Don't miss this deal: Premium economy flights to Spain, some under $1000

May 10, 2022

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5 min read

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Earlier this morning, I advised travelers to save money by booking flights now to Costa Rica for travel this fall and winter, and it is here I will give the same advice regarding premium economy fares to Barcelona.

As more and more Americans head to Europe for summer vacations, you might want to consider delaying your trip a bit after the high tourism season passes to take advantage of discounted flights to Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN).

It would be worth your while to take a look at discounted flights — which start at $900 round-trip from select U.S. cities to Spain — beginning in September through March.

Deal basics

Airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, American, British Airways, Delta, Iberia, United, Condor.
Routes: EWR/JFK/BOS/CRW/ORD/DTW/IND/JAN/JAX/MIA/RIC/PBI/IAD and others to BCN.
How to book: Directly through the airline.
Travel dates: Sept. 2022-March 2023, exact availability depends on the route and some include flights over the holidays.
Book by: 1-2 days.

We have to give major kudos to Scott's Cheap Flights for originally alerting us of this deal. It's an awesome service that sends deals up to 90% off to its Premium members; users can try the Premium membership for free for 14 days and then for $49 per year. They can also upgrade to the Elite tier for $199 per year to receive all the Premium deals plus premium economy, business-class and first-class alerts.

You can find round-trip flights departing from many U.S. cities to Barcelona ranging in price from $900 on the low end to $1,300 on the high end. Some available flights include those originating in:

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), starting at $931.
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), starting at $954.
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), starting at $1,187.
New York City's LaGuardia Airport (LGA), starting at $1,193.
Miami International Airport (MIA), starting at $1,198.
Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Washington, D.C., starting at $1,248.
St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)/Tampa International Airport (TPA)/Tuscon International Airport (TUS)/Tallahassee International Airport (TLH)/San Diego International Airport (SAN) and others, starting at $1,253.
Akron-Canton Airport (CAK)/Asheville Regional Airport (AVL)/Augusta Regional Airport (AGS)/Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM)/West Virginia International Yeager Airport (CRW)/Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport (CHO)/Chattanooga Airport, and others starting at $1,255.

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Sample flights

Search this deal by heading to Google Flights and entering your information based on your home airport and desired travel dates. For the sake of this story, I verified I could find a round-trip flight from LAX, priced as advertised at $931.

This is a particularly great flight because not only is it nonstop and less than $1,000, but it also flies to Barcelona over Thanksgiving, departing LAX the week of Thanksgiving and returning the following Monday. You'll note that this flight is ticketed and operated by Iberia, though you can book the same flight through American for a higher price.

(Screenshot courtesy of Scott's Cheap Flights)

All flights in this deal are for the carrier's premium economy fare type, the specifics of which vary by carrier. In general, you can expect at least two meals, slightly bigger seats, more legroom, priority boarding and two free checked bags.

Iberia premium economy fares can also be changed without a fee.

Similarly priced flights can be found out of Boston and New York City, though even the maximum priced flight in this deal is less than $400 more in total.

Maximize your purchase

Don't forget to use a card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express (5 points per dollar on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel), on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, Citi Prestige® Card (5 points per dollar on airfare), Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve (3 points per dollar on airfare), American Express® Gold Card (3 points per dollar on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2 points per dollar on travel). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.

The information for the Citi Prestige Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Bottom line

These prices for a premium economy experience are well worth booking in advance. Especially considering some routes include holiday availability, I would book quickly to take part in the fun.

Featured image by Getty Images

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.