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What's better than a $69 ticket to Europe? How about zero dollars for trips even farther across the world, like Dubai, Cape Town, or the Seychelles? That's right: zero dollars.
While the Qatar Airways "Travel Festival" is still active, offering flights like New York to Yangon, Myanmar from $485 and Dallas to Bangkok from $480, the airline has also hidden away some free tickets on its website. It's up to you to find and book them, but luckily there are some clues to help in this hunt, which begins for the U.S. at 9 a.m. Eastern tomorrow, January 12.
Qatar's Treasure Hunt video tips us off that travelers from Canada and the United States have the opportunity to fly from one of the airline's American departure cities (New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and Montreal) for an airfare of $0 to any of these "Golden Ticket" destinations:
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (DXB) in February, March, and April 2017
Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates (RKT) in February and March 2017
Yereven, Armenia (EVN) in February and April 2017
Tbilisi, Georgia (TBS) in February 2017
The Seychelles (SEZ) in February and April 2017
Cape Town, South Africa (CPT) in March 2017
And yes, of course there is a catch. Those who are lucky enough to hit on one of the $0 flights will still have to pay the taxes and fees; only the ticket's base airfare is "free." During yesterday's start of the Golden Ticket giveaway, when travelers in Australia had their chance at the deal, winners ended up paying around $150 for a round-trip between Melbourne and Dubai, and only $40 for a one-way trip from Pisa, Italy to destinations in Australia. Not too shabby!
How to book: Watch the official video for hints on what destinations and travel periods will have free tickets. Then visit the Qatar Airways website between 9 and 10 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, January 12 and search for your preferred dates from any of Qatar's U.S. cities to the Treasure Hunt's featured destinations. If your search turns up a ticket priced at $0.00, click through quickly to book it, but be ready to pay the taxes and fees.