This month we take FCF’s Leg Stretch Strategy up a notch – to First Class.
Again, we look at leg-stretching Europe, the U.S., and South America, but this time with American Airlines and its oneworld partner, British Airways. This is for those who travel, or would like to travel, to Europe at least twice over a 12 month period, and South America once.
[aside headline="Quick definition" alignment="alignright" width="half" headline_size="default"]The Leg-Stretch Strategy takes advantage of the fact that U.S. airlines offer free stop-overs in the U.S. when traveling from Europe to South America and back (not to mention other destinations, as we’ll recap below). Our team found a way to connect these trips into stunningly low-fare opportunities.[/aside]
Not you? Hold on! We think the fare is so spectacularly good it might tempt you to consider knocking off some bucket list destinations, given that you can get the luxury of First Class for less than the price of Business.
In the map and flight itinerary below, we show a leg-stretch between Lisbon, New York, and São Paulo in First Class starting at $4,261.32; but the strategy also works from other cities on American and British Airways, including Buenos Aires, Atlanta, Boston, Miami, and Washington, DC.
EUROPE → U.S. → SOUTH AMERICA → U.S. → EUROPE IN FIRST FOR $2,738.68 LESS THAN BUSINESS
A Quick How-To:
- You book a one-way ticket to Europe (easy-to-do details here).
- You then purchase a round-trip ticket on American (code-share flights on British Airways are also OK to book), departing from Europe to South America via the U.S., with free stopovers both ways in the U.S. (See ready-baked trips below.) You stay at home for however many months you like.
- You then go to South America.
- You then return to the U.S. whenever it makes sense.
- You then return to Europe on the final leg of the ticket.
- Decision Time: You can return home on another one-way ticket OR you can also start the process again, returning to the U.S. on leg #1 of your next Leg-Stretch Strategy ticket.
BEST WAY TO BOOK
Through your travel agent. You can book online with AA.com, but it’s a complex procedure. Not only that, inventory information (booking class A) that a travel agency can easily check needs to be available.
Stretching Your Fare Further:
Three Ways to Look at It (i.e. Ways to brag to your friends)
Perspective #1: Free Upgrade + $2,738.68 Less than Business Class on Connecting Flights:
If you were to book these destinations separately, you’d have to get a bank loan. A New York to Lisbon return ticket in Business Class ranges from ~$2,200 to $3,500. A New York to São Paulo return ticket in Business Class ranges from ~$4,800 to $6,600 non-stop on American. That’s $7,000 at a minimum to fly Business Class—and easily more than $10,000 depending on your dates.
If you use The Leg Stretch Strategy on the other hand, you can get to those same destinations in First Class for $4,261.32 (on American at the current exchange rate).
Perspective #2: Free Upgrade, and $2,928.28 Less than Business Class on Non-Stop Flights:
A New York to London return ticket in Business Class starts as low as $2,900. A New York to São Paulo return ticket in Business Class starts at $4,800 non-stop on American. That’s $7,700 at a minimum to fly Business Class—and easily $10,000+ depending on your dates. The Leg Stretch Strategy gets you those same destinations in First Class for $4,771.72 (on American at the current exchange rate).
Perspective #3: Save $10,528.28 in First Class on Non-Stop Flights:
A New York to London return ticket in First Class can be had for $4,500 if you’re lucky. A New York to São Paulo return ticket in First Class starts at $9,800 non-stop on American. That’s $15,300 at a minimum to fly First Class—and easily $20,000+ depending on your dates.
The Leg Stretch Strategy, on the other hand, nets those same destinations in First Class for $4,771.72 (on American at the current exchange rate)—a discount of $10,528.28 with this ticketing strategy.
We’ve crunched the numbers on several European/South American trips and found more options. Here are 7 examples:
The Leg Stretch Strategy Extrapolated
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KEEP IN MIND
- Fares go up and down constantly and will likely be different when you read this. Also, prices are in U.S. dollars and fluctuate due to changing exchange rates.
- No airline currently offers First Class to Rio de Janeiro and Santiago, which is why we’re only showing fares for São Paulo and Buenos Aires.
- Sorry West Coasters, this one takes a little more effort on your part, as this Leg Stretch Strategy is based on East Coast and Midwest (as far west as Dallas) departures, because American considers flights from farther west as “backtracking.”
[aside headline="More FCF Leg Stretch Strategies" alignment="aligncenter" width="half" headline_size="default"]
More FCF Leg Stretch Strategies
AUGUST: EUROPE/U.S./SOUTH AMERICA ON UNITED IN BUSINESS CLASS FOR $2,980
JULY: EUROPE/U.S./SOUTH AMERICA ON DELTA IN BUSINESS CLASS FOR $2,460
JUNE: ASIA/U.S./SOUTH AMERICA IN BUSINESS CLASS FOR $4,223
MAY: EUROPE/U.S./SOUTH PACIFIC IN BUSINESS CLASS FOR $5,242[/aside]