With the recession at home and the current global economic situation, many travelers are shying away from taking to the skies for a winter vacation. What if instead of holding off on air travel, though, you go a totally different way and book a luxury business class flight overseas?

It might sound crazy, but we’re actually seeing some great international business class bargains. It seems the airlines have finally noticed that business and leisure travelers are staying away from the front of the plane, and the carriers want those seats filled.

FareCompare CEO Rick Seaney took an in depth look at the new wave of transcontinental business class bargains on ABCNews.com and on his blog this week. Check out ABCNews.com Column: Recession Bargain – Business Class for all of the details and a look at ways to save on luxury.

FareCompare CEO Rick Seaney covered one of his favorite topics for his latest weekly column on ABCNews.com: Getting first class tickets at coach prices.

Y-Up and Q-Up airfares have gone relatively unnoticed by most commercial travelers. However, these airfares can allow you to fly first class for just a little more, the same price, or even less than coach. Unlike upgrades, these are guaranteed first class airline tickets, so once you have them, you know you’re sitting up front for less.

Keep reading for more details on Y-Up airfare…

Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com has joined ABCNews.com as a weekly columnist. Rick is kicking things off by discussing how upcoming airline mergers can reduce competition and drive airfare prices up for everyday travelers.

In future columns, Rick will offer tips on finding cheap flights, flying first class at coach prices, and much more.

You can read Rick’s first column, “Do Airline Mergers Mean Higher Prices?” on ABCNews.com now. And please, leave a comment on the ABC site; I’d love to know what you think.