It's not a meltdown, a disaster, as you suggest. Most bargains are for economy travel. But you may be able to save 50 percent or more on published fares in the front cabins, especially on carriers such as Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways, Garuda Indonesia, Korean Airlines, Philippine Airlines and Singapore Airlines. Companies can get discounts of up to 25 percent on published fares depending on how many ''seat-miles'' they buy a year. The same applies to hotel groups.
Schedules are liable to change without notice.
And negotiate with individual properties rather than central reservations.