What's New with Routes, Aircraft, Seats
Air France: Its first Boeing 787-9 offers 30 lie-flat Business Class seats (configured 1x2x1) and 21 Premium Economy seats (130-degree recline, 40-seat pitch, configured 2x3x2). First scheduled flight is Paris-Cairo; first transatlantic flight is Montreal-Paris, departing May 1. Montreal-Paris fares start at US$2,069, based on two passengers traveling together (ticketing deadline Feb. 8). Award availability looks good through September in Business Class.
American: New route with the Premium Economy seat: to Seoul from Dallas, service starting Feb. 16. The new cabin will be offered on all new B787-9s in rows 9 to 11. Current routes with the B787-9s are between Dallas and Sao Paulo, Madrid, and Paris. Premium Economy is not for sale yet. For now, upgrade fees will be based on AAdvantage member status: Executive Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Platinum members free; Gold members pay 50% of the fee (up to $100 one-way on the Seoul-Dallas route) or receive free access within 24 hours of departure. More details here.
British Airways: Service between New Orleans and London starts on March 27 (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday) using a B787, which offers Business Class (125,000 miles off-season and 150,000 miles peak-season round-trip). Mileage availability looks good for July and August departures, and July through September returns. If you don’t have BA miles, transfer points from Amex, Chase, and Starwood. Otherwise, Business Class fares start at $3,819 (150-day advance-purchase requirement).
Delta: This fall it debuts new Premium Economy seats (Delta Premium Select) on select international routes. The new seat is 19 inches wide, has up to 38 inches of pitch, and up to seven inches more recline than standard economy seats. No free elite upgrades, and as of now, no information on routes or fares. More details here.
Emirates: New service between New York and Athens starts on March 12 using a B777-300ER, offering First (135,000 miles round-trip) and Business Class (90,000). Award availability looks good using Emirates miles round-trip April through December in Business, and May in First Class. Credit Card transfer partners: Amex Rewards and Starwood. See FCF alert on Jan. 24 for fares.
Japan Airlines (JAL), a mileage partner with Emirates, charges just 65,000 miles for Business Class and 100,000 miles for First Class round-trip. It takes only 55,000 to 80,000 Starpoints to JAL to get the seat, given the 20% transfer bonus, a savings of up to 55,000 miles. (That’s also 41% fewer points than transferring Amex Rewards points.) JAL’s Emirates inventory is often similar to Emirates’ own. More details on the new route here.
Iberia: New Premium Economy seats will be installed on eight Airbus A330-300s and 13 A340-600s over the next two years and be standard on Iberia's new A350-900s. Stats: 19 inches wide, 37-inch pitch, adjustable headrests and footrests. New York-Madrid off-season fare starts at $1,266—on the high side, so wait for fare promotions. More details here and here.
KLM: Seasonal service starts March 26 (and finishes at the end of Oct.) between Amsterdam and Salt Lake City using the B787 with lie-flat Business Class seats. Fares currently start at $3,442, based on a 50-day advance-purchase (ticketing deadline Feb. 16). Award availability looks good for travel in July.
Qatar: Launches its new "super business class" in March. New seats slated for the B777-300ER and A350.
Virgin Atlantic: Will retrofit Business Class A330 seats to bring them in line with the rest of the Virgin fleet.
