116. The Award Travel Trick Hiding in Plain Sight: Fifth Freedom Flights

Point Me To First Class

Devon Gimbel MD

Finances, Education, How To, Travel, Credit, Expenses, Card, Cards, Society & Culture, Professionals, Tips, Personal, Places & Travel, Business, Points, Rewards

5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

If you’ve ever struggled to find award space—especially in business class—this is the episode you’ve been waiting for.

In this episode, I’m diving into a unique but often overlooked type of airline route called a fifth freedom flight. These flights are legal exceptions in commercial aviation that allow an airline to fly between two foreign countries, neither of which is their home base—and for points enthusiasts, they offer some of the best award availability, better cabin experiences, and unique route opportunities around the world.

I’ll walk you through the history behind these flights, how to spot them, and the exact routes worth checking out to Europe, Asia, Africa, and even the Caribbean. Whether you’re hunting for better premium cabin space or just want a smoother flight, fifth freedom flights should absolutely be on your radar.

Get full show notes and transcript: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/fifth-freedom-flights-points-strategy/

Want to shape the show? Take the Point Me To First Class listener survey and share what you love and want more of! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeAPfb3wIaphMn_NoQzm_fljydsivTELQwh7pYoxrI2uTFoKQ/viewform

Eager to learn the secrets of award travel so that you can turn your expenses into unforgettable experiences? Join the Points Made Easy course waitlist here:

https://pointmetofirstclass.com/pointsmadeeasy

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Pointe Need to First Class, the only show for employed professionals, entrepreneurs, and business owners who are looking to optimize their higher than average expenses to travel the world.
0:10.8	I'm your host, Evan Gimble, and I believe that your expenses are your greatest untapped asset, if you know how to leverage them.
0:17.9	Ready to dive into the world of credit card points and miles so you can travel
0:20.9	more, travel better, and travel often. Let's get started.
0:29.8	Hello, everyone, and welcome back to another episode of the Point Me to First Class podcast.
0:34.3	On today's episode, we're going to be taking a look at a very unique
0:37.7	type of flight route that creates interesting award redemption opportunities for points
0:42.1	enthusiasts. But first, we need to go back in history a few years. So the story of today's
0:48.7	episode topic starts all the way back in 1944 at the Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the
0:57.1	Chicago Convention. Following World War II, the United States had called for a set of standardized
1:03.2	rules and regulations to govern commercial aviation. But at this suggestion, other countries
1:09.3	were apparently concerned that unless there were strict
1:12.2	rules in place, the size of U.S. airlines would dominate air travel, and they didn't want that to happen.
1:18.4	So a specialized agency of the United Nations called the International Civil Aviation Organization
1:23.9	was created and charged with coordinating international air travel. The subsequent
1:29.0	Chicago Convention established a set of five commercial aviation rules that were agreed upon
1:34.9	and still govern air travel today. Rules that are known as the five freedoms of the air,
1:40.2	or also called the five freedoms of air transport. The first through fifth, freedoms of the air
1:46.6	are officially enumerated by international treaties and govern aspects of aviation, including the
1:52.8	passage of commercial aircraft through foreign airspace and airports, and the transport of people,
1:58.3	mail, and cargo internationally. For instance, the first freedom of
2:01.6	the air confers the right to an airline to fly over a foreign country without landing, meaning
	...

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