first class flyer - the travel insider · 10-year anniversary vol. 17 no. 4 • april 2012...

10-Year Anniversary

VOL. 17 NO. 4 • APRIL 2012 M A S T E R I N G T H E A R T O F B U S I N E S S & F I R S T C L A S S A I R T R A V E L

M A T T H E W B E N N E T T First Class FlyerM A T T H E W B E N N E T T First Class FlyerM A T T H E W B E N N E T T First Class Flyer

Fare Games ...

For Business Class travel from Miami to Grand Cayman. See page 11.

85%

$436

$1,352

78%

$1,862

For Business Class travel from New York to Stockholm. See page 9.

Savings on First Class travel from Chicago to Johannesburg. See page 7.

Savings on First Class travel from Washington, DC to Beijing. See page 6

For Business Class travel from Los Angeles to Sao Paulo. See page 11.

by the numbers

In this issue . . .

How and Why to Take Advantage of Free Stopovers and Side Trips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 2

How to Score First Class Vacations for the Price of Economy . . . . . . . . . page 5

How to Save Up to 85% on First Class Travel Worldwide . . . . . . page 6

New Hawaii Routes Yield Free First Class Award Space . . . . . . . . . page 7

Fare Sleuth

(continued on page 10)


Discounted First Class Fares to Hawaii

Hawaiian Airlines and Delta are offering First Class fares to Honolulu, Kauai, and Kona with savings of up to 50% (depending on the route), when compared to other major airlines serving these destinations, among them American and United.

Star Alliance Carrier’s Mileage-Program Change Yields Free Award Availability . . . . . . . page 8

The Other Venice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 9

Flying Lesser Known Airlines or Using One-off Fare Promos Yield Big Business Class Savings . . . . . page 11

When Redeeming Miles Is Relatively Easy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 12

Hot Ticket

15 Routes for the Taking at Up to 50% Off the Lowest Award RateFor Travel in Business and First Class to Europe and Hawaii

March was this year’s first big month for mileage transfer and buying promo-tions. Two of them stand out more than the others; one, because it gives you great low-cost award availability access for travel in Business and First Class to Europe; and the other, because it offers the cheapest way to buy miles currently.

Both promotions were announced in our newsroom alerts: British Airways’ 50% mileage transfer bonus from Amex Rewards (March 17), and US Airways’ 100% buying miles bonus (March 20). Both can yield Business and First Class travel at up to 50% off the lowest published award rate.

“Mapping” these Lucrative Options with Your “Travel Personality”

For the “I Must Book Now!” traveler: Both promotions are made for you because you can buy miles from US Airways for as little as 1.75¢ (up to 100,000 miles), or receive 50% more miles when transferring Amex Rewards points to British Airways.

Instead of just highlighting the potential savings these mileage promotions can yield, FCF went the extra mile to find routes on which free low-cost award space is available—now—for immediate booking on US Airways and British Airways (see charts on page 10).

For the “I’ll Buy Miles Anytime They’re Cheap” traveler: If you’re like me, you stock up on miles when they’re cheap, so you have a multitude of options whenever you need to take off. In which case, the US Airways promotion is made for you. At 1.75¢ for up to 100,000 miles, it is the lowest price per mile anywhere—half the price many other airlines charge. (When miles come this cheap, they are much easier to let go of, too; something many people have a hard time doing—myself included—especially when they were much harder to accumulate!)

Sample Discounted First Class Fares to HawaiiR / T Fare Route Airline

$865 San Jose, CA - Maui, Kona HA

$995 San Jose, CA - Honolulu, Kauai HA

$1,146 Los Angeles - Honolulu DL

$1,552 Washington, DC - Honolulu DL

$1,576 Philadelphia - Honolulu DL

Taxes and fees ($100 - $150) not included. HA = Hawaiian, DL = Delta.

Copyright ©2012 First Class Flyer, Inc. 2

M A T T H E W B E N N E T T First Class Flyer

A B O U T T H E P U B L I S H E RMatthew J. Bennett has been tracking down airfare deals since his days as a minor league pitcher for the Kansas City Royals. His specialty was uncovering bargain fares for teammates, which eventually earned him the sobriquet “the guy who doesn’t pay retail for anything,” and made him one of the most popular guys in the clubhouse. Since then, “Mr. Upgrade” has gained a reputation as the leading authority on luxury travel values, serving his readers and his corporate clients by advising them how to travel in style without spending a fortune. He is consulted regularly by top publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Condé Nast Traveler, and other media including CNN, MSNBC, NBC, and FOX News.


How and Why to Take Advantage of Free Stopovers and Side TripsGet All You Can from Mileage Tickets—as Many as Three Trips for the Price of One

High & Inside with Matthew Bennett

When it comes to planning a trip, most of us have tunnel vision: We want Point A to Point B and return. In other words, a non-stop flight. It’s understandable. Time is scarce, changing planes is tiring. Why not get it over with?

