Business class on the cheap

US-based Fly Business for Less is the offshoot of a US real estate operation that harvests big numbers of frequent flyer points in the course of doing business. FBFL operates as a points broker, using those points to purchase business and first-class tickets for flyers who want to travel in those classes at a discount.

And the discounts are huge – anything from 30 to 50 per cent off the cheapest premium class ticket purchased from the airline itself. It's one of a number of US-based outfits operating along similar lines.

Sounds too good to be true? There's a catch. Such a ticket violates the terms and conditions that most airlines impose on their reward flights, which stipulate that their frequent flyer points are to be used for the benefit of the flyer who earns them and their family members.

However, from anecdotal evidence and review site reports, it appears that US airlines are the only ones inclined or able to police their own T&Cs diligently. Evidence also suggests that these carriers will probably deny boarding to any passenger discovered to be holding such a ticket.

One way that operations like FBFL use to get around the problem of ticketing is to open a frequent flyer account in the name of the passenger and deposit points to that account.

According to a spokesperson for FBFL, passengers holding their tickets have been denied boarding only on very few occasions. Should that happen, according to the spokesperson, a call to FBFL is all it takes to get them rebooked on the next available flight.

A cut-price seat at the pointy end on a premier airline is a tempting proposition. If you plan to fly on a ticket bought through any points broker, paying with a credit card should offer you some level of protection if things don't work out the way they're supposed to.

Michael Gebicki travelled as a guest of Fly Business For Less.