Hey {{first name | reader}},

Happy Friday!

Today we have three deals to cover: the new Flying Blue Promo Rewards for July, an Alaska Atmos Rewards award sale, and some very interesting Gulf Air business class cash fares between Europe and Southeast Asia.

Here's what's inside today's post:

Flying Blue has released its July Promo Rewards, and this month's batch has some very interesting long-haul business class options across multiple regions.

For new readers, Flying Blue Promo Rewards are monthly discounted award tickets on Air France and KLM. The discounts vary by route and cabin, and since Flying Blue points are easy to acquire, these promos are very accessible for a wide range of travelers.

This month's long-haul business class deals are:

The Bangkok deal is exclusive to Flying Blue Extra, which is the program’s paid membership.

This month also includes premium economy options from Los Angeles and Chicago to Europe from 30,000 miles one-way, and economy Promo Rewards from cities including Miami, Atlanta, Toronto, Montreal, Denver, Portland, and Raleigh/Durham.

A few practical tips: search one-way, leave the date field blank to see a calendar view, and always compare taxes and fees against the cash fare. Flying Blue can charge higher surcharges than some other programs, so the full out-of-pocket cost is what counts.

Everything must be booked by the end of July, with travel valid through December 31, 2026. If you have flexible dates and Flying Blue miles or transferable points sitting around, this is worth checking now.

Now here's a fun cash deal for the deal-starved Brits, or anyone who lives close to the UK, for that matter. There's a very limited-time opportunity to book flights from Manchester to most cities in the U.S., including New York and Atlanta, among others, and return from Montego Bay, Jamaica, on Virgin Atlantic directly to Heathrow for around $1,800 round-trip in business class.

As a point of comparison, if you were to just do a round-trip ticket to New York or Atlanta, your price will be closer to $5,000 round trip. By adding on a little trip to Jamaica at the end, or however long you want in Jamaica, for that matter, you are saving thousands of dollars and getting to fly two of Europe's best business class products on these transatlantic flights. Once again, if you're interested in this, I recommend considering it and booking it pretty quickly, since I imagine the fare sale will end at any moment.

Now for the cash fare, and this one is very interesting.

There are some very attractive Gulf Air business class fares between Europe and Southeast Asia right now. The best examples I am seeing are from Italy to Singapore:

These route via Bahrain, with the outbound taking around 18 hours including a connection. The return is slightly shorter depending on the layover.

For business class from Western Europe to Singapore, those prices are very competitive. Cash fares to Asia in premium cabins are often significantly higher, so if you can position to Italy cheaply, this is a very good way to start a Southeast Asia trip in a proper lie-flat seat without burning points.

Gulf Air is not Qatar or Singapore Airlines, but it is not a budget product either. Long-haul flights are often operated by Boeing 787 Dreamliners with Apex Suites, which is a proper business class seat. The shorter European segments to Bahrain may be on narrowbody aircraft depending on the route.

Before booking, I would check: total travel time, Bahrain layover length, aircraft type on each segment, and baggage rules. A long Bahrain layover could also be turned into a fun mini stopover rather than just dead time.

For anyone planning Singapore, Bangkok, or the wider Southeast Asia region this year, these fares are worth a serious look.

That's it for today. Flying Blue has very interesting premium deals this month and Gulf Air's Europe to Southeast Asia fares are a reminder that sometimes the best strategy is simply paying a good cash fare and saving your miles for another trip.

More deals, news, and trip ideas coming your way on Monday.

Catch you in the clouds,

Tomi from Points Master