Here’s one good answer: Because you can often get more for your miles by taking advantage of the free stopovers that some airlines allow with mileage tickets. If you really want to squeeze value out of a free mileage award ticket, you can add a second or third destination (a side trip) by aggressively using award charts and stopover rule strategies.

Rules to Keep in Mind• Thestopoveralwayshastobe

enroute to your final destination.

• Thehubcityoftheprimaryorpartner airline is usually the stopover opportunity, or the jumping-off point, for the free side-trip.

• Someairlinesdonotallowastopwithinthedepartureregion. For example, Lufthansa does not allow a stopover in the U.S. if you are departing from the U.S., but it does allow one in Europe if that’s your destination. However, on the return from Europe to the U.S. you are allowed a stop in the

U.S. because it is now your destination.•Someairlinesdonotallowastopoverwithin

North America.

Seven Ways to Exploit Free Stopovers and Side Trips Get three international cities for the price of oneYou are going to see family in London and are departing from

Houston, and you’d like to “check off” two other cities, Athens and New York, on your bucket list. You have 85,000 Starwood points, but these three trips booked separately would cost 250,000 miles. The solution is to transfer your points to Lufthansa, which allows two stopovers (one stop in each direction), including flights on Star Alliance car-riers. Here’s the itinerary: Houston-London on United non-stop; London-Munich or Frankfurt-Athens on Lufthansa; back to the U.S.

on Lufthansa (Athens-Munich or Frankfurt-New York); and United back to Houston. All for 105,000 miles in Business Class.

The “partner bypass strategy”: Not all award partners allow the same type of stop

Definitions

StopoverIn airline terms, a stopover is a stop of more than four hours on a domestic itinerary or more than 24 hours on an international one. If you can make a connection in a city, you can sometimes stopover there for free. In the U.S. and Europe, connecting cities are often an airline’s hub.

Side Trip In FCF terms, a side trip is an add-on destination within a region. This strategy works with airlines that use a regional award chart, meaning a mileage award ticket costs the same number of miles for travel between all destinations served in regions A and B. For instance, New York (Continental U.S./Canada) and Frankfurt (Europe), allows a side trip in Budapest on an award ticket at no extra cost with Lufthansa, since both Budapest and Frankfurt are in the same award region, Europe.



Air Canada is a partner of United and US Airways. But United doesn’t allow stopovers in North America on tickets booked with Air Canada miles. However, US Airways does. So you could travel Vancouver-New York, making a free stopover enroute in US Airways’ hub city, Phoenix.

Two international cities for the price of one You are going to Istanbul from Chicago on vacation. You could add in a second European city for free, among them London, Frankfurt, Munich, Paris, or Zurich, as they are all hubs for various carriers, such as Delta, Lufthansa, United, and SWISS. And, if you have to make a connection anyway, why not get a second city stay for free?

The “tack-on” strategy: How to get Russia for 15,000 miles round-tripLet’s say you are going to Germany on vacation and you have miles with Air Canada. A free Business Class award ticket costs 90,000 miles, but by paying just 15,000 miles more you could add a second destination, such as western Russia, Hungary, or Turkey. When I fly on awards, I seldom just go to one place—there are just too many places to go! This strategy makes it really affordable.

A free Hawaii stopover on an international trip You are going to Tokyo from Dallas on American, which allows a free stopover in a North American gateway city on an intenational award ticket. Ho-nolulu is an American gateway, so for 100,000 miles round-trip, you get a Business Class ticket and a stop in Hawaii on your way to Tokyo. The free stop in Hawaii would normally cost you about 70,000 miles were it booked on its own from Dallas on American. For the person who doesn’t like long flights, here’s a way to “break them up.”

Mini round-the-world strategy gets you a free upgrade to Business or First ClassBy ‘mini round-the-world’ trip, I mean departing from North America with only four stops (not the usual seven or eight plus stops). Here is one possible itinerary: New York to Lon-

don, Hong Kong, Sydney, and Honolulu. For this itinerary, United charges 350,000 miles round-trip in First Class, 260,000 in Business Class, and 180,000 in economy for an award ticket.

But if you use an oneworld flight distance award (offered by American or Japan Airlines), which, by the way, allows up to seven stops, you would only pay 150,000 miles for Business and 230,000 for First Class.

Net a free upgrade to First Class by combining two economy trips

Let’s say you’re going on a vaca-tion to Southern California, flying New York-Los Angeles, and you also have a second trip planned around the same time to Atlanta to see your family. Atlanta is a Delta hub and the carrier also flies the transcon. Two separate round-trip economy tickets on Delta would cost you a total of 50,000 miles.

But if you combined the two trips and made Atlanta a free stopover on your way to Los Angeles—Delta allows a free stopover there and in Detroit, Minneapolis, or Salt Lake City—so you could fly First Class for 45,000 miles, 5,000 miles

less than two economy tickets.

Other Recent & Related FCF Mileage-Optimizing Features March:The Premium Traveler’s Best Friend: One-Way Mileage Awards—page 2

February: Taking Advantage of Mileage Award Chart Anomalies to Net Free Upgrades—page 2

How and Why to Take Advantage of Free Stopovers (continued from page 2)

Take a free stopover in Honolulu on American on your way to Asia—by knowing

which loyalty program to book through.

