Good morning and welcome back to the Daily Drop, the gift that shows up every morning and makes every day feel like Christmas.
I guess that would make me Santa Claus... but without the private flying vehicle, beer belly, or epic beard (though I'm working really hard on the last two).
Here's what I have to leave under your tree today:
- 📕 Travel hacking word of the week: Positioning Flights
- 🍪 Mmmm... Tasty travel tidbits for you to explore
- ✈️ Jetblue flash sale: One-way flights for as little as $39
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📕 Travel hacking word of the week: Positioning flight
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There's a lot of slang in the travel world. And no, I'm not talking about words like "glamping" and "friendcation."
Instead, I'm talking about travel hacking terms specifically. Unlike the two aforementioned examples, you won't always know precisely what these words mean just from hearing them.
So I'm going to pick a term every week to explain to you all while also giving some examples of how and why it matters.
To kick off this segment, we'll chat about positioning flights.
A positioning flight is a short (or cheap) flight you take to set yourself up for a larger journey, usually saving money and/or points and miles in the process.
The people who benefit most from positioning flights are those who live outside of major cities or airline hubs.
For example, if you live in Nashville and want to travel to Berlin, you'll likely see prices on American Airlines, Delta, or British Airways for around $600 or $700 dollars one way.
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Instead, you could book a positioning flight on a low-cost carrier like Spirit to a city with more affordable options for crossing the pond.
A ticket from Nashville to Fort Lauderdale would only cost you $30. The next day you could book an onward flight on budget international carrier Norse Atlantic to Berlin for only $121.
Instead of a $600 ticket, you're taking the same journey (also with only one stop) for only $151 total.
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This practice also comes into play with points and miles. Many points programs use distance-based award charts to determine how many points a flight will cost.
Sometimes, your journey might be just outside a particular distance band, increasing the flight price significantly. If you position yourself within that band, you could easily save thousands (or tens of thousands) of points for minimal effort.
I know that probably sounds a little confusing, so let me give you a nice concrete example.
I'm based in Toronto and frequently use the Aeroplan program to book flights. Next year I'll be traveling home to Toronto from Bogota, Colombia, so my flight will be priced according to the following award chart:
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As you can see, the lowest distance band between North America and South America is 0-2,500 miles, which will cost around 20,000 points.
Unfortunately, the distance between Bogota and Toronto is 2,700 miles, so my flight would be priced at a minimum of 30,000 points.
Instead, I can book this $26 positioning flight from Bogota to Cartagena.
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Since the distance between Cartagena and Toronto is only 2,300 miles, my flight would fall into the lower distance band and be priced at 20,000 points.
So by paying $26 for this positioning flight, I'm saving at least 10,000 points - which is a significant number, especially if you think about this strategy every time you book a trip.
Next time you use points and miles for a trip or need to travel long distances, try looking into some positioning flights - you might end up saving enough for another small trip in the process!
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Here are some interesting and entertaining travel tidbits to share with you in case you need an extra dose of travel content today 👇
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✈️ JetBlue flash sale: one-way tickets for $39
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2023 is right around the corner, and JetBlue wants to celebrate by offering a big sale on flights in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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Here are the details:
- No promo code is required; discounts will show up in the regular search
- You must book your flights by the end of the day tomorrow, December 15th
- The sale is valid for travel between January 10th and February 15th
- Only the lowest available fare is on sale
This is a great time to book any winter travel you might be considering. Pretty much every route (in the eligible regions listed above) is on sale, and the discounts are significant.
Some examples include flights between New York and Boston for only $49, Los Angeles to Las Vegas for only $39 (which is weird given their sale banner is promoting $49 flights), and Seattle to New York for only $99.
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Next month I'm leaving on a long, 14-country trip around the world that starts in Newark. So I'll definitely be taking advantage of this sale to book a positioning flight (oh, look at that, we've come full circle) from Buffalo to New York for only $49 with this sale.
Given the low fares and decent travel window, I don't think you'll end up finding anything better than this for your January and February travel plans.
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That's gonna do it for today, kids. Have you ever booked a positioning flight? Which travel tidbit did you enjoy the most? Let me know by replying to this email or reaching out on social media.
Cheers,
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