Travel expert’s tips to score luxury flights for less

Ashley Peterson has traveled to more than 100 countries.

“I’ve flown so many times to Europe, South America for literally less than people paid in economy, which is kind of crazy,” she said.

Out of the 120 flights she took last year, she says about half flew in or out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

“American is starting to increase their footprint out of the U.S., so we have a lot of international flights out of Charlotte,” Peterson said.

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Her account, “Ashley Gets Around,” focuses on business class flight deals. What started as a hobby, now goes to some 70,000 email subscribers.

She recently sent her followers what’s known as a “mistake fare” from New York to Paris.

“Mistake fares are these, like, almost unbelievable rates that we find, I like to say 12 to 15 times per year,” she said. “But, we found five last month, so it really varies.”

They’re unpredictable because they’re due to human error, like a typo or a technical glitch, but airlines are required to honor them.

This round trip light is less than $1,000 in business class, where passengers can lie flat. For perspective, Google Flights says this $3,610 price tag for a business class flight from Charlotte to Paris is a good deal.

Peterson says she never predicted this mistake fare she sent to her followers about a business class flight from the U.S. to Prague for $851. Google Flights shows similar one-way business class flights from Charlotte to Prague at $2,000 to $4,000.

Peterson’s biggest tip is to be flexible. Prices can vary based on dates, origin cities, or destinations. She also recommends searching often.

“The more you search, the better deals you’re going to find,” she said.

She suggests finding a cheap flight to get you overseas, near your destination, then finishing your journey on a train.

“What a lot of people don’t know is that British Airways is partners with American Airlines, and so they’re all in the same alliance,” Peterson said. “So you can actually book American Airlines flights through British Airways.”

Since AARP offers British Airways Discounts, she says that might save you hundreds. You just need to be a member. Anyone 18 and older can join.

Peterson says luxury travel is great, but believes the best part of her job is helping families save cash.

“I hope people realize that they can fly in premium cabins for a lot less than they think, and that they don’t have to use points to do that,” Peterson said.

Peterson also recommends turning on Google Flight alerts. The tracker will show you if the price is higher or lower than average, and it will notify you if the price goes down.

She also suggests dividing up your party when searching for tickets in case there’s a few tickets in a cheaper category, but not enough for everyone.

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