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 and award programs can sometimes include a domestic “positioning” leg on the same award ticket — if there’s award space and the routing rules allow it. But when that’s not available (which is often), a positioning flight becomes a separate ticket you book to get to the airport where your award flight departs, or to get home after it arrives.
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 usually means smoother connections, fewer “what terminal am I in?” surprises, and a better chance of the airline being able to help if something goes sideways. Airlines also tend to schedule their domestic flights to feed their own international departures from hub airports.
If that’s not possible, aim for an airline in the same alliance, such as oneworld or Star Alliance. That can make the experience feel more seamless, but don’t assume your bags will be checked through if you’re on separate tickets — many airlines only do that when all flights are on the same reservation. Always verify the baggage rules for your specific airline(s) before you book.
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 one of the biggest “gotchas” with positioning flights — especially if your flights are on separate tickets.
Even if you’re flying the same airline (or same alliance), many carriers will only check bags through when your itinerary is on one reservation. If you booked separately, plan to pick up your bag at the end of your positioning flight, then recheck it for the award flight and clear security again.
And if your bag gets delayed on the positioning flight, the airline that mishandled it is only responsible for getting it to the destination on that ticket — which can turn into a headache if your next flight is a different booking.
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 route (and the timing), they can be pricey — which might make you rethink whether you’re really getting a “free” vacation.
One easy way to soften the blow is to use flexible rewards on the back end. Instead of trying to book the positioning flight with points, pay cash for the ticket and then offset the cost with cash-back or points you can redeem as a statement credit.
For example, a flat-rate cash-back card like the Fidelity Rewards Visa works well because cash back is always usable for a variety of travel expenses. If you’ve got cash back saved up from cards like Discover, that can help too. And if you want a card that earns well on travel purchases, Wells Fargo Autograph can be a solid option — you can earn points quickly on flights and then redeem them for cash back/statement credit to cover expenses like positioning flights.
Final Thoughts
When booking award travel, it’s easy to overlook the use of 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, such as points and cash-back cards, you can offset 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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