Flying business or first class across the Atlantic has always been out of reach for most travellers. Airline ticket prices from New York to London normally start around $3000 and can easily reach $7000. Here are some top tips to reduce that airfare and maybe get you in to that business class premium cabin.

Tip 1: Fly Low-Cost All-Business Class MaxJet

Check out this new low-cost all business class option. MaxJet started flying a 6-times-a-week service between London Stansted STN and New York JFK in November 2005. It operates a 102 seat Boeing 767 with 60 inch seat pitch and provides a quality multi-course meal. From April 2006 they will begin a 5-x-weekly service from Washington Dulles IAD to London Stansted. The normal airfare will start at around $1500 return all inclusive and the pricing works on a first come, first serve basis - so book early to get the very lowest fares.

As a special offer deal, they have London - Washington returns available at 999 / 599. Fly on Tuesday or Wednesday and you can travel London - New York return for an amazing $750 / 430! This is inclusive of taxes and charges and is exceptional value - cheaper than many economy fares!

Their tickets are bookable on the major online agents such as Travelocity and Expedia as well as on their own website.

MaxJet are undercutting the major established carriers significantly and it will be interesting to see if this causes any downward pressure on Trans-Atlantic business class ticket prices. Remember how the budget airlines in Europe completely changed the short-haul air market, where you can now find flights for little more than taxes and charges. Also consider how lucrative the Trans-Atlantic market has been in the past for the big airlines, with high revenues gained from business and corporate flyers. 2006 will be an interesting year in commercial aviation from this perspective.

Tip 2: Try First Class Eos Airlines

If you are flying first class Trans-Atlantic you should have a look at Eos Airlines, another recent start-up flying the same London Stansted to New York JFK route. Eos runs a 48 seat Boeing 757 with 78 inch flat beds. The service is a lot more expensive than MaxJet with return tickets starting at $3200 (book 30 days ahead) but this premium product is competing directly with the high quality first class cabins of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Upper Class.

Eos now has a generous frequent flyer scheme called 'Club 48' which will help them gain more customer loyalty.

Note, London Stansted is situated north east of London. The Stansted Express train runs between Stansted and Liverpool Street station and the journey takes around 45 minutes.

Tip 3: Fly Off-beat

If flying Trans-Atlantic business class, get price quotations from the more off-beat airlines that you may never have considered. For example, Iceland Air flies from Europe to New York via Reykjavik and can be extremely competitive with business class airfares under $1700. It routinely undercuts the big boys by 30-40% in a bid to poach traffic to route through Iceland rather than fly non-stop.

Some other off-beat airlines ply their trade between the UK and North East USA such as Kuwait Airlines and Air India, which fly from London and New York, and Pakistan International Airlines which serves Manchester, UK to both Chicago and the Big Apple. You can often find some excellent cheap deals on these Middle Eastern and Asian carriers.

Tip 4: Go Premium

If your budget doesn't stretch as far as business class, then book a premium economy ticket. You will get superior legroom and a better chair than the standard economy class seat. It will also mean that you are more likely to be upgraded for free to business class. This is due to the relatively small number of premium economy seats available - any overbooked situation in economy will overspill to premium economy and you could be bumped up to business class. This doesn't happen everytime, but choose a busy flight and you will not harm your chances.

Tip 5: Invest in Your Travel Knowledge

You should consider investing in the Ultimate Airfares & Upgrades Guide from AirTravelGenius.com. This will teach you many more useful insider tips and tricks to maximise your chances of flying business or first class, help you find the world's lowest airfares in any class and how to really make the most of your airmiles (most miles are unfortunately wasted). If you fly internationally, this guide is a must-read.

Happy Flying!