What time is off-peak for flights?

Off-peak travel times vary by airline, route, and dates. Each airline has date ranges for off-peak seasons when flights cost fewer miles.

What is off-peak travel?

Off-peak travel is when demand is below the maximum. For example, Europe during the winter months of January through March.

Peak travel is the period of travel with the highest demand. These dates often attract large crowds, with higher hotel prices and more costly airplane tickets.

Is off-peak cheaper than peak?

Off-peak is almost always cheaper than peak travel. Because airlines don’t expect to sell out their seats, they release lower-priced seats that you can use miles for. The exact discount varies by airline.

Airline Peak and Off-Peak Award Charts: The Ultimate Guide [2026]

Updated: March 25, 2026, 5:17am CDT

Edited by:

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Table of Contents

Key Takeaways
Airlines With Peak and Off-Peak Award Charts
Final Thoughts

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Key Takeaways

Many airlines offer peak and off-peak award charts, with lower mileage requirements for flights during off-peak seasons.
Airlines like ANA, American Airlines, and British Airways clearly distinguish their charts, allowing flexibility in choosing travel dates for fewer points.
Each airline has different seasonal policies, so it is best to look for specific dates before planning a trip.

Commercial aviation is one of the most seasonal industries in the world. Typically, the busiest time of the year for airlines is from May to October.

Of course, this varies depending on the exact destinations, countries, or even cities that you visit. Customer demand plummets in the winter months from November to March, especially for Europe.

Airline ticket prices fluctuate with revenue management, algorithms, and seat availability. The same is generally true for airline award tickets. Many major airlines have adopted a binary award pricing scheme, in which some dates are priced lower than others.

Travelers with flexible plans should book flights on off-peak dates when possible to spend fewer miles. By planning trips around off-peak award dates, you can get maximum value from your points and miles.

This guide explores the seasonality charts for every major airline and the nuances of each program to minimize the number of points required for award flights.

Airlines With Peak and Off-Peak Award Charts

Some airlines adopt different seasonal policies depending on the route you fly, while others use a simple binary system.

Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus is Ireland’s flag carrier. Aer Lingus is owned by the same company that owns British Airways, IAG, and it uses Avios.

Each calendar year, Aer Lingus publishes its off-peak and peak periods. The off-peak periods constitute two-thirds of the year, during which you can book award flights for fewer Avios.

Additionally, Aer Lingus has a distance-based award chart along with peak and off-peak pricing. You can redeem Aer Lingus Avios for great value, especially if booking during off-peak dates.

Aer Lingus’s peak dates for 2026 are:

January 1 to 5, 2026
March 27 to 31, 2026
April 1 to 12, 2026
June 5 to 30, 2026
July 1 to August 31, 2026
December 18 to 31, 2026

Now that we’ve pieced together the seasonality, let’s talk briefly about how many Avios you’d save by booking off-peak. Here’s Aer Lingus’s award chart for one-way flights:

