Here is a travel curiosity that sounds like a typo. A big Gulf airline can sell you a seat from Miami to Bogota, Colombia. But that same airline could never sell you a seat from Los Angeles to New York, even though plenty of travelers would happily book it. The explanation is an old aviation idea that most of us never hear about, and it can lead to some very nice flights at bargain prices.
In a conversation posted by Geobreeze Travel, a travel guest explains what is known as a “fifth freedom” flight, and why it matters to anyone who likes a comfortable seat.
What “fifth freedom” actually means
The “freedoms of the air” were set out around the end of World War II by the International Civil Aviation Organization. They describe what rights an airline has to fly between or within different countries. The fifth freedom, as the guest explains it, is the right for an airline to fly from its home country to a second country, then carry on to a third country, and to sell tickets between that second and third country.
What a foreign airline cannot do is come into the United States and start selling flights between two American cities. That is called cabotage, and it is not allowed. So Emirates cannot launch a daily Los Angeles to New York flight. But it can sell tickets from Dubai to Miami, and then onward from Miami to Bogota.
Why these routes exist
Originally it came down to range. Back in the 1940s through the 1970s, planes could not fly very long routes nonstop. The guest points to the old Sydney to London “kangaroo route” as an example: if an airline could not sell tickets on the legs beyond the stop, the route would never have made money. Some of these flights still exist for that reason. He notes that British Airways flies London to Sydney with a stop in Singapore, since no aircraft currently has the range to do that nonstop, and the airline sells tickets on the Singapore to Sydney leg. He also mentions Qantas is expected to start nonstop Sydney to New York and Sydney to London flights soon, a trip of 19 to 20 hours.
These days, there are other reasons too. If there is not enough demand to fill a plane to a single destination, an airline can fill it with passengers heading to two. He cites Turkish Airlines flights into Africa with one or two stops, where a pair of flights can sell tickets in three markets. And some airlines use the rule as a bit of a hack to appear in places they otherwise would not serve. His example is a summer United Airlines flight from Tokyo to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, which he says is technically allowed because it shares a flight number with a flight arriving from the United States.
Why travelers should care
From a passenger’s view, these flights are often a sweet spot. The airline fills its plane at home, where it has brand recognition and loyalty members, and many of those passengers get off at the first stop. Then it must sell the second leg in a market where it is less well known, so the guest says those seats are often cheaper, and often the cheapest option when local carriers compete on the route.
He adds that there is often good award availability, including in premium cabins. Because the plane is usually a wide-body jet built for long hauls, a short hop can come with the full international experience. He describes a three-hour Turkish Airlines flight from Sao Paulo to Buenos Aires on an A350 where even economy passengers received amenity kits. His co-host recalls a roughly two-hour hop between Argentina and Brazil in business class on Swiss, with a full meal service.
The pair says South America is a standout, since airlines flying in from Europe or the Middle East want more passengers on the way. Out of Buenos Aires, they list British Airways, Air Canada, Emirates, Ethiopian, KLM, Swiss and Turkish hopping between Brazil, Chile and Argentina.
Examples they shared
- British Airways between Singapore and Sydney, which the co-host says cost 40,000 American Airlines miles in business class, with about 300 US dollars in taxes and fees.
- Emirates flying an A380 between Sydney and Christchurch, a roughly three-hour hop. The guest notes booking first class has become trickier and requires status with certain programs.
- China Airlines flying Brisbane to Auckland on an A350, a roomier plane than the 737s and A320s most local carriers use there.
- A United flight from Koror, Palau to Manila, which he says cost about 600 dollars one-way but which he booked for 15,000 miles with no taxes or fees at all. He says the other direction does carry a 100 dollar arrival charge that Palau calls a “pristine paradise fee.”
How to use this yourself
You do not need to be a points expert to benefit. If you are heading abroad and want a better ride for a short regional leg, check whether a foreign airline serves that route as part of a longer journey. A wide-body jet on a short flight often means more comfortable seats. If you collect miles, look at award options on these sectors, since the pair says the point prices can be low. Their guideline is to pay up to about 10,000 points per hour of lie-flat business class, which they call a solid value.
Always compare the total cost, including taxes and fees, before you book, and read the fare rules. Prices, routes and seat availability change often, so treat the examples above as ideas for your own search, not a guarantee. Still, next time you spot an airline flying somewhere you would not expect, you will know the quiet rule behind it.
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