In the past few days, two major airlines have announced discounts on award travel, as follows:
United: South America Award Discount
Members of United’s Mileage Plus program can book coach award flights to Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, or Rio de Janeiro for 15,000 fewer miles—40,000 instead of the 55,000 miles normally required.
Travel at the reduced rate may be completed any time before August 31, but the booking must be made by May 24.
US Airways: Off-Peak Caribbean Award Discount
US Airways is offering members of its Dividend Miles program a chance to save 5,000 miles for coach and 10,000 miles for first-class award trips to the Caribbean between September 1 and September 30.
Normally, coach awards are priced at 30,000 miles and first class at 60,000. So with the discount, they’re 25,000 and 50,000 miles, respectively.
Both offers seem somewhat paltry, especially given the global slowdown in travel.
While the United discount yields a nice savings, it’s limited to three destinations. And the award booking deadline is clearly designed to limit participation.
US Airways’ deal, on the other hand, isn’t much of a discount. And it squeezes the discounted travel into a 30-day window.
As they have become accustomed to doing, travelers will just have to file these lackluster award promotions under “better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.”
We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.
Related
Top Fares From
Today's Top Travel Deals
Brought to you by ShermansTravel
9-Night Seoul, Hong Kong & Tokyo...
Exoticca
vacation $3099+16-Night Hawaiian Islands Cruise Over Christmas...
Princess Cruises
cruise $1579+Ohio: Daily Car Rentals from Cincinnati
85OFF.com
Car Rental $19+