Features

Your guide to becoming a smart traveller

1 Apr 2006 by BusinessTraveller

We'd all like a business class style of life, but unfortunately, many of us have to make do with an economy travel and expenses policy. To make it bearable, we all have our little ruses, knowledge-based improvements and short cuts to try and maximise any advantage we have. Here we share a few of the ones we have come up with, but if you have any secrets worth sharing, do write in. We promise we'll tell everyone.

Fly long-haul via a European hub

If you live outside the immediate catchment area for Heathrow, then you may well be doing this already. It allows you to take advantage of frequent connections from the regional airports of the UK to get you to, say, Frankfurt, Paris CDG or Amsterdam Schiphol and into the long-haul networks of carriers such as Lufthansa, Air France and SAS.

Why is this a better idea than flying down to Heathrow? The first reason is price: you'll pay less by flying with a European carrier to your long-haul destination. Why? Because the airlines want to encourage you to use their airports, they need the traffic to feed into their long-haul network and they realise that having to change planes requires an incentive (ie: a lower price). For travellers from the UK's regions who would have to change planes at Heathrow anyway, it's an easy decision. For those travellers who live within Heathrow's catchment area, it's a more difficult one, but it's worth having a look at the prices: for a few extra hours of travel, you could probably afford to fly business.

Enrol in frequent flyer programmes

They are often criticised by their members for the difficulties in redeeming points or miles, but you should still enrol, particularly if you are flying via a European hub. In general, you will earn miles at a higher rate than you would in the programme of a domestic carrier, and you will also earn at a higher rate than the domestic travellers of that programme, again as an incentive (see above).

Consolidate your business

Try to use just one or two airlines, hotels and car rental companies to receive the most upgrades and perks from loyalty programmes. Consistently booking with one airline will usually bump your status up to a more elite programme with more benefits. Sign up for the email newsletters from these suppliers and always check for special offers before you book your trip.

Join a hotel loyalty scheme

As you progress up the tiers you'll receive upgrades and will carry more clout when seeking an early check-in/late checkout. You could also find you get access to lower room rates or you will be upgraded to the executive floor with free breakfast, and this can make you a saving. It's easy to notch up points which can be redeemed (with few if any blackout periods) online. The free rooms you earn can be used for work or pleasure, with the advantage of staying closer to home if you couldn't face another flight.

Invest in a lounge membership programme

There are several of these, and they can either be bought separately (ie: Priority Pass) or come through some other means such as having a premium rate charge or credit card or through programmes such as Diners Club. There is an upfront cost to these, of course, but if you are passing through airports weekly, you'll soon make that cost back, if only in snacks and drinks. Visit prioritypass.com.

Buying airline tickets: short-haul

For short-haul trips, low-cost carriers can offer excellent value for money, particularly if you are prepared to be flexible about your flight times – although watch out for obstacles such as getting to and from inconvenient airports early in the morning and late at night. Conventional airlines have now scrapped their weekend stay requirements and revamped their websites, so they have competitive prices and also real value for money. Watch out for unexpected taxes and surcharges, which can often be as much as or more than the cost of the flight.

Buying airline tickets: long-haul

Here it depends on where you are going. For North America, airline websites are a good place to start, but if you are heading elsewhere you may find a better deal by going through a travel agent such as Trailfinders, Airline Network or Travelocity. If price is all important and you have plenty of time to wait, check all the rates with the airlines and travel agents and if you think they are too expensive, you could always gamble and wait for a seat sale. You'll have to be vigilant – they won't be promoted and will only be on the website for a short time, but real bargains are available this way.

Book hotels online

Again, most hotel chain websites now have best rate guarantees, so start there, although to save money you will have to look at several different chains and compare prices. At this point, agents and consolidators come into their own, though there may be conditions attached to the booking, so read the small print carefully.

Last-minute hotel bookings

If you are booking at the last minute and availability is tight, travel agent websites may show no availability – but this merely means that they have sold their inventory, not that there are no rooms left. At such times, go to the hotel chain websites. If availability is very difficult, choose a large chain with several different brands, such as Marriott, Accor, Starwood or Intercontinental. That way you can quickly search through several brands – say Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Crowne Plaza – with one search.

Use your loyalty in hotel bookings

If you're a member of a hotel loyalty scheme, make sure to key in your membership number when you go online to check for availability. If the hotel is nearly full, this will open the cheaper categories of rooms that weren't open before. Whereas for most people the website might show only one or two rates, once you are recognised as a member of the loyalty programme, the chain will make more effort to be accommodating.

Business class on a low-cost airline

Since there is only one class on low-cost carriers, there's obviously no chance of an upgrade. But not all the seats are the same. When you board either at the front or back, head for the middle of the plane and the seats by the over-wing emergency exit. Providing you board in the first half of passengers, you'll probably find these seats free, simply because the stewards stand there to direct passengers because it's the place with the most room. As a result, many passengers think they are not allowed to sit there. Ask nicely, and you'll be granted access for seats with legroom twice that of the rest of the plane. Welcome to business class, low-cost style.

