Deal of the Week: Business Class for Less (1/4/2002)

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Diana: This is the Savvy Traveler, I'm Diana Nyad. Rudy Maxa, our travel expert in residence, is back with us now. Hi Rudy.

Rudy: Hi Diana.

Diana: And it's time for 2002's very first Deal of the Week. Happy New Year, Rudy -- the first of 2002. Where are we going?

Rudy: Well, it's not so much where we're going as how we're getting there. Which is to say, "in style."

Diana: That's not a phrase applied to traveling very much these days.

Rudy: That's true. But, you know, to lure back business travelers, some airlines are reducing fares in the front of the plane, drastically. A couple of weeks ago, Northwest offered business class fares at a steep discount, and that apparently gave the folks at US Airways an idea.

Diana: I like the sound of this...

Rudy: Oh, yeah. You can travel to Europe on US Airways in business class -- they call it "Envoy Class" -- between January 19 and March 24 for, oh, say $1,800 between Pittsburgh and Madrid.

Diana: Wow, now that still doesn't sound cheap, but what's a typical business class fare run?

Rudy: Usually? About twice that.

Diana: Oh, okay, so this is a great deal.

Rudy: You can easily pay $5,000 to $6,000 for a round-trip business-class fare between the United States and Europe.

Diana: Now, I know Pittsburgh is a big US Airways hub. Are these deals only good from the airline's hub cities?

Rudy: Nope. New Orleans to Rome in biz class is just $2,000. L.A. to Munich, only $2,200. Orlando to Frankfurt, $1,800. Again, these are round-trip prices.

Diana: Okay, what's the fine print?

Rudy: As I mentioned, you can travel to Europe from January 19 through March 24, and you must complete travel by the last day of March. The fares are nonrefundable 72 hours after you make your reservation, so be sure you want to make that trip. Oh, you'll get a bunch of bonus miles too if you pre-register at the US Airways Web site.

Diana: Ah, back to the mileage thing! Well, those rules don't sound too bad, Rudy. Thanks for this great Deal of the Week!

Rudy: My pleasure, Diana.