It’s common knowledge that first and business class tickets cost a premium, and to even think of flying in these classes you’ll have to dish out at least five to six times the economy class fare (sometimes even more). Another way was racking up considerable air miles and cashing them in for such a ticket, but this took a long time. A third way was to use opaque consolidators who brought the tickets in bulk from the airlines but they did not always possess the ticket you wanted. So is there any other way to get these tickets and at greatly discounted prices? Yes, if you’re prepared to do some creative research you can uncover round trip first class airfares for under $1,000 for domestic or $2,000 for international flights. Here are several ways in which you can obtain these.

One Way Searches:

Flights usually contain only a few cheaply priced first class tickets. Instead of getting a roundtrip ticket you may find better prices by considering flying with one flight on the way to your destination and then returning via a different airline. This is especially true for domestic trips.

Be Vigilant:

There are many places online which give alerts about low air fares. FirstClassFlyer is a website that has a monthly newsletter and fare alerts for subscribers (paid). If you’re on Twitter, follow ‘TheFlightDeal’ which shows low fare alerts (but mostly for economy class). Another good option is the forum on Fluer Talk entitled ‘Premium Fare Deals’ where great deals regularly emerge.

Some Smaller airlines are worth it:

Many smaller airlines have improved in recent years, so don’t overlook them while searching for tickets. For example Hainan Airlines and LOT Polish offer (comparatively) very low prices from Asia and Europe to the US. And their international carries are well equipped with fully flat beds, so you’re getting good amenities at an affordable price. However note that some smaller airlines like Condor, Air Transat and Norwegian may charge considerable business fares but they may not offer the amenities some major airlines offer for international trips. So be careful while shopping for tickets.

Dealing The Right Cards:

Depending on the airline and the right card, you can get major discounts on many flights (including business and first class). For example if you have a World Elite MasterCard, you can get up to 15% off on all the fares on Swiss, Brussels, Austrian and Lufthansa Airlines.Up to 30% off is available on fares to South America on TAM and LAN as well as 20% on Cathay Pacific’s flights to Asia. If you have a British Airways card, you can get a $400 discount on many of their first and business class fares if you purchase them from their website.

Don’t Stop Looking After You Book The Ticket:

Some airlines offer first class upgrades at discounted rates after you book your ticket. Login to your reservation online before checking in for you flight. Check them out and if you can, get them.

There are some sites which can also help your cause like www.fareoair.com and others which give you first and business class seats at discounted prices.