FirstClassFlyer

Top 10 hidden routes you can confirm mileage upgrades on at time of ticketing — something you may not see again until the next lockdown.

It seems like just yesterday that Bloomberg published the headline “EU Set to Lift Travel Curbs for U.S. Residents This Week.” It was music to my eyes, and yours too, I’d wager.

While we certainly need more to get back to normal (including the U.S. reciprocating by lifting restrictions from some European countries), it’s a major step in the right direction.

But the news isn’t all peachy keen. Business Class fares are relatively high on many nonstop routes right now. We found 10 routes with unprecedented (three or more months with four or more seats) upgrade availability.

Upgrading With Miles 101

We love using miles to upgrade. Most folks don’t even consider it. They build up their treasure chest of miles and blow it on free flights in economy or non-discounted premium seats. I say “blow it” because that’s not always where the best value is in air travel. Far from it. And the airlines know that. Here’s how to get true value, especially for the elite status focused traveler: Buy the coach ticket that is upgradable to Business Class, at time of ticketing, with your miles. That’s when you start winning the game, especially when you can’t find any free seat availability and fares are high.

For more information, see Ten Reasons Why I’m the Biggest Fan of Mileage Upgrade Awards—and Why You Should Be Too.

Example: Let’s say you’re traveling from Los Angeles to London. The lowest United upgradeable economy fare is currently $851 for travel in September, while the average lowest Business Class fare is $3,787. So, even with the $1,100 co-pay, you can save $1,836 (48%) off the published fare by using just 40,000 miles. That’s not bad a bad value, at 4.6 cents per mile. As you often hear me say, flying in a premium class cabin means that a good travel experience (maybe it’s your vacation) starts when you get on the plane, not when you get off it. See below for more sample savings.

[table_opt id="6391" style="gray-header" header_rows="1" width="default" alignment="thcenter" heading="thcenter" rows="tdcenter" responsive="no" /]

MileagePlus Elite, 202

Upgrades from the U.S. to Europe are going for 20,000 miles + $550 co-pay each way with W/S/T/L/G/K fares; $475 each way with V fares; $425 each way with H/Q fares; and $300 each way with M/E/U fares.

Since upgrades can be used one-way for half the miles (plus the surcharge), why not think of two one-way flights? Glad you asked – consider upgrading the overnight flight and flying Premium Economy on the day flight home.

When NOT to Use Miles for an Upgrade on United

Don’t use your miles when published Business Class fares are low. For example, say you’re traveling from Chicago to Milan to visit your old work partner and racquetball adversary, João. This is a route where Business Class fares are somewhat low — only $1,862 at time of writing. The lowest United upgradeable economy fare is currently $513. Add the $1,100 co-pay (plus 40,000 miles) for a total of $1,613. That’s only a savings of $249, and you would have to use 40,000 of your hard-earned miles. That’s not a great value. João would be disappointed; he knows you’re more competitive than that.

Mile Misers Rise Up

If you don’t have enough (or any) United miles, there’s an easy fix. Just buy ‘em when they go on sale or transfer your Marriott or Chase points to United.

UA’s UMA

Before the lockdown United was stingier with their availability than a swarm of wasps. Now there’s unprecedented mileage upgrade availability (UMA). So, that means no running the gauntlet for MileagePlus opportunists (at the moment anyway) on these routes:

[table_opt id="6392" style="gray-header" header_rows="2" width="default" alignment="thcenter" heading="thcenter" rows="tdcenter" responsive="no" /]

What to Do When an Upgrade Is Only Available One Way?

United lets you combine economy and Business Class fares. It means you can upgrade the flight segment that has upgrade space available, and book the other leg in Business Class. On the Denver-Frankfurt route, the combined coach-Business Class fare is $2,664, while round-trip Business Class is $4,089 for travel in October. So, even with the $550 one-way co-pay to upgrade from coach to Business Class, you can still save $875 (21%) by using miles one way.

Adding connecting FLIGHTS to the long-haul international flight

From the U.S., you should consider buying an economy through-fare ticket (i.e., Austin-Houston-London-Hamburg) that includes the entire itinerary on one ticket. Use miles to upgrade from the gateway to the international hub, at a minimum. If upgrade space is available on the short connecting segments, grab them, as the cost is the same. Some United partner connecting flight opportunities to keep in mind…

Lufthansa: Flights to other destinations in Europe from Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich include: Athens, London, Cyprus, Moscow, Prague, and countless others.

