Still Skyteam and soon to be (?) Oneworld member Air Europa offers some attractive business class fare to three South American destinations with departure from Milan. Tickets to Bogota, Colombia are on sale as low as €1,466 while roundtrips Sao Paulo, Brazil aren’t much more expensive. While each connection includes a layover in Madrid, layover times are short.
The catch is that these fares are only available through online travel agencies. Booking directly with Air Europa increases the price by approx. €200.
Air Europa sends Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft to Rio de Janeiro. The airline serves Bogota with Airbus A330. Both planes feature angled-flat-seats in a 2-2-2 pattern up front.
Thanks to Alex, who gave us notice via Report a Deal!
Search & Book
Sadly, we were not able to retrieve any fare rules for these flights. Therefore, we cannot provide you with any reliable information concerning travel or sales period.
Even worse, neither Google Flights nor the Airfare Matrix preview when these flights are available. While Google Flights displays prices accurately, you cannot search them using the calendar. You have to try specific dates and see if prices drop below €2,000. If you enter the same dates in our flight search, you have a chance to score the €1,410 fare. This may take some time, but these are high value fares.
Please be aware that booking via online travel agencies has some risks:
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.
Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
While this is not the service we usually we provide, we still think these fares should not go unnoticed.
Cover Picture: ©Thiago - stock.adobe.com