'Discount' QF Business Class

[qf unfort]

Hi all,

About this time last year i came across a really decent biz class qantas fare from Mel - Lhr for around christmas time on the bestflights.com.au site - about $7,200 inc tax (instead of the $10k + i'd been seeing elsewhere for QF). While they couldn't get me the exact flights i wanted (i was making a connection in London) Trailfinders could for the same fare, so i went with them. Turns out i was booked into 'I' class which didnt seem to matter in terms of earning miles/status credits etc.

Question is, i've never again seen any 'I' class fares advertised to any destination... is there somewhere where i can find these great fares without having to call a travel agent? (they've never again been able to find me such a good fare).

Cheers.

 

[Evan]

What tends to happen at holidays is less business travel, this why airlines would for example make available more discount business class seats (in this case sold as I class)

Not so much to find the great fares but tools such as expert flyer can show you relevent fare rules and types and also prices along with availability... but they dont sell fares so you still need to buy them from a TA.

E

 

[Mal]

Qantas had a sale a month or so ago for discount J fares over Christmas to many locations. Not sure if it is still available or not.

As has been indicated previously, Qantas and other airlines reduce J/F fares over the Christmas period due to limited business travel. These are sometimes pushed through various travel agencies as special fares.

 

[Leumas]

In my limited experience, 'I' class fare is not always available and hardly ever advertised. They just use it when they have a special sale. It is sometimes available through the QF web site. If it's available through agents, it doesn't mean it's available to all agents either.

 

[qf unfort]

In my limited experience, 'I' class fare is not always available and hardly ever advertised. They just use it when they have a special sale. It is sometimes available through the QF web site. If it's available through agents, it doesn't mean it's available to all agents either.

Thanks for the info. I figured they must not advertise it too much as this was the only place i'd seen it and trailfinders didnt mention it until i told the agent the price i'd seen online. Is it worth then asking an agent to find me an 'I' class fare - i.e. will they know what i'm talkng about? i'm trying to plan a trip to japan in march next year and obv a heavily discounted qantas biz fare would appeal...

 

[Evan]

Worth trying a few travel agents and asking if they have an discount business (D/I) and you never know. Sometimes some travel agents will get access to fares others cannot due to being a prefered QF agent or having a lot of business with an airline.

Japan is difficult to get cheap fares from what i have seen in J, but next yer you never know... also Jetstar i think will now fly there more.... so *class could be a cheap option if on sale the times you want to fly.

E

 

[rocket]

Just booked MEL-LHR return in December in 'Í' class for $7.5K - still fares around if u have a look for December and January on QF's website, flying both QF and BA.
Put in for upgrades to F also, so fingers crossed....

 

[Travel Guru]

QF currently have a fare of $6872 + taxes in I Class to UK/EU for departures 1 Dec - 26 Jan and on sale to 31 October.

It's loaded into Concorde Au's biggest consolidator, so every agent should have access to it.

TG

 

[Leumas]

Thanks for the info. I figured they must not advertise it too much as this was the only place i'd seen it and trailfinders didnt mention it until i told the agent the price i'd seen online. Is it worth then asking an agent to find me an 'I' class fare - i.e. will they know what i'm talkng about? i'm trying to plan a trip to japan in march next year and obv a heavily discounted qantas biz fare would appeal...

IMHO...

I don't think it really matters what fare class it comes from. As long as the price suits you and it earns miles in the appropriate class, then it doesn't really matter which fare class it comes from.

The reason being, 'I' class fares can be so difficult to catch, you may lose sight on why you want it in the first place. 'I' is just a label, they may decide to put it in a different fare bucket tomorrow which may be even better.

Just ask for the best business class fare for the dates you want, and if the price is right, ask them which fare class it's coming from.