Scoring the lowest possible price for business class can be tricky, and sometimes you might not care where the ticket comes from, just give us the lowest price! However, many frequent travelers claim that’s exactly the wrong mentality. Booking with third parties that have the cheapest fares can come back to bite you later. 

Flight changes, schedule problems, cancellations: now you’re not dealing directly with the airline, but instead with a middleman. Often that means hours on hold alternating between the airline and the ticket agent. Essentially, what you save in price can end up costing you time, hassle, or even money down the road.

Not surprisingly, people tend to share horror stories whenever this topic comes up. One reader booked a deep-discount business-class round trip with an online travel agent. Overnight, the airline “lost” his booking. He got the runaround from both the airline (who blamed the travel site for a “fare issue”) and the site itself (who claimed they couldn’t help). He was forced to rebook an entirely new ticket last-minute at great expense. Similar stories abound: tickets booked through sites like Priceline or Expedia can disappear overnight due to “fare issues”. You could find yourself left without a flight, and with no way to fix it.

 

Why you Can’t Always Count on Airlines to Help

You’ll only get the airline’s full support if you book directly with them. Changes, delays and cancellations happen to everyone. If you book through the airline, you’ll generally rebook or get refunds much quicker. Compare that to a ticket booked through a 3rd party agent: not only do you have to wait for them to process things, but often the airline will refund the cost of the ticket to the agent directly, instead of to you. Many travelers have called dealing with third-party ticket sites a “pain” when something goes wrong. Say your flight cancels or you miss your connection, if you booked through an agent, that ticket will not magically be switched at the airport. The airline will not move you to a new flight without the authorization of the agent. During that delay you could miss an important meeting or end up paying extra to find your own solution.

 

Seat Assignment, Upgrade Requests, and Comfort 

In addition to changes to flight times, your comfort can suffer when booking with third parties. Airlines love to allow their own customers to pick seats way in advance. Not so with bargain tickets. Seats will often go unfilled until check-in when booking with an online agent. Sure you might not get stuck in a middle seat, but then again you might. Travelers report that tickets booked through OTAs (online travel agencies) are likely to be bumped first if the flight is oversold, and you don’t get to pick your seat in advance. Even something like baggage allowances and frequent flyer numbers can get tricky: make sure you provide your membership number when booking through an agent! Some fail to pass that along to the airline which means lost miles or upgrade priority. Suffice to say, in the world of business class where seat assignments and status come into play, booking with a third party can lead to endless headaches.

 

Additional Fees You’ll Find Unexpectedly 

OTAs and third-party sites are also notorious for sketchy fees. That super cheap airfare might suddenly cost you extra to change or cancel. Fees the airline wouldn’t charge become mandatory with these sites. Do not expect to be able to choose your seats without paying a “convenience fee.” That doesn’t even apply when you book directly through the airline! Another common complaint? Poor customer service. When you do need to contact someone about your booking, you’re often stuck with automated email or chat help. No real phone number to get an actual person help. In fact, many travelers say they would only book third-party if the deal was truly significantly cheaper, like “saving $300”. Otherwise, why stress out when you don’t have to?

 

Common Booking Errors and Booking Mistakes to Avoid

Here are some of the more common complaints:

• Difficulty changing/cancelling your flight: Everything takes longer when a 3rd party is involved. Your flight is delayed or cancelled? The agent will not rebook you. You’ll have to contact them to request changes.

• Unexpected fees: The site you book with may charge you for anything and everything. Popular complaints include fees just for selecting a seat, or fees to make any alterations to your flight, even ones the airline wouldn’t charge you for.

• Last-minute seating assignment: Will you get that window seat you wanted? Too bad, you’ll have to wait until check-in to find out. Odds are worse against you for bumping, upgrades, etc.

• Headaches getting refunds: Say the airline issues a refund (e.g. your flight gets cancelled). That money probably goes first to the agent, who must then refund it to you.

 

Why Some Prefer Booking Directly With the Airline

This frustration has led many experienced business travelers to recommend booking directly whenever possible.

If something happens and you need to change something or you miss your flight, you’re going to be in a world of pain dealing with a third party.

If an agent’s price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Sure you can save a few hundred dollars on airfare, but what price do you put on direct access to someone who can actually help you? For many people, paying a little extra to book directly is worth the peace of mind.

 

Smart Channels For Booking Business Travel 

The solution? Book smart, not risky. Use sites like Google flights or kayak to comparison shop, then book your ticket directly with the airline for that price. Another great solution? Work with a reputable travel agent or specialist. Unlike many low-cost sites, these agents can offer both low prices and personal service. 

BCFlights, for example: we specialize in business- and first-class travel. Not only do we negotiate discounted fares (typically 30-60% savings), we also understand your preferences and can assign you a dedicated travel advisor. Because we handle your itinerary from start to finish, we can make changes, hold seats for you, and provide 24/7 customer support. In other words, BCFlights doesn’t act as another middleman, we act as your advocate.

Save money on business class flights the right way.

 

Conclusion: Don’t Sacrifice Service For Savings 

Bottom line: there’s nothing wrong with finding a great deal on business class. But don’t sacrifice yourself to the booking gods in order to do it. Booking through unknown websites or untrustworthy agents can end up costing you more than you realize in time, stress, and even money. Book smart by dealing directly with airlines or services you trust. Not only will you keep all your frequent flyer benefits, but you won’t get hit with surprise fees. 

And when things go wrong, you’ll actually be able to speak to a human being who can help. Business travelers value reliability, when you book with BCFlights not only do you get low prices, but expert service you can count on. Book smart and you’ll not only save big on business class flights, you’ll enjoy your trip more too.