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I’ve started to see more and more good transatlantic Business Class fares in past few weeks with fares to Chicago from $1,680, fares to Vegas from around $1,620,a great sale out of Prague which saw flight prices as low as $1,346 and, of course, the amazingly low fares I posted yesterday. Now there’s another set of fares that’s worth taking a closer look at.
This set of fares may not be priced as cheaply as some of the other recent fare sales I’ve highlighted but these fares have their own selling points – they’re still available and they’re spread out across the next 11 months. If you didn’t find something in those sales, perhaps this sale may work better for you.
Update: the fares I’m highlighting are for travel on oneworld airlines but it looks like SkyTeam is now matching some of these fares too.
Lisbon – USA Business Class From $1,708
We don’t see all that many fare sales out of Lisbon so this one caught me by surprise when I noticed it while searching for something completely different.
Headline Fare Rules
- Travel from now through 14 June 2018
- Book on/before 12 October 2017
- Reservations must be made at least 14 day before travel
- Minimum stay criteria can be as low as 2 days (depends on day of departure)
- Maximum stay is 12 months from date of departure
- Stopovers are not permitted.
An important thing to stress is that I’ve seen these fares available throughout the period that the rules say they should be available….so that’s from two weeks time through to the middle of June.
The price may vary slightly during that timeframe but not by all that much.
Lisbon – Chicago Business Class From $1,734
The best fare appears to be available in 2018 but the pricing throughout the rest of the period isn’t materially higher.
Example availability:
Here’s an example routing booked through American Airlines….
…but you’ll find similar fares available through British Airways….
…and Iberia:
Lisbon – New York (JFK) Business Class From $1,736
I’m not going to show as much detail here as I did above but you should assume that availability on this route is similar to that shown for Chicago.
Example availability:
Even if you want to fly in the next few weeks you should be able to grab some great fares:
These fares can be found through American, BA and Iberia with occasionally a little variance in price.
Lisbon – Miami Business Class From $1,807
As before I’m not going to go into great detail regarding availability as it’s there to be found from October through June…but here’s an example month….
…and here’s an example fare and routing:
If you have trouble finding this fare on American (as I did) that does not mean that it’s not out there.
Using the multi-city tool on Orbitz brought this up for me (which is close enough):
Lisbon – Boston Business Class From $1,708
On this route the fares appear to be less uniform than on the other routes as, at some times of the year the better fares are predominantly around $1,760…..
….while just a month later the fare can drop to $1,708 (although this fare appears to be disappearing fast)
Here’s an example routing for these fares:
Important Things To Consider
If you find a fare you like on the dates you’d like to travel there are a few other things you’ll need to consider before you go ahead and book.
Consider which airline you should be booking through
There will be times when you can book the same fare for the same flights on the same dates through any number of oneworld airlines but some will still be better for you than others.
For example:
If you’re looking to earn American Airlines elite qualifying miles then booking through American will be best for you (the earning rates are higher) but, if you’re looking to earn American Airlines elite qualifying dollars then booking through one of the other oneworld airlines will be best.
Know the rules of the rewards program you’ll be crediting your flights to before you book.
Consider the aircraft you’re being offered
These fares are being offered on a number of different routings and the Business Class cabins you’ll be flying can vary significantly.
For example:
Here are two slightly different routings for travel between Lisbon and New York and notice the different aircraft I’ve highlighted.
The first routing would see you fly in an American Airlines 767 (reviewed here) while the second would see you fly in an Iberia A330 (reviewed here).
The Iberia cabin (shown below) is vastly superior to the one you’ll find on the American Airlines 767 so, if at all possible, that one you should choose.
Be aware of the layover times
This may seem obvious but you would be surprised how many people forget to check just how long they’ll be hanging around an airport lounge while waiting for their connecting flight.
Some fares on offer will have considerably longer layovers than others and it may well be worth paying a little more to get to your destination quicker.
Bottom Line
Hopefully these fares will help some of you get across the pond in a bit more comfort than you may otherwise have done (or at least a little cheaper).
Make sure you take into consideration more than just the fares before you book and make sure understand how may miles/elite qualifying points each option will earn you and what comfort you can expect on each routing – that will go a long way to making sure you really make the most of these fares.
