We are going to Italy in March. Starting to look at plane tickets. Does all knowing TexAgs have any suggestions for purchasing business class tickets to Europe?

Airlines to use/avoid?
Time to buy? ASAP?
Website to use/avoid?
Any credit card to enroll with for great perks?

Any suggestions or thoughts are much appreciated!

TIA!

I'd start looking now but don't feel rushed unless you find a screamer of a deal. March is shoulder season so there should be some good deals. I swear by Google Flights, especially using the Explore feature to view a map of airfares instead of searching city by city.

Use google flights to find the flights, but only book the flights direct. I wouldn't mess with Expedia, Price line, etc.

I used to be able to save clients money to Europe for flights but those seem to have dwindled a lot post COVID.

Just returned from Italy/Greece so time frame may be off slightly.

We typically fly American due to status.

Business/First Class was super high for us (purchased tickets in November for family of 4).

Requested status upgrades for everyone ($350 + miles). Going we received 1 first class going and 2 premium economy (no cost). Returning received only 1 first class.

The rest of us were in Main Cabin Extra exit row seats and the first row of them had plenty of leg room.

Just flew 1st class on Delta One

Highly recommend. Had a great time. Comfy seats that go flat. Great service, food, drinks.

I've only done business class to Europe once and that was to Switzerland in 2016 (on Delta). I find that I am too wound up when traveling to Europe to relax and go to sleep (anticipation, not anxiety), even with lay flat seating, so since then, I've opted for premium economy (on American) and found that to be a better value.

If you can snag United premium economy on a 787 Dreamliner, it should be cheaper than business, but it's very comfy, has its own cabin, and you get great service.

I use United Polaris several times and really enjoy it. Polaris has it's own lounge other than normal United lounges.

Txgunrnnr said:

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I use United Polaris several times and really enjoy it. Polaris has it's own lounge other than normal United lounges.

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I was able to get this coming back from Spain. While I would have preferred it going over (more than I would spend), it was great coming back. I took a shower in the Newark Polaris lounge and felt so much better before getting on my flight to Houston. Food and beverage options were fantastic.

I will probably get blowback on this but I like using BA through Heathrow.

We live in Austin and there are very few direct flights to Europe for us, but the British Airways flight from AUS to Heathrow has been great. Then we catch a flight from Heathrow to wherever. The BA plane is new and has their best business class pods, good service, and great inflight entertainment. They get dinner service out of the way quickly, so you have a lot of time to sleep.

Sometimes we will spend a day in London doing whatever and catch our next flight the next day. There is a Hotel Sofitel tied in to Terminal 5 and it is very nice. And the tube is tied directly to Heathrow too, so you can use that to move about London.

Other than that, I have had a lot of luck doing some in depth research into what planes I will be flying and reviews of their seat size and comfort on SeatGuru.

Experienced similar. Flew direct from AUS to LHR via BA in 2022, outbound was in business class. Had purchased premium economy months before, tried to upgrade at check in but they said had to be done at gate, so hot footed it through security to gate and waited in line for a few hours. Was luckily able to upgrade for pretty cheap, pods and service were great in my opinion. I would say if you don't purchase business class up front, you take a great chance on not being able to purchase later, so have to weigh the price delta and determine if worth it.

I think business or first when flying west to east is best, as you have the opportunity to catch some sleep in a horizontal position. Flying east to west I am happy to sit in premium economy as I usually can't sleep, so no point in the premium cost for biz/1st.

Consider La Compagnie. They fly Newark to Paris (and Milan) and are typically cheaper than the other airlines. They fly a321's with an all business class (lie flat seats) layout. We used them a couple years ago and were pleased.

Take a look at airlines you wouldn't normally think about:

Emirates offers a fifth-freedom route (Meaning it doesn't fly through their home country) direct from JFK - MXP (Milan). Might be able to get a good deal on biz compared to other domestic carriers. We are doing this in September for our honeymoon (although we booked on points).

ITA Airways also flies direct from Rome to 4 or 5 spots in the states. BOS, JFK, MIA, Dulles, etc.

Finnair flies from DFW to most places in Europe. You have to connect through Helsinki but I've heard their new business class product is pretty great.

Condor flies direct from San Antonio to Frankfurt, but I'm not sure if they have much of a footprint in Italy.

Don't be afraid to reposition for a better deal - sometimes it's cheaper to book an economy ticket to another airport with better international offerings. Alternatively, sometimes it's also cheaper to fly from non-hubs. I've seen instances where a ticket flying Delta from a small airport and connecting through ATL to Europe was cheaper than the same direct flight just from ATL to Europe.

great tips from all

Thank you all. Great thoughts.

For European flights, my ultimate goal is flying business class for the initial outgoing flight. I want to get enough rest to hit the ground running. This is less so important on return flights back to the States.

Assuming you have not accumulated alot of points with a US carrier, I suggest purchasing an economy plus ticket initially. That way you are at least covered should your plan to upgrade fail. Plus, it is easier to upgrade from economy plus to business class.