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Zone	Origin	Destinations	Off-Peak Economy	Peak Economy	Off-Peak Business	Peak Business
Zone 1	Belfast	London	4,000	4,500	N/A	N/A
	Cork	Amsterdam, Birmingham, Bristol, Brussels, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Paris, Santiago de Compostela	4,000	4,500	N/A	N/A
	Donegal	Glasgow	4,000	4,500	N/A	N/A
	Dublin	Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Birmingham, Bordeaux, Bristol, Brussels, Cardiff, Donegal, Dusseldorf, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Isle of Man, Jersey, Kerry, Leeds Bradford, London, Manchester, Nantes, Newcastle, Newquay, Paris, Rennes	4,000	4,500	N/A	N/A
	Shannon	Birmingham, Bristol, London	4,000	4,500	N/A	N/A
Zone 2	Belfast	Palma	6,500	7,500	N/A	N/A
	Cork	Alicante, Barcelona, Berlin, Faro, Geneva, Lisbon, Malaga, Munich, Nice, Palma, Prague	6,500	7,500	N/A	N/A
	Dublin	Asturias, Alicante, Barcelona, Berlin, Bilbao, Bologna, Faro, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hamburg, La Corũna, Lisbon, Lyon, Madrid, Marseille, Milan, Montpellier, Munich, Murcia, Nice, Oslo, Palma, Perpignan, Pisa, Prague, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Toulouse, Turin, Venice, Verona, Vienna, Warsaw, Zurich	6,500	7,500	N/A	N/A
	Shannon	Barcelona, Faro, Malaga	6,500	7,500	N/A	N/A
Zone 3	Belfast	Alicante, Faro, Malaga	8,500	10,000	N/A	N/A
	Cork	Dubrovnik, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Tenerife	8,500	10,000	N/A	N/A
	Dublin	Athens, Bourgas, Brindisi, Budapest, Catania, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Izmir, Lanzarote, Malaga, Malta, Marrakesh, Naples, Rome, Split, Tenerife, Tromsø	8,500	10,000	N/A	N/A
	Shannon	Lanzarote	8,500	10,000	N/A	N/A
Zone 4	Dublin	Dalaman	10,750	15,000	N/A	N/A
Zone 5	Dublin	Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Hartford, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Nashville, Newark, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Raleigh-Durham, Toronto, Washington	13,000	20,000	50,000	60,000
	Shannon	Boston, New York
	Manchester	New York
Zone 6	Dublin	Cancun, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle	16,250	25,000	62,500	75,000
Zone 6	Manchester	Barbados, Orlando	16,250	25,000	62,500	75,000

You can save up to 12,500 Avios each way by planning your off-peak travel accordingly. For example, flying from Miami (MIA) to Dublin (DUB) in Aer Lingus business class on September 18, 2026, these off-peak flights are priced at 62,500 Avios one-way, rather than 75,000 Avios (the peak-season price).

If the departing segment of your trip is on a peak date, and the returning flight is on an off-peak date, you’d pay the peak price one-way and the off-peak price the other way.

All Nippon Airways

All Nippon Airways’ Mileage Club loyalty program offers many valuable redemption options, though its online user interface is somewhat dated. It can take time to understand ANA Mileage Club, but it’s worth learning about to find valuable redemptions.

Hot Tip: You can start racking up ANA miles pretty easily. Follow our guide on how to earn lots of ANA Mileage Club miles.

Most airlines split their peak and off-peak dates into a simple binary system, where a date is either a peak or an off-peak date. ANA has 3 seasonality periods: low season, regular season, and high season.

ANA uses seasonality only for ANA flights. Seasonality does not apply to partners like United Airlines. These are the seasonality dates for flights between Japan and Europe/North America until early 2027:

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ANA Seasonality Periods	2026	2027
Low Season (L)	January 6 to February 28 April 1 to 28	January 6 to February 28
Regular Season (R)	January 4 to 5 March 1 to 31 May 10 to July 15 August 24 to December 18	January 4 to 5 March 1 to 31
High Season (H)	January 1 to 3 April 29 to May 9 July 16 to August 23 December 19 to 31	January 1 to 3

There are different seasonal periods depending on the regions you’re flying to or from, even for domestic flights. For example, Hawaii has a slightly different set of dates, as it is in Zone 5, while the rest of North America is in Zone 6.

Here’s the round-trip award chart for ANA flights for flights between North America and Japan:

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Cabin Class	Low Season Price	Regular Season Price	High Season Price
Economy	60,000	70,000	98,000
Premium Economy	88,000	98,000	103,000
Business	137,000	153,000	216,000
First	210,000	230,000	360,000

If you fly on ANA business class round-trip from New York City (JFK) to Tokyo (NRT), departing on January 10, 2027, and returning on January 31, 2027, it would be 137,000 ANA miles round-trip at the low season price.

On the other hand, flying during high season on the same route costs a hefty 216,000 miles. This represents a 57% price hike just for flying at different times.

Bottom Line: To determine the price for a specific ANA flight on a specific date range, first determine the route seasonality. Then you can determine the award price by matching the award chart pricing to the correct seasonality and route. This only applies if you intend to use ANA miles on ANA flights.