Comprehensive Stopover Award

Opportunity Cheat Sheet On page 4



Airlines Offering Free Stopover Travel Awards

Airline AllianceMileage Program

Stopover in U.S.

International Stopover

Allows Both: U.S. and

International

Allows Partner-Award

Stopovers

Credit Card

Partner Fine Print

Air Canada Star Alliance Aeroplan Yes Yes No Yes Amex,

Starwood

For Air Canada flights: One stopover; except between Canada/Continental U.S. and Asia, Tel Aviv, or Australia.

Alaska Airlines None Mileage

Plan Yes Yes No Yes StarwoodOne stopover unless award travel is solely on Alaska; one enroute stopover in each direction on a round-trip award.

American oneworld AAdvantage Yes

Yes (oneworld

airline award)

Yes (oneworld

airline award) Yes Starwood

American allows one domestic stopover only on international flight award; Up to 7 stops on its “oneworld airline award” since miles are calculated based on flight miles.

Austrian, Brussels, LOT Polish, Lufthansa, SWISS

Star Alliance

Miles & More Yes Yes Yes Yes Starwood

Two stopovers: All awards allow a stopover in each direction to the final destination: Itinerary cannot exceed two connections each way.

Cathay Pacific oneworld Asia Miles Yes Yes Yes Yes Starwood

Up to two stopovers on all airline partners except Air China and Iberia. Oneworld multi-carrier awards allow a maximum of five stopovers (based on flight distance).

China Southern

Sky Team

Sky Pearl Club Yes Yes No Yes Starwood Stopover is allowed once for SkyTeam award

tickets via connecting flights.

Delta Sky Team SkyMiles Yes Yes No Yes Amex,

Starwood One stopover.

Emirates n/a Skywards No Yes No Yes Starwood One stopover; including awards on Korean.

Japan Airlines oneworld

JAL Mileage

BankYes Yes Yes Yes Starwood

JAL award: When Japan is the destination one stopover in Japan is permitted; when another country in Asia is the destination two stopovers in Japan are permitted. Oneworld partner awards: Air France, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Eastern Ailines, Emirates, Finnair, Iberia, LAN, Qantas, Royal Jordnian allow 2 stopovers. “oneworld airline award” allows up to 7 stopovers.

Korean Airlines

Sky Team SkyPass Yes Yes Yes Yes Chase SP

One stopover is allowed in one direction; with a maximum of two stopovers round-trip for both Korean and partner awards.

LAN Airlines oneworld LANPASS No Yes No No Starwood One stopover.

Singapore Star Alliance KrisFlyer No Yes No Yes Amex,

StarwoodOne stopover on a round-trip saver award for Singapore and Star Alliance partners.

Thai Airways

Star Alliance

Royal Orchid

PlusNo Yes No Yes Starwood

Star Alliance award: One enroute stopover in each direction; Thai award; International travel allows one stopover in each direction.

United Star Alliance MileagePlus Yes Yes No Yes Chase SP

Starwood One stopover.

US Airways Star Alliance

Dividend Miles Yes No No Yes Starwood

US Airways award: Stopovers are not permitted when travel is within one award region; for international travel you’re allowed one stopover at a US Airways gateway: Charlotte, Philadelphia and Phoenix. Partner award: One enroute stopover per itinerary is permitted for select international travel awards.



How to Score First Class Vacations for the Price of EconomyDomestic Vacation Upgrades


Here’s one of the golden rules of online leisure-travel booking: A “package” deal often beats á la carte pricing. That’s because airlines and hotels that offer low-price guarantees can discount invisibly online as the rates for flight and hotel “are not broken out”.

FCF tested the concept on a recent San Francisco-Los Ange-les trip. The lowest online economy fare on United came in at $137 (including taxes). Three nights at the Ritz-Carlton Marina Del Rey came to $1,116 including taxes. Had we booked each separately, the total would have come to $1,253.

Then we tried booking the trip on Orbitz as a package deal, except that we went for First Class on United. Total price: $1,109. That is not only tantamount to getting a free upgrade to First Class, but one that is actually “cheaper-than-free,” since we also paid less than the á la carte price—this time, for First Class.

We looked at more than 100 different itineraries in North America to find routes where a flight-hotel package yielded a free upgrade to First Class. The three-night stays shown in the chart below are based on one person traveling, whereas the

seven-night stays are for two people. You can’t always nail the free or cheaper-than-free upgrade, but when you can, it sure is sweet.

Factors to Keep in Mind• Low-costFirstClassroutesofferthebestchancesforfree

upgrades since the difference between economy and First Class is not enormous. So don’t try this on LAX-NYC because the difference in class is well over $2,000 per ticket. That said, you can still often save money on hotels by booking an air-hotel package.

