What’s the deal with the Transcon nowadays, cost-wise? Often miles are the way to go, and sometimes fares offer the best value. It fluctuates with the times. So what’s a savvy flyer to do right now? Let’s take a look.
Should I Book With Cash or Miles at the Moment?
I hate this question because the answer is: it depends. And I know how frustrating it is to hear that kind of answer.
First of all, it depends on how flexible you are. That’s the big kahuna. And we speak about this a lot here at FCF because the more flexible you are, the better deal you can get.
What Does Flexibility Look Like?
It looks like an open calendar. Are you free to shift dates around? If your Delta fare is $1,700 on Monday and $2,700 on Wednesday, is that a trade you’d be happy to make? Or are you trying to make nephew Bernie’s wedding? In that case, you can either persuade Bernie and Crystal to move their wedding to fit your good fare (unlikely) or consider using your miles. Perhaps you have a treasure chest overflowing with them.
Or what if that $1,700 fare on Delta was $1,100 on American? How shackled are you to a single airline? You know I’ve preached being a Loyalty-Free Agent for over 20 years when the average guru will try to convince you to give away your freedom (and usually your best opportunities). The more flexible you are, the more options appear. Let’s take the temperature of the sky right now and break down the opportunities.
COMPARING CURRENT PREMIUM
TRANSCON FARES
Unless you want to take a red-eye, here’s what the cheapest Transcon fares look like.
American Has the Lowest Fares
Business Class travel on American Airlines between JFK and SFO is going for between $1,098 and $2,058 round-trip, while travel between JFK and LAX is $1,078 to $2,296 through March and a bit more afterwards. Good news: Loyalty to the AAdvantage program isn’t hurting you on these routes at the moment.
Delta Loyalty Costs the Most
Travel between JFK and SFO is going for $1,739 to $3,198, and travel between JFK and LAX starts at $1,738. Bad News: That makes Delta 41% more on average than American and United. That’s something SkyMiles devotees might want to know, or not.
United Has Good Fares Through AUgust, Then They Spike
On United’s NYC-SFO route, Business Class fares start at $1,180 and can be up to $1,686 round-trip or higher through August. Newark-SFO Business Class fares start at $1,180 through May then they jump to between $1,686 and $2,192, round-trip. On United’s Newark/JFK-LAX service, fares start at $1,180, then jump to between $1,686 and $2,192. Takeaway: Don’t book far in advance on United.
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WHAT’S THE MILES OUTLOOK?
We surveyed pricing and availability on American’s, Delta’s, and United’s Transcon routes for the next 11 months, and discovered much that Loyalty-Free Agents and Loyalty Devotees will want to know. The chart below shows where the deals are in terms of mile outlays. American shines brightest again with some real bargains under 50,000 miles round-trip, United lands mostly in the 62,000 to 120,000 miles, round-trip category, and Delta is mostly concentrated in the +120,000-mile, round-trip zone.
Let’s go for a deep dive.
Comparing One-Way Costs and Frequency
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