Frequent Miler’s favorite business class flights

Of the many luxuries afforded by learning to leverage airline miles, the most enjoyable might be flying in a seat that converts to a fully flat bed in the sky. In some cases, you’ll be served champagne and other fine food and wine before drifting off to sleep, potentially on a cloud-like mattress pad and with a sleep mask provided in the airline’s amenity kit. However, not all business class experiences are created equally. In this post, we explore some of the Frequent Miler team’s favorite business class flights — along with how to best book them.

Qatar QSuites

Greg’s take: Yes, QSuites is all that. We found the in-flight QSuites experience to be terrific. The seats, which feature privacy doors, are comfortable and they have decent storage space. Service was terrific and included the flight attendants making our beds with fitted padding (and they even turned our middle seats into a double bed for us). The decor was elegant (especially with candlelight dining). Food was very good. Read my review here.

Nick’s take: While I’ve flown Qatar’s regular business class several times, my only chance to snag Qsuites so far has been for the ~1hr flight from Doha to Dubai — and it was so good all it took was that one hour for me to fall in love with Qsuites. In my opinion, pictures don’t really capture the finishes and the space surrounding you at the seat. Unlike the Apex suites that you find on some carriers in business class, there is tons of elbow room on either side, which I love. And although my flight was only about an hour long, we were still served a meal! I’d redeem miles to fly Qatar again in a heartbeat.

Tim’s take: I’ve flown Qsuites several times now, and I’ve never been quite as blown away as most folks are. Is it a nice business class product? Absolutely. I’d fly it any time. That said, I’ve found the service and catering lackluster every time I’ve been on it (admittedly, each time, the flight was catered in the US, which I’ve heard isn’t as good as when it’s loaded up in Doha). The “double beds” are a lot of fun when you’re traveling together, but, because I’m relatively tall, neither the seats nor the footwells are among the most comfortable I’ve been on. All-in-all, although I prefer it to the vast majority of business classes out there, I’ve never found enough material difference between this and several of my other favorites to go out of my way to fly it.

How to book Qatar business class:

American Airlines has great award prices for flying Qatar business class. For example, you can fly between the U.S. and Doha (or even onward to the Maldives) for only 70,000 miles one-way. Or, fly all the way to South Africa for only 75,000 miles one-way!

Another good option is to use BA (British Airways) or Qatar Avios. Qatar and BA charge just 70,000 Avios one-way between North America and Doha. Unfortunately, they’ll charge extra for each leg added on beyond that. Both BA and Qatar have access to more saver award space than other partners like AA. A big advantage of booking through BA rather than Qatar is that BA charges significantly smaller surcharges. An advantage to booking with Qatar itself is that you can pay more Avios (typically double) to book a flight that isn’t available to Qatar’s partners.

Here are the relevant point transfer options:

Starlux A350-900

Greg says: I’m writing this from my Starlux flight from LA to Taipei. All business class passengers get free wifi. So far, the service has been spectacular and the food good. The seats are beautiful and very comfortable. The entertainment screen is huge. When ready for bed, the flight attendant prepared my seat with a fitted mattress pad that was actually thick enough to make the seat/bed very comfortable for sleep. The only slight negative I’ve encountered so far is that the seats aren’t well designed for couples traveling together. There is a very effective privacy partition between the middle side by side seats and it can only be half way opened. In the open position it’s still not easy to see your neighbor unless your seats are all the way upright.

How to book Starlux business class

Alaska Mileage Plan will be your only option for booking Starlux with miles. If you find saver space, it’ll cost 75K miles each way, but when the saver award space floodgates open, they tend to close quickly. Given that the only option to transfer to Alaska is from Marriott, you’ll want to consider earning Alaska miles via Alaska Airlines credit cards and/or the Mileage Plan shopping portal.

