Flying business class to Europe is expensive – especially if you’re departing Australia.
Our Asian neighbours often get access to special business class fares to Europe that Aussies can only dream about.
As a regular traveller, it’s very frustrating to feel like you’re being ripped off.
But there is a way to get in on the action – if you’ve got the time and patience.
The trick is to make your own way to Asia before continuing on to Europe on a separate, cheap fare.
For example, right now you can fly business class with Qatar Airways from Bali to Scandinavia for less than $4000 return – including over the coming peak July/August period.
This includes destinations like Copenhagen and Stockholm.
Departing from Australia, this would cost at least $10,000.
That means you can save thousands if you can take on the extra hassle of getting to Bali yourself.
(The only annoying thing with these latest fares is that you may have long layovers in Doha – but that could be an opportunity to explore the city.)
Qatar Airways has an excellent business class product, and depending on the route, you could even experience the market-leading Qsuite.
Qatar Airways also has a reputation for some of the best in-flight dining and service.
As this is a oneworld airline, you can credit the fare to Qantas Frequent Flyer and earn a handy 14,500 Qantas Points and 320 status credits in the process.
To get to Asia first, you need to use points or money for a separate fare. A travel agent may be able to cobble it together with the Qatar Airways fare, or you can just book it yourself separately.
Yes, that is an extra cost and inconvenience. But Bali isn’t far away, and it’s doable in economy.
The best way to find out about these fares is to use Google Flights. It has many handy features, such as the “price graph” function that lets you find the cheapest possible departure date.
These opportunities come around regularly enough. If you want to get notified, make sure to subscribe to our email newsletter!
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Yeah, with Finnair for a leg its $4.5k
Error fare? Everything seems to be $9k+ now
Just did a quick search on Google flights (Bali-Stockholm) and it’s still showing as low as $4.5k on some dates.