I remarked a while back that the frequency of British Airways sales was becoming alarmingly DFS-esque. Well, in a similar vein Qatar Airways has launched what feels like their weekly Business class sale offering. That’s not to say the pricing isn’t excellent though.
Much like the SWISS sale that I covered last week, this is being marketed as a Companion Sale. The headline price is up to 50% off based on two travelling together.
As usual, the very best deals are to be found from various European destinations rather than starting your journey in the UK.
I took a quick look around at some of the best deals available:
All of the examples below are based on 2 people travelling.
1.) Berlin to Johannesburg – £1118 per person
Here is an example of the cheapest business class flights currently available from London to Johannesburg on some random dates in November:
And here is the promo price available from Berlin on Qatar Airways on the same dates:
As you can see, even if you were to take a 1-stop option from London the flights with Qatar work out about £1,800 cheaper. They are also approximately £5,000 cheaper than non-stop flights from London!
2.) Brussels to Bali – £1,220 per person
Here is an example of the cheapest business class flights currently available from London to Bali on some random dates in March:
And here is the promo price available from Brussels on Qatar Airways on the same dates:
That works out as at least £600 cheaper than a 1-stop option starting in London.
3.) Sofia to Beijing – £979 per person
Here is an example of the cheapest business class flights currently available from London to Beijing on some random dates in April:
And here is the promo price available from Sofia on Qatar Airways on the same dates:
As you can see this Qatar deal means they are roughly £1,270 cheaper than a 1-stop option from London with SAS. Compared to the non-stop flights from London the savings become even better, coming out £2,500 cheaper.
4.) Helsinki to Bangkok – £974 per person
Here is an example of the cheapest business class flights currently available from London to Bangkok on some random dates in February:
And here is the promo price available from Helsinki on Qatar Airways on the same dates:
So about £1,075 cheaper than a 1-stop option with Turkish Airlines and approx £2,500 cheaper than the non-stop flights from London.
How do I find these deals myself?
The easiest way to work out which European starting point has the cheapest deals to a particular destination is to visit their individual (country’s) page on the Qatar website.
In no particular order:
How to get to your European starting point cheaply
Often the best method is to utilise Reward Flight Saver and book yourself a separate Avios return ticket. Those start at just 8,000 Avios and a fixed £35.
Alternatively, you can book yourself a separate cheap return on the various Low Cost Carriers (LCC’s) such as Ryanair, Easyjet, Norwegian etc.
Where to book these deals
You should use Qatarairways.com to search for and book flights directly. You can also go via the various different city links listed above.
I’ve found recently that search engines such as Google Flights will not show some of the cheaper Qatar promotional flights even though they are bookable through Qatar directly.
- You must book by 16th October.
- These low prices are available for travel from 9th October 2017 until 31st May 2018.
- Blackout dates from 15th December until 10th January.
Add on a complimentary stay at a luxury hotel of your choice
In addition, if you felt like spacing out your journey a little more, you can combine these excellent sales fares with a free night at the Four Seasons, Shangri-La or Ritz Carlton Doha.
That perk, available courtesy of the +Qatar program, is valid for travel until 31st December 2017. And considering it has already been extended once, I certainly wouldn’t bet against it being rolled over into 2018.
Verdict
Without a doubt, there are some outstanding deals to be had in this sale. Nevertheless, this deal won’t work for everyone. There are people who will still prefer to fly direct and pay over £1000for economy tickets rather than £1100 for business class.
However, if you would ideally love to fly business class – and who wouldn’t – but at an affordable price, this deal is a no-brainer. With minimal searching, savings of more than £2,000-£3,000 over flights from the UK, are easily achievable.
Head over to the Qatar website to see what you can book.
Drop me a line with any of your questions or details of what you’ve managed to book at tricksofthetrade@xexec.com or on Twitter @xexecTOTT