Who’s in First? How to Fly to Europe Upfront for Less

Oneworld leads the way with First Class fares 48% to 79% less than the other carriers

Not all First Class fares are created equal. While Air France, Lufthansa, and SWISS First Class fares to Europe start at $6,000 to $14,000 these days, we are seeing that oneworld’s (American and British Airways) are relatively low (unlike to Asia, as we report here. For example, San Francisco to Venice on British Airways is $2,958 while SWISS is $8,626 and Lufthansa is $8,646 at the time of writing. So we thought we’d take a look at current fares and miles availability to give you a handy stick-on-the-fridge guide for flying at the pointy end without getting the sharp end of the stick.

Recently we’ve seen nonstop First Class fares from New York to London for as low as $3,283. Though these are gone, the nonstop is now running $4,170. But there are still some great one-stop First Class fares starting at $2,948 from/to many other destinations (see chart below). Don’t see your departure/destination? More on that here.