FirstClassFlyer

A list of mileage anomalies that leads to big savings.

Most airlines charge 60,000 miles for a coach ticket between the U.S. and Europe. But by combining one little-utilized loyalty program, with our favorite credit card, Starwood Preferred Amex, you can get Business Class for just 53,000 miles.

Japan Airlines + Starwood

Japan Airlines uses a Flight Distance Chart, which bases the miles required on the distance between the departure and arrival cities.

Business Class for only 3,000 more miles than economy

Sample savings: Chicago-London mileage rate for every day low or standard Business Class awards is 100,000 to 125,000 miles round-trip with most major airlines. But if you use Japan Airlines , the ticket costs only 63,000 miles round-trip—only 3,000 miles more than economy. To take advantage of this mileage award discrepancy, transfer 53,000 Star points to Japan Airlines.

More Sample Savings with Japan Airlines

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[aside headline="How “Anyone” Can Get Miles Fast and Easy and Relatively Inexpensive" alignment="alignright" width="half" headline_size="default"]For information on getting miles with any of the airlines listed in the charts see a special report on Sky Team here and Star Alliance.[/aside]

Second Deal: Good, But Not As Good

Differences also occur in programs that use a Zone Chart within the same alliance. Under this system, the world is divided into zones, with one mileage cost for any destination within a given zone.

Sample savings: Los Angele’s Frankfurt mileage rate for every day low or standard Business Class awards is 100,000 to 125,000 miles round-trip with most major airlines. But if you use Asiana Airlines partner award chart, the ticket costs only 80,000 miles round-trip—only 20,000 miles more than economy. To take advantage of this mileage award discrepancy, transfer only 65,000 Star points to Asiana — and the cost drops to almost the same as economy.

Zone Mileage Programs with Business Class to Europe for 80,000 Miles Round-trip

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[["Routes","Operating Airline","Mileage Cost"],["New York - Dusseldorf","Air Berlin<\/span>","63,000"],["Charlotte - London; Chicago - London; New York - Barcelona, London, Manchester and Paris; Philadelphia - Brussels, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, London, Madrid and Paris; Raleigh Durham - London","American<\/span>","#rowspan#"],["Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, New York,Philadelphia and Washington, DC - London","British Airways<\/span>","#rowspan#"],["Boston and New York - Madrid","Iberia<\/span>","#rowspan#"],["Chicago - Berlin","Air Berlin<\/span>","65,000"],["Charlotte - Frankfurt; Chicago - Paris;Dallas - London, Madrid and Paris; Miami - London, Madrid, Paris and Barcelona; New York - Milan; Philadelphia - Rome","American<\/span>","#rowspan#"],["Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Denver, Houston,Miami, Orlando and Seattle - London","British Airways<\/span>","#rowspan#"],["Chicago and Miami - Madrid","Iberia<\/span>","#rowspan#"],["Los Angeles - Dusseldorf","Air Berlin<\/span>","80,000"],["Dallas - Frankfurt; Los Angeles - London;Phoenix - London","American<\/span>","#rowspan#"],["Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix - London","British Airways<\/span>","#rowspan#"],["Los Angeles - Madrid","Iberia<\/span>","#rowspan#"]]

[["Routes","Operating Airline","Mileage Program"],["Boston - London","Virgin Atlantic<\/span>","Virgin Atlantic"],["New York - London","#rowspan#","#rowspan#"],["Washington, DC - London","#rowspan#","#rowspan#"],["U.S. and Canada to Europe*","Star Alliance Airlines (such as Lufthansa, SWISS, and United<\/span>","Asiana"],["Continental U.S. and Canada to Europe**","SkyTeam Airlines (such as Air France, Alitalia, Delta, and KLM)<\/span>","Alitalia MilleMiglia***"]]