Where to place your bet for a mileage upgrade from the lowest economy fare to Business Class.
Business Class fare promotions to Asia are somewhat scarce on many routes, and discounted advance-purchase fares usually start at $4,000+, even to Tokyo and Seoul, which not long ago were low-fare routes.
Which is why a mileage upgrade is often the way to go when flying to Asia (even if you don’t currently have the miles; more on that in a moment). It can save you up to 62% and should be an option on most premium traveler’s table.
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This is the latest in an FCF series that ranks American carriers on mileage upgrades from Economy to Business Class.
Last month, we focused on upgrades to Europe; and on deck is coverage to South America and the South Pacific, as well as upgrading from Business to First, and with international airline loyalty programs. Stay tuned.[/aside]
Calculating the Grades
As in our previous report in this series, the grades are based on four objective criteria, NOT my personal preferences. FCF has no stake in recommending one mileage program over another. To keep it simple, each criterion below accounts for 25% of the grade; if you like, personalize the criteria with your own weightings.
- Lowest Upgradeable Fares: One of the main reasons to use miles for an upgrade is to spend the least amount of cash. Here, FCF compared each airline’s lowest upgradeable fare, including the co-pay, which all but one airline (Delta) charges, on four different routes, and are representative of many more.
- Number of Miles Needed: The three carriers ranked on the basis of the lowest amount charged to upgrade.
- Ease of Getting Miles (Via Credit-Card-Transfer Partners or Buying Miles): An airline can have low upgradeable fares and mileage requirements, but they’re of little value if you can’t get your hands on the miles quickly, easily, or cheaply.
- Savings: An important point considering that one U.S. mileage program offers only a 7% savings on average over the published Business Class fares. Why even consider upgrading with miles if that’s the case?
[aside headline="Comparing Upgrade Availability on the Top Two Rated Programs: American and United" alignment="alignright" width="half" headline_size="default"]
Our research data shows that these carriers are often the best mileage-upgrade bet to Asia based on FCF’s four criteria.
What puts United ahead of American is upgrade inventory. We checked three routes over a six-month period and found that United often had 80% more upgrade space than American.[/aside]
Note that this ranking doesn’t tell if a particular upgrade yields the best return on miles—in general, upgrades are superior in this regard over free awards—or which of this quartet offers the most upgrade or mileage inventory. (American and United offer many more upgrade seats than free seats)
Keep in mind, too, that Business Class upgrades usually yield a healthy return on miles.
American Airlines (oneworld) / AAdvantage: A-
Allows upgrades on
any published fare for 25,000 miles plus a $350 surcharge each way, which is why it scored an A for upgradeable economy fares, savings on Business Class fares, and miles needed for the upgrade. AA gets a B for access to miles. The airline was well-rounded in all four categories.
United (Star Alliance) / Mileage Plus: B-
Also allows upgrades on any published fare, but with a surcharge that varies by the fare paid (the lower the fare, the higher the surcharge). These range from $600 for the lowest fares each way, dropping to
$350 for mid-range fares. 30,000 miles are required each way to most Asian destinations.
Delta (SkyTeam) / SkyMiles: D-
Allows upgrades only on M and B fares for 50,000 miles round-trip. Although it doesn’t impose surcharges, Delta sets the upgradeable-fare bar very high, usually more than $3,500; M and B fares offer little savings over published Business Class fares. That’s why Delta ended up in the cellar, receiving an F in the upgradeable fare category and a D in the savings category.
Rating U.S. Carriers’ Mileage Programs on Economy-to-Business Milage Upgrades
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