We're not even a quarter way through 2026, and it's already been one of the best years of flight deals to date. And even with surging fuel prices causing concern about skyrocketing fares, the deals show no sign of stopping anytime soon.
Just ask our Thrifty Traveler Premium members, who are still getting inundated with dirt-cheap flights and tons of alerts to redeem their points and miles. We've sent them $196 roundtrip flights to Hawaii, fancy business class seats to Europe for 60,000 miles, and some incredible Delta SkyMiles deals – arguably better than we've seen since before the pandemic.
And that's just a fraction of the top 10 from the last nine weeks! Take a look at the best of the best deals we've found so far this year.
Get these deals in your inbox for less: Join Thrifty Traveler Premium now before prices increase this Friday … and lock in your lower rate for life!
10. Japan Airlines Biz Class for 60K Miles (Or Less)
Japan Airlines business class is easily one of the best ways to get to Japan – especially when you can book it for just 60,000 miles each way. But over the last year or two, it's gotten much harder to find flights that are actually bookable at these rates.
We've sent our Thrifty Traveler Premium members not one, not two, but three separate alerts to book these seats to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) or Tokyo-Narita (NRT) with miles later this year or early 2027.
It's tough to beat scoring a lie-flat seat to Tokyo for just 60,000 AAdvantage miles and $5.60 in taxes and fees. But we'll do you one better…
How about just 55,000 miles to fly JAL's newest business class suites to Tokyo next year?
JAL flies its latest-and-greatest suites from New York City (JFK), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), and Los Angeles (LAX). It's tough to find availability to book using JAL Mileage Bank miles (transferable from Bilt, Capital One, and Rove Miles) at these ultra-low rates. But don't worry: We do the legwork for you.
This deal is gone now – sign up for Thrifty Traveler Premium before prices increase and get the next one in your inbox!
9. Helsinki & Stockholm under $395 RT
Flying to Scandinavia or Finland is typically a pricey endeavor. Getting there for under $400 is something special.
Check this out.
That's right: Just $358 could get you to Sweden or Finland this year – flying Delta, no less! That was the lowest fare from more than a dozen different U.S. cities over to Stockholm (ARN) and Helsinki (HEL) … and not just from the East Coast, but as far west as Denver (DEN), Portland (PDX), and Seattle (SEA).
You know it's a special deal when you're flying to a notoriously pricey corner of Europe for less than your typical fare to Florida or Las Vegas.
8. Premium Economy to Europe from $741 Roundtrip
There's just one thing we love more than a dirt-cheap economy fare to Europe: A flight overseas in premium economy for the same price as coach … or less!
This deal flying SAS Plus – the Scandinavian airline's name for premium economy – was a stunner, giving you wider seats, more recline, and checked bags included for the normal price of economy. Get this: This deal included peak summer availability at these low prices!
The cheapest fares were departing from Newark (EWR), but there were flights over to a dozen or more different European destinations from nearly 10 U.S. airports at deeply discounted rates.
7. Cathay Pacific First Class for 125K Miles
Cathay Pacific First Class is one of the best and coziest ways to fly to Southeast Asia. Who could resist bottomless Krug champagne and caviar before getting tucked into one of the widest, most comfortable beds in the sky?
So what's the problem? Cathay only flies planes equipped with its fanciest first class seats to and from Los Angeles (LAX) and New York City (JFK). Worse yet, finding the award availability to book these seats with points has become borderline impossible. We hadn't found award space for two passengers in years.
The drought ended earlier this year with this alert.
Get the next amazing points deal with Thrifty Traveler Premium – sign up now before prices increase (on Friday)!
While 125,000 miles each way (using Cathay Pacific's AsiaMiles program, which you can transfer from many of the major banks) may seem steep, this is as good as it gets. And it's well worth it for what would otherwise be a $10,000-plus flight.
Take it from me: I booked this myself! Honestly, I had a hard time not moving this one higher up the rankings.
6. Delta One to Chile from 146K SkyMiles RT
Think Delta SkyMiles are worthless? Accustomed to seeing business class redemptions north of 400,000 SkyMiles each way?
Think again:
The Delta One deals are out there – and we always find them. And while we've found tons of Delta One deals in the last year or so, this one down to Chile was easily the best of the year so far. This is a tremendous deal to fly Delta One Suites on the nine-hour flight from Atlanta (ATL) to Santiago (SCL).
But this deal extended far beyond that nonstop. You could fly from dozens of U.S. cities to Chile and back from just 146,000 SkyMiles roundtrip – a stellar deal for those looking for a comfy way down to South America.
