First and Business Class Service

There is no downside to booking South America flights on partners since United charges the same amount of miles whether it’s a United flight or a flight on one of the partner airlines.

There might be compelling reasons to book a partner’s flight rather than one on United, even if United metal is cheaper to fly. First, United might be unavailable. Second, it can take more connections and/or time to reach your destination. Third, you might want to splurge to have a better seat, service and food.

United drastically devalued its business and first class award levels a few years back, then Delta followed suit and recently American. As of now, all U.S. and many foreign frequent flyer programs charge a lot of miles for the privilege of flying in the front of the plane, and the trend is likely to continue. But there are still bargains out there. You just need to know where to look.

American Airlines business class level between the U.S. and the Middle East/India has only increased by 2,500 miles, but the first class rate, which wasn’t cheap to begin with, is now a whopping 25,000 miles more. It’s hard to recommend spending 230,000 miles just to get pampered, especially since all airlines flying to India and the Middle East offer lie-flat seats in a business class cabin. 

A direct flight from North America to Asia can take you 12 to 15 hours. Spending that amount of time in a great business or first class seat will not just make you feel pampered — it will help you adjust to the time difference easier. Enjoying a good night sleep in a comfortable 180-degree bed helps your body clock adjust despite crossing a dozen time zones.

Unlike Europe, you don’t have a lot of options for Latin America with AAdvantage miles. Aside from American Airlines, there are only two carriers that can get you there, the Chile-based giant LAN and Brazil-based behemoth TAM. The two carriers merged a few years ago to form an even bigger airline called LATAM, but they are running things separately for now, until at least 2017.

Europe is small and very nicely interconnected. Don’t get bummed if you can’t get a business class award seat to your final destination there. The most important part is to cross the ocean and arrive relaxed and happy in that premium seat. Connecting from one point in Europe to another is a breeze compared to getting your perfect ticket across the pond.

Despite the recent devaluation, AAdvantage still remains one of the most valuable frequent flyer programs in North America. There are many reasons for that, one of which is the sheer number of American partner airlines you can fly on using AAdvantage miles. Between the oneworld alliance and additional airline partnerships, American has 22 strategic partners that can take you to every corner of the world.

As we discussed earlier, not all business or first class seats are worth spending miles and efforts. In the last few years, airlines have done a great job designing new aircraft and retrofitting the old ones with swankier-than-ever premium class seats. Of course, the mile price of these seats is also higher than ever, but it’s still be a great deal, especially if you are embarking on a major trip and eager to arrive rested and ready to enjoy your destination right away.

A flight to Hawaii can take longer than flying to Europe for some. For East Coasters it’s a  whopping 11-12 hour journey, about as long as it takes to fly between New York and Buenos Aires. There is a considerable shortage of comfortable premium class seats from the U.S. to Hawaii, although they do exist and more are on the way. Here’s a rundown.

As a rule, it’s not worth splurging miles for premium travel domestically. The flights are usually short, the seats are old-school recliners, there are no individual entertainment systems and the food is usually average at best.

Award travel offers incredible opportunities. The most amazing aspect of flying on miles is that it can put business and first class travel within your reach. Not everyone can afford to pay cash for a premium-class ticket. However, first and business class seats are within your reach with miles, especially if you’re flexible.

First class suites take the premium cabin experience to the next level. Passengers can enjoy over-the-top luxury with privacy doors, proper beds, gourmet food, excellent service and many entertainment options.

Traveling in business class has improved by a huge measure in recent years, with lie-flat seats and direct aisle access becoming the rule rather than the exception. It’s no surprise that some carriers have chosen to completely eliminate their first class service. Delta Air Lines is the first to do so in the United States.

Unlike many domestic airlines with hub-and-spoke systems in the U.S., Emirates is a long-haul carrier with routes to and from its Dubai headquarters. This central location in the Middle East makes it an ideal connecting point between North America and destinations in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. It’s not a bad choice to visit Europe either, if you’re originating on the West Coast.

Spirit Air is an ultra low-cost airline that’s earned a bit of bad rap, some of it well-deserved. Its 28-inch pitch is the worst in the industry, and they charge for just about everything on board. However, Spirit’s burning desire to upsell extra services can be used to your advantage.

For a small fee you can get a seat that by just about every measure is first-class quality. Spirit’s calls it the Big Front Seat.

Cathay Pacific offers one of the best first- and business-class products in Asia, with non-stop service to eight North American gateways: Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, and New York (JFK and EWR). The carrier no longer operates the Boeing 747 to the United States or Canada, so all of these routes are instead served with the Boeing 777-300ER.

Without question, we all like free stuff. It’s simply the way we’re hard-wired. But it’s not just the free stuff that gives us an emotional charge, especially when it comes to reward programs. That feeling of being appreciated and the kind of “thank you” that goes along with it really add to a satisfying travel experience.

Buenos Aires is a hot destination for frequent flyers these days. The flight from the United States can be a long 11 hours from New York, so it’s common to book a premium cabin when traveling to Argentina’s capital city. Although Buenos Aires is decidedly Latin, there are also many European cultural influences introduced by Spanish, English and German immigrants over the years.

United Airlines has unveiled new first class seats for its narrow-body airplanes. The airline has already upgraded some of its Airbus A319s, with plans to retrofit all of its A319s and A320s and some of its 737s and 757s throughout 2016.