Sea to Shining Sea: Transcon Travel Now 47% Off in Business Class
And other good domestic fares are still valid too.
With some states enforcing a 14-day quarantine for out-of-state residents, you may have to look to September and onwards for some travel. In the meantime, we encourage you to think positively and grab some of the stunning bargains we’re finding—like ground-scraping Business Class fares on the transcon.
We reported on it back in June and we’re happy to report that some of these good fares are still valid. But now things look even better, in other cases fares have dropped by a whopping 47%.
TRANSCON PLUNGE-O-RAMA
America’s most famous (and expensive) route is the transcontinental: Los Angeles/San Francisco-New York. The stuff of which dreams, movies, and empty wallets are made.
But in June, the fare for these round-trip Business Class flights nose-dived 35%. It went from $1,417 to $921 for a round-trip on Delta, netting you a savings of $496.
And then on July 28, JetBlue dropped its fare to $736 (Newark-Los Angeles) from the usual $1,397. That’s a 47% plunge. Coast to coast with the most.
Not to be outdone, on July 31, United also dropped its fare to $736 on the Newark-Los Angeles route, and began offering a fare of $797 for Newark-San Francisco.
STILL CALLING YOUR NAME
Transcontinental fares can easily run $1,500+ if you’re not careful and don’t stay up-to-date with FCF’s reports or fare alerts. So here are some welcomed discoveries:
Raleigh-Seattle, $661
New York-San Jose, $808
Sacramento-Miami, $809
New York-Palm Springs, $812
Los Angeles-Orlando, $849
Seattle-Miami, $885
Boston-Los Angeles, $885
Philadelphia-San Francisco, $885
Miami-San Francisco, $905
Note that these fares are the same for both directions.
BTW DON’T GET FOOLED ON THE UPSELLS
Yes, those airline upsells are gonna get you. A checked bag here, a preferred seat location there, a tiny bit more legroom down there. But those minor creature comforts add up. So, you need to do the math and compare Business Class, which already includes those upsells, against that pimped-up economy seat. You’d be surprised by the lack of price difference between the two.
JetBlue’s Even More Space section, which includes extra legroom, is $466. Add a checked bag for $60 and you’re spending $526 for what is essentially a bit more room in economy. Yet, JetBlue’s lowest domestic Business Class fare is only $737 (JetBlue Mint with a lie-flat seat), so you get domestic Business Class for only $105 more in this scenario each way, or $19 per flight hour. Hello upgrade.
THE PRICE OF ELITE STATUS
Currently, we’re seeing United undercutting American on the transcon route. It’s $736 on United (Newark-Los Angeles) while American’s fares start at $1,397 (JFK-Los Angeles). That’s a difference of 47%. The cost of being an elite-focused traveler on AA right now. If you are an AA elite who’s locked in, then you’re probably missing out.
RISK OF BOOKING DOMESTIC TRAVEL WITH CASH
American, Delta, United, and JetBlue all have a cancellation/change waiver policy for new tickets. These vary by airline and range from August 31 to September 8. The waiver does not give a cash refund on non-refundable tickets, but you can change your flight for free. However, you’ll have to pay any difference in the fares.
If you have set dates for a birthday, special anniversary, or other definite events, now’s the time to book domestic Business and First Class tickets.