We have good news for business travelers heading to South America for a typical mid-week business trip and for spontaneous leisure travelers who book their trips on shorter notice.
We turned our attention to this region because both business and leisure flyers typically face high fares without a lot of advance purchase and/or no Saturday-night stay.
Last-minute decisions to get to South America come at a cost: typically $4,500 to $6,500 for leisure travelers and $8,000+ for business travelers in Business Class.
But there’s a less obvious way to save big by using an air-and-land package — even when booking at the last minute or traveling mid-week.
Business Travelers:
Save up to 32%
Example: Dallas-Rio de Janeiro: The lowest published Business Class fare on American Airlines for midweek travel April 26 to May 2 is $6,469 for one ticket. If you book the Hilton Barra Rio de Janeiro for five nights, for example, that adds about $745, bringing the total cost of air and hotel to $7,214 for one person.
But if you book an air-and-land package with the airline you can save big. The American Airlines Vacation air-and-land package is $4,931. That’s a total savings of $2,283, or 32% less.
Sample Package Savings for Business Travelers: Based on One Traveler
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Spontaneous Leisure Travelers:
Save Up To 24%
Example: Miami-Santiago: The lowest published Business Class fare on American non-stop departing April 14 to April 22 is $6,380 for two tickets. If you book the InterContinental Santiago for seven nights (April 15 to 22), that adds about $2,729, bringing the total cost of air and hotel to $9,109 for two people.
Once again, you have a better option. The AA Vacation air-and-land package is $6,939 (based on two travelers) flying American in Business Class and staying at the InterContinental Santiago for seven nights for the same dates and flights. That’s a total savings of $2,170 / 24% for the package, or $1,085 per person less.
Sample Package Savings for Spontaneous Leisure Travelers: Based on Two Travelers
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As always, prices vary, so before booking anything, always check flight and hotel prices first to see whether it’s cheaper to book the package or the flight and hotel separately.