[aside headline="Using FCF’s Buy Miles to Fly in Style Strategy" alignment="alignright" width="half" headline_size="default"]You can purchase Amex Points, up to 500K annually, at 2.5¢ per point including taxes. This reduces a Business Class ticket to $3,553 (including award taxes), which can otherwise cost $6,499 without a Saturday-night stay or advance purchase, savings of $2,946 (45%).[/aside]
This oneworld alliance partner (same as American and US Airways, etc.) has refitted all of its Airbus A330-200s with flat-bed Business Class seats. Seven-day advance purchase Business Class fares can be up to 42% lower than on other major airlines. Also, mileage award tickets to Europe start at 80,000 miles round-trip—up to 45,000 fewer than other major carriers.
Airberlin’s New Business Class Seat
From the U.S., find it on Chicago, Miami, and New YorkBerlin, and Ft. Myers, Los Angeles (summer route, ends Nov. 2), Miami, and New York-Dusseldorf. The 19 Business Class seats are arranged 1-2-1 (aisle seat access with every seat), convert to a 72-inch-long flat-bed, and are equipped with a 15-inch LED monitor with in-seat power supply.
Getting Miles
Airberlin’s Topbonus mileage program (866) 266-5588, is a point transfer partner with Starwood (65,000 will get you the 80,000 required). My last transfer took two business days to post. But you can also book through American, as the two airlines’ award-seat availability is often similar.
Easy Connections: From Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and many other cities; with connections via oneworld partners American and US Airways—for 120,000 miles round-trip—there are many options to get to Airberlin’s U.S. gateways, Chicago, Ft. Myers, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York.
Survey of Award Availability on Airberlin for One Traveler
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Connection Think…
Airberlin flies to 171 destinations worldwide including numerous cities (such as Copenhagen, Milan, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna, and Zurich) in Europe from Berlin and Dusseldorf. The airline’s route network also extends to Northern Africa and the Middle East.
Berlin needs no introduction: It is now one of Europe’s coolest cities, on par with New York when it comes to “now.” Dusseldorf, on the other hand, almost never gets its due as a city with one of Europe’s best shopping streets, the Königsallée, a bustling old town, and a beautiful promenade along the Rhine River. It also offers good rail connections nationally and internationally.