November 21st, 2022 Estimated read time: 3 minutes and 10 seconds
Good morning from Kyoto, Japan. I could not be more excited to be in a country that has been on my list for way too long. But before I go out for some temple-hopping, I have some good stuff to share with you today:
- 🏨 Priceline is having a crazy Black Friday sale
- 🌎 Fifth freedom rights, explained
- 👀 Clear offers an exciting promo for existing members
🏨 Priceline offers up to 99% off hotel deals
So here's a company we don't talk bout very often. In fact, we've never talked about it here at the Daily Drop. But that's all going to change today because Priceline is having a massive Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale which includes some pretty crazy deals.
Here is a list of everything Priceline has on the Smörgåsbord of deals. Each specific deal has its own validity dates and code, so read carefully:
- Save 10% off sitewide on Express Deals with code BF2022 (available 11/21/22 – 11/28/22)
- Get up to $3,000 to spend onboard a Norwegian Cruise, plus free prepaid gratuities
- Save an additional 20% on trips to popular destinations including Hawaii, Mexico, Europe, and the Caribbean with certain hotel and flight bundles
- Save up to 20% on select rental cars
- Save $100 with code FRIDAY100 for Hotel Express Deals when you spend $500 (available 11/22/22 – 11/25/22)
- Save 20% on Hotel Express Deals using code MONDAY20 (only available for the first 1,000 bookings on 11/28/22)
- Save 20% or more throughout November on thousands of select hotels for stays through June 2023 (no code required)
- Subscribe to their free Priceline Email Insiders list and get Mystery Coupons, including up to 99% discounts on hotels (no guarantee that you'll get one of these)
Any of the above deals without specific promo codes should show up when searching normally. So obviously there is a lot to potentially be excited about here. Personally, I think this deal is worth paying attention to because it has something to offer for almost any type of travel whether it's hotel bookings, cruises, car rentals, or vacation packages. If you are lucky enough to snag a 99% discount on hotels, then I don't think I need to really explain why that will be worth taking advantage of... Just be aware that when it comes to those mystery coupons, there is no guarantee that you'll receive one. And if you do, it could be as little as 25% off. If you do get one of those 99% off discount codes, definitely let me know (and maybe throw it my way). Just kidding... unless, you know, you don't want it...
🌎 Fifth freedom routes, explained
If you're a frequent flyer, aviation nerd, or reader of the Daily Drop, you may have heard the term "fifth freedom" thrown around at some point. We Americans love to talk about freedom, but what I'm about to share with you is a little different...
What I'm talking about today is one of the freedoms of the air, specifically the fifth freedom. Now before I jump into what exactly this term refers to, let me just say that there is a relevant application when it comes to points, miles, and travel hacking, in addition to this being an interesting aviation topic for nerds like me. Hopefully the demographics of "aviation nerds" and "people who want to travel for free" cover most of you. Okay. So basically, there is a group of "freedoms of the air" that dictate what airlines are and are not allowed to do with regard to flying. The first few freedoms involve things like being allowed to fly over a foreign country, being allowed to take off or land in a foreign country, and a couple more boring things. The fifth freedom, however, is much more interesting...
An airline with fifth freedom rights is allowed to fly their plane between two foreign countries AND allow passengers to board and/or disembark in either country. For example, last week I flew from Bangkok to Singapore. However, the airline I flew on, Gulf Air, is based in Bahrain. Because the airline and plane aren't registered in either Singapore or Thailand, they need to have fifth freedom rights in order for passengers like me to board in Thailand and get off in Singapore. But why would a Bahraini airline fly a route like this? This is essentially a way for Gulf Air to serve both Bangkok and Singapore without needing to fly two individual routes between Bahrain and each city. Here is what the full route looks like:
The route is primarily geared toward passengers traveling between Bahrain and either Singapore or Bangkok. The route allows Gulf Air to transport passengers in a huge variety of combinations between the three cities, often with just a single layover in one direction. TONS of routes like this exist in the world, but very few have fifth freedom rights. For example, a few years ago I flew on a KLM flight from Amsterdam to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania with a layover in Kilimanjaro. Here is what that route looks like:
Now because KLM doesn't have fifth freedom rights on this route, they couldn't transport passengers solely between Kilimanjaro and Dar Es Salaam. They can, however, transport passengers in any other combination that either starts or ends with Amsterdam, since The Netherlands is the country where the airline and plane are registered. I know I'm probably losing you at this point, so let me get to why you should care about this... Fifth freedom routes are excellent opportunities to get amazing value out of your points and miles. Here's an example: Next year I'll be traveling to Argentina and Uruguay with a stopover in Brazil. There aren't a ton of Brazilian or Argentinian airlines that belong to major airline alliances. As a result, travelers have limited options when it comes to getting between Brazil and Argentina with points. Thankfully, Air Canada flies a fifth freedom route between São Paolo and Buenos Aires. So, I can actually use 10,000 Aeroplan points and about $15 to book this flight between two South American countries... on a Canadian airline.
In fact, Ethiopian Airlines flies the exact same route as a fifth freedom route, which is bookable with Aeroplan points. So you could use Canadian points to fly on an African airline between two South American countries. Pretty cool, eh? Because fifth freedom routes are usually shorter and don't involve the ground service in the airline's home country, they are excellent opportunities to get discounted rates on luxurious experiences. For example, Singapore Airlines flies between Frankfurt and New York - a route that is much shorter than any flights between the U.S. and Singapore, and therefore a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience Singapore's business or first class for a fraction of the price of their longer routes.
Another way to experience a bucket list flight is Emirates, which flies fifth freedom routes between Milan and New York (JFK) and between Athens and Newark (EWR). For example, a typical Emirates first-class flight typically will run you well over 100,000 Emirates miles. But because their fifth freedom routes are shorter and don't need to go all the way to Dubai, you could fly on the same plane in the same seat for far fewer points. I actually found a video on the Youtube of this random dude who did exactly that. The flight from Athens to Newark only cost him 85,000 Emirates miles and under $100 for taxes and fees... That guy is clearly very intelligent and cool to take advantage of such a great deal (and he's totally not my boss or anything...). Anyway, the takeaway is this: Fifth freedom routes present opportunities to fly on foreign airlines on unique routes for a great value. Whether you're an aviation nerd like me or you're simply looking to maximize your points, these unique routes are worth paying attention to when searching for flights.
👀 Clear members can gift up to 5 memberships
For those of you who aren't familiar, Clear is a service that uses biometric data to help you save time at airport security. Typically, a membership will run you a cool $189 per year. But until November 30th, certain Clear members can gift 3-month free trials to as many as five people, thanks to a Thanksgiving promo.
Here are the details:
- This is a targeted offer for current Clear members
- Check your email to see if you've received the offer
- Simply forward the email to whomever you want to get the free trial, and they can click the direct link to sign up
- After 3 months, an annual membership will be renewed at $189 unless canceled before the end of the trial
- New users must sign up before November 30th to be eligible for the trial
Obviously, this is a great opportunity for those who receive the offer. Even if you know somebody who is flying once or twice in the next few months, this could be a great way to potentially save them a lot of time at the airport. If you don't have Clear yet and aren't sure if you want to invest $189 into a membership, I'm going to have some tips in the near future for getting this for a grand total of $0... so make sure to keep reading the Daily Drop 😉
That's all for today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some more amazing Black Friday travel deals, so make sure you stick around the next few days if you want the inside scoop! Have you ever flown on a fifth freedom route? Do you think a Clear membership is worth $189? Let me know by replying to this email or reaching out on social media. Have a great day, Mike Dodge Head Writer, The Daily Drop
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