Travel Hacking Airlines

BEN HUGHES

|

@RUBIETY

|

HTTP://FLIGHTLEVERAGE.COM

T R AV E L H A C K I N G : 
 
 AIRLINES

1 . A I R FA R E P E R U N I T D I S TA N C E V A R I E S W I D E LY !

2. MILES EARNED ( M O S T LY ) = M I L E S F L O W N 
 3 . A I R L I N E R U L E S H AV E LOOPHOLES

FINDING CHEAP A I R FA R E

PHL TO PEK: $448 (2.5 CPM)

LA TO TOKYO: $445 (2.7 CPM)

HIDDEN CITY TICKETING

HIDDEN CITY TICKETING

V O L U N TA R Y DENIED BOARDING (VDB)

F R E Q U E N T F LY E R M I L E S

MILES CAN BE 
 ACCRUED TO AND REDEEMED ON
 ANY OTHER AIRLINE IN THE ALLIANCE!

A D V A N TA G E S O F U S I N G M I L E S • Last-Minute Travel (Funerals, Random Trips, Binds) • Lower Cancelation Fees, Free for Top Elites • Flexible Routing Rules • Stopovers & Open Jaws • Premium Cabins

I N T E R N AT I O N A L 
 L I E - F L AT 
 BUSINESS CLASS

I N T E R N AT I O N A L 
 FIRST CLASS

D I S A D V A N TA G E S O F U S I N G M I L E S

• Limited Award Availability - Need to be flexible! • Mile currencies inflate faster than the US dollar • Airlines can change the rules at any time

AWARD CHART HACKS & C O M PA R AT I V E A D V A N TA G E

B R I T I S H A I R W AY S < 6 5 0 M I : 4 , 5 0 0 A V I O S • SAN-LAX: $$$


Avios: 4,500 (~$65)

• JFK-YYZ: $$$


Avios: 4,500 (~$65)

• LHR-CDG: $$$


Avios: 4,500 (~$65) + ~$20 Taxes

• Lots of places < 650 mi from AA hubs ORD, DFW, MIA • US Airways now in OneWorld! Add PHL, PHX, CLT

AA OFF-PEAK TO EUROPE: 20K

PHL-DUB-PHL: 
 1 0 0 K U S A I R W AY S M I L E S I N B U S I N E S S

MEX-FRA-ZRH, 
 ZRH-BKK-CGK, 
 CGK-TPE-LAX
 LAX-PHX-MEX

LUFTHANSA 747-8 UPPER DECK SWISS A340 BUSINESS THAI 777 BUSINESS E VA 7 7 7 B U S I N E S S

S F O - N R T- S F O : 
 220K UNITED MILES IN ANA FIRST

YVR-MUC-FRA,
 FRA-BKK-HKG, BKK-HND,
 N R T- I C N - J F K

LUFTHANSA A330 FIRST THAI A380 FIRST THAI 747 FIRST (TWICE) ASIANA 747 FIRST A S I A N A 7 7 7 P R I V AT E S U I T E

MILEAGE RUNNING

“ I T ’ S A B O U T T H E J O U R N E Y, N O T T H E D E S T I N AT I O N ” • Flights for sole purpose of earning miles & elite status • Destination & dates irrelevant • Hoping around airports, going nowhere

BENEFITS GIVEN ON MILES FLOWN, NOT P R I C E PA I D

E L I T E S TAT U S

AA 
 EXECUTIVE P L AT I N U M • 100% Bonus on

Redeemable Miles • Priority Everything • International First Class

Lounges • 8 Systemwide Business

Class Upgrade Certificates

MIN(CPM)

I TA M AT R I X

SHANGHAI FOR DINNER:
 LAX-BNA-ORD-PVG-ORD-MIA-LAX (19,859 MI) 
 FOR $741.10 (3.73 CPM)

PHILADELPHIA FOR LUNCH (CHEESESTEAK):
 S A N - E W R - Z F V- E W R - S A N ( 5 , 3 5 0 M I ) 
 FOR $140.70 (2.63 CPM)

“ N E T C O S T ” A P P R O A C H T O A I R FA R E

$160 Transcontinental (~7,000 mi with indirect routing) 100% Mile Bonus with United 1K: 14,000 mi earned 14,000mi X ($0.017 / mi) = $238 in Mile Value Net Cost = Paid ($160) - Mile Value ($238) Net Cost = Negative $78

S A M E - D AY C H A N G E S

• Route further out of the way for more miles • Monitor F cabin loads for upgrade optimization • Increase voluntary denied boarding changes • Deliberate book days off with cheaper fares, intend to

change to day before/after

F L AT- O U T B U Y I N G M I L E S • US Airways Buy Miles Promo (1.9 cents) • US Airways Share Miles Promo (1.1 cents) • American Buy Miles Promos • Buy Transferrable Currencies & Transfer 


(Starwood Buy Miles Promos)

• United Mileage Multiplier when Flying

ROUND-THE-WORLD
 $ 9 9 0 I N L I E - F L AT B U S I N E S S C L A S S !

LOUNGE ACCESS HACKS

ACCESS HOW? • Membership ($$$) • International flights in

premium cabins • International flights with

elite status • “Club” or “Executive” CCs

(high annual fee) • Amex Platinum (American,

Delta, US Airways)

A M E X P L AT REFUNDABLE TICKETS

B U T… T H E T I M E S A R E C H A N G I N G

• Award Chart Devaluations • Minimum Spend Requirements for Elite Status • Move to Fully Revenue-Based Mile Earning (Delta) • American Airlines / US Airways Merger Uncertainty

THANKS! BEN HUGHES

|

@RUBIETY

HTTP://TRAVEL.BENHUGHES.NAME

|

HTTP://FLIGHTLEVERAGE.COM

• FlyerTalk, MilePoint

• The Points Guy

• One Mile at a Time

• MileValue

• View from the Wing

• HackMyTrip.com