Fly in Business Class for $1,347 less than the price of Premium Economy on Delta
FCF’s Leg Stretch Strategy Continues
With the way things are trending, I’m forecasting that our June 2123 (not 2023) FCF Upgrade Advisor report will read something like this: Score three planets (Venus, Mars, and Earth) on one ticket for just 2,598EBX (earth bucks).
Here’s what it’s all about in a nutshell: You can travel to two other continents (plus two stops in the U.S.) all on one Business Class ticket at a fraction of the price you’d pay if you broke each journey down into normal separate trips. We discovered this many years ago and call it the Leg Stretch Strategy because you’re literally stretching one ticket and one small fare into four long legs – the equivalent of two round-trips.
Let’s Get Stretching
Let’s say you live in the U.S. and if the price was right, you’d love to visit Europe twice and South America once within the next 12 months. If so, the Leg Stretch Strategy is perfect for you. And you don’t have to do it all at once. That’s the other stretchy part: You can space the trips out over one year.The only potential stumbling block for some Americans is that the Leg Stretch starts and finishes in Europe. Now you may scoff and say, “Gee willikers, Bennett, I live in Evanston, Illinois. How does it benefit me?” To that, I’d say, “Check out the savings,” because they’re so good that the cost to get to and from Europe (using miles via a separate round-trip ticket or two one-way tickets) is more than compensated for by the savings you get with the Leg Stretch Strategy ticket.
You can even combine two Leg Stretches together because at the end of the first one, you’ll already be in Europe – where the next Leg Stretch begins. Many travelers start with a one-way award to Europe and follow this strategy indefinitely, continuously reaping the rewards.
Stretch-o-Rama Example:
Amsterdam - New York - São Paulo - New York - Amsterdam In Business Class for $2,598
Let’s say FCF devotee Dan starts his mammoth Leg Stretch in Amsterdam. As mentioned above, he got there with a discount one-way award ticket or even bought a round-trip published fare. From Amsterdam, he returns home to New York, lives his life, enjoys the latest hit Broadway shows, and does his thing. A few months later, he heads down to Brazil for a vacation, visits Rio’s iconic Ipanema beach, and has a great time. Then he heads back home to New York. A few months later, he heads off to Amsterdam for a convention, thus completing his Leg Stretch and, astonishingly, his one Leg Stretch ticket.Dan’s Four-Segment Leg Stretch:
- Amsterdam to New York (stop at home for a while)
- New York to São Paulo (samba lessons and more)
- São Paulo to New York (back home again)
- New York to Amsterdam (more European fun)
Compared to Business Class, What Do You Save?
Let’s compare this Leg Stretch to a trip where those destinations are broken down into separate segments. In Business Class, the whole journey would cost around $4,818 at the time of publication.Er, $4,818 versus $2,598? That’s a savings of $2,220, or 46%. I’ll say it again: out of this world.
Here are some other Leg Stretch options that start in Europe and what you can save by booking them.
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Perspective:
Business Class for $1,347 LESS Than Premium Economy
The savings is almost unbelievable when you compare the four Business Class segments ($2,598) on an FCF Leg Stretch Strategy ticket to two normal round-trips in Premium Economy.Typical Delta Premium Economy Fares…
How to Book
You have several options, but booking through a travel agent is good if you need help because an agent can access inventory information easily. You can also use Delta’s website or your favorite online search or booking engines, such as Google Flights, Expedia, or Kayak, and use the multi-city search feature.N.B. One thing to note is that these fares change all the time. We find these fares to be unusually volatile, so play with the dates a day or two (or twenty) before and after each of the segments, and more than likely you’ll find fares in the same range as we did.
google.com/travel/flights multi-city screenshot below:
One of our long-time readers, Conrad, employed this strategy to do business in Europe a couple of times in a 12-month period and also to visit his mom in Brazil. As he said, “If I can get an extra ticket to make my mother happy, why not do it? For me (the Leg Stretch Strategy) was a no-brainer because it worked for personal and business reasons.”
See you up front, for about half price.