Fly in Style Without Paying the Price - examples of cost-cutting air fares and ways to book trips using alternative travel arrangements

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine,  Feb, 1999  by Lynn Woods,  James Ramage

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To test this strategy, Trippler recently checked out one-way versus round-trip fares between Detroit and Paris. Northwest's round-trip business-class fare was about $6,630. But split into two one-way tickets, the amount totaled $5,580, a savings of $1,050.

By booking a flight through a Canadian gateway, Trippler was able to save even more. The cost of a coach ticket from Detroit to Toronto was about $350 on Northwest. From there, business class to Paris on Air Canada cost $1,500, while the return business-class fare from Paris to Detroit on Northwest was $2,300. Total cost: $4,150, more than $2,400 less than Northwest's round-trip fare between Detroit and Paris.

SHOP AROUND. Because of the exceptionally weak Canadian dollar, flying through a Canadian gateway in general will lower the cost of a business-class flight to Europe or Asia. "If I fly from Cleveland to London via Washington, D.C., it's $3,000 one way, compared with $1,600 if I go through Toronto," says Broesler.

While business-class fares on popular routes (such as New York to Tokyo and New York to London) tend to be consistent among the major carriers, they can vary significantly on less-traveled routes. For instance, the one-way business-class fare from New York to Copenhagen ranges from $1,220 on Continental to $1,690 on USAirways.

CONSULT A CONSOLIDATOR. Companies such as World Travel Network (800-409-6753) and Interworld Travel (800-468-3796) buy up blocks of business-class seats at wholesale prices--usually from second-tier carriers, such as Iberia Airlines, Korean Air and Tap Air Portugal--and resell them either directly to the public or through a travel agent.

Subscribers to Best Fares ($59.90 annually; 800-880-1234) can find consolidator fares, as well as other special promotions, online at www.bestfares.com. For instance, Best Fares recently offered a round-trip business-class fare from Los Angeles to London on Air New Zealand for $3,400--substantially less than the published fare of $7,134.

THINK BIG. One popular option among globe-trotting business travelers is to buy a round-the-world ticket. Also available for coach and first-class travel, these tickets generally must be purchased at least seven days in advance and require you to make at least three stops in one direction (you can't fly from Paris to Bangkok and then backtrack to Zurich). On United Airlines, a round-the-world business-class ticket costs $4,599--a steal considering you'd pay at least that much just to get between New York City and London.

GO DISCOUNT. Brussels-based City Bird (888-248-9247) charges $699 one way for business-class service from Miami or Orlando to Brussels, or $849 from Los Angeles, Oakland or Las Vegas. Tower Air (718-553-4300) offers business class on both transcontinental flights and flights from New York to Athens or Paris.

But be warned: Discount carriers shave a bit off your legroom as well as your fares. You'll find that seats aren't as spacious as those on most major U.S. carriers.

COPYRIGHT 1999 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc.
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