Business Class to Europe on Budget Airlines: Worth the Savings?

Most people would prefer to fly Business Class to Europe, but it’s often too expensive. And even if you have enough points, you won’t always be able to find reward seats on popular routes such as to Europe.

This is where the premium cabins offered by budget airlines can come in handy. Low-cost carriers like Scoot, Jetstar and T’way Air offer premium seating at affordable prices, but are the savings worth it? Or would you be better off just booking with a full-service airline?

Budget airlines with premium cabins

There is a lot of difference between the premium cabins on different budget airlines.

Some low-cost carriers offer recliner-style seats comparable to Premium Economy. Others provide full flatbed seats. And the “soft products” such as in-flight meals and entertainment range from spartan to Business Class-lite.

Here’s what you can expect when booking a premium cabin seat on the key low-cost airlines flying between Australia and Europe:

ScootPlus

Singapore Airlines’ low-cost subsidiary Scoot offers “ScootPlus” to Europe from Sydney, Melbourne and Perth via Singapore. Scoot currently serves Athens and Vienna.

ScootPlus cabins feature leather recliners with a generous seat pitch of 38 inches. Fares include 30kg checked luggage, 15kg carry-on, 30MB inflight Wi-Fi and a meal. KrisFlyer members can earn miles, but lounge access in Singapore’s Terminal 2 is limited to super elite KrisFlyer Solitaire PPS members.

Jetstar Business Class

Jetstar’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners feature Business Class on flights from Australia’s east coast to several major Asian cities. Perth-based passengers miss out though, as Jetstar doesn’t operate wide-body flights from the western capital.

Business Class on Jetstar’s 787 features recliner seats in a 2-3-2 layout. Base fares include decent quality meals and drinks, and perks like priority boarding. However, lounge access and Qantas Frequent Flyer points are only available as part of add-on bundles at the time of booking. You can’t fly Jetstar Business Class all the way to Europe, but from Asia you can continue to Europe on another airline.

T’way Air Business Class

Korean budget airline T’way Air began flying four times weekly between Sydney and Seoul in December 2022. From Seoul, T’way offers Business Class flights to a number of European cities including Rome, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Paris and Zagreb.

T’way’s international fleet is a melange of leased Airbus A330s and Boeing 777s . Cabin configurations may come from Korean Airlines, Cathay Pacific or AirAsia X. This means your T’way Air seat could be anything from a luxurious Cathay Pacific First Class suite to a former AirAsia X angled lie-flat seat. The latter is still better than a recliner for an overnight flight. Meals and checked baggage are included on all fares, even in Economy Class.

Norse Atlantic Airways Premium

Norse Atlantic is a Norwegian low-cost airline that might be unfamiliar to Australian travellers.

From Bangkok, you can board a Norse Atlantic flight to London Gatwick, Oslo or Stockholm. Just like Scoot and Jetstar Business Class, Norse Atlantic’s Premium cabin is configured with wide leather recliners. Premium guests receive priority check-in and boarding, complimentary meals and entertainment – but checked luggage costs extra.

Further afield, budget airlines like IndiGo, ZIPAIR, French Bee and Air Canada Rouge offer premium cabins too. While they don’t currently serve Australia, these could be part of a creative multi-leg itinerary if schedules and prices align.

Low-cost carrier premium fares seldom include lounge access, but Priority Pass members or select credit card holders can take advantage lounges at many airports.

Examples of premium cabin fares from Australia to Europe on budget airlines

Scoot and T’way Air are currently the only two low-cost carriers that offer connecting flights from Australia all the way to Europe.

I searched for off-peak airfares in their premium cabins from Sydney to popular European destinations. These were the prices quoted:

Airline & cabin	Route	Price (round-trip)	Notes
ScootPlus	Sydney-Singapore-Athens	$2,316	23-hour layover in Singapore on the outbound journey
ScootPlus	Sydney-Singapore-Vienna	$3,225
T’way Air	Sydney-Seoul-Barcelona	$7,730	Full-service Korean airline Asiana has cheaper Business Class fares to Europe!

Booking separate tickets to/from Asia

If you’re planning one or more stopovers in Asia, or just want to try a variety of airlines, you could get quite creative with routes. For instance, you could fly with Jetstar to Bangkok, then onwards to London Gatwick, Stockholm or Oslo on Norse Atlantic.

I was able to find round-trip Jetstar Business flights between Melbourne and Bangkok for $1,751 at the Club Jetstar discounted rate. Norse Atlantic from Bangkok to London Gatwick was priced at AUD1,865. That adds up to a total fare of just over $3,600 for a return trip to London, effectively in Premium Economy. This is roughly the same price as Premium Economy fares on Air China via Beijing, and cheaper than Qantas Premium Economy.

Again using Jetstar and Norse Atlantic, you could fly from Melbourne to Oslo for around $3,250. This is $1,000 cheaper than the best Premium Economy fare I could find on a full-service airline for comparable dates, which was on Singapore Airlines.

Alternatively, you could fly to Asia with a budget airline like Jetstar, Scoot or AirAsia X, and then pick up a relatively affordable lie-flat Business Class ticket on a full-service airline from Asia to Europe.

Better value when booking one-way tickets

Budget airlines generally price flights by individual legs, whereas legacy carriers often penalise you with higher fares if don’t book a return ticket. So, the savings with low-cost airlines can be even more significant if you only want to fly one-way.

The downsides of booking with budget airlines

These are some final things to be mindful of when booking with budget airlines:

• Although some budget carriers call their premium cabin “Business Class”, it’s best to lower your expectations around seats, meals, service and luxury
• Do your research to know what’s included – or more importantly – excluded in your fare. Low-cost carriers prioritise making money from add-ons
• Some itineraries may include long connections, so you may need to budget for accommodation and meals
• Low-cost airlines may only fly a given route two or three times a week. So again, stopovers might be unavoidable. That’s fine if you want to break your journey, but the added cost could negate any potential savings

As with all flight bookings, the final word of advice is to shop around and compare prices on budget airlines as well as full service carriers. Being flexible with your dates and signing up for promotions and sales will also help find the best Premium Economy and Business Class fares to Europe.