The current amazingly low holiday Business Class fares to Europe (see FCF September 2010) have put us in a max-the-deal frame of mind. What better holi- day cheer is there than paying $1,000 round-trip for a lie-flat Business Class seat and earning mileage and elite bonuses, too?
The key
Is knowing which routes and aircraft have a carrier’s best seats, and which alliance partnerships you can leverage through your own loyalty program. By the way, this guide can be used anytime, but now is the best time to use it. We looked at the three alliances—oneworld, SkyTeam, and Star—and also at a major non-alliance airline—Virgin Atlantic.
Here is a summary on what aircraft and routes to look for within your alliance, for your free comfort upgrade:
oneworld
To Europe, there are three major players in this alliance: American, British Airways, and Iberia. In the past, Iberia didn’t offer holiday Business Class fares, British Airways was not competitive (usually charging $1,300 more than most other major carriers), and AAdvantage members could not earn BA miles on transatlantic flights from and to the U.S. That’s why in the past AA was usually the best deal.
But that all changed in October when American, BA, and Iberia signed a “joint transatlantic business venture”. On Oct. 15, British Airways (see FCF Oct. 15 alert) offered a holiday Business Class fare as low as American’s, but then, one week later pulled it, even though the purchase deadline was Nov. 6. (Iberia is still matching AA’s low holiday Business Class fares at Christmas to some destinations in Europe.)
Of the three airlines, BA offers the best seat, a lie-flat bed. Iberia comes in second with a seat that is 26 inches wide and reclines 180 degrees, but doesn’t turn into a bed. Both are far superior to American’s 20-inch-wide seat, which only reclines 171-degrees.
SkyTeam Delta
offers its best seat to London, 21.5 inches wide and one that turns into a lie-flat bed, on their B767-400s. Air France offers a lie-flat Business Class seat that is 21 inches wide on its A380s from JFK to Paris for $1,450 at Christmas. (Air France is about to introduce a completely redesigned Business Class cabin at the end of 2010, which could appear first on its B777 aircraft.) Alitalia has a new lie-flat Business Class seat on its A330s, but only from JFK and Miami to Milan. KLM can be used as an alternative since it offers a seat with a 175-degree recline, on all routes.
Star Alliance
This is the largest alliance, so having a scorecard is essential. Continental is in the early stages of rolling out a new lie-flat Business Class seat (27 inches wide with the armrest down, 180-degree recline) on its B777s and B757s to London. The B777 rollout is scheduled for completion in January and the B757 in July. US Airways has new lie-flat Business Class seats, but only on its A330-200s to London, Munich, and Tel Aviv. Right now, United offers its lie-flat Business Class seats on B767s and B747s and some B777s (rollout began in the middle of this year). Air Canada offers a lie-flat bed on most planes (not on three of its B767), Swiss offers it on its A330s and A340s, and Air New Zealand has it on the LAX to London route. The alliance’s other European carriers are behind when it comes to the prone position, and should be used as a last option: Austrian Airlines’ seat reclines 172-degrees, Lufthansa’s 171 degrees (Lufthansa is another European carrier who will be introducing new Business Class seats on its long-haul flights; the new seats are scheduled to come out late next year), and Scandinavian’s 170-degrees.
[aside headline="Get More Comfortable – Through Partnerships:" alignment="aligncenter" width="big" headline_size="default"]Not buying a ticket but using miles instead? If you’ve got miles with one airline, but another has a better seat, use the miles for a Business Class upgrade or award seat on the more comfortable carrier.[/aside]
Virgin Atlantic
It’s not a member of any alliance, however miles can be earned with Star Alliance carriers Continental and US Airways. Virgin offers one of the best Business Class seats to London, a lie-flat bed that is 33 inches wide across at the shoulders.
Where the Comfort Upgrades Are—and Aren’t
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