Make room for yourself

If the above tactic proves impossible, at least don't sit in the seats with the least legroom. Imagine standing at the front of the plane looking towards the back. Notice how the seats start in nice neat rows of 3-3. Somewhere around row nine, you'll notice that the seats start to bunch on one side to make room for that wide aisle (see above), so are best avoided. On a Boeing 737-700 we've noticed the tightest row is row 11, though it varies from plane to plane. What's more, the last row of seats before the emergency exit won't recline, so don't be fooled into sitting there.

Get to the head of the queue

Ryanair and Easyjet have come at this in different ways. With Easyjet, if you check in online you will automatically be pushed into queue D – the last to board – and so will probably end up with a poor seat. But there are time advantages; you can arrive at the gate 15 minutes beforehand. Ryanair is the opposite: check in online and you'll get priority boarding because Ryanair wants to encourage use of its website (that's also why if you want to check in luggage and give advance notice you will get it for half price).

Why is this? Easyjet is looking to charge £5 for priority boarding, and so wants to protect these pre-boards from those who have checked in online. Also bear in mind that if it is a bus transfer to the plane, first on the bus can often be last off, so being at the back of the queue isn't always terrible.

Low-cost carriers at low-cost prices

Here it isn't just sales talk – book early, and you'll get a lower price. You might have to discard a few tickets, but over time, you'll still save money. In addition, bear in mind that Easyjet, Aer Lingus and Ryanair all allow changes for a fee – a big plus for business travellers.

Low-cost airport

Luton is a hidden gem for Londoners, with Thameslink going up to Luton Parkway as a very regular service and allowing you to do door to door to the airport inside an hour from Kings Cross.

Book one-class carriers

All-business class carrier Maxjet offers business class comfort at the price of a full economy fare.

Round-the-world tickets

It may seem perverse to fly further than you need, but round-the-world tickets can often work out cheaper than a difficult itinerary. If you are flying economy, remember these are seasonal.

Choose less obvious carriers

Look for less obvious carriers, such as Air New Zealand for London-Los Angeles or Royal Brunei for London-Dubai. Gulf airlines may also fall into this category; for example, try Qatar Airways for London-Cape Town or Emirates for London-Osaka. Carriers with little market identity must price keenly to fill their flights.

Airpasses for onward travel

Look out for deals and discounts on domestic air passes for onward travel after a long-haul flight, offered by the airline and/or its alliance.

Stay at an airport hotel — and park

Many airport hotels offer very competitive parking close to the airport if you are staying with them prior to your trip. One point to note: some hotels may want to move your car to a remote car park if you are gone for a considerable amount of time. Not a problem, unless you return earlier than you intended. Still, it's well worth looking at if you want to save money on parking and have a decent night's sleep.

Buy valet parking online

If you drive to the airport, consider valet parking. It's not offered at all airports and is an expense, certainly, but not as expensive as flying business class. It also takes a lot of the hassle out of parking your car yourself and then wasting time trying to find it on your return. Try visiting baa.com, parkwithcps.com or purpleparking.com.

Research partner programmes

Most airlines have ongoing deals with their car hire partners offering free upgrades, so check when you visit the website of your chosen airline's loyalty programme.

Buy your food before you board

There are limits on this. Nothing too smelly, and nothing too bulky for the rubbish, but if you want lovely food and are flying in economy, taking your own snacks and sandwiches, as well as drink (non-alcoholic) can make things a lot more pleasant.

Stock up at duty-free

You know how expensive the minibar is at the hotel, well there are two options here. If it's alcohol you want, buy a large bottle and show some restraint or, better still, hunt around for the miniatures sold in many duty-free shops. If you need to buy presents, duty-free is perfect, but don't carry the gifts around. Check to see if the airport you are returning to has an arrivals duty-free and simply pick them up when you land.

Build time into your schedule

To save unnecessary expense, always build extra time into your schedule. Also, it will allow you to accept if you are offered the chance to be bumped in return for compensation.

Eat well

But don't pay top money to do so. If breakfast doesn't come with your room, take a stroll to the corner café for much cheaper prices.

Travel cards

Many cities have three-day travel passes for public transport. The cost will be about the same as taking a couple of taxis, so it's definitely worth considering if you are staying in town for a few days. The London Oyster card, for instance, can work out to be much cheaper (£1.50 as opposed to £3 for a single tube fare) and has the advantage that you can top it up online. Visit tfl.gov.uk.

Do overnight flights

If money is tight or you are a start-up business. It saves on a night in a hotel.

Stay connected

Find out where there is free wifi access, or access that is available under the programme you are already subscribed to. Many hotel chains are now offering wifi as part of the room charge (or free as they would have it). This may well be worth it if you are staying a few days.

Hotel phones

Avoid huge hotel phone bills by investing in Skype, using international phone cards bought at local newsagents or asking people to call you back in your hotel room. Otherwise, you could limit your contact with family and friends to email from the hotel's business centre.

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