FirstClassFlyer

We’ve spotted a few of these rare birds to Asia and Europe on major carriers… if you blink you might miss them.

I’m sure you’ve had this experience before. You go to an airline website hoping to use miles for four or more seats in a premium cabin for your family vacation and you end up feeling like you’re lost in a forest looking for Bigfoot.

I mean, the truth is that searching for just one seat with miles can be bad enough, let alone for your whole tribe.

And then there’s the cost. It’s not uncommon to end up seeing prices that are 200,000 or 300,000 miles per round-trip ticket. For a family of four to Europe, that’s close to a million miles, which at a minimum value are worth two cents each, or $20,000. So that's obviously out of the question.

So what’s a family to do?

Wouldn’t it be nice to get discount mileage tickets for you and your whole family? Well, despite those crazy mileage costs you normally see, you actually can. You just need to think a little more laterally.

Your family-friendly team here at FCF is the best source for finding four+-seat availability. We look at that as part of our Sweet Redeems reporting.

Intriguingly, if your search doesn't have four seats available on your dates, some airlines will just return some generic “not available” response, which I find a little uncreative on their part. For example, if there are three seats, you won't see the screen say, “by the way, we have three seats available, maybe that can work for you?”

So to get around this roadblock, I always start with one seat, then move up to two, then three, then four. Even if I find only two seats, it’s better to get half the trip paid for with low-cost mileage tickets and pay for the remaining two tickets in cash.

We’ll share more on other family strategies soon, but this story focuses on where you can book your family for free on miles, now.

And if you don’t have all the miles you need for four or more travelers, don’t forget that you might be able to transfer points to the desired airline with the points you have.

Business Class Family Availability Treasure Map

Looking to fly high with four to seven travelers on discount award tickets? Voila! The following chart shows what’s available at time of publication to Asia and Europe.

Months in black at least four seats available; in blue at least six; in green at least seven. Remember to use the data as a guide since availability can be volatile…

Don’t see your route listed? See this report on free connections with award flights.

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Business Class Partner Availability for the Family

This next chart below shows routes with availability to Europe on Austrian and TAP airlines, using United miles (which you can transfer from Chase points), and on Delta, using Virgin Atlantic miles (which you can transfer from Amex, Chase, and Citi).

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United Upgrade Availability for the Family

Here are three routes to Europe with United mileage upgrade availability from economy to Business. (40,000 round-trip, valid with most fares, plus $1,100 co-pay.)

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One Route With First Class Family Availability

Here’s the only American Airlines route with First Class availability for a family of four or more.

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Transfer Points Partners

The chart below shows airlines with four or more award seats available, and their points transfer partners. Partner availability can be different from the operating carrier's loyalty program. As with any deal, make sure you double-check availability with the mileage program you want to use, before you transfer any points to miles.

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Watering the Family Tree

Don’t write off premium travel with miles or points just because you’re traveling with four or more people.

[["\n\nOperating Airline","\n\n\nRoute","\n\nRound-trip Mileage Cost","Outbound","#colspan#","#colspan#","Return","#colspan#","#colspan#"],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","#rowspan#","4 to 8 Days Per Month","9 to 12 Days Per Month","13+ Days Per Month","4 to 8 Days Per Month","9 to 12 Days Per Month","13+ Days Per Month"],["American<\/p>","Charlotte-Frankfurt","\n\n\n144,000-156,000","Jan.<\/span>","","","Feb.<\/span>","",""],["#rowspan#","Charlotte-Munich","#rowspan#","Feb.<\/span>","Jan.,<\/span> Feb.","Jan.","Feb., March,<\/span> April<\/span>","March",""],["#rowspan#","New York-London","\n\n\n156,000","Nov., Dec., Aug.<\/span>","","","Sept.,<\/span> Oct.,<\/span> Nov.<\/span>","Feb.<\/span>","Dec., Jan.,<\/span> Feb."],["#rowspan#","Seattle-London","#rowspan#","Feb.<\/span>","","","Jan.,<\/span> Feb.<\/span>","",""],["\n\n\nJapan","Los Angeles - Tokyo","\n\n\n100,000","Aug., Sept.","","","Aug., Sept.","",""],["#rowspan#","San Francisco - Tokyo","#rowspan#","Aug.","","","Oct.,<\/span> Sept.","",""],["Singapore<\/p>","New York - Frankfurt","162,000","Oct., Dec., June<\/span>","Nov., May,<\/span> June","Nov., Dec., Jan. to April,<\/span> May, July to Sept.<\/span>","Oct., Dec.<\/span>","Nov., Dec., June<\/span>","Nov., Jan. to May,<\/span> June, July to Sept.<\/span>"],["#rowspan#","Los Angeles - Tokyo","207,000","Nov., Jan., Feb.,<\/span> April, May, Sept.<\/span>","Feb., July<\/span>","July, Aug.<\/span>","July, Aug., Sept.","",""],["#rowspan#","Los Angeles - Singapore","214,000","Aug.<\/span>","Sept.<\/span>","","May, Aug., Sept.<\/span>","",""],["#rowspan#","New York - Singapore","223,000","Aug., Sept.<\/span>","","","April, June, July, Sept.<\/span>","July, Aug.,<\/span> Sept.","Aug."],["United","Boston - London","120,000","Jan.<\/span>","","","Oct.,<\/span> Nov., Dec.,<\/span> Jan.,<\/span> Feb. to April, June, July<\/span>","Dec., Feb.,<\/span> March, May<\/span>","Feb., May<\/span>"]]