Here are the relevant point transfer options:

United Polaris 777

Greg says: I’ve become a fan of United Polaris seats. Even though (at the time of writing) they don’t have privacy doors, the seat’s wrap-around shell gives plenty of privacy. Plus, and this is huge for me, the seat cushions are wonderfully soft. As a side sleeper, I don’t even need a mattress pad to sleep comfortably. That’s huge. Plus I love the mini memory foam pillow that United provides (along with a full size pillow). I added this flight to this post not just for the seat, though. I also loved the schedule for our ~13 hour flight from San Francisco to Auckland. We departed San Francisco very late at night, went to sleep, awoke and ate breakfast and watched movies, and arrived in Auckland in the morning. This was one of my easiest time-zone adjustments ever. See my post comparing this flight to Qantas 787 business class here.

Nick says: As someone who has redeemed a lot of airline miles for premium cabins on top-notch foreign airlines, I never get very excited about flying on the major US carriers. However, I’ve flown Polaris business a couple of times now and I have to say that the seat itself is very nice. While I haven’t had the kind of amazing service with United that you can expect with most of its partners, and catering certainly didn’t wow me, the seat itself is the star of the show (as it should be). As a family traveler, I particularly like that if you choose center seats with the side table to the aisle, you can sit directly next to a traveling companion, making it easy to help your child with their seat belt / seat back entertainment / food / etc.

How to book United Polaris business class

SeatSpy is a good tool for finding business class availability on nonstop United Airlines routes. When it comes to booking Polaris business class, the best program will vary depending on the route you’re looking to book. One good option would be using Avianca LifeMiles to book United Polaris business class between the United States and Europe for 63,000 miles each way (or less if you are able to add an economy class connecting flight on either end of the trip). If you can manage to find round trip availability to Europe, you could book Polaris business for 88,000 miles round trip with ANA Mileage Club. If you can manage to find saver-level Polaris business class on one of the domestic routes where it is flown, it should be possible to book via Turkish Miles & Smiles for just 15,000 miles each way.

Here are the relevant point transfer options:

Delta One Suites A350

Greg says: These were the first business class seats with privacy doors that I ever tried. I loved the suite privacy, ample near-seat storage, large bright video screen, and high ceiling. My primary complaint: I found the seats to be too hard for comfortable side-sleeping. My understanding is that they now offer better bed-padding on long flights and so I’m looking forward to trying this again to see if they’ve addressed this problem. See my 2018 review here.

Nick says: I didn’t have high expectations for Delta One suites when I flew them from Tokyo to Minneapolis several years ago. The pictures I’d seen just didn’t excite me. When I stepped into the cabin, I immediately realized that pictures didn’t do it justice — in my opinion, Delta’s A350 suites look far nicer in person than they do in pictures. I legitimately enjoyed the flight experience, though I couldn’t help feel a bit “boxed-in” because of the hard barrier between center seats on one side (with a divider that could come down, but still made it very hard to interact with your seatmate) and the suite door on the other. I would definitely fly Delta A350 suites again, but it isn’t something that I actively seek out.

How to book Delta One suites

The best value you can get when it comes to redeeming miles for Delta One Suites is using Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to book one of the applicable routes to/from Europe for 50K Virgin Atlantic miles each way. Oddly, Virgin seems to have begun adding some surcharges to certain Delta routes. And keep in mind that Delta calls their business class Delta One whether or not it features the Delta One suites — only a couple of routes to Europe feature the A350 suites. See How to book Delta flights with Virgin Atlantic miles for more information.

Here are the relevant point transfer options:

LATAM Airlines 787-8

Tim’s take: LATAM’s 787-8 business class is a very pleasant way to get to South America, especially if traveling with a partner. The seat is spacious and comfortable; the service warm and friendly. The food was great and we found the cabin temperature (often roasting on long-haul flights) to be perfect for sleeping, aided by the cozy bedding. It’s got some downsides: there’s little privacy between seats, the IFE is average and there’s no WiFi. Still, for us the pros outweighed the cons and the whole team enjoyed the experience. Read my review here.

