Domestic Savings up to 69%—and How Anyone Can Get Them

March 2009
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Plus, Three Ways to Get Instant Elite Status

Entry-level elites, Continental feels your pain. It knows that the taxes and fees on upgrade and award travel are onerous, but it wants you (and your low-caste Northwest brethren) to take wing in the front cabin.

That’s why Continental is now offering any elite member who buys a published B-fare an upgrade to First Class (or Business, depending on aircraft layout) at time of booking. We checked more than 50 domestic routes and found that in more than half the markets, a B-fare offers tremendous savings—as much as 69% over a First Class ticket. (See chart for some sample routes.) The B-fare also earns more EQMs (150% vs. 100%).

Compared to the new B-fare upgrade, upgrading from the lowest economy fare offers very little savings, and could be more costly in the long run. For example, a First Class upgrade on a Los Angeles–Miami round-trip, when booking the cheapest coach fare and adding surcharges, costs $498 plus 30,000 miles; the B-fare on that route is $778. You’re spending 30,000 miles to save $280, resulting in a value-per-mile of less than a penny.

Three ways to get Continental elite status instantly:

• Through Amex’s Centurion Card (a.k.a. the Black Card): see FCF, June 2008, page 5.

• Elite-status match from another program. For information, call Continental Customer Service at (713) 952-1630, or fax to (713) 324-3702

• Continental’s Presidential Plus World MasterCard upgrades you to gold elite status through Feb. 28, 2010.

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[["<strong>Route<\/strong>","<strong>Elite First Class Fare<\/strong>","<strong>Reg. First Class Fare<\/strong>","<strong>Savings<\/strong>"],["Chicago - New York","$848","$1,560 ","$712 \/ 45%"],["Chicago - Philadelphia","$848","$1,168 ","$320 \/ 27 %"],["Chicago - Washington","$846","$1,494 ","$648 \/ 43 %"],["Houston - Chicago","$712","$992","$280 \/ 28 %"],["Houston - Detroit","$878","$1,358 ","$480 \/ 35%"],["Houston - Miami","$858","$1,058 ","$200 \/ 19%"],["Houston - Philadelphia","$714","$914","$200 \/ 22%"],["Los Angeles - Dallas","$802","$1,538 ","$736 \/ 47%"],["Los Angeles - Miami","$778","$2,138 ","$1,360 \/ 63%"],["Los Angeles - Newark","$998","$1,598 ","$600 \/ 37%"],["Los Angeles - New York","$868","$2,288 ","$1,420 \/ 62%"],["Los Angeles - Washington","$768","$1,708 ","$940 \/ 55%"],["San Francisco - Boston","$778","$2,290 ","$1,512 \/ 66%"],["San Francisco - Charlotte","$848","$2,760 ","$1,912 \/ 69%"],["San Francisco - Chicago","$790","$2,384 ","$1,594 \/ 66%"],["San Francisco - Pittsburgh","$800","$1,904 ","$1,104 \/ 58%"],["Seattle - Boston","$798","$1,598 ","$800 \/ 50%"],["Seattle - Miami","$958","$1,522 ","$564 \/ 37%"],["Seattle - Newark","$898","$1,498 ","$600 \/ 40%"]]