American Airlines

American Airlines offers off-peak awards, which are often great deals. However, American Airlines only offers these for economy flights on partner carriers.

American Airlines has Main Cabin off-peak economy tickets for travel to Europe from the contiguous 48 U.S. states and Canada.

The Main Cabin off-peak dates for 2026 are January 10 to March 14 and November 1 to December 14. Tickets are 22,500 AAdvantage miles one-way.

Hot Tip: To minimize your out-of-pocket costs for fuel surcharges, try to plan your travel solely on American Airlines flights.

Asiana Airlines

Asiana Airlines has deservedly earned a strong reputation through its loyalty program, Asiana Club. With attractive ways to redeem miles for maximum value, Asiana Airlines is a top airline of choice to earn miles on.

Asiana Airlines only has off-peak and peak pricing for its own flights. It also has different peak season dates depending on your route. You can avoid peak season surcharges for award bookings and upgrades if you’re an Asiana Club Diamond Plus or Platinum member.

Asiana Airlines charges 50% additional miles for flights during high season, so it’s best to avoid flying during popular times. Here is the peak season chart for 2026:

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Route	2026 Peak Dates	2027 Peak Dates
International Flights Departing From the Americas	February 20 to 21, 2026 May 14 to 31, 2026 June 1 to 27, 2026 July 31 to August 1, 2026 August 7 to 8, 2026 September 26 to 27, 2026 October 3 to 4, 2026 December 10 to 26, 2026	February 12 to 13, 2027 May 7 to 8, 2027 May 13 to June 26, 2027 July 30 to 31, 2027 August 6 to 7, 2027 September 17 to 18, 2027 December 9 to 25, 2027
International Flights Departing From Non-Americas Locations	January 1 to 4, 2026 February 13 to 22, 2026 February 27 to March 2, 2026 May 1 to 5, 2026 July 24 to 31, 2026 August 1 to 16, 2026 September 23 to 27, 2026 October 2 to 5, 2026 October 8 to 11, 2026 December 25 to 27, 2026	January 2 to 11, 2027 February 5 to 9, 2027 April 30 to May 5, 2027 May 13 to 16, 2027 July 24 to August 18, 2027 September 10 to 19, 2027 October 1 to 4, 2027 October 8 to 11, 2027
Domestic South Korea Flights	January 1, 2026 February 14 to 19, 2026 February 23 to March 2, 2026 April 30 to May 6, 2026 May 25 to 26, 2026 July 26 to August 22, 2026 September 23 to 28, 2026 October 5 to 6, 2026 October 8, 2026 October 12, 2026 December 24 to 25, 2026 December 31, 2026	January 1, 2027 January 4, 2027 February 6 to 10, 2027 February 25 to March 1, 2027 May 5, 2027 May 13 to 17, 2027 July 25 to August 19, 2027 September 11 to 18, 2027 September 20, 2027 October 2 to 5, 2027 October 9 to 12, 2027 December 25 to 28, 2027

Off-peak dates are all dates not listed on the peak chart.

The award chart for Asiana Airlines flights is as follows for round-trip flights:

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Type of Ticket	Route	Economy Peak	Economy	Business Peak	Business	Business Smartium Class Peak	Business Smartium Class
Nonstop	Domestic Flight	15,000	10,000	18,000	12,000	–	–
	Korea ⇄ Japan, China/Northeast Asia	45,000	30,000	67,500	45,000	75,000	50,000
	Korea ⇄ Southeast Asia	60,000	40,000	90,000	60,000	105,000	70,000
	Korea ⇄ Southwest Asia	75,000	50,000	112,500	75,000	135,000	90,000
	Korea ⇄ U.S., Europe, Middle East, Oceania	105,000	70,000	157,500	105,000	187,500	125,000
Connecting via South Korea	Japan ⇄ China/Northeast Asia	67,500	45,000	90,000	60,000	105,000	70,000
	Japan, China/Northeast Asia ⇄ Southeast Asia	82,500	55,000	105,000	70,000	127,500	85,000
	Japan, China/Northeast Asia ⇄ Southwest Asia	90,000	60,000	120,000	80,000	150,000	100,000
	Japan, China/Northeast Asia ⇄ U.S., Oceania	112,500	75,000	165,000	110,000	202,500	135,000
	Japan, China/Northeast Asia ⇄ Europe	112,500	75,000	165,000	110,000	202,500	135,000
	Southeast Asia ⇄ Europe	127,500	85,000	187,500	125,000	232,500	155,000
	Southeast Asia ⇄ Southwest Asia	105,000	70,000	157,500	105,000	195,000	130,000
	Southeast Asia ⇄ U.S., Oceania	127,500	85,000	187,500	125,000	232,500	155,000
	Southwest Asia ⇄ U.S., Oceania	142,500	95,000	210,000	140,000	262,500	175,000
	Oceania ⇄ U.S.	157,500	105,000	240,000	160,000	300,000	200,000
	Oceania ⇄ Europe	157,500	105,000	240,000	160,000	300,000	200,000

