Trip checklist · Finally Business Class

This trip

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1Before you search

Decide the trip shape: one-way, round trip or open-jaw, and which legs are overnight.
Write down your real flexibility: dates, nearby airports, acceptable connection cities.
Run Plan my trip and note the top two methods for this trip. Plan my trip

Google Flights: route, Business cabin, date grid plus or minus a week, three nearby airports each end. Note the cheapest fare.
Compare it with the price guide: book-now, normal, or expensive? What's a good price?
Check one cheap origin (Oslo, Rome, Dublin, Milan, Cairo or the local equivalent) plus a positioning flight.
Price the mixed-cabin version: business on the overnight leg only.
Turn on price tracking for the specific dates and for flexible dates.

seats.aero or PointsYeah: scan the month, shortlist flights with two or more seats.
Pick the booking program; compare partner price with the operating airline's own program.
Verify on the program's own site, all the way to the payment page. The field guide for the program has the booking steps and the traps. Program field guides
Run Points vs cash (or the Buy-points evaluator if you would need to buy). Points vs cash
Place a hold if the program allows one, or note the free-cancellation window.

Book direct unless the OTA saving is over about 150 to 200 EUR per ticket or the fare is OTA-only.
Pay by credit card, ideally one with travel insurance.
Check the cabin on every segment before paying.
Wait for the 13-digit e-ticket number. Screenshot the fare rules.
Add the frequent flyer number for the program you want the miles in.

Set alerts for a better routing, cabin or price, plus a T-14 alert for last-minute premium drops.
Put the free-cancellation deadline and the schedule-change check in your calendar.
Only now buy positioning flights and non-refundable hotels (3 to 7 days after ticketing for error fares).
If in economy or premium economy: note when the upgrade bidding window opens and check the seat map then. Upgrade bid
Check in at T-24 hours exactly. Keep boarding passes and receipts for any disruption claim.
Log the booking against the cheapest fare you could have bought instead. My savings