✈️ Flying Blue buddies up with a world-class airline

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Good morning from Utengule, a small village in Tanzania just a couple of hours from the Malawi border.

It feels good to get some relaxation and enjoy some time in nature… but it feels even better to talk travel with my favorite people in the world (you).

Here’s what I’ve got:

• ✈️ Flying Blue adds a new partner

• 🍪 Tasty Travel Tidbits

• ☀️ Norse Atlantic offering $149 flights to Europe this summer

✈️ Flying Blue adds a new partner

Flying Blue is one of the best programs out there for a couple of reasons:

1. You can transfer points to them from pretty much every bank

2. They offer amazing value with their monthly Promo Rewards

But there’s another reason that Flying Blue should be on your radar, and that’s the fact that they continue to add excellent airline partners.

In fact, as of just a few days ago, you can now earn and redeem Flying Blue miles with Oman Air.

If Oman (the country) and Oman Air are not on your radar, change that. Now. Please.

Oman is an incredible country, and Oman Air is one of my favorite airlines in the world!

They offer an amazing product whether flying in economy, business, or first.

If you should find yourself flying first-class with Oman Air, you can earn up to 275% Flying Blue miles on paid flights… which is pretty epic.

You can check out the full earning rates on the Flying Blue website here.

The key to remember here is that none of Oman Air’s routes are very long, so 275% of mileage earnings will not add up to very much.

That’s why the real highlight of this news is on the redeeming side.

As far as I can see, there are some excellent award rates for economy, like the flight from Muscat to Frankfurt for just 23,500 Flying Blue miles.

Flying Blue’s website is down at the time of writing this (😒), so I am relying on seats.aero (where I pulled the above screenshot), which shows plenty of seats available at this rate as of yesterday.

When we start to look at business class, however, the rates become more questionable.

For example, the same route above (Muscat to Frankfurt) costs a bit over 48,000 miles in business class and over $200 in surcharges.

Aeroplan, on the other hand, will sell you the same seat for just 45,000 points and $63 in taxes and fees.

Even with a nice transfer bonus to Flying Blue, it’d be hard to justify the overwhelmingly higher cash cost here.

However, flying between Muscat and cities like Bangkok and Jakarta will only run you around 20,000 Flying Blue miles, which is certainly the most competitive price for a route like that.

So here’s the bottom line:

Flying Blue is continuing to add value to its program by partnering with excellent airlines like Oman Air.

I’ve flown with them a few times and have always had an amazing experience in their world-class business cabin and epic lounge at their hub in Muscat.

Don’t forget that Oman Air will also become a member of the oneworld alliance later this year, offering even more opportunities to fly with them.

🍪 Tasty Travel Tidbits

🏳️‍🌈 Happy Pride Month, y’all! LQBTQIA+ travelers can often, sadly, not be themselves in some conservative parts of the world. Thankfully, there are PLENTY of amazing places with thriving gay scenes in cities and countries all over the place. Check out this article for twelve LGBTQIA+-friendly spots.

😬 Yikes… two planes got a little too close for comfort at Mumbai airport when one plane landed just seconds after another plane took off from the same runway. Watch the video here.

🍔 Earn some hotel points from eating food with Marriott’s latest offer. Their “Eat Around Town” program offers hotel points for dining at various restaurants. Right now, new members can even earn 6,000 bonus points - enough for a cheap hotel stay somewhere around the world!

☀️ Norse Atlantic offering $149 flights to Europe this summer

You’ve likely heard of Norse Atlantic Airways before, but if you haven’t, they’re a Scandinavian low-cost, long-haul carrier that offers some great non-stop routes from the U.S. to Europe.

And in lieu of their second birthday, they’ve launched a sweet summer sale where you can find a TON of non-stop routes to Europe starting at just $149 🥳👇

Folks, I don’t think you’re going to find cash fares for direct routes that are cheaper than this… And this is for PEAK SUMMER TRAVEL.

Unreal.

Eligible routes include:

• LAX to London Gatwick, Oslo, and Paris

• Miami to London Gatwick and Oslo

• New York (JFK) to Athens, Berlin, London Gatwick, Paris, and Rome

• Orland to London Gatwick

That’s actually a ton of great variety to cities all across Europe.

For example, I’m seeing many days in July that are offering this $149 sale fare from JFK to Rome.

I’m also seeing discounted rates for flights back to the U.S. from various European cities, but just not as many as when heading there.

And remember, because Norse is a budget airline, you can expect to pay additional fees for things like carry-on and checked luggage and seat selection…

But overall, paying sub-$200 to fly non-stop to Europe during peak summer is bonkers 🤗

So if you’re looking for a budget way to get to Europe soon, this could be your best option!

Come join us in our incredible Facebook group, the Daily Drop Lounge!

We’re full of passionate travelers who come to learn, answer others questions, and share their own travel wins.

You could be well on your way to booking a trip using miles and points and indulging in an airport lounge, just like this member! 👇

That’s all for today, my friends. I always love to see new ways to redeem points with the world’s best airlines, especially great programs like Flying Blue.

Anyway, have a great day, and I’ll see you tomorrow to finish off the week!

8.8903° S, 33.3206° E