For example, if you fly from Los Angeles (LAX) to Sydney (SYD) via Seoul (ICN) on Asiana Airlines, departing on July 31, 2026, and returning on August 20, 2026, the outbound segment is during the peak season, and the return segment is during the off-peak season.

These flights feature Business Smartium Class, Asiana’s best long-haul business class seat. It costs 150,000 miles for the peak-season flight and 100,000 miles for the returning off-peak flight.

Bottom Line: Asiana Airlines raises prices for peak season award tickets by 50% across the board. Therefore, if flying on Asiana Airlines while redeeming Asiana Airlines miles, you should book off-peak tickets when you can.

British Airways

British Airways has previously employed a distance-based award chart with multiple zone brackets. In addition, there’s off-peak and peak pricing. British Airways also has had multiple award charts, but British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus were the only airlines eligible for off-peak pricing.

Though award rate charts for 2027 have not been made publicly available, according to Head for Points, British Airways’peak and off-peak dates for 2026 are as follows:

2026 Peak Dates

January 1 to 4, 2026
February 13 to 15, 2026
February 20 to 22, 2026
March 27 to 30, 2026
April 2 to 6, 2026
April 9 to 12, 2026
May 1 to 4, 2026
May 22 to 31, 2026
June 6 to 7, 2026
June 12 to 14, 2026
June 19 to 21, 2026

June 26 to 28, 2026
July 3 to 13, 2026
July 15 to 20, 2026
July 22 to 31, 2026
August 1 to 31, 2026
September 1, 2026
September 4 to 6, 2026
September 11 to 13, 2026
September 18 to 20, 2026
September 25 to 27, 2026
October 23 to 25, 2026

October 30 to 31, 2026
November 1, 2026
November 22, 2026
November 29, 2026
December 12 to 13, 2026
December 18 to 24, 2026
December 26 to 31, 2026

If your travel dates fall within these dates, your award ticket will be priced as a peak flight.

British Airways’ peak and off-peak calendars have consisted of wide bands, but they also contained multiple single-date occurrences for off-peak dates. Once you’ve identified the seasonality of your travel dates, determine how much your flight will cost, which has historically been based on distance. The Great Circle Mapper is a reliable resource for measuring your flight distance.

Hot Tip: See our guides on the top ways to earn lots of British Airways Avios and then make sure you’re redeeming them for the best value possible.

Iberia

Iberia is Spain’s flag carrier and is owned by the same company that owns British Airways and Aer Lingus, but the peak and off-peak calendars haven’t matched those when using Avios from different frequent flyer programs.

Additionally, Iberia has used peak and off-peak dates for flights on Iberia, Iberia Express, and Iberia Regional and Air Nostrum. For all other airlines, a different award chart applies, and seasonality is not used.