Greg says: I was surprised by how much I liked this flight. Consider that it doesn’t have direct aisle access at every seat (but sitting in the middle solved that issue), and it has no privacy at all. Still, the seats were spacious and comfortable and the service was outstanding.

Carrie’s take: I had the most inaccessible seat you can imagine – by the window and next to 6′ 4″ Tim, whose legs I had to climb over every time I wanted to get out. And even so, I really enjoyed this flight because I found it really easy to get real, solid sleep, which is the metric I care about most for international flights. Once laid flat, the seat actually feels more private than you’d expect, because it kind of recedes back more than you can tell in the photos.

Nick’s take: Privacy at the seat isn’t the most important metric to me. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, I just don’t necessarily care all that much about it. Given that, I liked this flight, particularly for the wide open space for one’s feet in the reclined position. I didn’t like that I woke up with the neighbor to my left (stuck in the window seat like Carrie but not someone I knew) climbing over my legs. Traveling with a friend of family member, this would be fine. And I think my wife might feel less claustrophobic with the wide open space in the cabin. But this wouldn’t be an ideal configuration if you’re traveling with kids who get fussy since there’s no private space in which to cocoon them and everyone else will stare at you struggling. I would absolutely fly LATAM to South America in business class again, but that’s mostly because there aren’t many vastly superior options.

How to book LATAM 787 business class

Alaska Mileage Plan is the best way to book LATAM 787 business class. While pricing on most routes will increase in March 2024, it will only be a very small increase (See our post about the 2024 Alaska Mileage Plan award chart changes here). For instance, flying to Chile or Brazil will cost 50K miles one way from most of the US under the new award chart. Unfortunately, Alaska Mileage Plan does not partner with any of the major transferable currencies. You could transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Alaska, but given that those transfers are quite slow, you’d be better off considering the Alaska credit cards and/or shopping portal if you want Alaska miles.

Here are the relevant point transfer options:

Turkish Airlines 787-9

Tim’s take: Turkish Airlines’ 787-9 business class is top notch. Catering is superb, both on the plane and in the lovely Istanbul lounge. The seat is spacious and comfortable, even for a 6’3″ giant like me. Service was on point, with a chef stopping by each seat to discuss the menu and trolley service for both mezze and desserts. Outside of the mediocre in-seat storage, it’s tough to find downsides here. This is a great way to fly. Read my full review here.

How to book Turkish Airlines business class

Your best option for booking Turkish Airlines business class is going to largely depend on where you’re starting and where you’re going. Given that Turkish serves more destinations than any airline in the world, it’s not easy to break down the single “best” option for booking Turkish business class. At a base level, for flights between the US and Istanbul, Avianca LifeMiles will probably be your best option at 63,000 miles each way between the US and Istanbul with none of the Turkish carrier-imposed surcharges. It is worth noting that Turkish only charges 65K miles for business class if you find saver availability, but they add a few hundred dollars in surcharges on top. If you don’t mind paying the surcharges, your best bet would be to find round trip availability and use ANA to book for 88K round trip. If you’re looking at a larger, more complex booking with a stopover, then consider Air Canada Aeroplan.

Here are the relevant point transfer options:

KLM 787

Nick’s take: KLM flies a variety of planes and configurations, so the experience can really vary. Greg and I flew their 787 business class a couple of years ago and I was really impressed by the small touches they made in design to what is effectively a very common seat style — little things like a tray for your phone under the TV and above the charging outlet just worked. While this isn’t a suite with a door, the design of the shell made the seat feel downright private. The crockery was beautiful and I loved the twisted metal coffee stirs….and then there are the Delft Blue houses that sit on a window sill at home as trip memories. I wouldn’t be quick to book a KLM A330, but if I’d be excited to fly the 787 and visit the beautiful flagship lounge in Amsterdam again — and I’m pretty sure that Greg would say the same.

