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Usually we see a couple dozen business class fares in the low $2k range departing the US for international destinations. This year I feel that we didn’t see nearly enough great deals. Everything was to the United States rather than from the United States. Hopefully that means that were overdue in 2019, but a part of me thinks that airfare in general is increasing and this trend of higher airfare may continue. Air Italy is offering what might be the last great deal of 2018. You can fly from New York (JFK) to New Delhi (DEL) or Mumbai (BOM) for $2310 in business class per person.
| Route | Economy | Business |
| JFK-DEL | $678.41 | $2,310.41 |
| JFK-BOM | $678.27 | $2,310.27 |
Depart from New York (JFK)
Arrive to New Delhi (DEL) or Mumbai (BOM)
Available from January – End of Schedule except for July 2019 and early August 2019
Minimum Stay: n/a
Maximum Stay: October 2019
Book by January 11, 2019 or sooner as it could be pulled before then
What is Air Italy on-board product like?
Air Italy’s A330’s all came from Qatar Airways and still feature the old Qatar seats. The plane is set up with 260 seats in the following layout
| Air Italy A330 | Layout | # Seats | Pitch | Width |
| Business | 2-2-2 | 24 | 78″ | 22″ |
| Economy | 2-4-2 | 236 | 31″-36″ | 18″ |
The business class seats are angled but not by much. Ben from One Mile At A Time put up a great review of the product and surprisingly had no problem falling asleep in these seats.
Where Should I Credit The Miles?
Air Italy’s miles aren’t very valuable especially when crediting to their own Meridiana Club. That being said they do still credit to British Airways. You should be able to earn a little less than 20,000 British Airways/ Iberia Avios for the round trip but you will not earn any Tier Points towards status. You could also credit to Qatar Airways privilege club, but after the most recent unannounced overnight devaluation you’re better off putting them towards Avios.
How Should I Pay For The Ticket?
The Platinum Card® from American Express offers 5x points on all airfare purchases made directly with airlines and Amex. If you purchased this ticket from AirItaly.com or with AmexTravel.com you should earn around 11,000 membership rewards points worth around ~$230 depending on how you value American Express Membership Rewards Points. You can learn more about The Platinum Card® from American Express here.
If Amex isn’t your card of choice the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers 3x points on all airfare purchases after you’ve exhausted your annual $300 travel credit. If you purchased this ticket you should earn a little less than 7,000 Chase Ultimate rewards points worth around ~$145 depending on how you value Chase Sapphire Rewards Points.
Are you planning on booking one of these tickets?
Sam’s Travel Hacks
As a frequent flier, I recommend book flights and compare prices on Skyscanner and JustFly for the best deals on the internet. We have put together many useful travel tips and airfare promotions in my Smart Travel section to guide you travel in more luxury with lower price!
Feature image via Wikipedia Commons Simone Previdi
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