• Thelongeryoustay,thebetteryourchancesof bringing down or eliminating the cost of the upgrade. Book a three-night air-hotel package for two from LA to Maui, flying First Class on Delta and staying at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua in a garden room, and the cost is $4,223. Booked separately, the price is $3,109, so the upgrade in this case costs $1,114. But if you book the same package for seven nights, the Orbitz price is $6,070 in First Class, whereas an á la carte booking in economy is $6,450, saving you $380 and yielding a “cheaper-than-free upgrade” to First Class.

Free First Class Upgrade Samples for Three Nights: Based on One Person Traveling May 15

Route Airline HotelHotel Room

Category

Total Hotel Cost Incl. All Taxes

Published Coach

Fare Incl. All Taxes

Hotel and Coach Class

Fare Total

Orbitz Total Package Cost in

First Class

Savings (In Addition

to a Free Upgrade)

San Francisco - Los Angeles UA Ritz-Carlton Marina Del Rey Deluxe $1,116 $137 $1,253 $1,109 $144

Atlanta - Philadelphia US Four Seasons Superior City View $1,206 $328 $1,534 $1,457 $77

New York - Atlanta US Ritz-Carlton Deluxe $936 $375 $1,311 $1,295 $16

New York - San Juan, PR* AA Ritz-Carlton San Juan City View $1,297 $279 $1,576 $1,403 $173

Free First Class Upgrade Samples for Seven Nights: Based on Two People Traveling May 15

Route Airline HotelHotel Room

Category

Total Hotel Cost Incl. All

Taxes Booked on Hotel Website

Coach Class Fare Incl. All

Taxes Booked on Airline Website


Fare Total


Fare Per Person

Orbitz Total Package Cost in

First Class

Orbitz Per Person Package Cost in

First Class

Savings (In Addition

to a Free Upgrade)

Los Angeles - Maui DL Ritz-Carlton

MauiResidential

Garden Suite $5,192 $629 $6,450 $3,225 $6,070 $3,035 $380

New York - San Juan, PR AA Ritz-Carlton

San Juan City View $3,068 $279 $3,626 $1,813 $3,280* $1,640 $346

Los Angeles - Cancun AM JW Marriott

Cancun Ocean View $1,987 $499 $2,985 $1,492 $2,796** $1,398 $189

*Business Class flights; price includes local hotel charges of $210. ** Business Class flights. AM = Aeromexico, AA = American, DL = Delta, UA = United, US = US Airways.




A Little Bit of Effort Can Knock $15,000+ Off Fares with American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas

How to Save Up to 85% on First Class Travel Worldwide

FCF First Class Advisor

When it comes to international First Class fares, the outlook is stark: Fares are high and they will stay there because inventory is low. First Class cabins are not large to begin with, and nowadays not every carrier even offers one, so the carriers that do can charge top dollar. This makes a First Class free award ticket the best way to use miles.

But what if you don’t have any miles or don’t have enough of them for a First Class ticket? Then the Alaska Airlines’ bonus miles buying promotion is for you.

Alaska Airlines: Industry Maverick and Gateway to 12 Major Airlines It is not a member of any alliance, but is on good terms with many of the members. It offers mileage redemption with a variety of airlines, and in particular, a very good selection of those with international First Class: American, British Airways (at times for up to 140,000/47% fewer miles than BA charges), Cathay Pacific, and Qantas.

Limitless Opportunities But the key element for the would-be First Class flyer is that

Alaska imposes no limit on the number of miles you can buy in a given year, which means you can purchase the 100,000+ miles it usually takes for a First Class award ticket. Alaska also sells miles at the decent rate of 2.75¢ per mile, whereas many other airlines charge more than 3¢. (Delta and United, for instance, charge 3.5¢ per mile.) During the pro-motion miles are an even better deal: 1.96¢. Alaska does impose a limit of 40,000 miles per transaction, but trans-ations are unlimited. It charges a 7.5% tax fee per transac-tion. More information: Alaska Link. (You can also transfer points into Alaska miles from Starwood or Diners Club.)

Example Savings: On American to Asia Let’s say you are going from Washington, DC to Beijing on American Airlines. The published First Class fare is $18,171, which would warp many people’s credit card. Instead, purchase 135,000 miles, the cost of a First Class award ticket on American for this route from Alaska, and cash them in for a Partner Award. The cost is $2,750—$15,421 (or 85%) less.

Many other destinations yield similar savings, as the chart on page seven shows.

Save up to 82% on Cathay Pacific’s First Class from North America to

Asia through this strategy.

