Business Class

Is there such a thing as budget business class? Well, yes and no. 

Having now flown long haul from London to Sydney and back twice in the past 12 months, I can honestly say there is always an opportunity of saving a few hundred, if not a few thousand of pounds flying business class if you're prepared to make a few compromises. 

On both occasions I chose a one way ticket for each trip as I wasn't sure how long I would be staying in Australia. For both trips, I flew economy there (premium economy on the latest trip) and business back. Most people who fly however, do so, for say a holiday and know in advance when they're due to return. As I didn't however, I chose to purchase one way tickets each time. Ultimately, this made my return trips more expensive but that was my choice. 

My 2 tips are:

1. Be flexible. 

If you don't have to fly on any given date or day of the week, your choice to save a few hundred pounds vary considerably according to the day you fly but is not always the case. In other words, check the flights. Mid-week is generally cheaper than flying on a weekend. 

2. Don't be fussy. 

If you're the type of traveller that prefers to travel alone or with your better half and without screaming kids and drunk passengers, then business is the way to go. However, if you like total luxury from the premium brand of air carrier, then you'll pay for it. But if, like me, you're prepared to try out a few different air carriers, you could save thousands of pounds.

It's easy to get consumed by the glitz and glamour of premium air carriers like Qatar, Singapore or Emirates but quite often a few of the less publicised or rated air carriers can offer much better deals and what they perhaps lack in glamour, they make up for in their food offering or their service. 

My History of Flying Long Haul

1st Flight

In April 2016, my partner and I immigrated to England from Australia. We flew economy with Qatar, one way as we weren't intending to return and wanted to save our cash. I don't recall much of this flight as we both took sleeping pills for the long haul part of the flight from Sydney to Doha. However, I do recall us having pretty good (economy) seats as we paid for extra legroom adjacent to an exit row. 

2nd Flight

In December 2020, towards the end of the pandemic, I flew back to Australia in economy, my first long haul since I immigrated six years before. I flew Singapore airlines...booked it within a couple of weeks of flying. It was a horrendous flight, not because I was in economy (though I'm sure this contributed to it) but because we flew into storm cells covering most of the flight path. The flight was bumpety-bumper all the way with the worst turbulence. That and the fact, I was not a good flyer to begin with made it all the more worse. 

The first leg left London Heathrow (LHR) on an Airbus A380-800 aircraft bound for Singapore. Un-beknowningly, I booked a 9 hour layover thinking I would get the opportunity to explore the Singapore terminal. How wrong was I? Upon disembarking, we were immediately shuffled off into a quarantine zone where we were to wait for our connecting flight. That was painful. I wasn't allowed out, not once to explore the terminal. 

The second leg bound for Sydney left just after midnight local time. I was already exhausted from not having any sleep on the previous flight. I seem to recall a smaller aircraft, probably something like a Boeing 787 or something similar. Both legs I was seated in economy. 

My return trip however, was somewhat different as I flew business class back from Sydney to London via Singapore with a brief layover in Helsinki. That's right, this time I flew with Finnair. This was the first time I flew business class and the experience was nothing like I'd ever experienced. 

I had my own seat, away from screaming children. I had loads of leg room plus my own little area where I could spread out all my inflight amenities including my noise-cancelling headphones, water bottle and my book. The seat itself was comfortable enough and it even stretched out fully so I could lie flat. I like sleeping on my side, so having this option sure was a bonus. But given it was my first time, I hardly slept at all as I was so excited about the fact I was enjoying my first ever business class experience. I was like a kid in a candy store, pressing this button and that button and pestering the cabin crew for more drinks. 

The first leg to Singapore was operated by Qantas which made me smile. As an Australian, I always prefer to use my local airline wherever possible so I was quite excited about the prospect of flying business with them. This was a real treat. I was offered a glass of champagne as I sat down in my seat. 

My biggest mistake was that I drank way too much alcohol during my flight back to London. I made the mistake of informing my lovely cabin crew that it was my first time flying business...and the booze flowed constantly. 

3rd Flight

Vowing never to fly economy again after my previous excursion, I did it again. Why? Cost. 

Since the pandemic and the rise in the cost of living globally, airline ticket prices have skyrocketed over the past 12 months. 

My one-way journey from Sydney to London via Singapore and Helsinki was pretty cheap for business class, coming in at about £1800. However, my most recent trip in March 2023 was £2500 one-way, flying Thai airways via Bangkok. This was the cheapest of all the airlines but unfortunately it also included an 11 hour layover in Bangkok. But that's the compromise you have to make if you want to save a few hundred pounds or in this case, a few thousand over flying with a premium brand like Emirates. 

Of all the air carriers I've flown, I'd say that Finnair come out on top. Their (suite) business class seat was by far the most comfortable, maybe because it was new. I really enjoyed their little alcove, sectioned off away from other passengers. 

Business Class Lounges

Having now enjoyed the facilities at London, Sydney, Bangkok and Helsinki I can honestly say, they're all much of a muchness. They're really only designed for passengers for quick refreshment before joining the next flight. 

Some offer better food plus different flavours of alcohol depending on the country you're in at the time. Some offer more comfy surrounds and lounge chairs but they're still public lounges, included in the price of your airline ticket. They still get quite crowded in peak periods but in my opinion, they're pretty sterile and unwelcoming. That said the lounge at Bangkok had on offer the opportunity for a hot shower, something not offered at the other airport lounges. 

Airline Food

Having now been served a variety of meals on board an aircraft, again, like I mentioned above, each airline is different in what they serve. Of the 8 long haul flights I've undertaken in the past year, the best without a doubt is Thai who served a delicious authentic salmon Thai curry, which I was told by my crew was freshly made in Thailand. 

The food is fairly rich in flavour, something I'm told is quite common as at 30,000ft in a compressed air environment, you often have a reduced taste and smell. Overall, I've not had a problem with the food, both in economy and business, though I'm often left quite bloated afterwards and I've noticed an increase in flatulence, regardless of the cabin or air carrier I choose. 

Turbulence

Let me give you a hint the next time you intend to book a flight. If you don't like turbulence, tough. Regardless of what class you pay for, you're likely to encounter some form of it for the duration of your flight. For some it can quite fun and only be a few bounces here and there but if you're not used to it, it can completely wreck your trip. 

The best way to manage unwanted turbulence? Take a sleeping pill, zonk yourself out so you sleep through the worst of it. I take an over the counter pill called Restovit which I purchase in Australia but there are other stronger medications out there, simply ask your GP. 

Booking

To finish off this article, I wish to touch briefly on the best places to book your business class seat. I use a variety of sites and spend quite a bit of time comparing prices. 

In most cases, my preferred website is Booking.com though I also use Flight Centre when I'm in Australia, LastMinute.com and SkyScanner. 

Prices

Prices can vary, again, according to the time of year and the day of the week you book. As a general rule of thumb, a business class ticket costs about 4 times that of an economy ticket. It's always fun to hunt around for the best deal but both my business class airfares were comparatively cheap compared with many other air carriers offering a premium experience. The cheapest one-way airfare I found from Sydney to London during the pandemic was £1800 (AU$3300) and post-pandemic £2500 (AU$4600). 

At the end of the day, it's all about what your budget is and what compromises you're will to make to get you to your final destination. For me, having now flown both economy, premium economy, and business, where I can I'll always fly business. That said, I still suffer from effects of turbulence and don't get a lot of sleep during long haul flights but my flight experience is getting better with each trip and no doubt, my journey will improve over time as I get used to turbulence.