Airfare

Oslo for Christmas? $145 Nonstop from JFK

Norwegian Air Shuttle Route Map
Norwegian Air Shuttle Route Map

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen fares this low from New York to Scandinavia!

$145 nonstop JFK-OSL, including taxes and fees!

To be fair, a round trip ticket is $467.30 — still a terrific bargain, especially since it includes fuel surcharges.

This week’s Bloomberg Business Week featured an interview with Norwegian Airlines CEO Bjørn Kjos, about the airline’s bid to launch low cost service to Europe.

Norwegian Airlines placed orders last year for an astounding 222 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A350s!

Will it work? Previous low-cost, low-fare ventures have consistently faltered because the cost of fuel for transoceanic flights is enormous. Kjos, an attorney and former fighter pilot for the Norwegian military, has heard the skepticism before. ‘They haven’t had the tools to do it,’ he says. ‘The Dreamliner is the first airplane that can do it.’

The Business Week article prompted me to take a look at upcoming fares.

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How I Saved $1200 on a Roundtrip Ticket

Last week, I needed to book a roundtrip flight from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Washington, DC (IAD) in a big hurry and airfares were through the roof:  $1297 on United Airlines to be precise.

No way, Jose!  Instead, I purchased the “economy” class ticket for 37,500 United Mileage Plus miles, a $7.50 fee, and a $75 close-in booking charge.

I “earned” the miles by opening a United Mileage Plus credit card with Chase Bank, by   accumulating some frequent flyer miles from a few long-distance flights.

Dulles International Airport Image by Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority
Dulles International Airport
Image by Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority

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When a Delta Skymile is Worth Exactly One Cent

Have you ever been frustrated when trying to book an award ticket using frequent flyer miles?

I was arranging a trip home for our daughter on short notice. We were bound by school schedules and had very little leeway in terms of flight choices.  Delta Airlines offered a nonstop flight with departures and arrivals within our time constraints.

Delta Air Lines Sign
Delta Air Lines Sign at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
Photo by Mav via Wikimedia Commons

The flights we wanted to book were showing availability on Delta, but there were no award seats available.  Sound familiar?

The award seats that were showing up for connecting flights would entail adding several hours of travel time; in other words, the more attractive routings were not offered  as award seats.

For some unknown reason, the nonstop flights on this route are less expensive than the flights involving plane changes.  The flight in question was priced at $653 roundtrip.  My husband had 60,000 miles in his Skymiles account, which he had obtained by opening an Amex Skymiles Credit Card through a targeted offer.

 What to do?  

We noticed an interesting feature on the Delta reservations website:  Pay with Miles.  Pay with Miles is a feature available only to Delta Skymile credit card holders.

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The Best Deal I Ever Got… was a $50 Flight Home from Europe

Yup.  Amsterdam to Boston on … gosh was it Pan Am, or TWA, or some other airline that doesn’t exist any more?  They were promoting their new route with an inaugural fare of just $50.

It was 1978 and I had graduated from college and was bumming around Europe on an Interail Pass.  I started in London (thanks to Freddie Laker) and over a period of five months had made my way down to Greece and was heading back North.  I was backpacking and staying in youth hostels and having a great time.

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