5. Nonstop to Europe from $350 RT
The cheapest flights abroad typically involve a connection, but we routinely find amazing exceptions. So far this year, airlines all over the world have been slashing fares to Europe – even on nonstops like this one!
That dirt-cheap fare from Boston (BOS) to Dublin (DUB) was the cheapest on a long list of outstanding, deeply discounted nonstops to Europe and back this spring and through the fall. Check it out for yourself.
We heard from tons of travelers who booked these sizzling fares abroad that don't require any connections! These fares easily merit a spot on the top 10 list for 2026.
4. Emirates Biz Class to Europe from 85K Miles … Roundtrip!
Emirates offers a pair of funky, fifth-freedom routes to Europe: One from New York City (JFK) to Milan (MXP) and another between Newark (EWR) and Athens (ATH).
You can book them for as few as 108,000 Emirates miles roundtrip … but after some bruising changes, the airline now tacks on more than $900 in taxes and fees. Plus, you'll need to transfer even more credit card points after negative changes on that front, too.
But you can book those exact same flights for just 85,000 miles and under $250 in taxes and fees. That's right: 30,000 fewer miles and almost a quarter of the cash.
It's all thanks to Japan Airlines Mileage Bank and an incredible quirk to book roundtrip redemptions for massive savings compared to one-way rates. You can transfer points from Bilt, Capital One, and Rove Miles to Japan Airlines.
Finding award availability to book at these low rates can be difficult, but that's what we do for our Thrifty Traveler Premium members: Pinpoint the precise dates you can book with miles and walk you through the best way to book with the points you've got.
This deal is long gone now – get the next one with Thrifty Traveler Premium (before prices increase this Friday!)
3. Qantas Biz Class to New Zealand from 80K Miles
For one of the longest flights in the world, you're going to want a comfortable seat. Trouble is, booking a business class seat with points to Australia or New Zealand can be incredibly difficult, expensive, or both.
But not if you get an alert like this one in your inbox!
Just 80,000 American AAdvantage miles could get you all the way from New York City (JFK) to Auckland (AKL) in Qantas business class. The availability we found on this deal was incredible for flights that are 16 hours each way!
2. Hawaii from $196 Roundtrip
We've heard from Thrifty Traveler Premium members loud and clear: They want more cheap flights to Hawaii.
We delivered earlier this year.
A flight halfway across the Pacific Ocean should never be this cheap. But a few times a year, Southwest, Alaska, and Hawaiian Airlines get into a fare war, slashing prices on these coveted nonstop routes to less than $200 roundtrip. And we always find them.
We check these routes several times a day to make sure we catch when these impossibly cheap rates pop up. It only takes a few minutes for us to send our members an alert when they do!
1. All of Europe for 22K Delta SkyMiles RT!
We saved the best for last.
We find Delta SkyMiles flash sales – when the airline randomly decides to slash award rates to half (or less) the normal rate – all the time. But something about this fare to Europe made it extra special and the clear #1 on this list.
The lowest rates on these big Delta sales are typically in basic economy, which means you can't pick a seat or check a bag for free. But not this one: These 22,000-SkyMile roundtrip rates were all in Main Cabin economy, flying from more than 150 U.S. cities to Europe this spring!
Main Cabin fares mean you get free seat assignment, free changes, and even a checked bag included in your fare when flying to Europe. It was the best deal of the year so far. But there are plenty more worth pointing out!
How Thrifty Traveler Premium Works
So, how do we find these deals? And, most importantly, how do we let you know about them?
- First, our team of flight deal analysts and experts search from more than 200 U.S. and Canadian airports for the best Delta SkyMiles deals around the clock.
- Second, when we find something good, we vet the deal – making sure that it's bookable, that there's no “catch” or “trap,” and that it's a fare that we would book ourselves.
- Third, we put together a flight deal alert and send it to your inbox – and for the rarest deals, you'll get a “Unicorn Alert” text message, too! You can also log in to your account to see the deal info and any other deal we've sent.
- Fourth: You book the deal! This is what you've been hoarding SkyMiles for – a sizzling deal worth your hard-earned miles.
And that's it! We're not travel agents, and we don't work with the airlines. We just find the deals airlines don't want you to know about and alert you to them so you can get maximum value out of your stash of miles.
Plus, we offer a 100-day money-back guarantee for first-time subscribers. If you're not loving the deals you get, you can cancel for a full refund – no questions asked!
Bottom Line
Flight deals have been incredibly good to kick off 2026, but we think they're only going to get better for our Thrifty Traveler Premium members.
Start getting flight deal alerts, and remember: Our 100-day money-back guarantee means you can try our alerts risk-free! And if you sign up now before prices increase (this Friday), you can lock in that lower rate for life!
