Finding Quality Seats at Lower Prices on Lesser-Known Airlines
With year-round Business Class fares to Europe averaging $3,500 to $8,000, depending on advance-purchase requirements, and with mileage upgrades not always available on preferred travel dates, is there an option that lets you travel in comfort at a low cost?
Oftentimes, you can save money by flying Business Class on a lesser-known international airlines. Some offer lie-flat seats, and non-stop service to Europe, from many major U.S. cities. With some you can even earn miles in the major airlines’ mileage programs.
Here’s a guide to some worthy, lesser-known European carriers.
Aer Lingus: Flies from New York, Boston, and Chicago to Shannon and Dublin (and onward to many cities), and code-shares to those destinations from other U.S. departure cities with United (Mileage Plus members can earn miles on Aer Lingus: Mileage Plus Aer Lingus Page). It flies A330s to Ireland, with seats that recline 163 degrees, are 21 inches wide, and have 58 inches of pitch. No-advance Business Class fares start at $2,400 from New York to Dublin. In contrast, Continental fares range from $2,900 (50-day advance) to $4,650 (no advance).
Air Berlin: Offers non-stop flights to Dusseldorf this summer from Ft. Myers, JFK, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Vancouver. From Dusseldorf it offers connections to 15+ European cities. Air Berlin uses A330-200s with 24 Business Class seats that are 19.3 inches wide, have 53.9 inches of pitch, and recline 150 degrees. Business Class fares with no advance start at $1,950 round-trip, from New York this summer. In contrast, Lufthansa charges $5,650 with seven-day advance, and $3,076 with a 28-day advance.
Air India: Offers service from Chicago and Newark to Frankfurt using a B777-300ER. Business Class fares start at $2,400 and First Class at $3,500. (American charges $2,800-$3,300 for Business Class and $15,000-$17,000 for First Class on the same route.) The Business Class seat reclines 180 degrees, and is 19.5 inches wide with 76 inches of pitch. Seats are arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration. First Class seats also recline 180 degrees, are 23 inches wide, and have 80 inches of pitch. The cabin is configured 1-2-1.
Condor: This German charter airline, founded in 1955, offers service from Anchorage, Halifax, Las Vegas, Ft. Lauderdale, and Vancouver to Frankfurt. Its B767s have three cabins, and miles can be earned with Lufthansa’s Miles&More program. No-advance Business Class fares start at $2,200 from Ft. Lauderdale; US Airways charges up to $7,000 for Business Class with no advance, and $3,000 with a 50-day advance. Business Class seats recline 157 degrees, are 19 inches wide, and have 74.8 inches of pitch.
Finnair: This oneworld member is currently in the midst of a seat roll-out on its A330-300s. The seats recline 180 degrees and are 20 to 22 inches wide. You can tell planes that have the new seats on a seat map because the right side of the aircraft has a single seat, whereas on the old aircraft there are two. Finnair flies from JFK to Helsinki and other U.S. departure cities via its code-share partner, American (AAdvantage Finnair Page). Business Class fares from New York to Helsinki, London, Paris, or Frankfurt start at $3,200 with a seven-day advance purchase. Virgin Atlantic charges $6,000 to London with a seven-day advance.
Iberia: This oneworld member finished reconfiguring its Business Class cabin last month, by removing six to ten seats, depending on the aircraft. The Business Class cabin on the A340-600 now has 42 seats (as opposed to 52 before), and the A340-300 has 36 seats (down from 42). The seat reclines 180 degrees, is 26 inches wide, and has a pitch of 74 inches. Iberia flies non-stop from Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and Washington, DC to Madrid. Service from other U.S. cities is via code-share partner American, and AAdvantage members can earn miles on Iberia (AAdvantage Iberia Page). Business Class fares start as low as $2,500 from Washington, DC.
Icelandair: Flies from Boston, JFK, Minneapolis (seasonal), Seattle, Toronto, and Halifax to Reykjavik, then onward to 20+ European cities. Business Class seats on its B757-200s recline 120 degrees, are 20.5 inches wide, and have 39 inches of pitch. Business Class fares do not require an advance purchase and start at $1,600 from JFK to London, Frankfurt, and Paris. British Airways charges $3,000 to London (28-day advance) to $3,400 (no advance).
LOT Polish Airlines: A Star Alliance member, offering service from JFK, Newark, and Chicago to Warsaw, and from there to more than 15 other European destinations. Continental, United, and US Airways mileage members are eligible for miles in their own programs, or in Lufthansa’s Miles&More. LOT charges $2,900 for a last-minute Chicago to Frankfurt round-trip in Business Class, whereas United charges about $4,000 (28-day advance) to $10,000 (no advance). To Europe, LOT uses B767s. Seats recline 145 or 169 degrees, are 18.7 inches wide (20.1 inches when reclined), and have 60 inches of pitch.
Scandina
vian Airlines: Also a Star Alliance member offering service from Chicago and Newark to Copenhagen and Stockholm and from Washington, DC to Copenhagen, using A340s and A330-300s. Seats recline 170 degrees, are 20 inches wide, and have 61 inches of pitch. Continental, United, and US Airways mileage members are eligible for miles in their respective programs, or in the SAS EuroBonus program. SAS’s no-advance Business Class fare from Newark to Frankfurt (via Copenhagen) is $2,600, whereas Lufthansa charges $5,250.