FCF’s side hustle delivers the goods – even during the lockdown era.
It’s been almost a year since we discussed our Stopover Loophole Strategy (SLS). But it’s time to bring it back. We’ve just found some great SLS fares that 2021 travelers should consider jumping on right now.
SLS Crash Course
What is the Stopover Loophole Strategy again? Here’s how it works. A stopover is a planned stop of more than four hours (domestic) or 24 hours (international) between flight segments on a trip. But longer stopovers are sometimes allowed for free (or a very small fee) – i.e. these allow you to enjoy a “second destination” for several days or much longer – most often in the applicable airline’s hub city. This presents an interesting opportunity for business travelers and/or those wanting to add a little extra pleasure to their trip.
That’s because the stopover can be turned into a vacation if you’re on a business trip or a second vacation if you’re already traveling for pleasure. So the SLS strategy allows you to add a bucket list destination for a fraction of the normal price, or even free in many cases! And on top of that, the flight to your original destination can even be less. See some examples of this below.
Savings That Scream “Why Didn’t I Know About This?!”
If you play it right, this cool strategy opens up the world for way less. I’m talking Business Class fares to the far-flung reaches of the planet for under $3,100; that’s two destinations for the price of one.
The following SLS options involve Europe and Africa. Here are two scenarios that demonstrate this opportunity:
Scenario #1: You are going to Africa, and you’d take a side trip in Europe if it were free or cheap, or actually lowered your fare to Africa.
Scenario #2: You are going to Europe, and you’d take a side trip in Africa if it were free or cheap, or actually lowered your fare to Europe.
Either way, the SLS works hard to save you money.
Dan’s Pyramid Scheme
Dan from Dallas has always dreamt of seeing the pyramids in Egypt. If Dan pays a regular round-trip fare in Business Class on United to Cairo, he’d have to dish out $3,209. On the other hand, if Dan goes via Frankfurt, he gets to add Frankfurt onto the trip for a total cost of $2,459 – a $750 savings. More for less. We love that equation.
While that’s the biggest saving we could find, the chart below shows a lot of other options. Many of them add a city for less, about the same, or only a bit more. In all cases, it’s definitely something worth considering for your next trip.
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Great Deals on Loop(hole)
As you can see, you either pay up to just $250 more for a whole extra city OR you pay up to $750 less. In those cases you’re essentially being paid for the privilege of visiting another city. You also have the choice of spending a short layover in the European city on the way to Africa, or a long layover. Make it a vacation in itself – it’s entirely up to you.
LOYALTY TIP: The North African trips use Star Alliance airlines, while the South African ones work when using Virgin (but not SkyTeam). South Africa works best with Oneworld. Loyalty-free agents can skim the cream from SLS, in other words.
Got Another Place in Mind?
If the cities featured aren’t the ones you have in mind, remember that travel within Europe is inexpensive and there are many options to get around. For example, Berlin is just an hour’s flight from Frankfurt, and it’s about the same distance to Vienna. Also, play around with dates and itinerary combinations for many other opportunities we haven’t highlighted.
Strategy Cheat Sheet
Oneworld SLS Deal Trends:
Lowest-Fare Departure Cities: New York, Boston, Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles.
Lowest-Fare Europe Destinations: Barcelona, Frankfurt, London, Paris, Rome, Vienna.
Lowest-Fare Africa Destinations: Capetown, Lagos, Johannesburg.
Star Alliance SLS Deal Trends:
Lowest-Fare Departures: Dallas, Miami, New York.
Lowest-Fare Cities in Europe: Frankfurt, Vienna.
Lowest-Fare African Cities: Cairo, Lagos, Marrakesh.
Virgin SLS Deal Trends:
Lowest-Fare Departure: Boston.
Lowest-Fare Europe: London.
Lowest-Fare African Cities: Johannesburg.