Flying Fridays: an Etihad fare, Flying Blue promo rewards, and how I calculate points

Hey {{first name | reader}},

Happy Friday! Let's do a new thing: Flying Friday! one thing you can book, one thing you should know, and one thing that will hopefully make you a bit better at this game.

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

There are some very good Etihad business class fares out of Dublin right now, showing at around $2,300 USD. That is a good price for long-haul business class on Etihad, especially on routes that would normally price much higher in cash.

Now, I want to be upfront about one thing. At the moment, travel plans involving the Middle East can still shift depending on how the regional situation develops. That is the main caveat here. If your plans need to be completely fixed and you cannot handle any uncertainty, I would be careful. That said, there have not been many cancellations lately, and if you are flexible, I think this can be a very good option.

These are the kinds of fares I like most. Not because they are the cheapest business class fares ever published, but because they sit in that sweet spot where the product is good, the airline is respectable, and the price is low enough that it starts to feel like real value rather than an indulgence.

So yes, the warning matters and should not be ignored. But if your dates are flexible and you are comfortable with a bit of uncertainty, this is the sort of fare that can make a lot of sense.

As happens on the first day of every month, Flying Blue has released its Promo Rewards, offering up to 25% off selected redemptions. And I am glad to say Argentina is included this month!

On the long-haul business class side, there are some very good routes in this round. We can see Europe to Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Cartagena, Paramaribo, Saint-Denis in Réunion, Fort-de-France, and Mumbai, all starting from 63,750 miles one way in business class.

I was especially happy to see Argentina in there, since South America does not always show up in these promos in a useful way. There are several long-haul business class routes worth a proper look, especially for anyone planning travel between Europe and South America, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, or India.

As always with Flying Blue, the headline mileage price is just the starting point. Availability, taxes, and routing will decide whether any of these are worth booking. But on paper, this is a good batch of Promo Rewards.

Reader Susan asked: "How do I calculate points?"

This is one of the best questions you can ask, because a lot of people collect points without ever learning how to price them properly. And once you know how to do it, a lot of this world starts making much more sense.

The easiest way to think about it is that there are really two calculations. The first is the cost of acquiring the points. The second is the value you get when you redeem them.

Calculating acquisition cost

Sometimes airlines sell miles directly through promotions. In those cases, what I like to calculate is the cost per 1,000 points. That gives you a simple acquisition price.

For example, if an airline sells you 100,000 points for $1,500, your cost is $15 per 1,000 points. That tells you what those miles cost you before you even redeem them.

Calculating redemption value

Now let's say you want to book a business class ticket that costs 80,000 miles one way, and you bought those miles at $15 per 1,000.

The mileage portion of your ticket cost you:

80 x $15 = $1,200

Then you add taxes and fees. If taxes are $200, your real total cost is:

$1,200 + $200 = $1,400

Then comes the more interesting part: how good is that redemption?

If the exact same cash ticket costs $3,000, you are paying $1,400 all-in instead of $3,000. One way to look at that is to ask what percentage of the cash price you are paying:

1,400 / 3,000 = 46.6%

So you are paying about 47% of the cash fare. That is a very good result.

Another way I like to look at it is in cents per point. For that, you take the cash price and divide by the number of points used:

3,000 / 80,000 = 0.0375

So you are getting 3.75 cents per point in gross redemption value.

A real example from my own travel

A few weeks ago, I flew Air France's new A350 business class from Paris to São Paulo. I paid 86,000 points, which I had bought at $16 per 1,000, plus about $300 in taxes. The cash fare for that flight was $3,925.

The math:

86 x $16 = $1,376 for the points $1,376 + $300 = $1,676 total cost

Compare that to the cash fare:

1,676 / 3,925 = 42.7%

So I paid about 43% of the cash price. And in cents per point:

3,925 / 86,000 = 4.56 cents per point

That is a very good redemption.

The simple framework

First, calculate what your points cost you. Then add taxes and fees. Then compare that total to the cash fare. That tells you whether the redemption is smart. Because at the end of the day, the point is not just to use points. The point is to use them well.

Remember, if you have something on your mind, answer this email with the question! I will go through them all and answer as many as I can.

That's it for today. Enjoy the weekend and more deals, news, and trip reviews coming your way on Monday.

Catch you in the clouds,

Tomi from Points Master