Mistake Fares & Award Availability: Insider Tips from Peter Thornton
- Author
- Peter Thornton, Gunnar Olson, Kyle Potter
- Published
- Thu 11 Sep 2025
- Episode Link
- https://thrifty-traveler-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/mistake-fares-award-availability-insider-tips-from-peter-thornton-3IEnmhZ_
This week, we interview the most interesting man in travel: Peter Thornton! As Thrifty Traveler’s Senior Award Deal Analyst, Peter is responsible for finding all the best uses for your points and miles, but his long career in travel has touched nearly every aspect of the industry. From being a flight attendant to finding mistake fares for Airfare Watchdog and now analyzing points and miles deals, Peter knows more about airfare than anyone out there. And he’s the only one who played guitar for Ja Rule, Paul Walker, and Vin Diesel at MTV Spring Break 2001…yeah, we get that story on the pod, too!
Special shoutout to the sponsor of this week’s episode, Abundo Wealth!
00:00 - The worst airline websites that expert Peter Thornton has to deal with
04:50 - Something Hot: Peter’s favorite flight deals of all time - including some classic mistake fares
09:50 - Why you should never drive in London – and what not to put on your immigration documents
12:10 - This week’s show is sponsored by Abundo Wealth!
13:00 - Road tripping, the Rand McNally Road Atlas, and falling in love with travel with Peter Thornton
15:25 - Becoming a flight attendant and getting into the industry with North American Airlines
18:15 - Joining Airfare Watchdog and pioneering the cheap flights game
21:00 - Accepting his job offer to Thrifty Traveler at Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
22:30 - How to find points and miles award availability as TT’s Senior Award Analyst
25:00 - Calling the airlines so you don’t have to – and the worst airline hold music
28:00 - What do you wish more travelers knew about award travel?
32:00 - What’s to blame for what Gunnar calls “Hot Flight Summer?” Why has points and miles availability been so good?
35:00 - Looking forward: Making predictions about airfare, points and miles availability, and more in the world of travel
39:15 - The legend of “Cave Matthews Band” and why Peter was featured on a game show called “Dude This Sucks” for MTV Spring Break
42:15 - Listener Question: How far in advance should you book award travel to get the best rates?
46:00 - On the Spot: Overlooked destinations that should get more love than they do
Produced by Gunnar Olson
Edited by David Strutt
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot
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