Again, you can’t purchase the last one unless you’re flying into the United States from a foreign country that you are a citizen or resident of, so don’t get too excited about the North America pass. The Star Alliance offers air passes within Africa, Asia, China, Europe, Japan, and North America. What the three major airline alliances offer Air Travel Passes offer good prices on legacy airlines, but be sure to compare your itinerary with the cost of using discount carriers (Image courtesy of Shutterstock). So in each case, travelers should price out their itineraries separately on the most affordable and convenient airlines, and then compare the result to the price of a comparable air travel pass from the alliance they’re arriving on. Nevertheless, I was able to find some details (below).įinally, airline alliances are largely composed of legacy carriers, and it may be the case that lower fares are available from discount carriers. I contacted a member of each of the airline alliances to request information about pricing, and each said they couldn’t offer any specifics, except to say that the price would vary based on the destination and the taxes and fees. But as you might imagine, most representatives haven’t heard about air travel passes or have never ticketed one before, and they’ll have to spend some time reading and learning to apply the rules. To book an air pass, travelers should contact the members of the alliance they’re flying on to the destination region, and ticketing representatives are supposed to price and ticket these passes. Another nice feature of air travel passes from all three alliances is that children from 2 to 12 years old pay a discounted fare of 75%, although lap child infants still have to pay the standard 10%.įurthermore, I confirmed that you can always earn frequent flier miles on the carrier of your choice within the alliance, and that members of all three of the alliances will sell you an air pass in conjunction with an award ticket.

In fact, the flat-fee pricing structure means that there’s no penalty for purchasing a ticket with little advanced notice. In addition, pricing is based on the number of legs and distance flown, so this is a great option when you want to visit destinations that might otherwise be unaffordable. Travelers can book flights on several different carriers within the respective alliance by contacting a single company, which simplifies the booking process.

Although, I suppose a foreign national could book a trip originating in his or her home country and purchase an air pass, providing that the address in the frequent flier program is also foreign.

Also, you cannot be a citizen of the region where the pass is valid, so while there are North American and USA air passes that offer tremendous value, US residents can’t purchase them. The biggest restriction is that you can only purchase an air travel pass in conjunction with an international ticket to the region. For example, if United issues you a ticket to Japan on flights operated by United or its partners, United will sell you the air pass you couldn’t buy a ticket to Japan on Delta and then buy the United air pass around North Asia. Air travel passes can help you explore a region of the world for less than the cost of purchasing individual tickets.

For example, the Skyteam alliance offers a Go Europe pass that includes between 3 and 16 different flights, on which you can visit the same city twice (but no more). Travelers can purchase the pass directly from a member of one of the alliances, which tickets them on flights within a particular region. Each of the three major airline alliances offers air travel passes that are sold in conjunction with an international ticket. When you’re trying to put together a large trip, rather than pay for individual flights (or trains, or other modes of transportation) around the region you’re exploring, you might consider the little known option of air travel passes.Īir travel passes are akin to rail passes (like those commonly used in Europe) they’re special fares that allow you to visit multiple destinations in a particular region at a discounted rate. The most efficient way to use your points and miles is to see as much as you can with one major international award flight, rather than travel back and forth between home and abroad. Today, TPG Contributor Jason Steele introduces us to the Air Travel Pass, a great way to get around for travelers with multiple regional destinations in mind.

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