Save up to 75% on American’s First Class from the

U.S. to Europe.

https://buy.points.com/PointsPartnerFrames/partners/alaskaair/container.html?language=en&product=BUY&CAMPAIGNCODE=ASBGTLandingBuyBody&c=ASBGTLandingBuyBody



How to Save Up to 85% on First Class Travel Worldwide

First Class Savings via Alaska Partner Airlines Award

Route Airline Miles Needed Cost to Buy Miles Published Fare Savings

Atlanta - Rome British Airways 140,000 $2,805 $11,234 $8,429 / 75%

Chicago - Johannesburg British Airways 160,000 $3,162 $14,559 $11,397 / 78%

Dallas - Tokyo American 125,000 $2,502 $7,755 $5,253 / 68%

Los Angeles - Sydney Qantas 140,000 $2,805 $19,398 $16,593 /85%

Miami - Buenos Aires American 125,000 $2,502 $6,512 $4,010 / 62%

New York - Dubai British Airways 160,000 $3,162 $13,126 $9,964 / 76%

New York - Hong Kong Cathay Pacific 140,000 $2,805 $15,360 $12,555 / 82%

New York - London American 125,000 $2,502 $9,850 $7,348 / 75%

San Francisco - Mumbai British Airways 160,000 $3,162 $12,197 $9,035 / 74%

Washington, DC - Beijing American 135,000 $2,750 $18,171 $15,421 / 85%

*Fares do not include taxes.

(continued from page 6)

FCF Air Traffic Control

On Our Radar This Month

New Hawaii Routes Yield Free First Class Award Space

New routes used to be a gold mine for free award space, especially if you were flexible. Not so anymore, especially at the big carriers such as Delta and United, thanks to ever more precise yield management.

So we were very surprised to find plentiful First Class award space, a rarity on any route to Hawaii, on Alaska’s new routes to the Aloha State: San Jose and Oakland to Kauai and Kona. Alaska charges 75,000 miles for a free First Class award ticket, and partners with American and Delta mileage programs.

Getting Alaska MilesTransfer 60,000 points from Starwood and with the 25% bonus for every 20,000 miles transferred you’ll have the 75,000 miles.

Why You May Not Need Alaska Miles Free award seat availability through Alaska’s own mileage program is often similar to that on American and Delta.

In other words, the miles you’ve been buying cheap through Delta, which we’ve been recommending lately (see our March 15 alert on a 75% bonus), can be redeemed through Delta’s award chart—for travel on these Alaska flights to

Hawaii.

Making Connections These new flights depart in the morning, so you may have to overnight in San Jose or Oakland when making a connection from some departure cities.

Free First Class Award Space on Alaska Airlines

Route

Departure Availability Return Availability

Decent Go For It Decent Go For It

San Jose - Kauai June, July Aug. to Nov., Jan. June to Jan.

San Jose - Kona April to Nov., Jan. Dec. Dec. Jan. May to Nov.

Oakland - Kauai April, June, Jan. May, July to Nov. April to June, Feb. July to Nov.

Oakland - Kona May, June, Nov July to Oct. May to Jan.

Decent: Award space is available for two people traveling on the same itinerary about 9 to 12 days during the month indicated.

Go For It: Award space is available for two people traveling on the same itinerary about 13 days or more during the month indicated.



The Free Award Space Sleuth

Star Alliance Carrier’s Mileage-Program Change Yields Free Award AvailabilityIn last month’s issue (page 4) we detailed the changes in Singapore Airlines’ mileage program, showing how to save as much as 44% by taking advantage of the new rules. Here’s part two—the routes that offer the best chances of getting a free mileage award. (We were unable to include this information in the March issue because at press time, we were unable to check saver mile-age award space.) Having now checked all of Singapore’s routes from the U.S., we’ve come up with six that offer very good free award availability (see chart below).

How to Get Miles If You Don’t Have Them Miles can be transferred from American Express Rewards. The website states that the transfer time is up to three business days, but the last time I transferred points, they were posted the same day.

Starwood is also a point-transfer partner. Transfer time is usually longer than that of Amex Rewards, but you get a 25% bonus for every 20,000 points transferred. (Transfer limit: 79,998 points per transaction per 24-hour period, which

yields 94,998 Singapore miles.) If your dates are flexible or you just need to top-off an account, then this is the better option because of the 25% bonus.

Save Up to 72% off the Published First Class FareThe published First Class fare on Houston-Moscow starts at $11,876 (plus taxes). Singapore requires only 135,000 miles round-trip for the ticket, so it’s smart to buy points from Amex Rewards (500,000 annual limit). At 2.5¢ per mile, that comes to $3,375, a savings of $8,501 (72%). Free award space

looks very good over the next nine months on this route, and Singapore offers its new First Class cabin on this aircraft.

Free Mileage Space on the A380 On two of the routes listed in the chart below, Los Angeles-Tokyo and New York-Frankfurt, Singapore uses the A380. If you haven’t flown the plane, this is your chance. It costs 115,000 miles in Business Class for New York-Frankfurt and 155,000 for Los Angeles-Tokyo—and there was a decent number of seats available at press time.

Why You May Not Need to Get the Miles If You Don’t Have Them

Singapore’s own availability of award seats—through its own mileage program—is occasionally similar to the availability of award seats via two partner mileage programs: United and US Airways.

In other words, the miles you’ve been buying cheap through US Airways, which we’ve been strongly recommending, can be redeemed through US Airways award chart for travel on Singapore.

