Rome. The Eternal City. Even if you’re traveling for business, the process of getting there should be as enjoyable as the visit itself. As you prepare for your upcoming journey, you’ll want to figure out several things. The first is how to get the best ticket. Beyond that, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with what business class tickets really have to offer.
There are several things you should keep in mind when looking for business flights to Rome. Let’s take a closer look at some of the standard features, as well as some of the best places to find them.
What should you realistically expect from business class?
Especially for longer flights, like trans-Atlantic ones, you’ll want your trip to be comfortable. If your company is willing to cover you, that’s great. But even if it isn’t, it will be worth your while to find good tickets as it will make your trip a lot more enjoyable and hassle-free.
Business class will offer you several major advantages over economy:
- Priority check-in. If you’re a frequent traveler, you undoubtedly dread standing in long lines waiting to check in and board. Business class will put you in the front of the line and allow you to spend the rest of your time on more important things. You’ll also get through airport security more quickly by not having to stand in the usual lines.
- Business class lounge access. If you’ve got important work to focus on, you don’t want to be squeezed into some narrow table at McDonald’s with someone’s screaming children sitting practically on top of you. Business class lounges will allow you to relax and focus on your work.
- Additional baggage allowance. People who travel for work always need to bring extra bags. You can’t put yourself at risk of not being prepared because you paranoically kept your suitcase under the 20 pound limit. Pack what you need and a bit more, and let the airline take care of you.
- Extra legroom and wider seats on your flight. No one wants to be cramped, and if you’re flying to a meeting you don’t want to arrive at your destination uncomfortable and in a bad mood because you weren’t able to rest properly on your flight. Business class will give you plenty of extra space, and possibly even fully reclining seats if you choose the right airline.
- Better food selection, and more snacks and drinks. Airline food is notoriously bad (and meager), and you deserve more than a tiny chicken breast and stale bread when you fly. Many airlines now have excellent food choices for business class, and they will keep you fed and hydrated with frequent snacks and drinks.
- Better in-flight amenities. In business class, you’ll get wider TV screens, more entertainment selections, and other additional amenities.
Where to find the best tickets?
With all those advantages, it makes no sense not to consider flying business class. The question may be where to find the best tickets. On a route like New York to Rome, for example, you’ll want to look carefully as of course trans-Atlantic flights are much pricier than domestic ones.
One of the things you should consider is finding a business class consolidator. While some people look at these outfits suspiciously, there are actually quite a few of them that are perfectly legitimate.
Top-quality business class consolidators have a number of distinguishing features
- Third-party recommendations. Anyone can include customer “testimonials” on their own website. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that these reviews are legit. Once you’ve come up with a potential list of companies, try searching for the company name in a general search and see what comes up. Those that get top reviews on independent sites will be worth considering.
- Flexibility. There is often a lot of fine print involved in buying airline tickets. When you are in the process of buying your tickets, be sure you fully understand the company’s change and cancellation policies. You don’t want to find yourself out $3000 because you failed to clarify the details.
- Customer service. If you find a company that you think looks good, but whose representatives either don’t answer the phone or don’t seem helpful in general, you might want to reconsider buying from them. If they don’t help you at the beginning, they probably won’t help you later on if you have a problem.
If you choose the right consolidator, you could end up saving 50% or even more on your flight. And you’ll still be flying in luxury along with all the other business class passengers. Just remember to go through the process carefully and look for any red flags on the sites you find.
And if you are flying for business, don’t forget to save a day at the end to hit the Colosseum and grab a gelato!
