First Class tickets to Europe are perennially among the most expensive, easily costing more than $10,000. The silver lining is that high prices make the return on First Class award tickets worth the miles charged, as the chart below shows. Whereas the cash premium to fly First Class amounts to 281%, the mileage premium is only 25%. The comparison holds true even when the least expensive Business Class fare is pitted against the least expensive First Class fare.
Sample Comparison Route: Los Angeles-London on American Airlines
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For this FCF Report Card, we examined 15 airlines. Here’s what we found.
Air Canada / Aeroplan: A
Award Chart - Distance: It received our top grade for its partner Star Alliance award chart, because it charges the same rate from the West Coast (Los Angeles) or the East Coast (New York), and because it only charges 100,000 miles for a First Class award to Western Europe (Europe 1), which includes such countries as Denmark, France, Portugal, and Sweden, an amount many airlines charge for a Business Class award. Other countries such as Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, and Russia (Europe 2) cost 120,000 miles. Miles can be easily obtained via a credit card transfer from Amex Rewards (500,000-mile annual purchase limit) and Diners Club; and Aeroplan members can buy miles from Air Canada, but only to top-off.
Air France / Flying Blue: F
Award Chart - Regional: The carrier came in at the bottom even though it is the only SkyTeam member that offers a First Class cabin. The reason: Air France does not offer a First Class saver award, only an anytime award (250,000 miles) to Flying Blue elite members.
Alaska Airlines / Mileage Plan: B
Award Chart - Regional: Alaska Airlines does not fly to Europe, and it is not an alliance member, but it gets a decent grade for the flexibility of its program. Miles can be redeemed for First Class awards to Europe on two partners, American and British Airways. It costs 125,000 miles to book an award on AA (the same as AA charges) and 140,000 miles on BA (10,000 miles less then BA’s own program). The program’s main advantage is that you can buy all the miles required directly from itself (30,000 per transaction, no annual limit). Alaska Airlines is also a credit card point transfer partner with Starwood and Diners Club.
All Nippon Airways / ANA Mileage Club: B+
Award Chart - Flight Distance: All Nippon Airways is a Star Alliance partner that gives you access to Lufthansa, SWISS, and United’s First Class, at times at a lower cost than what these airlines charge, because it uses a flight distance chart. You get the greatest return on miles with East Coast departures to Europe, since the miles flown are less from other departure regions. First Class awards start at 100,000 miles for an itinerary of up to 9,000 miles round-trip, such as New York to Frankfurt (7,702 miles); whereas Lufthansa charges 140,000 (40,000 miles more). It takes 120,000 miles for a 9,001 to 11,000 mile round-trip (e.g. Dallas-Frankfurt, 10,260 miles), and 140,000 miles for a 11,001 to 14,000 mile round-trip (e.g. Los Angeles-Frankfurt, 11,588 miles). The airline allows credit card point transfers from Amex Rewards and Diners Club.
American Airlines / AAdvantage: B
Award Chart - Regional: Charges 125,000 miles for a First Class award from North America (including Hawaii), and allows credit card point transfers from Starwood and Diners Club. American’s annual mileage purchase limit is: 40,000.
[aside headline="Quick Refresher Course In Award Charts" alignment="alignright" width="half" headline_size="default"]
The airline industry uses two different award charts, regional and flight-distance. Knowing the difference is key to redeeming miles.
- On a Regional Award Chart, trips are categorized by “departure region to destination region,” rather than by miles flown. New York to Paris, for example, would fall under the “U.S. to Europe” heading.
- On a Flight Distance Award Chart, trips are categorized by the miles flown from the departure city to the destination city. The farther you fly, the more miles it costs.
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Asiana / Asiana Club: B+
Award Chart - Flight Distance: A Star Alliance partner which offers First Class awards start at 100,000 miles. The difference between ANA and Asiana is the mileage-distance chart calculation: With Asiana, 100,000 miles gets you an itinerary of up to 8,000 miles round-trip, whereas with ANA it nets another 1,000 flight miles. The next level up is 110,000 miles (8,001 to 10,000 mile itineraries, such as Chicago to Frankfurt) and then 150,000 miles (10,001 to 15,000 mile itineraries), at which point you are better off going with a different mileage program. Credit-card points can be transferred from Starwood and Diners Club.
British Airways / Executive Club: C-
Award Chart - Flight Distance: BA divides Europe into three zones: Zone one (150,000 miles) includes such countries as Belgium, France, Germany, and Switzerland; Zone two (180,000 miles) includes Italy, Portugal, and Sweden; Zone three (195,000 miles) takes in countries such as Greece, Morocco, Russia, and Turkey. Members can buy up to 19,000 miles annually from BA, and transfer credit card points from Amex Rewards, Starwood, and Diners Club.
Cathay Pacific /Asia Miles: B-
Award Chart - Flight Distance: A Oneworld alliance airline that offers First Class awards starting at 120,000 miles for an itinerary of up to 10,000 miles round-trip on AA and BA, 15,000 to 30,000 fewer miles than these airlines own mileage programs charge. That takes in almost every major U.S. gateway city to Europe except San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix (180,000 miles required). Credit card points can be transferred from Starwood, and up to 30% of the miles needed can be bought directly from the airline.
Continental / OnePass: C+
Award Chart - Regional: Continental does not offer a First Class cabin. However, Star Alliance members can redeem miles for European itineraries via the Star Alliance partnership. Continental charges 135,000 miles to any city in Europe from North America, including from Hawaii. Credit card points can be transferred from Amex Rewards (Starwood is also a partner, but the exchange rate is bad). Members can buy up to 25% of the miles needed directly from the airline.
Delta / SkyMiles: I
Award Chart - Regional: No First Class service or partner opportunity redemptions, hence the incomplete grade.
Lufthansa and SWISS / Miles & More: C-
Award Chart - Regional: Charges 140,000 miles for a round-trip First Class award ticket from North America, excluding from Hawaii (which is 240,000 miles!). Credit card points can be transferred to Miles & More from Starwood, or members can buy up to 12,000 miles from either airline.
Singapore / KrisFlyer: B
Award Chart - Regional: This Star Alliance carrier offers non-stop service from New York to Frankfurt, for which it charges 110,000 miles round-trip. It also offers Star Alliance redemption on partner airlines, which are more expensive: 135,000 miles round-trip from North America, and 140,000 miles from Hawaii. Credit card points can be transferred from Amex Rewards and Starwood (but the exchange rate is an awful 2:1), or members can buy up to 50% of the miles needed from Singapore.
United / Mileage Plus: C+
Award Chart - Regional: Charges 135,000 miles roundtrip for a First Class award from North America, including Hawaii. It does not offer a good credit card transfer option, but up to 60,000 miles can be purchased directly from the airline.
US Airways / Dividend Miles: B-
Award Chart - Regional: A Star Alliance airline that offers First Class redemption awards, even though it does not offer an international First Class cabin. It charges 125,000 miles round-trip to Europe from North America, including Hawaii—10,000 fewer miles than domestic Star Alliance partners Continental and United. Miles can be obtained from transfer partner Starwood, or by buying them directly from the airline (50,000 miles per transaction; no transaction limit). If you are looking to buy miles for your next ticket, this carrier is a good source of bonus promotions. Over the past ten months it has offered all sorts of 100% bonus buying, gifting, and miles-sharing deals. Its current promotion, due to expire on Sept. 15, offers up to 100% bonus miles when you buy or gift 40,000-50,000 miles.
Virgin Atlantic / Flying Club: I
Award Chart - Regional: Does not offer First Class service or redemption, therefore the incomplete grade.
First Class Mileage Award Redemption Rates to Europe
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