Best Routes For Free Award Space on Singapore Airlines Over the Next Ten Months

Route Class



Los Angeles - Tokyo (A380) Business April to Jan. April to Dec.

San Francisco - Hong Kong Business Sept., Oct. April April to July, Sept. to Jan.

San Francisco - Seoul Business Jan. April to Dec. April to July, Sept. to Jan.

Los Angeles - Singapore Business April to Jan. Dec. , Jan. April to Nov.

New York - Frankfurt (A380) Business Aug., Sept., Nov., Dec. April, July, Oct., Jan. April to Jan.

Houston - Moscow First April to Dec. April to Nov., Jan.





9


The Other VeniceLogistics This is an overnight flight, but much depends on the airline you fly. Delta flies non-stop from New York, but with the European carriers, you’ll have to change planes (in Paris with Air France, in Frankfurt or Munich with Lufthansa, in Amsterdam with KLM). Even Scandinavian Airlines makes you change in Copenhagen.

Where to Stay

Hotel Skeppsholmen: New and part of the city’s new glamour; the island of Skeppsholmen, but only a 10-minute walk from the city center. Columbus Hotel: In Sodermalm, housed in an 18th-century building; rooms are a bargain for Stockholm. First Hotel Reisen: Quayside in the heart of Stockholm’s Old Town, called Gamla Stan. The Grand Hotel: This is the Ritz of Stockholm, the blow-the-budget throwback (but modern where it needs to be) on the harbor overlooking the Royal Palace and Gamla Stan; the only Swedish hotel in Leading Hotels of the World.

What to See Gamla Stan: Yes, the Old Town has become a bit too touristy for its own good, but it’s still terrifically atmospheric and it contains the city’s major sites: the 600-room Royal Palace and Stockholm Cathedral. Vasa Museum: The only museum to house an almost completely preserved 17th-century ship. (That may sound boring but this is the most visited museum in Scandanavia.) Thiel Art Gallery: The magnificent private collection of Ernst Thiel contains the cream of Scandanavian artists including Edvard Munch. On the island of Djurgar-den. The Archipelago: Stockholm consists of thousands of islands, some barely big enough for one person. Don’t leave without taking an archipelago cruise.

Good Deal, Unique Destination

By Gary Walther

Sample of Special Business Class Fares to StockholmSpecial Fares Departure Cities

$1,352 New York

$1,362 Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh

$1,528 Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis,

$1,732 Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Omaha

$1,832 Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle

*Taxes and fees ($700 - $900) not included.

Here’s a travel riddle: Water + islands + bridges = what two European cities?

Right you are, Venice is one of them. And the other? Five seconds, four, three….

Okay, it’s Stockholm, the understated, underrated capital of Sweden and sometimes called “the Venice of the North.” Right now it’s having five-plus minutes of fame thanks to the phenomenal interest aroused by the Stieg Larsson Millennium triology. The hero, Mikael Blomkvist, lives in Sodermalm (at Bellansgatan, 1, which has become a fan pilgrimage site), a Stockholm neighborhood that has gone from gritty to hippest in just the past few years.

But Stockholm has been on a roll for a few years now. There are restaurants like Frantzen/Lindeberg and F12, that are light years from the old standard smoked herring and meatballs menu; a thriving design district in Vasastan, north of the city center; and yes, an atmospheric old town called Gamla Stan.

The DealThis summer is the time to see for yourself, given the great promotional Business Class fares (under $2,000) being offered by most SkyTeam and Star Alliance airlines, among them, Air Canada, Air France, Delta, KLM, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, SWISS, and United. Round-trip fares range from $1,352 from New York to $1,832 from Los Angeles. The departure window is May 24 to Sept. 3 and requires a 60-day advance.

http://www.hotelskeppsholmen.com/

http://www.columbus.se/eng/info.htm

http://www.firsthotels.com/Our-hotels/Hotels-in-Sweden/Stockholm/First-Hotel-Reisen/

http://www.lhw.com/Hotel/Grand-Hotel-Stockholm-Stockholm-Sweden?ext=Search&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=US_EUR_Sweden_Hotels&utm_term=%20the%20%20grand%20%20hotel%20%20stockholm%20broad&LID=sXF2ykBpy&pcrid=7153030280&gclid=CILPkKLbt64CFcRU4godo385nA

http://www.lhw.com/Hotel/Grand-Hotel-Stockholm-Stockholm-Sweden?ext=Search&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=US_EUR_Sweden_Hotels&utm_term=%20the%20%20grand%20%20hotel%20%20stockholm%20broad&LID=sXF2ykBpy&pcrid=7153030280&gclid=CILPkKLbt64CFcRU4godo385nA



15 Routes for the Taking at Up to 50% OffBusiness Class for the Price of Coach—Almost The BA transfer promotion can also be of great value when traveling to Europe in Business Class, since BA only charges 80,000 miles from many of its U.S. gateways including

Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New York, and Washington, DC. The transfer promotion reduces the cost to 54,000 points, only 4,000 points more than many other airlines charge for economy class!



