To 12 Top Vacation Destinations in North America, Starting at $525 R/T
The leaves are going to fall soon, but domestic First Class fares (and Business Class fares to Mexico and the Caribbean) have beaten them. For now, First Class fares are looking so good that it’s hard not to plan an autumn getaway.
Sample of Special First and Business Class Fares for Travel to 12 Top Vacation Destinations in North America for Under $1,100 Round-trip*
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[aside headline="The Package Alternative" alignment="alignright" width="half" headline_size="default"]Check out package deals (air-land together) if there’s no promotional First Class fare offered for your itinerary. They can often give you First Class for the price of coach, because the airfare itself has been steeply discounted or the savings on the hotel “off-sets” the fare.
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[aside headline="The End of Domestic First Class Fares as We Know Them" alignment="alignright" width="half" headline_size="default"]See our
for an explanation of how and why the First Class fare landscape has changed so drastically— and how you can take advantage of it.[/aside]
When First Class fares are this low to so many destinations, you need a way to level the playing field—to figure out which fares offer the most for your money. We like to think of it in terms of “a cost-per-mile comparison.” Simply divide the fare by the flight distance to find out how many miles you get per dollar. The lower the cost-per-mile, the better the deal.
For example, a New York-San Francisco round-trip is about 5,100 flight miles. Right now, American is charging $873 (14-day advance-purchase required) for a First Class ticket. That yields a cost-per-mile of about 17¢. Flying New York-London on American, about 6,900 flight miles round-trip, costs $3,397 (50-day advance-purchase required), resulting in a cost-per-mile of 49¢. That gives you an idea of just how low domestic First Class fares are now. Use the same formula to compare the fares in the chart above on a cost-per-mile basis.
Don’t Bother with Miles or 2-for-1 Premium Fares
At these prices, it’s usually better to pay cash and use the trip to earn miles. Save your miles for times when premium fares are high. Like-wise, don’t waste your money and a mileage-earning opportunity on a 2-for-1 ticket either, which Delta offers to Mexico and the Caribbean. Only the paid ticket earns miles, and the “applicable fares” are often much higher than Business and First Class fares, at the moment.
It’s a good Time for an Elite-Status Run
You can use an escape to reach your “elite status goals.” For example, Boston-San Juan costs only $612 (inclusive) round-trip in First Class and earns 150% Elite Qualifying Miles EQMs, which equals 6,900 EQMs—that’s 36% of the elite miles needed to get you elite status, or often to the next tier.
Forget Elite Upgrades
They’re a lose-lose strategy when First Class fares are this low. If you’re flying American, the cost with the co-pay can be close to that of a paid First or Business Class fare— and you can’t confirm until 24 to 100 hours before departure. If you’re flying Delta or United, both of which offer free upgrades to elites, you’ll have a lot of competition. Why play “elite-upgrade roulette” when low fares are a sure bet?
Good Hotel Deals to Consider— With All Your Savings
- Ritz Carlton Cancun, from $209 per night
- Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf, from $169 per night
- Buccaneer St. Croix, from $259 per night
- Four Season Las Vegas, from $239