The world’s cheapest reward flights?
Airberlin is now Europe’s seventh largest airline, and one that anyone looking for bargain flights should pay serious attention to.
The simple reason for this is the excellent value that can usually be found by virtue of its frequent flyer scheme, Topbonus. Topbonus currently runs periodic “topdeal” tickets, where it slashes the number of miles required for a redemption flight.
In addition, the range and availability of such flights is enormous.
While the destinations and mileage requirements obviously differ from week to week, the redemption “prices” for topdeal tickets can be incredible.
By way of example, current topdeals include:
- Berlin-Tegel to Oslo: was 10000 now 2500 miles
- Berlin-Tegel to Salzburg: was 10000 now 2500 miles
- Berlin-Tegel to Copenhagen: was 10000 now 5000 miles
- Berlin-Tegel to Abu Dhabi: was 30000 now 12500 miles
- Berlin-Tegel to Chicago: was 25000 now 15000 miles
- Berlin-Tegel to Miami: was 25000 now 15000 miles
- Berlin-Tegel to New York: was 25000 now 15000 miles
- Dusseldorf to Djerba: was 20000 now 7500 miles
- Dusseldorf to Abu Dhabi: was 30000 now 12500 miles
- Dusseldorf to Curacao: was 30000 now 15000 miles
- Dusseldorf to Los Angeles: was 25000 now 15000 miles
- Dusseldorf to Miami: was 25000 now 15000 miles
- Dusseldorf to New York: was 25000 now 15000 miles
- Hamburg to Salzburg: was 10000 now 2500 miles
- Milan-Malpensa to Vienna: was 10000 now 2500 miles
- Munich to Vienna: was 10000 now 2500 miles
- Vienna to Rome-Fiumicino: was 10000 now 2500 miles
Flights are generally available at the same mileage cost in the return direction, too.
You do also need to pay the tax, but taxes on airberlin are well known for their reasonableness. Indeed, many Avios collectors (you can redeem Avios on airberlin as it is a member of the oneworld alliance) specifically choose to redeem on airberlin rather than British Airways, to benefit from the reduced tax.
As well as on airberlin, you can also earn Topbonus miles on the partner airlines listed here.
As a helpful starting point, you can earn 1500 free Topbonus miles as detailed here. You can also get 100 topbonus miles per hotel review at holidaycheck.
If you think you know a better value airline redemption option than topdeals, feel free to comment…
I’m interested in the TransAtlantic Sectors, how much are the fuel surcharges and does it ever go backward for example, CHI-TXL-CHI? Also, any one ways or is it always round trip for these deals? Sorry, I’m not well versed with TopBonus….
Taxes from Germany to the US on airberlin vary substantially depending on the exact route and the time you’re flying, but they can go as low as £1 and as high as £300. You can however rest assured that, whatever the tax, it will compare very favourably to other airlines.
If you have a stash of Avios points, for example, it’s well worth comparing what it would cost you to fly to the US with airberlin using Avios, versus BA. We can almost guarantee the taxes with airberlin will be substantially less. You will of course have to fly to Germany rather than London, however…
Although airberlin is a German airline, there’s nothing to stop you being able to use Topdeals to fly return from the US to Germany. So yes, Chicago (ORD)-TXL-ORD is entirely possible.
One ways are entirely possible on Topbonus Topdeals, in fact all the deals listed in the post are one ways. Returns are simply double the points.