Next, seek to upgrade within a week or so of departure. This depends on business class seat availability. The greater the availability, the greater the odds to get a reduction in price to upgrade. I have paid as little as $500 (one way) to upgrade to business class.

twk, It's interesting that you say that. I used to be very much a free spirit and an easy going traveler when I was young. But as I've aged, I do experience anxiety and anticipation when traveling. My anxieties center around delayed and missed flights, tight connections, etc. I told my wife what when we retire, we are driving everywhere in the continental US! Right now, I can only be out about a week at a time so we fly a lot. Flying is such a beat down for me.

We are planning a Europe trip soon, and your comment resonated with me. I worry that I would never be able to sleep in United Polaris, or comparable, because of my anticipation. Making it a waste. (My family would probably disagree! lol. )

Are you totally comfortable in Economy Plus? I know I might not sleep, but I could rest hard. How tired does that make you when you arrive?

The Chicken Ranch said:

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twk, It's interesting that you say that. I used to be very much a free spirit and an easy going traveler when I was young. But as I've aged, I do experience anxiety and anticipation when traveling. My anxieties center around delayed and missed flights, tight connections, etc. I told my wife what when we retire, we are driving everywhere in the continental US! Right now, I can only be out about a week at a time so we fly a lot. Flying is such a beat down for me.

We are planning a Europe trip soon, and your comment resonated with me. I worry that I would never be able to sleep in United Polaris, or comparable, because of my anticipation. Making it a waste. (My family would probably disagree! lol. )

Are you totally comfortable in Economy Plus? I know I might not sleep, but I could rest hard. How tired does that make you when you arrive?

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Last time I went (2022 to France) I used ear plugs and a neck pillow in economy plus and felt I got as much rest as I did with the lie flat seating. I'm the trip planner, so the whole way over I tend to think about what has to be done on arrival. One caveat: that last flight was much later than I've previously taken, leaving DFW at 9:00 p.m., which helped me get some rest (along with declining a meal which would have been served about 11:00 p.m.).

That makes sense. Take a later flight. Don't eat so you aren't bothered.

I am also the trip planner, so I understand the anticipation (anxiety for me) part.

The Chicken Ranch said:

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twk, It's interesting that you say that. I used to be very much a free spirit and an easy going traveler when I was young. But as I've aged, I do experience anxiety and anticipation when traveling. My anxieties center around delayed and missed flights, tight connections, etc.

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You just described me perfectly.

One more point: even if you do get business class seating, and feel like you get some sleep, I would not do any serious driving on arrival day. I've done it, and absolutely regretted it.

Flew Finnair to Europe last year 1st class. Fin air is outstanding. Did the same with British Airways as well and they were good, but FinAir was definitely somewhat better

I flew my first business class flight to Europe last year and was underwhelmed due to circumstances. Polaris to Zurich, but we flew through the remnants of a tropical storm for the first 4 hours of the flight so about every 15 to 30 mins they announced for seat belts to be on and crew to sit down. Turbulence also delayed the crew from completing service so while we should have been sleeping they were clanking dishes. Didn't get any better sleep than in premium economy which was a disappointment, but circumstantial.

I am no expert on all things travel or points....but have some friends that are.

With their help we just booked Business class tickets from JFK to Milan on Emirates for 175k points round trip. Supposed to be one of the nicest business classes with an actual bar/lounge on the plane. We will have to get to JFK obviously, but those flights are $200 round trip from AUS so it is a no brainer.

If you are flexible with travel dates and willing to book the "big" flight from not your starting destination there are lots of good options out there.

What credit cards do you have and which airlines do they partner with for 1 to 1 point transfers?

IMO, the way to go for business class is to buy your economy ticket with cash than upgrade with points.

htxag09 said:

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What credit cards do you have and which airlines do they partner with for 1 to 1 point transfers?

IMO, the way to go for business class is to buy your economy ticket with cash than upgrade with points.

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This is what I generally do. I purchase economy plus or the level immediately below business class.

Personally, I've got a Chase Sapphire card.

I transferred 87,000 points to Emirates to get the aforementioned business class flight from JFK to MXP. That flight is selling for about $4,200 right now, the points are "worth" about $1,000 in Chase's portal. The same flight in economy is selling for about $800 right now. So the way I look at it is I am 'paying' slightly more but not having to pay the high upgrade cost. Plus, when I get to the airport I can upgrade to First class for another like 30k points if there's any seats available. That ticket is a $12k ticket.

Same thing for return flight - I transferred 58,000 points ("worth" about $725) to Virgin Atlantic with a 30% transfer bonus to get 75,400 Virgin points. Then I used those 75k points to book a Business class ticket on ITA Airways coming back from Italy. That ticket is also about $4,200 right now, and the economy flight is about $1,000. So I'm actually paying less for business class than I would $.