I am loath to post many mileage deals that appear to be mistakes on this blog because airlines do read blogs and respond quickly – I may not have the readership of The Points Guy, but it is no coincidence that shortly after I posted instructions on manually booking US Airways awards a fresh memo was circulated to US Airways forbidding them to long sell flights.
> Read More: Diagnosing a Problem: Booking Lufthansa Award Space with US Airways Dividend Miles
> Read More: Leaked US Airways Memo: Agents Forbidden to Manually Request Award Space
But in this case several blogs have already picked this up and there is some indication this is an intentional sale, so I am happy to talk about it as well in hopes that you will be able to take advantage of it.
Back in March when United devalued its award chart, it introduced a two-tiered pricing structure in which award flights on United’s partners required more miles than flying on United metal. In the case of Europe, United transatlantic flights were 57.5K one-way while all partner flights were 70K one-way.
Whether a technical glitch or a deliberate sale, all transatlantic flights in January 2015 and beyond are pricing at the 57.5K level, even on partners. Some are now reporting that miles are being deducted under a “Saver Sale” description in their MileagePlus accounts, so perhaps this is a genuine sale. If you are trying to travel this month, partner awards are still pricing at 70K each way between North America and Europe.
What this means is that a r/t business class trip to Europe drops from 140K to 115K r/t even if you are flying airlines like LOT, Austrian, Lufthansa, or Turkish for the longhaul flight.
Remember that Aeroplan, Air Canada’s spun-off frequent flyer program, offers round-trip business class tickets to Western Europe for 90K r/t and Eastern Europe for 105K r/t, but you are looking at fuel surcharges topping $800 if you fly carriers like Lufthansa or Austrian; fuel surcharges that United does not collect.
Take advantage of this deal – there is a lot of space in the winter and spring and even some next summer and fall if your travel plans are flexible. Let me know if I can help you with your trip.
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