Here’s one of the golden rules of online leisure-travel booking: A “package” deal often beats á la carte pricing. That’s because airlines and hotels that offer low-price guarantees can discount invisibly online as the rates for flight and hotel “are not broken out”.
FCF tested the concept on a recent San Francisco-Los Ange-les trip. The lowest online economy fare on United came in at $137 (including taxes). Three nights at the Ritz-Carlton Marina Del Rey came to $1,116 including taxes. Had we booked each separately, the total would have come to $1,253.
Then we tried booking the trip on Orbitz as a package deal, except that we went for First Class on United. Total price: $1,109. That is not only tantamount to getting a free upgrade to First Class, but one that is actually “cheaper-than-free,” since we also paid less than the á la carte price—this time, for First Class.
We looked at more than 100 different itineraries in North America to find routes where a flight-hotel package yielded a free upgrade to First Class. The three-night stays shown in the chart below are based on one person traveling, whereas the seven-night stays are for two people. You can’t always nail the free or cheaper-than-free upgrade, but when you can, it sure is sweet.
Factors to Keep in Mind
- Low-cost First Class routes offer the best chances for free upgrades since the difference between economy and First Class is not enormous. So don’t try this on LAX-NYC because the difference in class is well over $2,000 per ticket. That said, you can still often save money on hotels by booking an air-hotel package.
- The longer you stay, the better your chances of bringing down or eliminating the cost of the upgrade. Book a three-night air-hotel package for two from LA to Maui, flying First Class on Delta and staying at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua in a garden room, and the cost is $4,223. Booked separately, the price is $3,109, so the upgrade in this case costs $1,114. But if you book the same package for seven nights, the Orbitz price is $6,070 in First Class, whereas an á la carte booking in economy is $6,450, saving you $380 and yielding a “cheaper-than-free upgrade” to First Class.
- Many Orbitz packages with First Class air did not yield a free upgrade, but rather savings of $100 to $200 over á la carte booking in economy. Still a good deal when you con-sider the seat you’re getting and the fees you’re avoiding.
- Savings on deluxe hotels booked through Orbitz vary; our research shows Ritz-Carlton hotels are often a good option.
- This strategy doesn’t work everywhere every time; it’s just another option in your FCF toolkit.