Originally Posted by
xliioper
The problem with these comparisons and CPM numbers is that you can often get much cheaper J fares simply by changing departure or return by a few days. In this case, there are Z fares on ANC-CDG for $4448 with a 7-day minimum stay requirement. The $7600 roundtrip fares look to be ones that don't meet the 7-day min stay requirement. It's likely if you extended the stay a bit, you could meet the 7-day min stay of the cheaper Z fares and save over $3000. Most people will have the flexibility to add a few days when it means saving that much money on the airfare.
Originally Posted by
GagaPilot
This particular trip I could only spare 5 days for work reasons (new job, limited vacation days - a perk of being an American). It is reassuring to see more reasonable D1 fares for longer trips that are more in line with what I have paid in the past.
IMO,
1) There is a lot of value in getting a redemption for the exact dates / routes you need
2) Even taking the lower price, that's 1.3 cents per SkyMile. Most would consider that fair value. Most people redeem for economy around those prices. Redeeming for 20 hours of D1 at the same price seems like a fair redemption (not a steal, not a rip off - fair).