What price should you be paying for business class flights in 2026/27?

This article looks not only at the historical pricing for some major routes but also at the lowest fares for the next six months and which months and airlines they are available on.

The changes in flight prices in the last 7 years have been pretty astonishing. From the glory days of the sub £1000 Hawaii fare before Covid and the bargains just after Covid to the eye-watering prices that seem normal now, it’s hard to know what is a reasonable price. So we have done some analysis over the last year to see what sort of price you should be aiming for to some key destinations. We will also look at whether flying from the EU is likely to be cheaper.

For the purposes of this article, I have excluded Norse Atlantic since it is a premium economy product, and Icelandair, as it is not comparable with other business class flatbed seats.

The key with business pricing is not just to look at the price but at what is included and what the airline is like. If you can spend £100 to get a modern suite versus an old BA yin-yang style seat, it may well be worth the extra, for example. Also, many airlines exclude things like lounge access with their lowest fares, which is often an important part of the journey for many travellers.

You should take the lowest fares as a starting point rather than the goal. Many of these lowest fares have very few seats available, but they give you an idea of the technically lowest achievable fare.

New York

Even if you don’t want to go to New York itself, it can be a useful entry point to the US due to the fierce pricing competition and the abundance of reward flight availability. Internal flights in the US can be very cheap on Avios in terms of cash, so it is always worth considering NYC as the entry point. However, I would advise a stopover or allowing a lot of time for the connection since immigration is unpredictable and you have to collect your luggage and re-check it.

Here are the lowest prices and airlines over the last 12 months. Paris has the advantage of La Compagnie, which helps keep prices lower than somewhere like Amsterdam, where there is almost a SkyTeam monopoly on direct flights. The Dublin deals are normally a 6-month advance purchase, which they offer occasionally.

If we look at what is available currently for the next 6 months, you will see that prices are broadly consistent with the historical prices.

Los Angeles

Historic fares over 12 months:

The cheapest fares are usually connecting flights, but the historical low does not seem to have been repeated for a while from London. The fare was part of a sale when SAS joined SkyTeam and ran a very aggressive business class fare sale.

Current cheapest fares for next 6 months:

Maldives

Historic fares:

Current cheapest fares for the next 6 months:

Bangkok

Bangkok has managed to keep relatively low fares. Again, I’d ignore the super cheap lowest prices and look more at the range for a more accurate indication. The Middle East carrier have helped keep prices low for many Asian cities including Bangkok.

Historic fares:

Current cheapest fares for next 6 months:

Singapore

The market for long-haul luxury travel to Singapore Changi Airport follows the established pattern seen with Bangkok. The routes are dominated by Singapore Airlines, the Middle Eastern carriers (Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad), and European operators (Finnair, Lufthansa, Swiss, Air France/KLM). Oslo and Stockholm deliver the lowest historical entry points for premium travel. Global legacy airlines aggressively discount tickets starting in these markets to fill their secondary connection banks (routing via Helsinki, Doha, or Paris) rather than relying on direct hub passengers. Meanwhile, London commands the highest premium price as usual, sustained by massive business-travel demand for non-stop flagship products like Singapore Airlines’ A380/777 Business Class or British Airways’ Club Suite.

Historic fares:

Current cheapest fares for next 6 months:

Sydney

Australia has seen huge price rises since Covid but the re-entry of Chinese carriers is helping to bring it down slightly now.

Traveling from Europe to Australia represents one of the longest commercial flight paths globally, making it heavily dominated by the Middle Eastern “Big Three” (Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad), alongside Asian flag carriers (Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines, China Southern) and European operators routing through hubs.

The “Scandinavian Discount” remains highly effective for Australia. Oslo and Stockholm anchor the cheapest premium price points. Mainstream legacy lines drop their fares from these specific hubs to attract passengers into their connection networks (usually routing through Doha, Guangzhou, or Shanghai). London commands a steep premium, especially for highly sought-after, ultra-long-haul services like Qantas’ non-stop flights.

There are actually some very reasonable fares available, but you will need to be flexible on travel dates, as these are usually for very restricted dates. 

Historic fares:

Current cheapest fares for next 6 months:

Cape Town

Fares are highly affected by the seasonality of South Africa’s summer and the lack of direct flights from mainland Europe, leaving the market to be dominated by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, the SkyTeam alliance (Air France/KLM), and Middle Eastern carriers (Qatar Airways, Emirates) as well as Turkish Airlines. Prices for the next six months will be high as it is peak season (summer).

.The “Scandinavian Discount” is also valid for South African travel. Oslo  and Stockholm  routinely offer the lowest historical base rates, driven by aggressive British Airways flash sales designed to pull premium passengers into a Heathrow connection before continuing south. 

Historic fares:

Current cheapest fares for next 6 months:

Buenos Aires

The market is primarily dominated by Latin-focused European flag carriers (Iberia, Air Europa) alongside major network players (ITA Airways, British Airways, Lufthansa, Air France/KLM).

The “Scandinavian Discount” remains highly effective for South American travel. Oslo and Stockholm deliver the lowest historical premium entries. Legacy lines (like Iberia and ITA Airways) frequently clear out premium inventory from Northern Europe to feed their southern hubs in Madrid or Rome. Conversely, London maintains a high pricing level as business and premium leisure travelers pay a premium to bypass multiple stopovers.

Historic fares:

Current cheapest fares for next 6 months:

What’s the best bargain business class fare you have had recently? Let us know in the comments below.