Here are the peak and off-peak dates for the 2026 Club Iberia Plus award calendar:

2026 Peak Dates

January 1 to 7, 2026
March 27 to 28, 2026
April 1 to 6, 2026
April 30, 2026
May 1, 2026
May 3, 2026
May 14-15, 2026
May 17, 2026

June 12 to 30, 2026
July 1 to 31, 2026
August 1 to 31, 2026
September 1 to 17, 2026
October 8 to 9, 2026
October 12 to 13, 2026
October 30 to 31, 2026
November 2, 2026

November 5 to 7, 2026
November 9 to 10, 2026
December 3 to 4, 2026
December 8 to 9, 2026
December 18 to 24, 2026
December 26 to 30, 2026

Korean Air

Just like its main competitor, Asiana Airlines, Korean Air uses peak and off-peak pricing. Korean Air SKYPASS is a good program for redeeming miles, with plenty of options ranging from Korean Air first class to Etihad first class.

Although there aren’t very many ways to earn Korean Air miles from transferable points, there are still great ways to earn lots of Korean Air SKYPASS miles.

Korean Air employs a region-based award chart. Also, one-way flight redemptions are only allowed on Korean Air. For all partners, you must book round-trip if you want to use miles.

Hot Tip: Korean Air is one of the few airlines that still operate the A380. Check out our review of Korean Air’s A380 first class.

Refer to the route and travel dates to determine whether your flights fall within the peak season. Peak dates for Korean Air are:

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Route	2026 Peak Dates	2027 Peak Dates
Korea Domestic	January 1, 2026 February 14 to 29, 2026 February 23 to 28, 2026 March 1 to 2, 2026 April 30, 2026 May 1 to 6, 2026 May 25 to 26, 2026 July 26 to 31, 2026 August 1 to 22, 2026 September 23 to 28, 2026 October 5 to 6, 2026 October 8, 2026 October 12, 2026 December 24 to 25, 2026 December 31, 2026	January 1, 2027 January 4, 2027 February 6 to 10, 2027 February 25 to 28, 2027 March 1, 2027 May 5, 2027 May 13 to 17, 2027 July 25 to 31, 2027 August 1 to 19, 2027 September 11 to 18, 2027 September 20, 2027 October 2 to 5, 2027 October 9 to 12, 2027 December 25 to 28, 2027
International (Excluding Departures From the Americas)	January 2 to 11, 2026 February 13 to 22, 2026 February 27 to 28, 2026 March 1 to 2, 2026 May 1 to 5, 2026 July 24 to 31, 2026 August 1 to 16, 2026 September 23 to 27, 2026 October 2 to 5, 2026 October 8 to 11, 2026 December 25 to 27, 2026	January 2 to 11, 2027 February 5 to 9, 2027 April 30, 2027 May 1 to 5, 2027 May 13 to 16, 2027 July 24 to 31, 2027 August 1 to 18, 2027 September 10 to 19, 2027 October 1 to 4, 2027 October 8 to 11, 2027
International (Departures From Americas)	February 20 to 21, 2026 May 14 to 31, 2026 June 1 to 27, 2026 July 31, 2026 August 1, 2026 August 7 to 8, 2026 September 26 to 27, 2026 October 3 to 4, 2026 December 10 to 26, 2026	February 12 to 13, 2027 May 7 to 8, 2027 May 13 to 31, 2027 June 1 to 26, 2027 July 30 to 31, 2027 August 6 to 7, 2027 September 17 to 18, 2027 December 9 to 25, 2027

Korean Air’s round-trip award chart is as follows (one-way awards are half the price):

(TK: Check with Keri for Premium Cabin class)

