Find Cheap Airfares - Tips and information on discount travel

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Yet another business trip is looming on your horizon, and inwardly you groan at the thought of being sandwiched between another sniffling college kid and the frazzled mom with a colicky baby in seat 17B. But the company will not pay for first class, especially in these economic times, so what choice do you have? The answer is easy: fly business first class, but pay 30-70% less than standard fare. Sound incredible? It isn’t. The road to cheap business class airfares is called Y-ups, and it leads right up to your comfort and the company’s savings.

Y-ups were actually created by airlines as a bonus for first class travelers who regularly paid big money for those coveted seats at the front of the plane. Knowing of the “no first class travel” policy of many companies, the airlines disguised first class/business airfares as coach; first class tickets with coach/economy fare codes and a lower price. Travel savvy businessmen could travel in comfort and style while staying within the corporate policy.

Seats in business/first class at Y-Up prices are available to everyone, but only businessmen. The first step is to find out if there is a Y-Up fare for the destination you have in mind. This can be done either through on-line travel sites or by booking with a travel agent. A few websites specialize in finding these discounted fares, but all travel sites offer them. The cheap business class airfares are not readily visible, however; you will need to dig a bit. While each travel site displays Y-Ups differently, they can usually be found by checking the “advanced search” or “more options” buttons after choosing first class fares. Viewing the seats available will confirm that you will be sitting in business/first class even though the fare will be significantly lower. You will now be well on your way to booking your first class flight.

If you work through a travel agent to obtain these fares, you will need to specifically ask for Y-Up fares. Most agents have been well versed on the typical rhetoric to recite, and will only provide information on these fabulous fares if prompted. Every airline offers Y-Ups on a variety of flight options, although they may identify them slightly different. Known as Y-Ups, Q-Ups, M-Ups or Z-Ups, all are codes used to identify much lower than first class fares.

As anyone who spends a great deal of time traveling for business knows, there is enough stress involved in business matters without having to struggle with the travel seat squeeze. Treat yourself to one of these cheap business class airfares; you’ll feel like a king flying first class without paying a king’s ransom to do so.