Months in black at least four seats available; in blue at least six seats; in green at least seven seats. Remember to use the data as a guide since availability can be volatile

[["\nOperating Airline","\nUsing Partner Miles","\n\nRoute","\nRound-trip Mileage Cost","Outbound","#colspan#","#colspan#","Return","#colspan#","#colspan#"],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","#rowspan#","#rowspan#","4 to 8 Days Per Month","9 to 12 Days Per Month","13+ Days Per Month","4 to 8 Days Per Month","9 to 12 Days Per Month","13+ Days Per Month"],["Austrian<\/p>","United<\/p>","Chicago - Vienna","144,000<\/p>","Dec., Jan.<\/span>","","","Nov. to March","Jan.",""],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","New York - Vienna","#rowspan#","Feb.,<\/span> March<\/span>","Jan.<\/span>","","March<\/span>","","Jan., Feb.,<\/span> March"],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","Washington, DC - Vienna","#rowspan#","Jan., Feb.,<\/span> March<\/span>","Jan., Feb.","","Nov.<\/span>","Jan.<\/span>","Feb., March<\/span>"],["Delta<\/p>","Virgin Atlantic<\/p>","Detroit - Amsterdam","100,000<\/p>","Nov., Jan.<\/span>","","","Jan.<\/span>","",""],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","New York - Brussels","#rowspan#","Jan., March<\/span>","Jan.<\/span>","Feb.<\/span>","Nov.<\/span>","Jan., March<\/span>","Jan.,<\/span> Feb.<\/span>"],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","New York - Frankfurt","#rowspan#","Jan.","","","March to May<\/span>","",""],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","New York - Reykjav\u00edk","#rowspan#","Oct., April<\/span>","","","April, May<\/span>","",""],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","New York - London","95,000-115,000","Aug.","","","April,<\/span> May","","Aug."],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","Portland - Amsterdam","100,000","Nov., Feb., March<\/span>","Jan.<\/span>","","Feb., March<\/span>","Jan.<\/span>",""],["TAP<\/p>","United<\/p>","Boston - Lisbon","144,000<\/p>","Feb., March<\/span>","Jan.<\/span>","","Feb., March","",""],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","New York - Lisbon","#rowspan#","Jan.<\/span>","Feb.<\/span>","","Jan.,<\/span> March,<\/span> May","Feb.,<\/span> March",""],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","Washington, DC - Lisbon","#rowspan#","Jan., Feb.<\/span>","","","Jan.,<\/span> Feb.,<\/span> March","Feb.",""]]

[["\n\nOperating Airline","\n\nRoute","Outbound","#colspan#","#colspan#","Return","#colspan#","#colspan#"],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","4 to 8 Days Per Month","9 to 12 Days Per Month","13+ Days Per Month","4 to 8 Days Per Month","9 to 12 Days Per Month","13+ Days Per Month"],["United","Boston - London","Oct.,<\/span> Jan.","","","Nov.,<\/span> Jan., March, April, June,<\/span> July","Oct., Dec., Feb.,<\/span> March, April, Aug.<\/span>","Oct., Feb.,<\/span> May<\/span>"],["#rowspan#","Newark - London","Oct.","","","Oct., Feb., March,<\/span> April","Oct.",""],["#rowspan#","Washington, DC - Frankfurt","Oct.","","","Dec.,<\/span> Jan., Feb.<\/span>","",""]]

[["\n\nOperating Airline","\n\nRoute","\n\nRound-trip Mileage Cost","Outbound","#colspan#","#colspan#","Return","#colspan#","#colspan#"],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","#rowspan#","4 to 8 Days Per Month","9 to 12 Days Per Month","13+ Days Per Month","4 to 8 Days Per Month","9 to 12 Days Per Month","13+ Days Per Month"],["American","New York - London","168,000-249,000","Dec., Jan., Aug.<\/span>","","","Dec.,<\/span> Jan.,<\/span> Feb.,<\/span> Aug.<\/span>","Nov. to Jan., Aug.",""]]

[["Airline With Four or More Seats Available","Carrier Points Redemption Partners","Lowest Cost Mileage Redemption Partners","Partner Points Redemption Partners"],["American","Citi","Cathay Pacific","Amex, Capital One, Citi"],["Austrian","","United","Chase"],["Delta","Amex","Virgin Atlantic","Amex, Chase, Citi"],["Japan","","Cathay Pacific","Amex, Capital One, Citi"],["Singapore","Amex","Singapore","Amex, Capital One, Chase, Citi"],["TAP","Capital One","United","Chase"],["United","Chase","All Nippon","Amex"]]

Ways to Beat the Family Curse For Booking Multiple Seats Using Miles and Points