Airline industry experts have been proclaiming the death of first class for years. While some airlines have done away with it altogether, others are doubling down with palatial suite-style seats, lavish amenities, and services that pamper, both on the ground and in the air.
What’s ensued is a golden age of flying … for those who can afford it. In November, Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Emirates Airline both unveiled all-new first-class suites, tricked-out with such extravagant amenities as in-suite minibars and Mercedes Benz-inspired interiors. A round-trip ticket from Dubai to Geneva in Emirates’ new suites can cost upward of $8,000—and that’s on the affordable end of the spectrum. These airlines aren’t alone: Quieter, gradual enhancements on such airlines as Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. and Société Air France SA have resulted in truly premium experiences, with improvements ranging from more personal storage space to latest-generation entertainment screens and touchscreen seat controls.
Here’s what the airlines don’t want you to figure out: All it takes is a little points savvy to experience these seats for pennies on the dollar. And thanks to powerful credit cards such as Chase Sapphire Reserve and American Express Platinum, loyal flying may not be necessary. The trick is to adjust your strategy according to where you want to fly and which seat you want to fly in (1A, please). Here are the hacks that will get you into the five best cabins in the skies today.
Emirates First-Class Suites
Why you want to fly it: Emirates’ new suites, which were announced in November, are impressive not just for luxuriousness but relative rarity: For now, they’re available only on certain flights—from Dubai to Brussels, Geneva, and London Stansted (starting on June 8). By the end of 2019, they’ll be installed on just nine planes, all brand-new Boeing 777-300ERs.
If that sounds like a small number, it is. It’s even smaller considering that there are only six suites per aircraft. Each suite has 40 square feet of completely enclosed personal space—a first for any airline—with stitched-leather seating created in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz and inspired by the automaker’s S-Class vehicles. The seats also have in-suite minibars, personal temperature zones and mood lighting, and a privacy hatch for meal service.
How to book it for less than coach: Emirates may not partner with the large airline alliances, but it does offer valuable points partnerships that are easy to leverage. Those include American Express Membership Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest, whose points can be applied toward an award booking through the Emirates website. A first-class ticket between Dubai and Europe costs 85,000 miles each way.
Have a Chase Ultimate Rewards account? Transfer points from there to Korean Air’s Skypass program, which partners with Emirates, and your round-trip Dubai-to-Europe ticket will cost 120,000 miles. If you have Starwood Preferred Guest points to burn, try moving them to Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, which charges just 100,000 miles for a round-trip between Dubai and Brussels, Geneva, or London.
The caveats: Taxes and surcharges on award tickets can run you more than $1,000, and award space in Emirates’ new first-class suites is virtually nonexistent—at least for now. As more planes with the new suites go into service and the hubbub over their launch dies down, that should change.
Singapore Airlines First-Class Suites
Why you want to fly it: Similar to those at Emirates, Singapore Airlines’ first class improvements include all-new suites with closing doors on the upper deck of its flagship Airbus A380 jumbo jets, which are currently flying from Singapore to Sydney, Hong Kong, and London Heathrow. (The cabins are being installed on new A380s first, then retrofitted onto existing A380s over the next few years.) The distinguishing features? Swiveling Poltrona Frau leather armchairs that recline to 135 degrees, plus separate, stowable beds that are made up with Lalique linens. You can also turn adjacent suites into a huge one if you’re traveling with a companion, and get primped up for landing in an enormous lavatory with a sit-down vanity counter.
How to book it for less than coach: The only miles currency that Singapore Airlines accepts for first-class bookings is its own KrisFlyer miles—a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest. Even a new KrisFlyer member can score the 75,000 miles it takes to fly one-way in a suite from Singapore to Sydney by rolling over the same number of points from one of these partner programs.