Hot Ticket: First Class Sale to the Caribbean and Mexico

With fares this low, paying cash is the way to go

Sometimes money talks and miles walk. That’s the case right now with First Class fares from the U.S. to the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico. We surveyed scores of routes and found First Class fares starting as low as $572 from Washington, DC to San Juan, and many other destinations only $100 to $200 more. Per mile, these fares are hard to beat, and at these prices, it’s worth putting down your credit card and saving your miles for an expensive Business or First Class ticket.

How Far Will a Buck Fly?
To compare fares among different destinations and classes of service, divide the fare by the miles flown. For example, Washington, DC-San Juan (via Houston) on Continental is about 6,400 miles round-trip and costs $572, for a per-mile cost of about 9¢. Compare that to a Washington, DC-London round-trip on Continental, which is 7,344 miles and costs $2,800, yielding a per-mile cost of 38¢.

There’s No Need for a Mileage Strategy.
Pay cash. Forget elite upgrades, too, which in this case are lose-lose propositions. If you’re flying American, the elite surcharge could bring your outlay close to that of a paid First Class ticket—and you can’t confirm until just before departure. If you’re flying Continental, Delta, United, or US Airways, all of which offer “free” upgrades to elites, you’ll have a lot of competition. Why play elite-upgrade roulette when buying a cheap First Class ticket is a sure bet?

On Sale Now: Sample First and Business Class Fares (14-Day Advance or Less)

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