As of June 30, 2020, one of the most fun and best value business class flights within Europe will be ending. I am talking about the LATAM (the South American airline) flight between Madrid and Frankfurt. Let’s jump in.
LATAM Ending a Favorite “Fifth Freedom” Flight in Europe – the Best Value Business Class in Europe
What is a “Fifth Freedom” Flight or Route?
Yes, you read that correctly – a South American flight offers the best value business class flight between Madrid and Frankfurt. This is something called a “Fifth Freedom” flight which (put simply) is a flight that takes place between two cities that are not in the airline’s home country as part of the flight from the flag carrier’s origination.
In this case, it is LATAM flying from a home airport (Santiago, Chile) to Madrid, Spain and then continuing on to Frankfurt, Germany before reversing the journey. For more on this, check out this page.
The LATAM Flight Between Madrid and Frankfurt is Ending
Flights like this allow a carrier to provide service to a city that it does not serve from its own country. It is also a great way for passengers between those two last cities to enjoy an internationally configured aircraft for the short hop between those two cities – and often at a nice deal.
This was the case with the LATAM flight between Madrid and Frankfurt. That flight is blocked as a 2.5 hour flight and business class on that flight can be booked as cheaply as $95 from Madrid and about $130 for the flight from Frankfurt to Madrid. This is an awesome deal when an airline like Lufthansa is flying an inferior, regional business class product on that route for almost 4 times the price!
I have flown on the LATAM 787 Dreamliner years ago between Sydney and Santiago (with a stop in Auckland – another Fifth Freedom route) and it is certainly a nice ride! I have been meaning to fly it between Madrid and Frankfurt so I will be doing that sooner rather than later!
Why Is This Flight Ending?
LATAM is launching a three-time-a-week flight from Santiago to Frankfurt so they do not need this fifth freedom flight anymore. See this page for more details.
Why Is This Flight Such a Good Deal?
Link: Check For These Great Prices!
For starters, it does not cost much more than an economy seat between those two cities. With that business class ticket comes extra mileage earning when crediting to partners like Alaska, American, and British Airways (though LATAM will be departing the Oneworld Alliance as of May 1). It also gives better baggage allowances and lounge access! Plus, you are actually getting a business class seat. 🙂
There are other fifth freedom flights in Europe that offer great seats but not nearly as good of a deal as this one. If you want to try it out, do it before June 30! Plus, you know, it does connect two pretty great cities!
HT: OMaaT
