Emirates kicked it off with an 89% tax discount. Now others are following suit. But what’s availability like with Emirates? And with First Class on All Nippon, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and Singapore?
When your name is First Class Flyer, you take a particular interest in the cabin up front. Indeed, First Class has been on our radar in a big way lately thanks to the cabin being phased out on a lot of airlines (Asiana pulled First Class from U.S. flights, Lufthansa is slashing First Class, Qantas isn’t flying, Singapore has fewer routes) and to huge taxes being added to the cost of mileage-award tickets.Taxes, grrrrrr. Hate ‘em on the ground. Hate ‘em in the air. Especially when they’re at the level of highway robbery that airlines have been charging. I mean, $1,500 to $2,000 on top of a “free” award?! You can often buy a Business Class flight for that. Gimme a break...
FIRST A TRICKLE, THEN A GUSHER
In June, FCF reported that Emirates’ new lower award taxes were offering up to 89% off First Class award tickets. At that time we checked more than 11 Emirates routes from the U.S. for First Class availability and found none.Regular First Class travelers will know that mileage award space is often harder to find than a black cat in a coal mine.
Happily, that’s all changed.
EXAMPLE OF NEW LOWER AWARD TAXES WITH EMIRATES
Dubai example: On the New York-Dubai route in April, Emirates charged $1,543 for award taxes. In May, those taxes were reduced to $362 round-trip, a drop of 76%.Europe example: On the Newark-Athens route last April, Emirates charged $1,100+ for award taxes in First Class. In May, that was reduced to just $125 round-trip, a plunge of 89%.
What about availability?
FCF has found First Class award availability from nine U.S. cities on Emirates, including Chicago, Dallas, Houston, New York, Newark, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC, to Dubai and Europe, and for onward travel from Dubai to Auckland, Johannesburg, Malé (the Maldives), Melbourne, and the Seychelles. Those are international destinations that can easily run you $12,000 to $17,000 if you were to pay cash for the ticket.There are four other airlines charging low-award taxes and with First Class award space available: Cathay Pacific, All Nippon, Japan Airlines, and Singapore Airlines, all for travel to Asia. We’ll get to that in a minute. But first...
BEFORE WE START, SOME COVID COVER
Of course, many international destinations aren’t open for travel now, no matter what cabin you’re keen to inhabit. But the opportunities FCF found are available for travel later this year and into 2021. So why not consider (and really look forward to traveling in) First Class when things open up again? Check out our special report about Covid-Forward Thinking here.I highly recommend grabbing that rare First Class mileage-award deal now because the risk factor when using miles is low. Think of the change and/or redeposit fee as an insurance policy. If your plans change or you just decide not to travel, for whatever reason, you can do so with little cost.
A FIRST CLASS OIL STRIKE
When booking a mileage-award ticket in First Class, oil (black gold, Texas tea) is found by booking with an airline that:1) has low-cost award space available, and
2) has low-cost award taxes, and
3) has easy access to credit card point transfers, or
4) has access to buying points if you have no points.
Emirates checks all those boxes.
This special report is not only about visiting Emirates Dubai hub, but also about using Dubai as a First Class entry point to Africa, India, other Middle East cities, and the South Pacific, using miles, for up to 58% off. You can also fly Emirates to Milan and Athens from New York.
SURVEY OF EMIRATES FIRST CLASS AWARD AVAILABILITY
Chicago to Dubai for travel October through March 2021Dallas to Dubai for travel October through June 2021
Houston to Auckland for travel January to March 2021
Houston to Melbourne for travel January to March 2021
New York to Dubai for travel October to June 2021
New York to Milan for travel January to March 2021
Newark to Athens for travel October through May 2021
Orlando to Dubai for travel January to March 2021
San Francisco to Dubai for travel February through May 2021
San Francisco to Johannesburg for travel in March 2021
Seattle to Johannesburg for travel January to March 2021
Seattle to Malé for travel in October
Seattle to Seychelles for travel March through May 2021
Washington, DC, to Seychelles for travel in May 2021
AMEX, CHASE, AND MARRIOTT ARE ALL EMIRATES TRANSFER PARTNERS AND MAKE IT EASY
Emirates is a point transfer partner with three credit card rewards programs: Amex, Chase, and Marriott, so you can transfer points to Emirates miles easily. Typically FCF research has found that the transfer time from Amex and Chase to Emirates miles is instantaneous (though this shouldn’t be taken as a hard-and-fast rule). Also note that a transfer from Marriott points can take up to three days.Related Reads:
- Three Knockout Reasons Amex Rewards Beats Chase Rewards is here.
- 80/20 in 2020—Putting the Pareto Principle to Work for a Better Travel Credit Card Life is here.
