What Is A Mixed Cabin Flight? What They Are & Why They Can Be Great
Ever seen those words on a flight search and asked yourself “what is a mixed cabin flight?” Today, we’ll take a quick look at what these are and why they can be great. We’ll also cover some things to be careful about with a mixed cabin flight.
What Is A Mixed Cabin Flight?
Simply put: a mixed cabin flight means you travel in different cabins during your trip–a trip with more than 1 flight, obviously. Maybe you’ll fly in economy class for the 1st flight and business class for the 2nd flight. First class for one flight and then business class for the other. You aren’t in the same “class” of travel for the whole trip.
Why These Can Be Great
Now that you see what a mixed cabin booking is, you should already see where the value can come in. If you can pay less cash or spend less miles for flying in economy during part of the trip, you save! Not all programs allow these types of award bookings (Singapore KrisFlyer doesn’t, for example).
Sites like Kayak.com allow you to turn mixed cabin bookings on/off according to your desires.
The results we mentioned in a recent article about flying to Thailand using United miles had mixed cabin results. You would fly across the ocean in business class and then take the short flight from there in economy class. Essentially, you spend less by taking the short flight in economy and the long flight in business class.
When booking flights with Avianca’s LifeMiles, you can go a step further. You can choose by flight segment. Depending on availability and number of flights in your itinerary, you can choose what cabin you want to fly in for each separate flight and build a price a la carte.
Something To Watch Out For
Before you get too excited, be careful on these bookings. Always check which flights are in which class. Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan is notorious for this.
Look at these flights. Economy from Phoenix to Dallas. “First class” from Dallas to Miami. Then economy on the long flight to Brazil. But you’ll pay the price for business class! No thanks.
Final Thoughts On Mixed Cabin Bookings
As long as you pay attention to what you’re getting, mixed cabin bookings can be a great way to save cash and/or miles. You can fly the long flight in a more comfortable cabin but save money by taking the shorter flight(s) in economy. Pay attention to which seats you’re getting for which flights and you should be good to go.
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