In times of hardship, when European and Canadian Airlines have the audacity to charge fuel surcharges on
FREE Mileage Award Redemptions (even on partners which themselves don't charge a fuel surcharge!) it's nice to see those same airlines giving discounts on the amount of miles needed for an award.
For a in-depth analysis from
DANSDEALS.COM of the various airlines and their fuel charges
SEE HERE: http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/3740.
I am aware of only two airlines (both charge fuel surcharges) which have a significant mileage discount for award tickets.
1)
FLYING BLUE (Air France / KLM) PROMO AWARDS: They release every two months a list of destinations which cost half the price for redemption (a.k.a. 25000 instead of 50000 to Europe). Right now they have flights from Dallas and Toronto to anywhere in Europe where KLM flies. Its 25000 for a r/t or 12500 for a one-way redemption.
SEE HERE: http://www.flyingbluenews.com/promotions/spendingmiles/promoawards.html. They also have a myriad of other destinations at Half-Off.
2)
VIRGIN ATLANTIC: They release promo fares to/from UK. The current promo is for 50% off Economy tickets from the US to London if booking before July 31st
for flights before July 31st, 25% off Economy tickets booked before July 31st
for flights after July 31st, and 20% off Economy-Plus rewards.
SEE HERE: http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/us/frequentflyer/spendmiles/rewardflights/flightsformiles.jsp. This means that a flight to London can cost 22500 Virgin Atlantic miles plus Taxes and Fuel Surcharge (about 300 total).