SWISS: Flights from Zurich include: Amsterdam, Bucharest, Dublin, Malta, Oslo, and countless others.

Ten Reasons Why I’m the Biggest Fan of Mileage Upgrade Awards—and Why You Should Be Too

Elite Status Combat Force: Best Ticketing Strategies Based on Your Level of Inflexibility

Don’t See Your Origin and/or Destination in an FCF Headline? This Report Was Made For You.

[["United Route","Upgradeable Economy Fare","Co-pay","Total","Miles to Upgrade","Business Class Fare","Savings","#colspan#"],["Chicago - Frankfurt","$838","$1,100","$1,938","40,000","$4,388","$2,450","56%"],["Chicago - London","$702","#rowspan#","$1,802","#rowspan#","$4,537","$2,735","60%"],["Chicago - Zurich","$801","#rowspan#","$1,901","#rowspan#","$3,951","$2,050","52%"],["Houston - Amsterdam","$810","#rowspan#","$1,910","#rowspan#","$4,460","$2,550","57%"],["Houston - London","$851","#rowspan#","$1,951","#rowspan#","$4,687","$2,736","58%"],["Los Angeles - London","$851","#rowspan#","$1,951","#rowspan#","$3,787","$1,836","48%"],["Newark - Berlin","$662","#rowspan#","$1,762","#rowspan#","$3,658","$1,896","52%"],["Newark - London","$702","#rowspan#","$1,802","#rowspan#","$4,087","$2,285","56%"],["San Francisco - London","$851","#rowspan#","$1,951","#rowspan#","$4,587","$2,636","57%"],["Washington, DC - London","$752","#rowspan#","$1,852","#rowspan#","$4,487","$2,635","59%"]]

[["Route ","Depart","#colspan#","#colspan#","Return","#colspan#","#colspan#"],["#rowspan#","4 to 8 Days Per Month","9 to 12 Days Per Month","13+ Days Per Month","4 to 8 Days Per Month","9 to 12 Days Per Month","13+ Days Per Month"],["Chicago - Frankfurt","Aug., Nov.,<\/span> April<\/span>","Dec.<\/span>","Jan. to March<\/span>","Aug.<\/span>","","Nov. to April<\/span>"],["Chicago - London","","May<\/span>","Aug. to April, <\/span>May<\/span>","","June<\/span>","Oct. to May,<\/span> June"],["Chicago- Zurich","Nov. to Jan, May<\/span>","Jan.<\/span>","Jan., Feb. to April<\/span>","July<\/span>","","Nov. to June<\/span>"],["Houston - Amsterdam","","Nov.<\/span>","Oct., Dec. to March<\/span>","","May<\/span>","Oct. to April<\/span>"],["Houston - London","","","Aug. to May<\/span>","","Oct.<\/span>","Aug., Sept., Dec. to May<\/span>"],["Los Angeles - London","","Dec.<\/span>","Nov., Jan. to March<\/span>","Nov.<\/span>","Dec., May<\/span>","Jan. to April<\/span>"],["Newark - Berlin","Dec.<\/span>","Nov.,<\/span> Dec.,<\/span> April<\/span>","Jan. to March<\/span>","","","Nov. to April<\/span>"],["Newark - London","Oct., May<\/span>","Nov., Dec.<\/span>","Nov., Dec.,<\/span> Jan. to April<\/span>","Sept.,<\/span> June<\/span>","","Oct. to May<\/span>"],["San Francisco - London","Oct., Dec.<\/span>","Oct., Nov.,<\/span> Dec.<\/span>","Nov., Jan. to April<\/span>","June<\/span>","Nov., Dec., May<\/span>","Nov.,<\/span> Dec., Jan. to April,<\/span> May<\/span>"],["Washington, DC - London","June<\/span>","","Oct. to May<\/span>","","","Oct. to June<\/span>"]]

*Months in black at least one seat available; in blue at least two seats; in green at least four seats.

Eur-open Sesame! Time to Cross the Pond Again, With Unprecedented United Mileage Upgrade Availability