Routes With Free Award Space on British Airways to London

U.S. Departure City Class



New York (JFK)First Sept., Nov. July, Aug., Oct., Dec., Jan. Nov. July to Oct., Dec., Jan.

Business Oct. July to Sept., Nov. to Jan. Sept. July, Aug., Nov. to Jan.

BostonFirst May to Jan. May to Jan.

Business May to Jan. Sept. May to Aug., Oct. to Jan.

ChicagoFirst July Aug., Oct. to Jan. Sept. Aug., Oct. to Jan.

Business July, Sept., Oct. Aug., Nov. to Jan. Sept. Aug., Oct. to Jan.

DallasFirst July Aug., Oct. to Jan. Aug., Sept. Oct. to Jan.

Business July, Sept. Aug., Oct. to Jan. Sept., Oct. Aug., Nov. to Jan.

MiamiFirst Sept. to Jan. Dec. Sept. to Nov., Jan.

Business Nov., Dec. Jan.

Los AngelesFirst Nov. to Jan. Nov. to Jan.

Business Nov. Dec.

San FranciscoFirst Nov. to Jan. Nov. to Jan.

Business Dec. Nov., Jan. Nov. to Jan.

Washington, DCFirst June July to Jan. June to Jan.

Business June July to Jan. Sept. June to Aug., Oct. to Jan.

AtlantaFirst June July to Jan. July Aug. to Jan.

Business July, Aug. Sept. to Jan. Aug. Sept. to Jan.

HoustonFirst May, June July to Jan. May, June July to Jan.

Business July, Sept. to Nov. Aug., Dec. to Jan. Sept. to Nov. Dec., Jan.

Newark (EWR)First July to Jan. July to Jan.

Business July to Jan. July Aug. to Jan.

Routes With Free First Class Award Space on US Airways

Route

Departure Availability Return Availability Miles

to BuyCost to

Buy MilesPublished

Fare SavingsDecent Go For It Decent Go For It

Phoenix - Honolulu May, Nov. Jan. May, Nov. Jan.

35,000 $1,225

$2,548 $1,323 / 52%

Phoenix - Kona May, Aug., Oct. to Dec. Sept., Jan. May Sept., to Jan.

$2,762 $1,537 / 56%Phoenix - Lihue Sept., Nov. Jan. Oct., Dec., Jan. Sept., Nov.

Phoenix - Maui Aug., Jan. Sept., Oct., Jan.



Free award space was also available on US Airways for travel to Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, and San Juan PR, but was not included in the chart above because the cost to buy the miles was almost the same as a published fare. Taxes and fees not included for US Airways.



15 Routes for the Taking at Up to 50% off• BAdestinationsbeyondLondoncostextra,andthemiles

required can be high. See page 6 for getting a cheaper mile-age rate with Alaska Airlines.

• IfyoulackAmexRewardspoints,youcanbuyupto500,000 at 2.5¢ each. With the 50% bonus, that equals 750,000 BA miles.

• OurMarch20USAirwaysalertsaidtosignupfora Dividend Miles account and joinpoints.com to qualify for a combined 100% mileage promotion on up to 50,000 miles, since the promotion ends on April 15 and you must have an account with US Airways for at least 12 days to qualify. More information: US Airways Link

• BAtransferpointspromotionendsMay31. More information : BA Link

From its other U.S. gateways, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, BA charges 67,000 miles to London in Busi-ness Class during the promotion—33,000 miles fewer than usual.

First Class for the Price of Business Class For First Class, BA charges 120,000 to 150,000 miles to London, depending on the departure city, which drops to 80,000 to 100,000 miles with the transfer bonus—which makes First Class the same cost as Business Class.

Other Points to Keep in Mind• OneofthegreatthingsaboutBAisthatifyouhavesome

flexibility, free award space is pretty easy to come by—year-round from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Newark, New York (JFK), and Washington, DC.


Fare / Class Route Airline

Alliance or Airline Partners

Mileage Program Partners

Miles Earned

Elite Qualifying

Miles

Major Carrier with Next Best

Fare Savings FCF Comments

$1,500 / Business New York - Milan Air Europa SkyTeam Delta /

SkyMiles 150% 150% American / $4,265

$2,765 / 65%

Booking code “I”. NY-Madrid flight is on Delta. 3-month maximum stay.

$1,529 / Business

Washington, DC - Copenhagen Iceland Air Alaska Alaska /

Mileage Plan 125% 0% United / $3,120

$1,591 / 51%

Booking code “J”. Connection in Iceland. No advance purchase required.

$1,977 / Business Miami - Berlin Air Berlin oneworld American /

AAdvantage 125% 1.5* American / $3,983

$2,006 / 50%

Booking code “I”. Departures: May 1 to Oct. 31. No advance purchase required.

$436 / Business

Miami - Grand Cayman Delta SkyTeam SkyMiles 150% 150% American /

$826$390 / 47%

Booking code “S”. 7-day advance purchase required. 30-day maximum stay.

