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Right now, awards:
- booked with United miles
- between the United States and Europe
- for flights in January, February, and March 2015
- on partner airlines
- cost only 57,500 miles each way in Business Class
That’s the same price that awards booked on United’s own flights cost, and 12,500 miles off the normal price for Business Class awards on United partners–70,000 miles each way.
I have been monitoring what I believe to be an un-announced sale (rather than a glitch) closely because I am looking to book myself an award in Business Class from the United States to Seville, Spain near the end of March.
An award leaving March 30 using Air Canada Business Class (flat bed!) to cross the ocean is 57,500 United miles, an un-announced discount.
An award leaving in April using Lufthansa Business Class (angled lie flat) is 70,000 miles, the normal price.
This sale appears to be only in January, February, and March. Flights leaving December 30 price partner Business Class at 70,000 miles one way.
The same route in Air Canada Business Class on January 1, 2015 prices at the discounted 57,500 mile price.
How Good Is This Sale?
This is a nice sale, but nothing to go nuts over for two reasons:
- It’s not that cheap. American Airlines charges 50,000 miles each way in Business Class to Europe on its own flights or partners. Delta will charge 62,500 miles each way in Business Class to Europe for awards booked on or after January 1, 2015.
- United Business Class is better than most of its partners to Europe. United BusinessFirst (as they confusingly call Business Class) features fully flat beds and is more widely available than many partners’ offerings. Lufthansa Business Class, the easiest award space to find to Europe with United miles mostly features angled lie flat beds. Generally to Europe, I’d use my United miles to fly United BusinessFirst any way, so this sale doesn’t change that.
Your Take
Will this sale cause you to take a trip you otherwise wouldn’t? Will you take advantage of the discount for a trip you were already planning?
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BTW It works on United metal flights as well. I was looking at LAX-LHR in March. It shows stops on the outbound in EWR and inbound at ORD with all 4 flights on United metal for 57,500 each way
You indicated that American redemption requires fewer miles, but what about availability? Isn’t American notoriously stingy on business class to Europe with most of the easy availability through the surcharge-heavy metal of British Airways? Or is surcharge-free availability through AAdvantage better than reputed?
Not sure I would choose the United business class over that of its partners. Agreed that it is truly flat but six abreast is just too much compared to other airlines, not to mention the service quality…..
[…] month, there were unannounced sales in partner Business Class to Europe, the Middle East, and India. These sales were restricted to off peak times though–January, […]
[…] Fly from Europe to the United States in Business Class for 57,500 United miles because of this secret sale […]