Air France Availability

I am one of your original subscribers, going back almost ten years. You made an interesting point in last month’s issue: that it takes fewer points to qualify for a First or Business Class trip using Air France miles through the Amex Membership Rewards program. Based on your experience, is it easier or harder to get a free Business or First Class ticket with Air France than other carriers?  – Louis E. Hyman, Baltimore, MD

We did a lot of research on this and found that availability was pretty good ten to eleven months out. (I don’t like planning this far in advance, but if it means dirt cheap First Class tickets, it’s hard not to.) Short-notice from many destinations was okay, too. In between, there was no clear pattern. Thanks for your business, Mr. Hyman. – Matthew

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South Africa Options

My wife and I are going to South Africa in May to join a Yale educational trip, but I’m not sure of the best way to book. We depart from New York and we are Amex Platinum card members. I really need a flat bed for that 17-hour trip and would like to save money at the same time. Can you give me a tip? Many thanks. – Ira Lechner, Escondido, CA

The best Business Class seats are on Virgin Atlantic via London, which you can get for 190,000 miles. But I’d go for the next best seat (still very good) on South African Airways, as it has three US gateways (Chicago, New York, Washington, DC) and flies more direct from each; its seats recline to horizontally flat. You can get a 2-for-1 via your Amex Platinum card’s International Airline Program (see page 2). If it’s the lowest cost you’re after, I’d look at Delta (50,000 miles to upgrade) with direct service via Atlanta, but the seats are barely mediocre. You can transfer the Membership Rewards points you’ve earned with Amex to Delta miles. If you don’t have enough miles, Amex will sell them to you at 2.5¢ each (up to 500,000 annually), but check for availability before you do the transfer, as you can’t transfer back. – Matthew

Where’s the First in First Class?

I very much enjoy your newsletter. My son and daughter-in-law recently flew from San Francisco to Miami and back on Delta in BusinessElite. On all four legs they were shocked to find that Delta did not allow them to board first. – Richard Brown, Grand Forks, ND

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US Airways / United Upgrade Reciprocity

I’m a US Airways Gold Preferred/Star Alliance Gold member by virtue of my Amex Centurion Card. I didn’t fly enough on United in 2006 to maintain my Elite (25k) status, but can buy it for $1,000. I fly United about 10 times a year, and I only use my elite status to upgrade from a cheap domestic fare, using 500-mile upgrades. Can I get the same or better results by using my US Airways/Star Alliance Gold status when flying United, and save myself the $1,000? If so, how? – Mark Stamm, Vienna, VA

No. US Airways’ elite rules only allow upgrading on the day of departure if you’re flying United, whereas United’s lowest-level elite card allows upgrade confirmation 48 hours in advance, a huge difference. You might consider United’s “Prepaid Travel Card.” It offers immediate elite status for a $5,000 advance payment (see FCF March 2006 for details), with the ability of getting half of any unused balance back. The airline also has a “Fast-Track Challenge” program for those with elite status in 2006 but did not re-qualify, offering Premier Executive status after 12,500 EQMs (elite qualifying miles) or 15 EQS (segments); Premier status back after 6,250 miles or 8 segments. You must call United to register prior to travel, with promo code MPP557. The cost is $299 and the catch is that you have to fly the miles within 90 days of registering. Don’t forget to consider the cost of First Class outright against what your coach fare and upgrades will cost—it might be worthwhile, to avoid the elite game altogether. – Matthew