platinum card then you are in luck. Their cardholder gets 60,000 points welcome offer plus they enjoy the best of perks like access to thousands of privilege lounges, priority passes, a $200 annual airline fee credit and $200 on Uber credits, a mid-tier elite status at many premium luxury hotels.

United’s Mileage Plus is another such generous card that offers a signup bonus of 70,000 points. They have a comprehensive list of flights that can be booked with points. Usually, if you book a flight with points alone, a trip to Australia from America will cost around 80,000 points one-way.

Sign up for travel forums and Airlines updates:

Many airlines put up private sales reserved for their own site and these are even different from the promo code sales.

There are cheap fares on discount at times and all you need to do is to sign up for newsletters from airlines and with travel forums where deals get flashed real-time. You can also follow your favorite airline on Twitter for the best upcoming deals.

Travel reward and incentive programs:

Business travelers travel frequently, and it’s best for them to sign for a loyalty program. These programs are quite lucrative and are poised for impressive discounts and loyalty deals. Check out for the program earning and redemption value before signing in. There are other spin-offs of signing up for a reward program like taking advantage of an airline’s network coverage and codeshares and the award flight availability.

Pick the best travel agencies:

For best-discounted Business Class tickets, do check with a reputed travel agent like BusinessFlightSearch that specialize in finding the best deal through their affinity programs with travel brokers and airlines. They have regular access to top airline’s premium unpublished fares. Such agencies with their years of presence in the industry are capable of offering discounts on Business classes ranging from 20-50% depending on the location opted and time of travel.

Go for alternate departure/arrival cities:

Sometimes, there is a lot of variance in fare if alternative airports opt for departure and arrival. The local economic condition and foreign exchange rates play a big part in deciding the price advantage of a Business Class ticket if you choose to fly from and to a nearby airport. Check for the variance in price by choosing an all-around location, and even a different country if you can get to your destination easily as these can add up massively to the price benefit.

Cheapest time to book tickets to Australia:

If you choose to book at an optimum spaced-out timing then it’s almost certain that you will end up saving a great deal on your Business Class ticket. The ideal time to book a ticket for Australia is 100-200 days in advance. The potential savings can average around $350.

The Cheapest Time to Fly to Australia:

For those looking to bolster their budget for a trip to Australia, flying out in November, February or March is an ideal time as per various price trends. November is the best time to catch up some Aussie summer and February and March seem to be just the right time for a spot of winter sun. January is a peak season when tickets soar to almost as high as $2,000 for a round trip.

Travelers can save up to $450 by booking in these favorable months.  

• For more on booking flights early, refer to our detailed article on what time is feasible for booking a specific destination at “Cheapest Months to Fly – A Complete Guide to Ticket Booking”.
• If you are thinking of whether to book now or hold for later than there are many sites like Kayak and Google Flights that have a price forecast tool to predict prices and take into account a lot of factors to present an overall conclusion.

Cheapest Airports to fly from the USA to Australia:

At present, there are only 4 cities offering a direct flight for Australia, with the cheapest one is from Honolulu averaging around $1,095 round trip, followed by Dallas and Los Angeles that is priced at around $1,500, and then San Francisco, at $1,700.

Adelaide is a worthwhile option to explore as it benefits from a slightly lower airfare and makes sense if you plan to travel extensively, especially if you intend on driving on the Great Ocean Road. And if you intend to stop over in Indonesia then Darwin is an excellent entry point.

Best International Pass:

If you also intend to fly a lot internally then it may be worth considering an Air Pass to save a great deal on domestic air travel. Qantas has a Walkabout Pass which allows booking cheap air for domestic flights within. Similarly, Virgin Australia also has an air pass that incorporates airlines like Virgin, Delta, Etihad, Air New Zealand, and Singapore airlines.