Black Friday and Cyber Monday Airfare Sales for 2015
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Well, you know there are plenty of Black Friday deals for hotels, but what about the flights you'll need to get to your destination? If you're headed to Asia, Europe or the South Pacific, you're in luck! A handful of international airlines (plus Delta) are currently running very appealing sales, but you'll need to firm up your plans quickly. Scroll on down to see what you can book:
Air Berlin
Germany's Oneworld carrier Air Berlin is offering phenomenal fares to Europe from several of its US gateways. You must book by December 1 to take advantage of fares starting at $499 round-trip. Travel dates vary by origin — Travel from Boston and Dallas is available between May 6 and May 31 or August 24 through October 31, 2016. Flights from and to San Francisco may depart between May 6 and June 15 or August 24 through October 31, 2016. If you're flying from Chicago, Miami or New York, meanwhile, you can travel between January 4 and March 27, 2016.
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is currently offering excellent economy fares from its US gateways, including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. You can fly round-trip from each of these cities to Hong Kong for $664, including taxes and fees. Discounted flights are also available to Southeast Asia from $722 round-trip, several destinations in China from $725 and Tokyo from $732 round-trip. Flights must be booked by December 4 for travel between February 9 and April 30, 2016.
Delta
Unlike the other carriers listed here, Delta isn't offering a sale on paid fares — instead, through Monday, you can book discounted award tickets for 10,000 miles each way. Many of the discounted awards are for short-haul travel, but there are some medium-haul routes included as well, such as Los Angeles to Tampa and New York to San Diego. Book by November 30 for travel between January 5 and February 24, 2016. This is an exceptional deal considering how pricey Delta's domestic awards can be!
Emirates
Emirates offers discounted companion fares on a semi-regular basis, but destinations are usually limited to Italy or Dubai. This time, there are many more routes available, but you'll need to book quickly — the airline's Black Friday sale ends at midnight ET on Sunday. As part of Emirates' sale, you can book the usual JFK-Milan for $550 apiece (when you book for two), but the airline is also offering flights from the US to Dubai for $625, Bangkok or Singapore for $825 and Johannesburg for $875. Book by November 29 for travel between January 9 and May 6, 2016.
Etihad
Rather than offering discounted fares on select routes like its competitor Emirates, Etihad is running a 25% off sale on many of its routes from the US. Flights must be ticketed by Monday for travel between January 1 and June 30, 2016. You must search for flights directly through Etihad using promo code CYBERMONDAY to take advantage. The discount applies to flights booked in economy, business and first class, though we weren't able to book discounted flights in any class from JFK, so the offer may be limited beyond what Etihad's listed in its terms and conditions.
EVA Air
Beginning Monday, November 30 through December 14, you'll be able to book discounted flights to China, Macau and other destinations on Star Alliance carrier EVA Air. Fares start at $650 round-trip and are valid for travel from February 7 through May 20, 2016. The lowest fares are available for weekday travel, but you can fly on the weekends as well for a $25 surcharge. Visit EVA's site on Monday to book.
Fiji Airways
For 48 hours beginning Monday, Fiji Airways is offering up to 40% off flights departing the US. Naturally, the cheapest fares are available from Honolulu, with HNL to Nadi, Fiji available for $799 round-trip. Flights from the mainland aren't much pricier, however — you can fly from Los Angeles to Fiji for $899 or Los Angeles to Sydney (via Fiji) for $905 round-trip for travel between January 23 and March 22, 2016.
Frontier Airlines
For its Cyber Monday sale, Frontier is offering big discounts on flights throughout its network. One-way fares start as low as $15 (between Denver and Las Vegas) and run all the way up to $239 (Punta Cana to Chicago), though most flights are priced well below $100 each way. Note that you'll face many additional fees with Frontier flights, including a carry-on bag charge of $35 (when booked online in advance) or $60 (at the gate), so unless you're traveling with only the clothes on your back, you'll pay more than $15 for any of these flights.
KLM / Air France
KLM and Air France's frequent-flyer program, Flying Blue, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with 50% off award flights between Europe and many cities around the world. For the US, you can fly from Atlanta, Boston, Houston, New York (JFK) or Washington (IAD) to Europe for just 12,500 miles each way. Book by December 10 and travel between January 15 and March 15, 2016.
Virgin America
For Cyber Monday only, Virgin America is offering 25% off Tuesday and Wednesday flights between December 12 and March 2, 2016. You can also save 10% on flights departing other days of the week (except Sunday). Flights must be booked by 10pm PT on November 30, 2016. Many blackout dates and terms and conditions apply, so be sure to check out Virgin's site for the full scoop.
Singapore Airlines
Last but certainly not least, Singapore Airlines is offering an excellent Black Friday sale of its own. Through midnight on Monday (local departure city time), you can book discounted flights to Europe and Asia in both economy and business class for travel between January 10 and May 31, 2016. For example, you can fly from New York to Frankfurt for $699 in economy or $2,599 in business. Or travel from Houston to Moscow for $499 in economy or $4,999 in business. Finally, Singapore's flights from Los Angeles to Tokyo and San Francisco to Seoul are available for $599 in economy or $2,999 in business — a phenomenal price for both cabins!
Maximize Your Purchase
Don’t forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on airfare purchases, such as the Premier Rewards Gold from American Express or Citi Prestige (3x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
