Where to find late-summer award flight deals

Holly Johnson

August 3, 2026

Table of Contents

Delta SkyMiles award deals
Air France Flying Blue Promo Rewards
American AAdvantage deals
United MileagePlus award deals
Where to look before the window closes

Reading Time: 3 min

Late August has a reputation as the leftovers of summer travel, which is exactly what makes the award pricing worth a look. Once peak demand thins out, routes that were unaffordable in June and July can reopen for a fraction of the miles — if you have flexibility on destination and dates.

If you’re hoping to take one more summer trip without paying peak-season prices, here are some examples of August travel deals and why this month may be worth considering. Note that these examples were available as of publish time, but availability can change quickly, so check each airline’s award calendars to confirm specific dates.

One gut check before you book: Look up the cash price for the same flight and dates. Award sales are most valuable on routes where cash fares are still high — if the ticket is cheap either way, save your miles for a trip that needs them. The Points Path extension runs that comparison for you inside Google Flights.

The ultimate planning tool for flexible award travelers

A man holding a smartphone is overlayed on a collage of world destinations including Mt. Fuji, Amsterdam, Dubai, and a beach.

Points and miles get you far, but smart planning takes your travel to the highest level. Skyscanner is the ultimate ally for comparison shopping, helping you map out flights, stays, and car rentals in one seamless place. Use "Explore Everywhere" to find the highest-value destinations for your next trip, compare cash prices against award availability, and set "Price Alerts" so you always know when to book. It’s the smart way to turn travel inspiration into your next itinerary.

Explore everywhere

Delta SkyMiles award deals

If you have a stash of Delta SkyMiles, it makes sense to check Delta’s award deals page from time to time. You can filter deals by your home airport or any airport you’re willing to drive to, across both domestic and international itineraries.

For example, my search turned up deals like:

Atlanta (ATL) to Tampa, Florida (TPA) - August 22nd to September 2nd: 16,200 miles + $12 round-trip in economy
Los Angeles (LAX) to Las Vegas (LAS) - August 22nd to 28th: 14,400 miles + $12 round-trip in economy
Boston (BOS) to Cancun, Mexico (CUN) - August 24th to 30th: 30,400 miles + $143 round-trip in economy

Air France Flying Blue Promo Rewards

Flying Blue, the Air France-KLM loyalty program, publishes regular deals called Promo Rewards, and they’re easy to take advantage of if you have transferable points. After all, Flying Blue is a transfer partner of Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Miles, and the Citi ThankYou program.

At the moment, for example, August promo rewards in economy start at 18,750 miles plus airline taxes and fees from select U.S. and European cities, with long-haul Asia routes priced higher. Here are a few examples:

Chicago (ORD) to Rome, Italy (FCO) - August 12th: 18,750 miles + $166.10 one-way in economy

KLM award booking for ORD to FCO, with economy from 18,750 miles plus $166 and business from 195,500 miles.

Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo, Japan (HND) - August 18th: 36,000 miles + $33.50 one-way in economy

Delta award booking for LAX to HND, direct, economy at 36,000 miles plus $33.50.

American AAdvantage deals

The American AAdvantage program also publishes ongoing deals, including its summer miles promotion. Award deals are available for both domestic flights and international itineraries to Mexico and the Caribbean.

Sweet August deals I found include:

Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (SJD) - August 29th to 31st: 20,000 miles + $173 round-trip in economy
Washington, D.C. (DCA) to Basseterre, St. Kitts (SKB) - August 18th to 25th: 22,000 miles + $77 round-trip in economy

United MileagePlus award deals

If you have United miles, the website makes it easy to look at award requirements without doing a full search. You just enter your home airport and the destination you want to travel to, toggle to dates you’re considering and you can see the lowest miles cost for flights on each day of the month.

United MileagePlus award calendar for August and September 2026, showing most dates at 20,000 miles with some higher, and prices from 20k.

Some August deals I found include:

Newark, New Jersey (EWR) to Aruba (AUA) - August 25th: 20,000 miles + $15.60 one-way (or 18,000 miles for eligible cardholders) in economy
Newark, New Jersey (EWR) to Tokyo, Japan (NRT) - August 11th: 55,000 miles + $5.60 one-way (or 49,500 miles for eligible cardholders) in economy
Indianapolis, Indiana (IND) to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) - August 13th: 44,000 miles + $5.60 one-way in economy or 88,000 miles + $5.60 in business class on the transatlantic leg (40,000 or 80,000 miles for cardholders)

Where to look before the window closes

If you still have a summer trip in mind, don’t assume it’s too late to find a good deal. And if something looks good, it could be worth booking it. Award tickets on the major U.S. airlines can usually be canceled with your miles redeposited at no charge, so locking in a fare now doesn’t commit you to the trip.

This cashmere blend pashmina is a fantastic travel wrap

Woman wearing a light blue knit shawl draped over her shoulders and arms, layered over a white off-shoulder dress.

Crafted from ultra-soft Grade A cashmere and wool, this versatile 87"x28" stole works as a scarf, wrap, or flight blanket. Lightweight, durable, pill-resistant, and ideal for chilly flights.

Get it at Amazon