Booking Positioning Flights
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Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
In the world of points and miles, we all know that you’ve got to be flexible to find the best deals. Whether it’s flexibility with the airline you fly, flexible dates of travel, or even flexibility with the airport you fly in and out of.
So what do you do when you find an amazing points deal for a business class flight, but the airport isn’t near by? Or what if you’re like me, and you live near a smaller city like Phoenix, so your options for international flights are sparse? Don’t fret, because there is a better way!
✈️ Enter: positioning flights.
So, what is a positioning flight anyway?
A positioning flight is a flight that you take to position yourself to the airport that has the points deal or route you’re wanting to book.
Positioning flights are usually a shorter route (just far enough to get you to that bigger airport!) and cheaper.💰 My goal is to always find the cheapest positioning option, and a lot of times, I’ll even opt to pay cash for that flight. I like to save my points for bigger redemptions. 😉
Positioning flights are most often used for long haul international travel. Those flights can be fewer and far between when looking for points options, so this allows you to be extra flexible on where you fly out of! And don’t forget, this works the same way for your trip home.
So what are some examples of positioning flights we’ve booked?
🇬🇧On our first trip to London, we booked a United Airlines business class deal from Chicago. So we flew from Phoenix to Chicago on Southwest, then our long haul flight to London left Chicago later that day. We booked that Southwest flight on points (and we were able to utilize our Companion Pass so it was an extra win!).
🇩🇪On our recent trip home from Germany, we reeeaallly wanted to try out Singapore Airlines business class! The easiest way for us to do this was to fly their 5th freedom route from Frankfurt to New York City. So we flew into JFK airport on Singapore Airlines, then we flew out later that day from JFK to Phoenix on American Airlines. That flight we booked with cash.
How I look for positioning flights
The easiest way to look for a positioning flight will be to start with Google flights. Then you can quickly search through tons of airline options all at once!
Let’s say I live near Denver, but I found an AMAZING points deal out of Chicago for a business class flight that I just can’t pass up. I will head to Google flights and input my home airport, then put Chicago as my destination, and enter my date of travel to see what my best nonstop options are:
🔥Hot tip: I always plan at least 4 hours between the arrival of my positioning flight and the departure of my next flight to allow for delays. It can be risky booking flights this way, because if your positioning flight is on a different airline than your long haul flight, they are not responsible for assisting you with rebooking you or providing any compensation. I have even flown in the night before our long haul flight to give ourselves extra time or it allows us to book a morning flight if needed.
Why we love Southwest for positioning flights
The first place I look for a positioning flight is always going to be Southwest. They’re my favorite for domestic travel. ❤️💙💛 They have so many route options within the U.S., low rates and point options, AND we can’t forget the best travel perk of them all…..the Southwest Companion Pass. 🤩 When we have the Companion Pass, that means I will only be paying for one positioning flight, and my companion will fly for just the cost of taxes (usually $5.60) so it makes your trip that much more affordable! 👏🏻
Side note: I cannot say thank you enough for using my links to apply! I earn a commission for those applications at no cost to you, and it helps keep all the free resources and support coming! 🩷
EDITORIAL DISCLOSURE: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