$1,862 / Business

Los Angeles - Sao Paulo

Copa Airlines Star Alliance United /

MileagePlus 150% 150% US Airways / $4,494

$2,632 / 59%

Booking code “D”. Connecting in Panama City.

*Taxes and fees not included; $700 - $900 on many routes.

Shrewd Alternatives

Flying Lesser Known Airlines or Using One-off Fare Promos Yield Big Business Class Savings (Make a Connection and Save a Lot)


• ManyOrbitzpackageswithFirstClassairdidnotyieldafree upgrade, but rather savings of $100 to $200 over á la carte booking in economy. Still a good deal when you con-sider the seat you’re getting and the fees you’re avoiding.

• SavingsondeluxehotelsbookedthroughOrbitzvary;ourresearch shows Ritz-Carlton hotels are often a good option.

• Thisstrategydoesn’tworkeverywhereeverytime;it’sjustanother option in your FCF toolkit.

How to Score First Class Vacations

http://shopping.usairways.com/en-US/dividendmiles/programdetails/purchasemiles/default.html

http://www.membershiprewards.com/catalog/travel/NewPointsTransfer.aspx?tab=airlines&mrnavlink=topnav%3aTravelFreqFlyerProg&ResetBreadcrumb=true



© Copyright 1996-2012First Class Flyer, Inc.All rights reserved. Reproducingin any form in whole or in partis a violation of federal copyrightlaw and is strictly prohibited.

FIRST CLASS FLYER2511 Garden Road, Suite B-150 Monterey, CA 93940www.firstclassflyer.com

PUBLISHERMatthew J. Bennett

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EDITORIAL CONTACTPlease send your questions,comments, and suggestions to:

Matthew Bennett, PublisherFirst Class Flyer2511 Garden Road, Suite B-150 Monterey, CA 93940Phone (831) 644-9990Fax (831) [email protected]

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The fine print for Hawaiian: • DepartureMondaytoFriday,returnSundaytoFriday.• Departurewindow:April24toMay18,Aug.21to

Sept. 26, Oct. 13 to Nov. 14, Nov. 19 to Dec. 5, Jan. 8 to Feb. 11, 2013, Feb. 19 to March 6, 2013.

• Returnwindow:April30toMay18,Aug.27toSept.2,Sept. 11 to Nov. 9, Nov. 16 to Nov. 23, Nov. 27 to Dec. 14, 2012, Jan. 15 to Feb. 15, 2013.

Discounted First Class Fares to Hawaii (continued from page 1)

Airline Route Class


Handful Decent Go For It Handful Decent Go For It

American

Miami - Sao Paulo First Aug., Jan. Oct. to Dec. June, Aug., Feb. Sept. Oct. to Jan.

New York - Buenos Aires First May, June, Feb. Aug. to Oct. Jan. May, July, Nov., Dec., Feb.

June, Sept., Oct., Jan. Aug.

San Francisco - Honolulu First Feb. May, June, Jan. July to Nov. Feb. May to Jan.

Delta

Boston - London Business May, July Sept., Nov., Feb. Aug., Oct., Dec. Sept., Oct. May, Nov. July, Aug.

Detroit - London Business Aug., Oct., Jan. Nov., Dec. Nov. Dec., Jan.

Minneapolis - London Business Jan., Nov. Dec. Nov. Dec. Jan.

United

Houston - Tokyo Business Aug. Dec., Feb. Jan. Feb. Dec., Jan.

Los Angeles - Honolulu First Aug., Oct. July, Nov., Dec. Jan., Feb. July, Sept. Nov., Dec., Jan. Aug., Oct., Feb.

New York - Munich Business Nov. to Feb. Nov. Dec. Jan., Feb.

US Airways

Charlotte - Aruba First April, July, Nov., Aug., Jan. July, Sept., Oct. April, Aug., Dec. Nov., Jan.

Charlotte - London Business Nov., Dec. Jan., Nov., Dec.

Charlotte - Mexico City First June, Dec., Feb. April, May, July to Nov., Jan. Feb. April to Jan.

Major Credit Cards and Their Airline Point-Transfer Partners

American Express Membership Rewards: Delta. Starwood: American, Delta, United*, and US Airways. Diners Club: Delta. *Not recommended due to 2-to-1 exchange rate.

The fine print for Delta:• DepartureandreturnMonday

to Thursday.• Departurewindow:Nowto

June 7, Aug. 13 to Dec. 14.• Returnwindow:NowtoJune

14, Aug. 20 to Dec. 25.

The FCF Worldwide Mileage-Seat Locator

When Redeeming Miles Is Relatively Easy

Handful: Award space is available for two people traveling on the same itinerary about 4 to 8 days during the month indicated in the chart (at time of research). Worth pursuing if you’re flexible.Decent: Award space is available for two people traveling on the same itinerary about 9 to 12 days during the month indicated.Go For It: Award space is available for two people traveling on the same itinerary about 13 days or more during the month indicated.

first class flyer - the travel insider · 10-year anniversary vol. 17 no. 4 • april 2012...

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