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Routes		Season	Economy	Premium Economy	Prestige	First
Domestic Within Korea		Off	10,000	–	12,000	–
Domestic Within Korea		Peak	15,000	–	18,000	–
Korea	Japan, China, Northeast Asia	Off	30,000	–	45,000	65,000
	Japan, China, Northeast Asia	Peak	45,000	–	65,000	95,000
	Southeast Asia, Guam	Off	40,000	60,000	70,000	90,000
	Southeast Asia, Guam	Peak	60,000	90,000	105,000	135,000
	Southwest Asia	Off	50,000	–	90,000	115,000
	Southwest Asia	Peak	75,000	–	135,000	175,000
	North America, Oceania, Europe, Middle East	Off	70,000	–	125,000	160,000
	North America, Oceania, Europe, Middle East	Peak	105,000	–	185,000	240,000
Japan	Korea	Off	30,000	–	45,000	65,000
	Korea	Peak	45,000	–	65,000	95,000
	China, Northeast Asia	Off	40,000	–	60,000	90,000
	China, Northeast Asia	Peak	60,000	–	90,000	135,000
	Southeast Asia, Guam	Off	50,000	–	70,000	90,000
	Southeast Asia, Guam	Peak	75,000	–	105,000	135,000
	Southwest Asia	Off	60,000	–	90,000	115,000
	Southwest Asia	Peak	90,000	–	135,000	175,000
	North America, Oceania, Europe, Middle East	Off	70,000	–	125,000	160,000
	North America, Oceania, Europe, Middle East	Peak	105,000	–	185,000	240,000
China/Northeast Asia	Korea	Off	30,000	–	45,000	65,000
	Korea	Peak	45,000	–	65,000	95,000
	Japan	Off	40,000	–	60,000	90,000
	Japan	Peak	60,000	–	90,000	135,000
	Southeast Asia, Guam	Off	50,000	–	70,000	90,000
	Southeast Asia, Guam	Peak	75,000	–	105,000	135,000
	Southwest Asia	Off	60,000	–	90,000	115,000
	Southwest Asia	Peak	90,000	–	135,000	175,000
	North America, Oceania, Europe, Middle East	Off	70,000	–	125,000	160,000
	North America, Oceania, Europe, Middle East	Peak	105,000	–	185,000	240,000
Southeast Asia/Guam	Korea	Off	40,000	60,000	70,000	90,000
	Korea	Peak	60,000	90,000	105,000	135,000
	Japan, China, Northeast Asia	Off	50,000	–	70,000	90,000
	Japan, China, Northeast Asia	Peak	75,000	–	105,000	135,000
	Southwest Asia	Off	70,000	–	125,000	160,000
	Southwest Asia	Peak	105,000	–	185,000	240,000
	North America, Oceania, Europe, Middle East	Off	85,000	–	150,000	190,000
	North America, Oceania, Europe, Middle East	Peak	125,000	–	225,000	285,000
Southwest Asia	Korea	Off	50,000	–	90,000	115,000
	Korea	Peak	75,000	–	135,000	175,000
	Japan, China, Northeast Asia	Off	60,000	–	90,000	115,000
	Japan, China, Northeast Asia	Peak	90,000	–	135,000	175,000
	Southeast Asia, Guam	Off	70,000	–	120,000	160,000
	Southeast Asia, Guam	Peak	105,000	–	185,000	240,000
	North America, Oceania, Europe, Middle East	Off	95,000	–	170,000	210,000
	North America, Oceania, Europe, Middle East	Peak	140,000	–	255,000	315,000
	Southwest Asia* (TK: Cannot verify this route in Award chart)	Off	25,000		45,000	60,000
		Peak	37,500	–	67,500	90,000
North America	Korea	Off	70,000	–	125,000	160,000
	Korea	Peak	105,000	–	185,000	240,000
	Japan, China, Northeast Asia	Off	70,000	–	125,000	160,000
	Japan, China, Northeast Asia	Peak	105,000	–	185,000	240,000
	Southeast Asia, Guam	Off	85,000	–	150,000	190,000
	Southeast Asia, Guam	Peak	125,000	–	225,000	285,000
	Southwest Asia	Off	95,000	–	170,000	210,000
	Southwest Asia	Peak	140,000	–	255,000	315,000
	Oceania	Off	110,000	–	195,000	240,000
	Oceania	Peak	165,000	–	290,000	360,000
Europe/Middle East	Korea	Off	70,000	–	125,000	160,000
	Korea	Peak	105,000	–	185,000	240,000
	Japan, China, Northeast Asia	Off	70,000	–	125,000	160,000
	Japan, China, Northeast Asia	Peak	105,000	–	185,000	240,000
	Southeast Asia, Guam	Off	85,000	–	150,000	190,000
	Southeast Asia, Guam	Peak	125,000	–	225,000	285,000
	Southwest Asia	Off	95,000	–	170,000	210,000
	Southwest Asia	Peak	140,000	–	255,000	315,000
	Oceania	Off	110,000	–	195,000	240,000
	Oceania	Peak	165,000	–	290,000	360,000
	Europe* (TK: Cannot verify this route in Award chart)	Off	25,000	–	45,000	60,000
	Europe* (TK: Cannot verify this route in Award chart)	Peak	37,500	–	67,500	90,000
Oceania	Korea	Off	70,000	–	125,000	160,000
	Korea	Peak	105,000	–	185,000	240,000
	Japan, China, Northeast Asia	Off	70,000	–	125,000	160,000
	Japan, China, Northeast Asia	Peak	105,000	–	185,000	240,000
	Southeast Asia, Guam	Off	85,000	–	150,000	190,000
	Southeast Asia, Guam	Peak	125,000	–	225,000	285,000
	Southwest Asia, Tashkent	Off	95,000	–	170,000	210,000
	Southwest Asia, Tashkent	Peak	140,000	–	255,000	315,000
	North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa	Off	110,000	–	195,000	240,000
	North America, Europe, Middle East, Africa	Peak	165,000	–	290,000	360,000

