Some of the longest flights from North America and also some of the hardest to find lower mileage awards in first or business class are flights to Australia.  I traveled to Australia over a decade ago and would love to go back – but only if I could fly in first or business class!  I flew to Australia LAX-SYD in economy the first time (this was years before I discovered points and miles) and have no desire to repeat that experience.

Finding award tickets in first or business class to Australia can be difficult (compared to awards to Asia or Europe) especially if traveling with a family or a larger group. For those looking to fly to Australia in business class, it might sometimes make sense to purchase business class flights (rather than use miles) if you can find a low enough fare. Plus, if you have a credit card that earns bonus points on travel, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve, this is a good way to earn some extra points and meet minimum spending requirements.

One website which sells discounted business class tickets is FareDepot.com. According to FareDepot, they offer up to 50%-60% discounts on regular business/first class fares. FareDepot has offered discounted flights since 2013. You can also book hotels, flights, cars, and entire vacations.I have not personally purchased flights on FareDepot but I ran some searches to see if I would find discounted business class fares to Australia.

The flight search has advanced search options to narrow your search to 2 preferred airlines, direct flights, fares with no penalties and to include nearby airports.

I searched for a roundtrip flight, LAX-SYD in business class in mid January.

I find it convenient that you can search by flexible dates and see a calendar of lowest fares so you don’t have to keep checking each date.

After narrowing my search to January 11-January 25, the cheapest fare that came up was Philippine Air Lines for $3,676.77.

I ran the exact same search on Orbitz for the same dates and that was also the cheapest flight but for $4,172.77.

Of course, not all long haul business class flights have a lie flat seat.  I check flights on seatguru.com for information on seating.

A few things to keep in mind about FareDepot:

•  Use Promo Code “SAVE10” this month to save $10 on all international travel or Promo Code “BUSINESS” to save up to $50 business class.

•  You can book travel on their website, and they also have an app.

•  Members have access to Exclusive Discounts and last minute markdowns. Registration is free.

•  Some fares are not refundable.

•  For those looking to earn miles, according to FareDepot.com, most of their airfares allow you to accumulate frequent flyer miles.

•  What about upgrades? According to FareDepot: “Yes, in most cases tickets purchased through us can be upgraded, but some special/ negotiated fare / bulk fare might not qualify.”

For anyone considering a trip to Australia or any other long haul international destination, it is worth exploring all options and checking out FareDepot.com to see if you could find discounted business class flights.

This post was sponsored by FareDepot.com but all opinions are my own.