First Apartment (Must Try) Now Available One Way, Plus LAX First Class Etihad Deal
Flash Deal Summary
Sample Savings via Starwood’s (now Marriott points) points-to-miles transfer partnership with American Airlines: Abu Dhabi to New York one-way for 115,000 American miles and it costs even less if you have a Starwood/Marriott account: only 95,000 Starpoints (now 285,000 Marriott points). Etihad charges 100,002 miles for Business.
Sample Savings via Starwood’s (now Marriott points) points-to-miles transfer partnership with American Airlines: Abu Dhabi to New York one-way for 115,000 American miles and it costs even less if you have a Starwood/Marriott account: only 95,000 Starpoints (now 285,000 Marriott points). Etihad charges 100,002 miles for Business.
For up to two travelers (and possibly more), FCF’s research team has discovered an opportunity to save $7,092/77% if you don’t have any miles and want to pay in cash OR save up to 80,000 miles compared to normal/everyday prices when traveling between the Middle East and the U.S.
*Note that availability is FROM Abu Dhabi. So think of this as the best return flight to JFK on Etihad’s A380, (Etihad’s First Apartment) in the world you could possibly have, and book something else on the outbound.
In other words, if you have a Starwood/Marriott card and book via American Airlines, as opposed to earning miles via mainstream ways, you’re getting First Class for less than Business Class.
NO MILES? NO PROBLEM
American is currently running a deal whereby miles can be acquired for as low as 1.8¢ each (includes taxes and processing fee), through a new, up to 85,000 bonus miles buy promo + save 10%, which runs through August 31, 2019.
New to buying miles? FCF’s Beginner’s Guide: How to Play the “Buy Miles to Fly In Style” Strategy to Net Up to 90% Off Premium Travel.
SAMPLE SAVINGS FROM U.S. TO The MIddle East IN FIRST CLASS:
The published First Class one-way fare on American’s Abu Dhabi to Los Angeles route is $9,885; through the American purchase strategy, you can pay $2,169 o/w (includes taxes and about $55 in award tax), a savings of $7,092 (77%).
More here on getting flights (based on availability) from all over the Middle East to the hub (Abu Dhabi) and from the hub (New York or Los Angeles) to all around the U.S.
Example Deal Routes
Deal Availability
Availability using {{ bookingPartner.name }} miles flying on {{ bookingPartner.partner }} is displayed below:
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Partner availability varies. Availability for the operating carrier, at times, is different when using partner airline currency. Check the Access Deal with Miles section below for more information. Show Less
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Sample Best Deals Found
How to Book
- Confirm that the flights/dates you want are available for the upgrade using miles by requesting upgrade award space on the "All search options" page.
- Click on the "Upgrade type" search in the middle of the page.
- Select the "Upgrade to Premium Economy or Business" option to search for upgrade space to Business Class in the "Fare preferences" section, after you click on "Upgrade type." See below:
- When your search results come back, it will not only show fares and flight schedules, it will also show what flights offer an upgrade, and what the cost is.
- Select your flights, making sure that you are logged into your mileage account, and that you have the miles required in your account; then pay for your ticket.
- This can all be done online. If you want to book over the phone, call 800-421-4655
After you get a sense of “where good availability is” (perhaps using our survey), call American and confirm that the flights/dates you want are available for the upgrade using miles, and book it.
If the upgrade on the flights/dates you want is not available, have the agent check other dates/flights.
This cannot be done online. Call 1-800-433-7300.
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Everybody knows how frequently airfares change (some estimates claim that there are up to 500,000 fare changes daily). Because that’s a few too many for First Class Flyer to keep up with, FCF cannot guarantee that all fares discussed will be available when you go to make a booking. Also, for the sake of quick and easy “executive summary” format, all fare rules and restrictions can’t possibly be included. Fares quoted usually include the average taxes and fees for the routes in the chart.