When it comes to booking international award flights, flexibility is your best friend. And no, we’re not just talking about being flexible with your destination or travel dates. Sometimes, you need to get a little more creative—like being open to starting or ending your trip at a different airport than your home base.
Take this as an example: You’re trying to book an award ticket from Buffalo to London. You search the airlines’ websites, and… nothing. Why? Because award space to London might be available from New York, Philadelphia, or Boston, but you’re stuck looking at Buffalo. Or maybe you’re eyeing Edinburgh, but the flights are all booked up, so you find award tickets to London and need to find a way to get to Scotland. Enter the magical world of positioning flights.
A positioning flight is essentially a separate ticket you book to get you to the airport where your award flight departs or from where it arrives. It’s your backup plan when award space isn’t available for the first or last leg of your trip. Airlines used to help with this, offering tickets that included the positioning flight on the same award ticket—but those days are long gone.
Here’s how to navigate the ins and outs of positioning flights:
1. Choosing An Airline
Your best bet is to book a positioning flight with the same airline as your award ticket. This ensures smoother connections and, often, a seamless check-in experience. Airlines generally time their flights well to connect with international flights from their hubs. If that’s not possible, aim for an airline within the same alliance, like oneworld or Star Alliance. This way, you may even be able to check your bags through to your final destination—just be sure to check the rules, as they can vary.
However, if you’re choosing a different airline, especially a low-cost carrier (LCC) or ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC), be prepared for extra work. You’ll need to claim your bags, check them in again for your second flight, and head through security again.
2. Flight Delays
Flight delays are a real concern, especially when it comes to positioning flights. If your positioning flight is delayed, there’s a better chance that the airline will help you rebook your award ticket, assuming it was their flight causing the delay. However, don’t expect American Airlines to help if you miss your award flight because your Southwest positioning flight was canceled.
Each airline has different policies, so it’s a good idea to check them before booking.
3. Airport Terminals
If you’re connecting between flights at a large airport, you may have to change terminals. Some airports make this easier than others, but it’s still something to plan for. For instance, when flying with Delta and Virgin Atlantic, we had to take the JFK Jitney from one side of the terminal to another. Fortunately, this transport is past security, so we didn’t have to re-clear the TSA checkpoint. But you’ll still want to factor in the extra time needed to make that transfer.
4. Baggage
Baggage is another tricky area with positioning flights. If you’re flying on separate airlines and your baggage gets delayed, the airline handling the positioning flight is only responsible for getting your bags to the destination on their ticket. You’ll then have to figure out how to get your bags from there. This is why it’s better to stick with the same airline or one with an interline baggage agreement, simplifying things significantly.
If you plan to check bags, remember that when using different airlines, you’ll need to pick them up after the positioning flight, recheck them, and possibly go through security again.
5. Overnight Stays
Sometimes, the timing of your award flight means you can’t make it to the airport on the same day, and you’ll need to fly in the day before. In this case, you have a couple of options: You can either stay at an airport hotel or, if you’re feeling adventurous, fly in early and start your vacation. For example, when we flew to Australia, we arrived in California a day before our flight and spent the day at Disneyland, which gave us plenty of time to relax, check in at our leisure, and enjoy the airport lounge before the long flight down under.
If you’re flying in the day before, you won’t have to worry about the tight connections and potential delays that come with last-minute arrivals. Just be sure to avoid booking the last flight of the day, as delays or cancellations can create more headaches.
6. How to Pay for Positioning Flights
Positioning flights are one of those extra costs that can sneak up on you when booking award travel. Depending on the flight times and locations, they can be quite pricey, which might make you rethink whether you’re really getting a “free” vacation.
To alleviate the cost, consider using cards like the Barclays Arrival+ or Capital One Venture X, which let you use points to pay for travel expenses, including positioning flights. Alternatively, a cash-back card, like the Fidelity Visa Signature, can be a great option. You can use the 2% cash back you’ve earned for these flights.
Another way to offset the cost is to find inexpensive flights on different airlines or to watch for fare sales or points discounts. It’s always a good idea to check for any deals on flights to your positioning destination before pulling the trigger on a booking.
Final Thoughts
When booking award travel, it’s easy to overlook using positioning flights. They can add an unexpected layer of complexity, but they’re often a necessary part of the process when there are no direct award options from your home airport. And while the extra cost might seem annoying, with the right tools, like points and cash-back cards, you can mitigate some of those expenses.
If navigating all this sounds overwhelming, consider using an award booking service to simplify the process.
Remember, flexibility is key—whether it’s with dates, destinations, or even the airport you depart from!
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