Don't miss this deal: Premium economy flights to Spain, some under $1000
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.
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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.
Read more: Second Cities: Destinations to Add onto a Trip to Barcelona
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.
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, 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.
Related: Bold and beautiful, with the perfect bar: My stay at the InterContinental Barcelona
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Rewards Rate
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles50,000 Bonus MilesAnnual Fee
$250Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.670-850Excellent/Good
Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees