Domestic Business Class upgrades are as low as $30 each way, or $6 per flight hour more than economy.
It’s time to think more positively and grab some of the stunning bargains we’re finding—like a $357 Business Class fare on a nine-hour round-trip flight. Just $6 an hour more to fly in Business than in coach?! Awesome.
That’s great. And it’s not alone. We’ve discovered other amazing premium domestic fares to report, as well as some previously reported deals that are still valid. On the downside, there are fare increases on some routes we need to tell you about.
FREE UPGRADE TO AMERICAN’S
$357 ROUND-TRIP SAN FRANCISCO-CHICAGO FARE
AA’s lowest Business Class fare is $357 on the San Francisco-Chicago route. But its Main Cabin Extra section, which includes up to 6 inches of extra legroom, is $297. So the Business Class fare is only $60 more, or $30 each way or $6 per flight hour, for perspective. Now that’s an upgrade. It’s actually even less when you factor in the cost of a checked bag in coach ($60 round-trip). That makes the upgrade free.
DON’T GET FOOLED BY AN AIRLINE UPSELL OPTION
Depending on the route and airline, upsell options can cost you just as much as a Business Class seat. It catches people by surprise—they think they’re being value conscious by flying in some form of economy class, but they end up paying more, and sacrificing comfort.
SAMPLES OF NEW AWESOME NONSTOP DOMESTIC BUSINESS CLASS FARES
These sample fares are valid in either direction:
American: Seattle-Chicago, $317
American: Dallas-Seattle, $357
American: Chicago-Portland, $417
American & United: Los Angeles-Orlando, $745
United: Boston-Los Angeles, $755
United: Newark-San Diego, $765
United: Philadelphia-San Francisco, $775
United: Washington, DC-Los Angeles, $775
United: Boston-San Francisco, $785
AA: Seattle-Miami, $809
United: Washington, DC-Seattle, $825
United: Newark-Seattle, $825
AA & United: Miami-San Francisco, $845
For more routes go here and here.
catch them while you can
America’s BIGGEST (and USUALLY MOST expensive) routes,
Los Angeles/San Francisco-New York,
ARE still AMAZINGLY low
United continues to undercut American and Delta on these two routes. It’s $877 on United (Newark-Los Angeles) while American and Delta fares start at $1,417 (JFK-Los Angeles). That’s a difference of 38%.
This is a golden opportunity if you’re the type of traveler who can plan ahead and book and save now for travel later, as the landscape for fares, at some point, will change again, back to Pre-Lockdown pricing. Birthdays, anniversaries, trips to summer homes, all that could be booked now, at rates you won’t find when the Lockdown ends.
MOre GREAT OLDER DEALS ARE STILL VALID
Transcontinental Business Class fares can easily run $1,300 to $1,800. Here are some tasty deals that have stuck around from last month. As always, sample domestic fares are valid in either direction: Raleigh-Seattle, $631; New York-San Jose, $814; Sacramento-Miami, $821; and New York-Palm Springs, $824.
LOW RISK OF BOOKING DOMESTIC TRAVEL
American, Delta, and United “permanently” eliminated their change fees for domestic travel, and JetBlue has a change waiver policy for new tickets issued by October 15. But no cash refund on non-refundable tickets. You can change your flight for free, however you will have to pay the fare difference.
OTHER DOMESTIC BLISS ON FCF
Sea to Shining Sea: Transcon Travel Still 47% Off in Business Class: Coast to coast with the most. Take a deeper dive on the transcontinental route plunge-o-rama as published last month. Despite a lot of Lockdown Turbulence, a bunch of fares are still valid.
Lockdown Fare Trend: If You Have Firm Travel Dates (or Could), Now Is the Time to Book Domestic Premium Flights to Save 52%: A 52% saving on domestic Business Class fares is nothing to sneeze at. Read our still-very-relevant June report on booking now versus waiting.