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Deal alert: Nonstop business-class flights to South America have dropped to $917 round-trip

Victoria M. Walker
Articles
Victoria M. Walker is a former TPG senior travel reporter. She previously taught multimedia journalism at Howard University and was the breaking news video editor at The Washington Post.
Dec. 05, 2019
•
3 min read
Aerial view of famous Copacabana Beach and Ipanema beach
Deal alert: Nonstop business-class flights to South America have dropped to $917 round-trip
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If South America is on your early 2020 bucket list, here's a perfect deal for you. We're seeing deals from New York-JFK to Rio de Janeiro (GIG) and Guayaquil (GYE) for $1,394 on Google Flights, but if you really want to score, the right travel rewards credit card will save you hundreds.

The best deal can be found using Amex Travel's International Airline Program (IAP), which is a perk you have if you hold The Platinum Card® from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, or The Centurion Card from American Express. Make sure you check there first, which drops the price to Guayaquil to $917 and Rio to under $1,200. The dates for travel appear to be between January and February 2020.

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The Rio routes are in Delta One, on a Boeing 767. This Delta One product is arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, with every business-class passenger having access to the aisle without having to interrupt neighbors. If you're lucky, you may be able to score a ticket in LATAM's new retrofitted 767 business class, which is available on select routes. A quick search on FlightRadar24 shows the retrofitted plane with the tail number registered CC-CXC has been used on several JFK-GYE legs in recent days.

To search, head to Google Flights or Amex Travel and enter your origin and destination cities. Scroll through the calendar function to find dates and prices that work for you. Finally, click through to book directly with the airline or an OTA like Orbitz or Expedia.

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Airline: Delta, LATAM
Routes: JFK – GYE/GIG
Cost: $917+ round-trip nonstop in business
Dates: January – February 2020
Pay With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare booked directly with the airline), Citi Prestige® Card (5x on airfare), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on airfare), American Express® Gold Card (3x on airfare when booked directly with the airline) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)

Here's what you can book:

New York-JFK to Guayaquil (GYE) for $917 round-trip nonstop in business class through the International Airline Program:

New York-JFK to Rio (GIG) for $1,193 round-trip nonstop in business class through the International Airline Program:

Maximize your purchase

Don’t forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on airfare purchases, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel), Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express® Gold Card, Citi Premier® Card, Citi Prestige Card (5x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out our guide to maximizing airfare purchases to learn more.

Featured image by Getty Images/iStockphoto
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.