Travel News

We Did It Again: Business Class to Madrid for $382!

Jacqueline Gomez

04 Aug 2025 • 6 min read

Some people impulse-buy shoes. I impulse-book international business class flights. And this time? It was $382.51 round trip to Madrid, in business class. I repeat: Three. Hundred. Eighty-Two. Dollars. And change.

How It All Started

Picture this: we’re on the couch, halfway through Heads of State, and a wild food fight breaks out on screen in a tiny village. I look at Jorge and say, “How cool would that be?!”

Cue my phone, my curiosity, and a quick Google search. Turns out, this wasn’t just a fictional scene. It’s a real event called La Tomatina, and it happens every August in Buñol, Spain, not far from Valencia. Fast forward one hour and I’m deep in research mode, piecing together a messy af adventure!

What Is La Tomatina?

La Tomatina is the world’s largest tomato fight. Yes, that’s a real thing. It started in 1945 when some local kids crashed a parade in Buñol and caused a brawl near a vegetable stand. People started chucking tomatoes—and just never stopped. The event was actually banned for a period during the Franco regime but was revived in the 1970s thanks to popular demand and has grown ever since. It was paused again more recently due to global events but is now back in full force.

In case you're wondering: no, they don’t waste perfectly good produce. La Tomatina only uses tomatoes that are deemed unfit for consumption and would otherwise be thrown away. The festival buys low-quality, overripe tomatoes at a low cost from the Extremadura region of Spain. So yes, it’s a giant, squishy mess—but it's also a great way to reduce food waste.

Now, thousands of people from around the world flock to this tiny town each year to throw tomatoes at strangers. It’s messy, chaotic, and completely ridiculous in the best way.

The Itinerary

We’re not just going for the tomato-throwing chaos (it's only like 90% because of it 😝). We’re making this a multi-city Spanish adventure:

Start in Madrid
High-speed train to Barcelona
Another train to Valencia
Day trip to Buñol
Then a quick return to Madrid to fly back home

We’ll be staying at a mix of Marriott and Hilton properties, mostly using points and free night certificates to keep costs down. More luxury, less spending—just the way we like it.

How Did We Score $382 Business Class?

If you’ve been around here before, you know we love a good systemwide upgrade. We applied the same strategy as before: finding the perfect flight, booking the cheapest eligible fare, then calling AA to apply the upgrade.

Boom! Business class to Spain for less than the cost of an economy seat.

⏮️ FLASH BACK

The Magic of Systemwide Upgrades

Jorge, my travel, hack loving husband, has AAdvantage Executive Platinum status with American Airlines. One of the biggest perks? Systemwide Upgrades (SWUs).

Here’s how they work:

At 175,000 Loyalty Points, he gets one reward choice, and one option is two SWUs.
At 250,000 Loyalty Points, he gets two reward choices, meaning he can grab four more SWUs.
That adds up to six systemwide upgrades, enough for three round-trip flights in business class.
These upgrades can be used for himself or gifted to other travelers (lucky for me and Julie!).

Step 1: Finding the Right Flight

Earning the SWUs is only half the battle. The real work is in finding the perfect flight to use them on. Not every route or fare class is eligible, so it takes some digging.

For maximum value, you want to use them on long-haul international flights. Think transatlantic or transpacific. After only a couple days of checking flights (yes, days. Felt too easy!), I found the one:

MIA to MAD on a Boeing 777
A layover at PHL before arriving in Madrid. 11 hours so planned fun in the city is on!
Non-stop return flight (because the exhaustion will be real)
Under $400 round trip (on a flight that would have otherwise cost over $3,000-$5,000)

Step 2: Booking and Upgrading

Once we snagged those Basic Economy tickets for $382 each, we immediately called the American Airlines elite line to request the upgrades. And just like that, business class seats were ours!

What to Look for When Using SWUs

If you want to pull this off yourself, here’s what you need to keep in mind:

Check for "Systemwide Upgrades" availability before booking.
Aim for lay-flat seats on long-haul flights. If you're upgrading, make it count!
Non-stop is ideal, but those flights get snapped up fast.

View picture below

If your flight has a layover, Confirm that the long leg of your trip qualifies for the business class upgrade at the very least (this part can be tricky). Click on the Systemwide Upgrades button to see what parts of the trip qualify.

Earning Loyalty Points for SWUs

Want to get in on this? Here’s how to rack up those Loyalty Points:

Fly American Airlines or partner airlines.
Use an AAdvantage® credit card for everyday purchases.
Earn with AAdvantage® partners like hotels, car rentals, and the AAdvantage shopping portal.

Our End Goal: Valencia

Our end goal was Valencia, so the best way to do that was to fly into Madrid with this deal, then hop over to Valencia on a local speed train for a mere 48 euros. By doing this, we were able to enjoy Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Buñol for a total of $580 between the round trip flight and three trains (each). 🍅🚂

Worth the Effort? Absolutely.

It took only days of searching this time and some strategic planning, but scoring a lie-flat seat to Madrid for $382.50? 100% worth it.

Want to Do This Too?

This post is just the appetizer. The main course is coming in a follow-up with step-by-step instructions on how you can book a luxury European getaway for less than you spent at Target this week.

Subscribe so you don’t miss it. Trust me, this one’s worth reading with a glass of sangria in hand.