How the major programs compare and why having the right credit card(s) makes such a big difference.
This is part eight in FCF’s latest mileage-award comparison series, in which we grade major alliance programs by how much they charge for a free award ticket in Business and First Class to/from various regions.
In this installment, we examine four SkyTeam and two Delta partner loyalty programs for travel between the U.S. and Asia in Business Class. Delta’s nonSkyTeam partners get a mention because their close relationship has led to some good SkyMiles deals.
Mileage Cost Discrepancies
Flying to/from Asia allows you to take advantage of award chart discrepancies between airline partners. Having the right credit cards, meaning one from Amex Rewards, Chase, Citi ThankYou, or Starwood enables savvy travelers to leverage these discrepancies.
That means you can sometimes book a partner carrier at a much lower rate than a U.S. carrier for a flight to Asia (saving up to 50,000 / 36%). Just by booking through Alitalia, an Amex Rewards and Starwood partner, to Asia rather than on Delta, for example.
A Note on the Grading System
It’s very simple: A through F, just like in grammar school. The lower the mileage requirement, the higher the grade. For this report card, FCF rates not only each airline’s mileage requirements, but also grades partner-flight cost. The grades are based on four sample routes (see chart on next page), as it is impossible to account for every route. FCF didn’t include some airlines, such as AeroMexico, China Southern, or Garuda, because of their high rates (they would all have gotten an F, a waste of your time).
The Grades
Air France & KLM / Flying Blue: D
Partner rates are high at 200,000 miles round-trip. Transfer partner: Amex Rewards, Citi ThankYou, or Starpoint.
[aside headline="Recent FCF Report Cards" alignment="alignright" width="half" headline_size="default"]
- Domestic U.S. Mileage Upgrade Awards on American, Delta, and United when Booking 7 to 30 Days in Advance.
- oneworld First Class between the U.S. and Europe.
- Star Alliance First Class between the U.S. and Europe.
- oneworld First Class between the U.S. and Asia.
- Star Alliance Business Class between the U.S. and Asia.
- oneworld Business Class between the U.S. and southern South America.
- Star Alliance First Class between the U.S. and Asia.
- between the U.S. and Asia.
- [/aside]
Alaska / Mileage Plan: B+
Not a SkyTeam member, but it’s a Delta and Korean partner, and it offers a low rate on Korean, starting at 105,000 miles. Transfer partners: Starwood.
Alitalia / Millemiglia: A
This SkyTeam airline gets our highest mark for offering the lowest rate for partner awards between Asia and the U.S. (90,000 to 95,000 miles round-trip). Transfer partner: Amex Rewards and Starwood.
Delta / SkyMiles: C / C
Charges 140,000 miles round-trip for its own and partner awards to/from Asia and does not have an award chart. Miles can be transferred from Amex Rewards or Starwood.
Korean Air / SkyPass: C / C-
Charges 125,000 miles round-trip for off-peak travel and 185,000 for peak season travel (May 13 to June 30; Dec. 9 to Dec. 25, 2016) for its own flights and 140,000 to 155,000 miles for partner awards to Asia. Transfer partner: Chase and Starwood.
Virgin Atlantic / Flying Club: B-
Not a SkyTeam member, but it partners with Delta to/from Asia, and it offers a low rate, 120,000 miles round-trip. Transfer partners: Chase, Amex Rewards, Citi ThankYou, and Starwood.
No miles? No problem.
For detailed information on getting miles in the airline programs in this article, please see our January 2015 special report . This article includes tips on transferring points, ways to buy miles, and insights on mileage-transfer time for each program.
Buy Miles to Fly in Style
The “buy-miles” strategy works when published fares are high (say $4,500+ for Business Class to/from Asia) or a nonstop is a must. We don’t recommend the strategy when fares to/from Asia are on sale (starting at $2,781).
Why Starwood Is King (and Amex Rewards Is Queen)
As you can see in our chart below, Alitalia only charges 90,000 miles in Business Class Los Angeles to/from Seoul and Atlanta to/ from Tokyo. This is one of the lowest Business Class awards to Asia, and it costs even less if you have a Starwood account: only 75,000 Starpoints—65,000 fewer miles than Delta charges for Business Class (United charges nearly as much for coach). In other words, if you have a Starwood card and book via Alitalia, as opposed to making a direct booking using a Delta credit card, you’re getting a free upgrade.
Round-trip Award Costs to/from Asia > SkyTeam Airlines > Business Class
[table_opt id="4976" style="double-blue-header" width="wide" heading="thcenter" rows="tdcenter" responsive="all"]