NO MILES? NO DRAMA. SAVE BY BUYING POINTs
You can buy up to 500,000 Amex Rewards points per year. They cost 2.5¢ each. Given that the baseline First Class fare is often $15,768 from Seattle to Malé and that you can buy 270,000 Amex Rewards Points for about $6,750 and that taxes with the Emirates loyalty program cost $489, you save $8,529, or 54%.Related Reads:
- When to Buy Miles Instead of Purchasing a Normal Fare here.
- How to Buy American Express Membership Rewards Points is here.
THE RISK IS LOW WHEN BOOKING MILES WITH EMIRATES
There isn’t a high cost for changing or redepositing your miles with Emirates if your plans are altered: Change ticket fee: $25. Redeposit miles fee: $75. More here on our widget.[table_opt id="6117" style="gray-header" header_rows="1" width="wide" alignment="thcenter" heading="thcenter" rows="tdcenter" responsive="no" /]
FOUR OTHER “OIL STRIKE” AIRLINES THAT CHARGE LOW AWARD TAXES AND HAVE FIRST CLASS AWARD SPACE
All Nippon DISCOUNT FIRST CLASS OPPORTUNITIES
Here are our Alerts for First Class award space availability published in July for: Washington, DC, to Tokyo for travel November to June 2021, New York for travel in 2021, San Francisco for travel September to June 2021, Los Angeles for travel September to May 2021, and Chicago for travel October to July 2021.Low-tax example: On the San Francisco to Tokyo route last May, All Nippon charged $268 for award taxes in First Class. Then in July, those taxes were reduced to just $58 round-trip, a drop of 78%.
No points or miles? All Nippon is a point transfer partner with Amex. Buy Amex Rewards points at a cost of 2.5¢ each. Given that the baseline First Class fare is often $20,800 from New York to Tokyo and that you can buy 150,000 Amex Rewards Points for about $3,750 (and that taxes with the All Nippon loyalty program cost $59), you save $16,991, or 82%.
It’s low risk to change with All Nippon: Dates can be changed for free. Other changes would be considered a cancellation at 3,000 miles per ticket. Our risk widget is here with details.
Cathay Pacific DISCOUNT FIRST CLASS OPPORTUNITIES
FCF’s Alert last month showed First Class award space availability from Los Angeles to Hong Kong for travel January to June 2021, Boston to Hong Kong for travel November to July 2021, New York to Hong Kong for travel November to July 2021, and Chicago to Hong Kong for travel November to May 2021.Low-tax example: On the Los Angeles-Hong Kong route, Cathay Pacific charges $133 for award taxes in First Class.
Cathay Pacific is a point transfer partner with three credit card rewards programs: Amex, Citi, and Marriott.
No points or miles? Buy Amex Rewards points for 2.5¢ each. Given that the baseline First Class fare is often $34,100 from New York to Hong Kong and given that you can buy 250,000 Amex Rewards Points for about $6,250 and that taxes with the Cathay Pacific loyalty program cost $133, you save $27,717, or 81%.
Low risk when booking miles with Cathay Pacific: Charge per flight sector: $25 or 1,000 Asia miles, online. Redeposit miles fee: $120 or 12,000 Asia miles. Our widget is here.
Japan Airlines DISCOUNT FIRST CLASS OPPORTUNITIES
We found First Class award availability from Chicago to Tokyo for travel in July 2021, New York to Tokyo for travel in July 2021, and San Francisco to Tokyo for travel in June 2021.Low-tax example: On the San Francisco to Tokyo route in April, Japan Airlines charged $357 for award taxes in First Class. In July, taxes were reduced to just $62 round-trip, a drop of 83%.
Japan Airlines is a point transfer partner with Marriott.
Low risk when booking miles with Japan Airlines: Redeposit/change mileage ticket cost: 3,100 yen (about $30 USD). Link to widget.
Singapore Airlines DISCOUNT FIRST CLASS OPPORTUNITIES
First Class award space availability was found (as reported in our Sweet Redeems alert in July) from Los Angeles to Tokyo for travel December to June 2021.Low-tax example: On the Los Angeles to Tokyo route, Singapore charges $120 for award taxes in First Class.
Singapore Airlines is a point transfer partner with four credit card rewards programs: Amex, Chase, Citi, and Marriott.
No points or miles? Buy Amex Rewards points for 2.5¢ each. Given that the typical First Class fare is often $17,372 from Los Angeles to Tokyo and that you can buy 214,000 Amex Rewards Points for about $5,350 (and that taxes with the Singapore loyalty program cost $120), you save $11,902, or 69%.Low risk when booking miles with Singapore Airlines: Change of date, route, cabin class, or award type on Singapore Airlines costs $25. The redeposit miles fee is $75.
RELEVANT MUST READ: Mining for Miles Availability: 10 Common Mistakes Most Travelers Make: Up your odds with the special report that will level up your mile-mining game like a pro in no time.