Most executives love to fly in business class but the current economic conditions have required companies to think twice about laying out the relatively large sums that premium flights cost.
To make matters worse, the people assigned to book travel for salespeople and executives will either call their regular travel agent or book online with a conventional travel website.
If these people knew about the savings that could be had with consolidator flights, they would be considered a major contributor to the company's bottom line.
Most people do not realize that consolidators exist or if they have heard of them, are not sure what they are.
Consolidators are really just companies that negotiate with air carriers to buy up airline seats that would otherwise not be sold, you might think of them as a type of wholesaler.
One of the little secrets many of the corporate travel agencies have is that the savings can be so great on consolidator business class flights that they can mark up prices, sometimes as much as hundreds of dollars per ticket and the client still sees a savings over conventional pricing.
A way to get around this massive markup is to use a reputable website that specializes in consolidator tickets.
Since visitors book their own flights, they are on a level playing field with everyone else.
When you visit a site specializing in consolidator tickets, make sure that the site allows you to book in real time as the pricing on these types of tickets can change regularly.
Don't waste your time on a site that asks you to send in an email request, they could take days to respond and you may be missing a great deal by not acting quickly.
One final thing to know is the pricing on consolidator tickets can rapidly change, so you may wish to check back often to review pricing, but do take in to consideration that prices generally will go up as you approach your departure date.
I tell my clients to book around 4-6 weeks in advance to find the best prices.