How to Find a Working 3X for Fuel Dumping

In my previous post, I explained step by step walk-through on How to Find a Working Fuel Dump. I used an example from LAX-TYO (Los Angeles to Tokyo) and used two 3X’s (third strike) to bring the cost down. In this post, I will teach you how to find a working 3X for fuel dumping.

Pre-requisites

Read How to Find a Working Fuel Dump
Knowledge of Kayak’s Explore

So what is a 3X and how about a 1X?

A 3X is basically a third leg on a multi-city itinerary. The 3X is responsible for the fuel drop. You always skip the 3rd leg and essentially “throw it away”. The 3X is always future dated. I won’t get into 1X’s, but they do exist and you have to fly them first before using your fuel dumped ticket which gets more complicated.

How do you find a 3X?

First of all, a 3X is basically two airport codes that are really close together. The pre-requisite is that the two airport codes are within a distance of 500 miles. You can verify this by inputting two airports codes into GCmap. For example BKK-KBV is 402 miles, so that qualifies. The other pre-requisite is that it has to be cheap. Less than a $100 round-trip price is the key for a successful 3X.

Using Kayak to find a 3X

I like to use Kayak’s Explore tool. Input a random airport code around the world. I like to use BKK (Bangkok, Thailand) in this example.

As you can see, Kayak produces the lowest fares from Bangkok right on a beautiful world map. I found BKK-KBV for $62. Bear in mind that this is $62 round-trip, so a one-way fare could be calculated cheaper with the OTA. Note the date which is April 29 and use that as a starting date on your 3X leg.

Where are the best 3X’s?

The best 3X’s are in the South Pacific. There are literally hundreds of little islands in this region. I won’t list them all, but this should get you started.

Finding your own 3X

Now that I’ve laid the groundwork for you, it should be simple for you to find your own 3X. But it’s really not that simple. It can literally take you 24 hours searching upon searching and tons of trial and errors on OTA’s just for you to come up empty handed. Remember that no two 3X’s are created equal and some can totally wipe out the YQ while others will just reduce some of the costs.

Happy 3X hunting.

Disclaimer: I have never flown on a fuel dumped fare. This is just for informational purposes only. I do not condone the use of fuel dumps other than mistake fares that drop the fuel unintentionally. This could lead to the closure of your frequent flier account and seize of all your miles.

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