“Attack fare” alert: flights to Europe for under $500 round-trip

Update: The Flight Deal has found additional deals throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East for under $800.

I said I wouldn’t write about mistake fares due to how quickly they disappear, but this is technically an attack fare. Plus, I just binge watched Season 1 – 3 of Oz, so I feel I should do something productive with my time. Basically, Delta is offering incredibly low fares to Europe, not due to a technical glitch, but to piss off United. The Flight Deal is reporting Delta fares as low as $314 round-trip between the following U.S. cities and Moscow and St. Petersburg:

Fly to Istanbul this Spring for under $500 round-trip
Fly to Istanbul this Spring for under $500 round-trip
  • San Francisco
  • Chicago
  • Washington D.C.
  • Cleveland
  • Denver
  • Houston

In addition to these fares, Delta is offering fares of $408 – $482 between select U.S. cities and Istanbul:

  • San Francisco – $482
  • Houston – $482
  • Chicago – $408
  • Washington D.C. – $408

These fares are valid for travel between January 12 – March 12, and April 20 – May 14. That’s actually pretty generous, except some people will be disappointed that there is a huge gap where Spring Break normally falls. If your dates are flexible, I recommend going in May since the weather will be nice and you’ll still get great deals on hotels. If you have a Barclay Arrival Plus card, you can redeem just 28, 260 – 43,380 miles for airfare. Some of those redemption levels seem higher than the 35,000 – 40,000 miles for an off-peak US Airways or AAdvantage award, but keep in mind that since the Barclay Arrival Plus card pays out 2 miles per $1 spent, you’re doing just half the amount of manufactured spending you’d have to do on an airline credit.

I visited Istanbul two years ago and absolutely loved it. The Old Town area is beautiful and definitely the place to be if you’re interested in seeing historically significant sights. I stayed at the Doubletree in Old Town Istanbul, which was great location-wise, but if I had to go back, I’d definitely pick a local hotel for a slightly more authentic experience.

HT: View from the Wing

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