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3 New Cities With Direct Award Flights to Europe With No Fuel Surcharges!

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    Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers. Air Berlin is planning 3 new non-stop routes between the US and Dusseldorf, Germany!  There’s plenty to do and it’s a great place to start your Small Money travels around Europe.

    This news means your American Airlines miles and British Airways Avios points will be more valuable because you’ll have more opportunities to redeem them.  

    And remember, you can transfer your Starwood points to American Airlines.  And your Chase Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways.

    And, Air Berlin never adds fuel surcharges, so you can avoid these nasty fees when you cross the Atlantic!

    Visit the Annual Carnival in Dusseldorf, or Use It as a Jumping Off Point to See More of Europe!

    I’ll tell you about the new routes.  And how to make the most of them!

    What’s Going On?

    According to One Mile at a Time, Air Berlin will begin service between Dusseldorf, Germany, and:

    There is also a non-stop flight between Dusseldorf and Havana, Cuba, that begins on May 28, 2016.

    This is in addition to Air Berlin’s flights to Germany from these US cities:

    Dusseldorf Is in Western Germany, a Short Flight or Train Ride From Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, and Zurich!

    This is fantastic news for folks who collect American Airlines miles or British Airways Avios points!  These new flights are also a great way to avoid British Airways flights when you’re searching for award seats.

    That’s because British Airways adds fuel surcharges to its own flights, even if you book them with a partner airline’s miles.

    Some of the Business Class Award Seats Are Already Available to Book With Miles or Points!

    And the San Francisco to Dusseldorf flight is particularly great news for folks on the West Coast.  That’s because award seats (especially on non-stop routes!) from there to Europe can be difficult to find.

    I couldn’t find any coach award seats on the new routes yet, but I did find a few Business Class award seats.  So keep an eye out if you’re interested in any of these new routes, because they should appear soon!

    How Can You Book These Flights With Miles and Points?

    Link:   Book American Airlines Award Flights Like a Pro

    Link:   Book British Airways Award Flights Like a Pro

    Link:   oneworld Alliance Member Airlines

    You’re able to book flights on Air Berlin with American Airlines miles or British Airways Avios points because they are all part of the oneworld alliance.

    Book Flights on Partner Airlines To Visit More Places in the World!

    That means they have access to each other’s award seats.  And you can use a partner airline’s miles to book an award seat.  For example, you’re able to use American Airlines miles to book an award flight on Air Berlin.

    American Airlines Miles

    Link:   American Airlines Award Chart

    Link:   American Airlines Partner Award Chart

    Link:   American Airlines Off-Peak Award Dates

    For an award seat between the US and Europe, American Airlines usually charges:

    But, from October 15 to May 15 each year, you can fly in coach for only 20,000 American Airlines miles each way.  So if you’re lucky, you can snag a seat during the 1st week of the new routes to save miles!

    You can earn American Airlines miles with the sign-up bonus from their cards.

    You can also get more American Airlines miles if you transfer Starwood points to American Airlines.  And, you’ll get 5,000 bonus miles for every 20,000 points you transfer!

    So these new routes make your Starwood points more valuable, too!

    British Airways Avios Points

    Link:   British Airways Award Flight Calculator

    Link:   Wandering Aramean’s Avios Map

    British Airways determines how many of their Avios points you’ll need for an award flight based on how long the flight is.  That’s because British Airways has a distance-based award program.

    Let’s look at how many British Airways Avios points you’ll need for each new flight in coach:

    Remember you can use the British Airways award flight calculator to check how many miles you’ll need.

    Visit Another European City, Like Amsterdam! British Airways Avios Points Are Perfect for Short Flights

    One of the best ways to redeem British Airways Avios points is for short, expensive flights. It’s a great way to save money and see more of Europe!

    Remember you’ll need more British Airways Avios points starting early next year for short flights within the US.  But the change doesn’t apply to Europe!

    Fly to Dozens of European Cities from Dusseldorf Starting at Only 4,500 British Airways Avios Points 1-Way

    According to Wandering Aramean’s Avios calculator tool, you can visit lots of cities in Europe from Dusseldorf for only 4,500 British Airways Avios points, including:

    So this is great news for folks who collect British Airways Avios points!

    Currently, you can earn a total of 100,000 British Airways Avios points with the Chase British Airways Visa Signature Card.   Here’s my review of this offer.

    If you need more British Airways Avios points, remember you can transfer from Chase Ultimate Rewards points to British Airways instantly if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Ink Plus, or (no longer offered) Chase Ink Bold.

    And don’t forget to check budget airlines!  Sometimes you can get very low fares, so they’re a fantastic way to explore Europe, too!

    Things to Do Once You Get to Dusseldorf

    There’s lots to do in Dusseldorf!  And many other cities are easily accessible by train.

    Dusseldorf, Like Lots of German Cities, Has Beautiful Christmas Markets During the Holidays

    If you visit Dusseldorf next year around the holidays, you can explore beautiful Christmas markets.  Or go during the annual Carnival for a fun vacation with the family!

    Take a Train (or Fly!) to Brussels to Keep Exploring New Cities

    If you’re feeling adventurous, you can hop on a high-speed ICE or Thalys train and be in Brussels, Belgium, in ~2.5 hours to get your fill of beer and chocolate!

    Or, you can take a short ~30-minute train ride to Cologne, Germany, to visit the terrific chocolate museum, or to shop!

    Bottom Line

    Air Berlin will start flying non-stop between Boston, Dallas, and San Francisco, to Dusseldorf, Germany, in May 2016.

    This is excellent news for folks who collect American Airlines miles or British Airways points.  Because you’ll have new ways to use your miles to see more of Europe!

    Air Berlin doesn’t add fuel surcharges to their flights.  And for folks in San Francisco or on the West Coast, it will be convenient to have a non-stop option to Europe.

    Remember you can get more American Airlines miles by transferring your Starwood points.  And you can get more British Airways Avios points when you transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

    More options are always a good thing, so I’m excited about these new routes!  Will you plan a trip to Dusseldorf – or beyond – for next year?

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)