Deal Alert: Business Class Flights to Europe From $1,497 Round-Trip — Including Summer 2019
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
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Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking. However, if you’re using The Platinum Card® from American Express, you’ll need to book directly with the airline or through the Amex Travel portal to get 5x MR points. Remember: Fares may disappear quickly, so book right away and take advantage of Orbitz or Expedia’s courtesy cancellation if you’re unable to get the time away from work or family.
While we've seen incredible economy deals to Europe recently, it's been a while since we've seen good deals in business class worth sharing. But today we are seeing a few unique options for getting to Europe in style and cheaply.
The cheapest option right now is La Compagnie, which runs nonstop flights between Newark (EWR) and Paris' Orly (ORY) airport on an all-business class configured aircraft. TPG reviewed this back in 2015. While it's not up to the standards of most mainline carriers that fly the same route, it's a nonstop way of getting to Europe a lot more comfortably than in economy. That said, the angle-flat seats could be an issue for some:
The other main option here is a Royal Air Maroc deal from Washington, DC to southern Europe starting from $1,528 round-trip -- but only when searched through Kayak or SkyScanner. These options are one-stop through Casablanca, Morocco, on lie-flat business class seats aboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Check out our review of Royal Air Maroc business class here. An even cheaper way of flying Royal Air Maroc business class is by using American Express Membership Rewards.
To search, head to Google Flights 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 through an OTA like Priceline or Expedia.
Airlines: La Compagnie, Royal Air Maroc, Delta, KLM, Avianca
Routes: EWR/IAD/JFK/MIA to ORY/MAD/BCN/LIS/KRK
Cost: $1,496+ round-trip in business class
Travel Dates: October 2018 - September 2019
Pay With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare booked directly with the airline), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express® Gold Card, Citi Prestige (3x on airfare plus excellent trip delay insurance) or Chase Sapphire Preferred (2x on travel)
Booking Link: Priceline, Orbitz, Expedia or directly with the airline
Here are a few examples of what you can book:
Newark (EWR) to Paris (ORY) for $1,496 round-trip on La Compagnie -- available late October 2018 through September 2019:
Washington DC (IAD) to Madrid (MAD) for $1,528 round-trip on Royal Air Maroc via Kayak:
Washington DC (IAD) to Barcelona (BCN) for $1,529 round-trip on Royal Air Maroc via Kayak:
Washington DC (IAD) to Lisbon (LIS) for $1,528 round-trip on Royal Air Maroc via Kayak:
New York Kennedy (JFK) to Krakow (KRK) for $1,878 round-trip on Delta/KLM:
Miami (MIA) to Madrid (MAD) for $1,891 round-trip on Avianca -- an all lie-flat routing through Bogota (BOG):
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, 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.
