Business Class Discount Flights are not just visible in the headline sales only. Sometimes there are slower periods of the year when the demand is low and the airline silently drops the premium seats to fill the cabins. The information about these windows can be used to plan Flight Reservation and Booking better, to choose when to ask to upgrade the seat, or Group Booking/Reservation may actually save you money instead of costing you more.

Various fare surveys indicate that there exist definite trends: low season during the post-holiday period, mid-summer, doldrums in business travel, and shoulder seasons between significant holiday periods are the safest bets that will yield lower premium fares.

When fares sink: useful hidden seasons and their significance.

When fares dip: practical hidden seasons and why they matter

Mid January to early March

Following an annual peak in end of year travel and renewed business corporate budgets, premium seat sales decline and airlines reduce sales in business cabins. The business class bargains tend to have the best deals in 2 or 4 months advance booking.

Late August to early October

Leisure travelling in the summer is curtailed and several companies suspend large conferences. Business cabins can experience a sharp price improvement at this time on routes that are dependent on corporate traffic.

April to May and September to November shoulder months

The weather remains pleasant in most destinations but not as high as on peak summer or end of year. Airlines operate these shoulder windows to transact unadvertised fare inventory actions which may include discounted business class tickets.

How to convert those quiet windows into real savings

Begin by aligning your Booking or Flight Reservation flexibility with the obscure seasons above. In case you have some flexibility in your travel dates by a few weeks, do open-date searches on the major aggregators and verify the cheapest-month tool on meta-search sites.

As the fares drop within these windows then two immediate levers are effective. First, there is Group Booking/Reservation in case you have a group to transport. Quieter periods when airlines and consolidators offer groups block fares, which are less than single-ticket fares. Second, track Seat Upgrade channels.

Flights can be far less than average when they are underbooked in business and when upgrade is offered by bid or at check-in.

Another useful point on Ticket cancellation services. Airlines and consolidators can provide more liberal cancellation or change policies on lower premium prices during low demand seasons to stimulate buying. Check the change and cancellation fare rules before you complete a Booking as you can always know whether you will have the flexibility to take a lower fare.

Savvy passengers consider Business Class Discount Flights as products of the season. Shop when you can find the best deals, pair those windows with flexible Flight Reservation plans and Group Booking/Reservation or tactical Seat Upgrade requests to wring a little more out of it.

Keep a watch on the less active months above, alerts, and act promptly when the numbers decline.