How to book KLM business class

Your cheapest regularly-priced option for booking KLM business class might be via Virgin Atlantic, though that will depend on whether you’re flying peak or off-peak and your city pair. More realistically, your best bet will ordinarily be using Air France / KLM Flying Blue miles. Either way, you’ll pay around $200 each way in taxes & fees between the US and Europe.

Here are the relevant point transfer options:

Singapore Airlines 777-300ER

Tim’s take: Singapore’s re-tooled, 777-300 business class is terrific. It has one of the widest business seats around, a ton of storage and a great in-flight entertainment (IFE) system. Add in excellent catering and on-pointe service and this becomes one of the best ways to get from the US to Europe (as well as being a very competitive US/Europe to Asia product). Some folks might not like the awkward seat-to-bed conversion or the angled footwells, but the significant pluses easily outweigh the minor cons. Highly-recommended. Read my full review here.

Nick’s take: I completely agree with Tim — I find the width of the seat to make it feel incredibly spacious and I find Singapore’s seats to be among the best-padded for sitting. I understand that some people hate the all-or-nothing nature of the fully reclined seat position, but that’s the position I want for sleeping anyway and service, food, and wine are so much better than most airlines worldwide that I’d still take this as my preferred way to get to/from Europe even if I didn’t love the seat-to-bed conversion. I usually don’t even look at the in-flight entertainment since I usually either work or sleep when I’m flying, but I have to second Tim’s assertion that the in-flight entertainment options are great — the selection is so wide that it’s almost overwhelming and I found myself staying up later than planned on my last flight just to watch a movie I’m almost certain I wouldn’t have found on anyone else’s in-flight entertainment system.

How to book Singapore Airlines business class

While Singapore’s own Krisflyer program used to effectively be the only way to book Singapore Airlines business class, it is notable that Air Canada Aeroplan and Alaska Mileage Plan not only have access to Singapore Airlines business class but sometimes have access to a lot of Singapore Airlines business class award space. Once Alaska debuts its new award charts in March 2024, the best way for most US-based flyers to redeem miles to fly Singapore Airlines business class will be to use Alaska Mileage Plan and pay just 55K miles each way between New York JFK and Frankfurt or Houston IAH to/from Manchester (though I believe that route is flown on an A350, which is slightly different but still quite nice IMHO). The second-best option is to redeem Air Canada Aeroplan miles and pay 60K miles each way in business class between New York and Frankfurt. If all else fails, you can book via Singapore Krisflyer, but you’ll pay 81K just for the New York to Frankfurt.

Here are the relevant point transfer options:

British Airways

Nick: I can eat a scone now and then, I’ve developed an appreciation for tea in adulthood, and I will assert that British comedy is generally better than American comedy, but otherwise I have to admit that I’m not much of an Anglophile. As such, I never had any interest in flying with British Airways. Then, I flew with British Airways – and I subsequently completely changed around flights for my next trip in order to fly British Airways Club World suites again.

Greg says: This doesn’t make my personal list of favorite business class flights. While the suite itself was very nice and had lots of storage, I thought the seat was very uncomfortable for sleeping because there was a gap between the two sections of the seat. My wife fixed her seat by using the bag that held the bedding: she rolled it up and stuck it in the gap. I’ll probably enjoy this seat more next time now that I know that trick. Service and food on my flight were both just okay.

How to book British Airways business class

British Airways is known for its incredibly high carrier-imposed surcharges, which can run add together with taxes to ring in around $750 each way between the US and Europe when booking through most programs. However, you have two key ways to book British Airways business class with reasonable surcharges. First, you can use British Airways Avios and pay more Avios to reduce the surcharges, paying about 80K Avios and $350 for a one-way business class ticket from New York to London. However, an even better option may be to use Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, which charges about 63K miles each way between the US and Europe in business class on British Airways and typically charges around $300 in taxes & fees for those flights (this varies a bit based on your departure point).

Here are the relevant point transfer options:

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