Fares start as low as $1,990, thanks to an increase in competition among the majors.
Well, the major airlines are starting to claw at each other on Asia routes, but especially to Beijing. If you want to get a firsthand view of the vibrant economy, a country with an almost fathomless past, and The Great Wall, this is your chance.
We can’t tell you exactly why the major carriers are doing this, except to say that they foresee excess capacity. Make your move, as the fares may not last.
Business Class fares from the U.S. to Asia have historically been $4,000 to $7,000+ on major carriers, but on some routes (see chart below), fares have plummeted, starting now as low as $1,990 from some cities.
Fares are available from Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Raleigh-Durham, San Diego, and St. Louis. (First Class is a different story. Fares are still $10,000+, so try to use miles for an upgrade.)
Las Vegas-Beijing, Compared to High Fare Destination: United’s published Business Class fare is $1,990 round-trip; compared to a high price destination from Las Vegas, such as Hong Kong at $4,048 (inclusive), a savings of $2,165 (53%).
United.com screenshot.
Boston-Beijing, Competition Between the Majors: American’s published Business Class fare is $2,209 round-trip, 37% less than United’s $3,539 round-trip fare.
MAKE NO MISTAKE, THESE ARE REAL FARES
These are real fares, not one-off mistakes, which airlines usually don’t honor. That’s why we don’t report on them.
[aside headline="PAST REPORTS: BACKGROUND AND STRATEGY" alignment="aligncenter" width="big" headline_size="default"]
In December, we offered a high-level overview of airline tactical fares, which come in several forms: holiday (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s), origin-specific, destination-specific, advance-purchase, and limited-route. In February, we wrote about new lower tactical fares to Africa, in April, to India, and in June, to southern South America.[/aside]