If travel in 2025 can be classified as "kind of boring" (don't get the reference? Check out our report), then the 2025 deals themselves can be considered absolutely chaotic. We saw last-minute summer fares to Europe drop lower than off-season prices, spicy fare wars between major carriers, mouthwateringly good transfer bonuses, and the highest number of mistake fares ever clocked in a single year.
With the Going app, members snagged deals from tiny regional airports to massive hubs, saving big whether they were flying down the street or across the world. Among our best deals you'll find an elusive steal from the West Coast to the Cook Islands; 85 US airports to Brisbane (one of our picks for Where To Go in 2026); and popular routes like Atlanta to Milan at the cheapest nonstop prices we've ever seen.
Savvy travelers also learned how to pair points, perks, and promos to score everything from lie-flat beds over the Pacific to Spanish holidays that came in at the equivalent of about $70 roundtrip.
Here's a peek at the wildest, rarest, and most joyful deals of the year-and a reminder that the best flights aren't found by searching harder, but by having the right flight alerts at the right time.
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Cook Islands - $695-$744 roundtrip in economy |
Regular price: $1,500 roundtrip (up to 54% off)
Departure cities: Honolulu (HNL), Los Angeles (LAX), Medford (MFR), Palm Springs (PSP), Pasco (PSC), Redmond (RDM), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA)
Travel period: scattered Jun-Dec 2025, Jan-May 2026 availability (depending on departure airport)
The Cook Islands don't pop up often. And when they do, they're usually the kind of fare you bookmark, sigh at, and close the tab. Not this time. In June, we saw the cheapest fares to the Cook Islands since pre-2020, including all-time lows from LA, San Diego, San Francisco, and Pasco. Better yet, every route was on Hawaiian Airlines with clean connections, making this one of those rare long-haul island deals that was both affordable and practical.
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Brazil - $358-$361 roundtrip in economy |
Regular price: $900 roundtrip (up to 60% off)
Departure city: Chicago (ORD)
Travel period: scattered Feb-May and Aug 2026 availability (depending on arrival airport)
Chicago got its moment, and what a moment it was. In October, flights to Belo Horizonte and Curitiba dropped below $361 roundtrip, marking the lowest fares from the Windy City to anywhere in Brazil that we've ever seen.
Even better: These weren't quirky budget airlines with surprise fees. They were on United and included checked bags. For Brazil enthusiasts (or those who needed an excuse), this was the kind of deal you book first and figure out PTO later.
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Istanbul - $453 roundtrip in economy |
Regular price: $1,050 roundtrip (57% off)
Departure city: Washington (IAD)
Travel period: Sept-Oct 2025
Every once in a while, an airline launches a new route and chooses chaos. Like in this case. When Icelandair announced service to Istanbul, it kicked things off with a jaw-dropping sub-$500 fare from Dulles to Türkiye. It was the cheapest we'd ever seen from DC, and seats were available from the inaugural September flight through October. Travelers could also tack on an Iceland stopover, turning one vacation into two without a doubled price tag.
Curious what the top 5 economy deals were in 2025? Check out the guide.
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Save on years of Going
Lock in up to 1,826 days of flight deals! Save up to 40% on 1, 3, or 5 years of Going Premium or Elite.
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Europe - from $619 roundtrip in premium economy |
Regular price: $2,000-$2,500 roundtrip (up to 75% off)
Departure cities: Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Miami (MIA), Newark (EWR), New York City (JFK), Washington (IAD)
Travel period: Tons of 2025 availability and into 2026 (depending on departure and arrival airports)
SAS decided to make everyone question their loyalty to coach by dropping fares to Europe. More legroom, amenity kits, priority boarding, enhanced meal service, and two free checked bags for less than the average cost of being a sardine in coach? Yes, please.
And this wasn't just to Scandinavia. Copenhagen and Stockholm were heavily represented, but we also saw wild routes like Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, and Rome. If you were sad you slept on this deal in January, you didn't have to worry. Deals just like this one popped in and out several times in 2025.
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Madrid, Dublin, and Amsterdam - from $2,034 roundtrip in business class |
Regular price: $4,500 roundtrip (up to 55% off)
Departure city: Boston (BOS)
Travel period: scattered May-Aug 2025 availability (depending on arrival airport)
A summer in Europe is great. A summer in Europe lying flat, sipping champagne in JetBlue Mint is even better. JetBlue Mint is already one of the most-loved premium products crossing the Atlantic, so seeing it at more-than-half-off pricing made this deal a rare and easy "yes!" for anyone who's ever dreamed of upgrading life for a week.
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All over Spain - 7k points roundtrip in economy |
Regular redemption: 60k-80k points
Departure cities: Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York City (JFK), Washington (IAD)
Travel period: Dec 2025, Jan-Mar 2026
Easily one of the wildest award deals of the year. With Bilt's Rent Day transfer bonuses stacking, travelers booked main-cabin seats (not basic) for the equivalent of ~$70 in points plus ~$300 in taxes. Ridiculous, rare, and gone fast-just how the best points deals tend to be.
Want to see 8 other show-stopping points deals we dug up in 2025? You know what to do.
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