Our Stopover Loophole Strategy (SLS) nets First Class flights for the Price of Coach from many U.S. Cities.
When readers ask how we see ourselves, one way we say it simply is, “We’re the accountants of the air.” It doesn’t sound glamorous, does it? But that’s what you pay us for: to scrutinize fare-rule minutiae, scour the upgrade universe, and scope out the opportunities.
This report is about that last task. It explains how FCF’s Stopover Loophole Strategy (SLS) can get you a First Class seat on United at a fare that is less than, the same as, or slightly more than coach. Or, from another perspective: Get two destinations First Class for about the cost of one.
The SLS shows the tremendous benefits possible by taking advantage of “stopover allowances,” the rules governing whether a fare allows a stop on a deeply discounted First Class fare and, if so, which cities qualify for it. Buried among the bland prose—it’s our job to read it—are provisions that make it possible to get free side trips, free upgrades to First Class, and sometimes a lower fare, and perhaps even a tax write-off—all depending on how you look at it.
Sample Stopover Loophole Strategy (SLS) At a Glance
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Stopover Provision
Technically, a “stopover” is a planned stop of more than four hours (domestic) or 24 hours (international) between flight segments on an itinerary. Now, here’s the little-known secret: Stopovers are sometimes allowed for free or a small fee on deeply discounted First Class fares. Stopovers can be a day or even weeks. That wrinkle is the key to executing SLS.
That means if you live in Chicago and your destination is San Jose, CR, with a connection in New York or Houston, on United, you can stopover in one of those cities. You can travel the Chicago-New York segment on one day, spend a day or a week in New York, and then fly the New York-San Jose, CR segment. You can also do this in reverse, making the stopover part of the return trip.
Where FCF’s Stopover Loophole Strategy (SLS) Works Best
In the Western Hemisphere: The destinations include Alaska (sometimes), the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico; and the departure cities range from big (Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC) to small (Monterey, CA).
Free SLS stopover cities for United in the U.S.: Usually major hub cities, en-route, which include Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco, and Washington, DC.
A Sample SLS Travel Scenario
As our sample scenario, let’s take the “SLS at a glance” itinerary using United’s website: Chicago-New York-San Jose, CR, San Jose, CR-Chicago. One First Class ticket using SLS costs $35 less than buying two round-trip economy tickets. (See chart below for five more SLS sample routes.)
More Sample SLS Fares on United
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Who Can Use SLS and How
SLS can be used by leisure travelers to add side-trips for free (or a small fee).
SLS can also be used by business travelers to add one side-trip (cut the airfare cost of seeing or pitching clients by possibly 67%).
Two-for-One Cheat Sheet
The Caribbean stopover rules and fares vary by island. United generally allows a stop en-route to Aruba, Montego Bay, Nassau, Grand Cayman, and Bermuda on discounted First Class, but not to San Juan and St. Thomas.
The Alaska stopover rules vary by Continental U.S. departure city. United allows a stop en-route to Anchorage from Chicago on its lowest First Class fare, but not from Kansas City, Minneapolis, or St. Louis.
How to Find SLS First Class Fares
Use a travel agent or be ready to do your own SLS.
When we priced these SLS fares on the airline websites, Google Flights, and via ITA Software, they were hit and miss compared to when we used a travel agent’s Computer Reservations System (e.g. Apollo or Sabre). Use this report as the basis of a dialogue with your agent if you run into pricing issues. (Even if agents charge a small research fee to do the leg work, it can be well worth it.)
General Stopover Rules and Fees by Destination on United at a Glance
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