Travel is expensive and I spend most of my free time trying to figure out how to do it for free, or at least cheap. Without becoming a point hoarding lunatic, it’s inevitable that you will have to purchase a ticket some day. When it comes to actually purchasing tickets, coach is sadly my reality. Occasionally, opportunities present themselves where if you are plugged in, you can find seats up front for the same price as coach or at least very close.
There are a few resources on the internet that are worth their weight in gold and I am happy to share them with you. I don’t mind sharing, because the chances that we are going to be competing for the exact same flights or deals are very slim, and as readers, I want to help you elevate your travel at minimal expense. Sitting up front for the price of coach definitely fits that mantra.
I’ve mentioned the website Flyertalk.com before. It’s a community filled mostly with argumentative and condescending people I absolutely cannot stand who speak in code. Though I wouldn’t tell my worst enemy to get chatty on there, I recommend searching and reading the Premium Fare thread on a daily basis. People who have far less busy lives (or are just crazier) than you scour the internet finding these sale, mistake or fare war fares and post them on the forum for our benefit. Most of the fares and deals are to or from obscure locations you may or may not need, but occasionally the golden egg is delivered and you must act quickly. If it’s a big deal and a limited time sale or mistake, it’s going to be posted on there before you see it on any blog. Currently, there is an Emirates sale where you can snag two business class tickets from JFK to Milan roundtrip (vice versa) on their A380 for only $1,500 per person. Similarly, a BA sale where you can start in Oslo, transit London and fly to Singapore in Club World for only $2,000 USD round trip. Considering you’d easily pay $1,000 for coach, these are great deals. Just an a introduction to the code on there: Y means coach, J means business or first.
TheFlightDeal.com is another super resource which is on my daily peruse list. The site is mainly US centric but many of the routings work in reverse too. So if for say there is a flight deal from New York to London, London to New York during the same period would likely work as well. It’s certainly worth a view and regardless of your location can help find great cheap flights for your next trip or vacation.
Finally, there is a software called the ITA Matrix, which is as close to bespoke searching as you will find. Many mistake and or sale fares are found by doing extensive searching of your desired flights, playing around with dates and routings. Give it a whirl. It’s an incredible resource!
Between these three tools you are as well equipped as I am to take advantage of any potential steals. If you find one, share it with me ; )
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