Business Class Deal: $900 Round Trip from Brazil to South Africa
A few weeks ago, we shared a business class deal from New York to South Africa for under $2,000. While it was a great deal on a route that rarely gets them, I understand that anything in that price range can seem a little pricey.
How about $900 for non-stop, flatbed seats? Is that something you might be interested in?
Now that I’ve got your attention, let’s talk about how you can snag these deals.
The Deals
These flight deals are originating in Brazil. The best deals offer non-stop service from Sao Paolo to Johannesburg. That’s 19+ hours in business class for less than a thousand dollars. That’s closer to what economy normally goes for than business class!
These flights include lie-flat business class seats on LATAM’s A350s. LATAM’s A350s features a pretty good business class seat, though they are in a 2-2-2 layout.
The Dates
Currently, there is scattered availability from September through the end of 2019. However, availability is much better for travel in 2020. The best dates for availability are typically Thursday through Monday.
Remember that South Africa’s seasons are the opposite of the US, so January-March can be a fantastic time to visit.
Here are a few sample dates for Sao Paulo from $900 and Rio de Janiero from $1,050.
How to Book
Head on over to Google Flights and find the dates that work best for you. Once you find your desired dates, click through and you’ll be prompted with a few purchasing options. For the best prices, you’ll want to purchase through a third-party OTA, eDestinos. It can be helpful to book these using Google Chrome’s translate feature, as the website is in Portuguese (unless you’re fluent in Portuguese, which I certainly am not). As Jon says though, as long as you get a ticket number, you should be good to go ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Where to Credit
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan earning for LATAM Airlines
These flights appear to book in the Z fare class. The best place to credit these is to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, where you’ll earn 200% of your miles flown. If you’re a Oneworld loyalist, you can also credit these to American or British Airways, for 100% and 125% respectively.
To make sure your flight is eligible, check the flight number on Google Flights. If it starts with LA 8XXX, you’re golden.
How to Make These Work
There are a few ways to make these flights work. If you’re already in Brazil, problem solved! For the rest of us, you’ll have to find a way to get to Rio or Sao Paulo.
Two of the best ways to get from the US to Brazil are using Alaska Airlines miles or Cathay Pacific’s Asia Miles.
From the East Coast
- 45,000 Alaska miles each way for business class on LATAM
- 40,000 Asia Miles each way for business class on Oneworld carriers (when booked round trip)
- 27,000 Asia Miles each way for premium economy on Oneworld carriers (when booked round trip)
From the West Coast
Your best bet will be with Alaska’s Mileage Plan. Distance-based award charts bump the award costs up significantly from cities like LA, San Francisco, and Seattle. However, business class can still be had for 45,000 miles each way using Alaska miles.
Alternatively, keep an eye out for any flight deals that pop up. You can always book speculatively, hoping a cash deal comes up, but prepared to use miles if needed.