*Direct flights only

For example, a flight from New York (JFK) to Seoul (ICN) on Korean Air first class on December 10, 2026, is in peak season and costs 120,000 Korean Air miles one-way compared to 80,000 Korean Air miles for off-peak travel.

Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic uses standard and peak seasons for Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines flights. It splits seasonality calendars between Caribbean routes and all other routes.

For Caribbean routes, the standard (off-peak) season consists of the following date ranges (all other dates are considered peak):

March 2 to 19, 2026
April 13 to May 21, 2026
June 1 to July 17, 2026
September 2 to October 22, 2026
November 4 to 30, 2026

The rest of Virgin Atlantic flights follow these standard dates:

January 5 to March 19, 2026
April 13 to June 13, 2026
September 1 to October 22, 2026
November 4 to December 6, 2026

Peak dates for Caribbean routes are:

December 6, 2025-March 1, 2026
March 20 to April 12, 2026
May 22 to May 31, 2026
July 18 to September 1, 2026
October 23 to November 3, 2026
December 1, 2026 to March 2, 2027

Peak dates for all other routes are:

December 6, 2025 to January 4, 2026
March 20 to April 12, 2026
June 14 to September 1, 2026
October 23 to November 3, 2026
December 7, 2026 to January 5, 2027

Flights on Virgin Atlantic can be significantly cheaper if booked during standard rather than peak dates. Here’s the Virgin Atlantic award chart for round-trip, standard season bookings:

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Route to and From U.K.	Economy Classic	Premium	Upper Class
U.S.: New York	20,000	35,000	95,000
U.S.: East Coast and Orlando	25,000	45,000	95,000
U.S.: West Coast	30,000	55,000	135,000
Africa and Maldives	25,000	50,000	115,000
Caribbean	20,000	35,000	115,000
India, Dubai, and the Middle East	20,000	35,000	75,000

Here’s the Virgin Atlantic award chart for round-trip peak season bookings:

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Route to and From U.K.	Economy Classic	Premium	Upper Class
U.S.: New York	40,000	55,000	115,000
U.S.: East Coast and Orlando	45,000	65,000	115,000
U.S.> West Coast	50,000	75,000	155,000
Africa and Maldives	45,000	85,000	135,000
Caribbean	40,000	55,000	135,000
India, Dubai, and the Middle East	40,000	55,000	95,000

Let’s take an example flight from London (LHR) to Las Vegas (LAS), which is on the U.S. West Coast. If you book a flight during peak season in Upper Class, it costs 77,500 miles one-way rather than the standard price of 67,500 miles.

Final Thoughts

Many airlines have unique peak and off-peak season policies and tend to limit the price variation caused by seasonality within their own airlines. For example, Asiana Airlines levies peak surcharges only on flights operated by Asiana and not on any other carriers.

An exception is American Airlines AAdvantage, which makes off-peak pricing in economy available on partner airlines such as British Airways.

Keeping track of peak dates and booking travel flexibly to avoid peak season can help you get the best value for your points and miles.