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Here’s a Business Class Seat upgrade strategy that works more often than not. If your elite upgrade hasn’t been confirmed in the permitted timeframe, get creative by calling the airline to see if there are flights on your date of departure with Business Class seat upgrades... more >>
It enables you to mysteriously get a free Business Class upgrade airfare on American Airlines’ routes on which the carrier uses Boeing 777s and 767-200s configured with three cabins… more >>
Air France’s Flying Blue mileage program has joined the American Express Membership Rewards (points-to-airline miles transfer) program. This is easily one of 2006’s most important developments in frequent flyer credit card partnerships for Business and First Class travel to Europe. more >>
Tie the knot in one of the Caribbean destinations served by Air Jamaica and you can get a free Business Class airline ticket. To qualify for the airline’s new Executive Business Class, the bride and groom must book a minimum of 22 seats (including themselves)... more >>
We've discovered something interesting and unique in one of American Airlines' "booking codes" or "inventory codes" for domestic First Class travel that helps identify flights with mileage upgrade availability. more >>
Depending on your departure city, you can forget 2-for-1s for your Caribbean holiday. For instance, now you can fly Los Angeles to Jamaica for only 11 cents per mile. more >>
United Airlines and Lufthansa have combined their corporate mileage plans for small and medium-sized businesses. Operating under United’s existing PerksPlus brand, the joint program works in addition to both airlines’ frequent flyer programs (United’s Mileage Plus and Lufthansa’s Miles & More)... more >>
While this is sure to upset those who’ve earned it the hard way, United Airlines has mailed a promotion to receive free Premier Executive elite status membership for 90 days. It’s a good reason to keep an eye out in your mailbox because... more >>
This strategy works on American Airlines flights using 777s and 767-200s configured with three cabins (coach, Business Class, and First Class), on which the carrier only sells economy and First Class ... more >>
One of the biggest mistakes you can make if you want to earn Business or First Class upgrades, is building your frequent flyer mileage account with credit cards that offer their own mileage programs ... more >>
When redeeming miles, it pays to book award tickets and upgrades as far in advance as possible, particularly when you’re after the coveted Business and First Class airline seats ... more >>
Many frequent flyers fail to note the differences between one airline’s mileage award program and another that can yield valuable air travel upgrades. A credit card points strategy is key to getting Business and First Class upgrades ... more >>
As an alternative to a Business or First Class upgrade, Premium Economy seats are the hot ticket. They’re certainly better than coach. You get more of the one thing that matters most on a long international flight: legroom ... more >>
For a limited time, you can earn 9,999 bonus miles when you rent with Budget for five consecutive days or more. That’s a tempting offer¬—let’s look at the fine print... more >>
Last month we examined the holiday fare war started by Continental and immediately matched by American. Fares start at an amazingly low $900, round-trip, plus taxes. (This year's Thanksgiving fares to European cities are even lower than last.) Now, over eight more carriers have joined in, which works in your favor. Given the state of the dollar, that's something to be thankful for. With so many choices, the goal is getting the best Business Class seat. … more >>
There are decent deals on discount Business Class travel to South America if you know this upgrade strategy involving "B fares." Book American Airlines’ lowest economy fares and an upgrade to Business Class will cost 50,000 AAdvantage miles, plus a $600 "upgrade surcharge." But book a 'B' fare, and... more >>
On flights to Europe, most airlines permit mileage upgrades to Business Class, but there are huge discrepancies between the actual value of one mileage upgrade versus another. Some carriers require that you pay inflated fares if you want to upgrade, while others do not. more >>
The differences between one airline’s mileage award and another can yield little-known and lucrative values. The "formula" used to determine the number of miles it costs for a given award, such as discount Business Class travel for the price of coach, varies widely... more >>
Open an AAdvantage account by Nov. 30 and you can take advantage of bonus-miles offers tied to your card charges. Spend $750 within four months of becoming a member and you’ll get 20,000 bonus miles – almost enough miles for a one-way Business Class upgrade on American (25,000 miles). more >>
With 15,000 United frequent flyer miles, you can upgrade one of the airline’s heavily discounted domestic US flights one-way. With the same number of miles, you can upgrade a “B” economy fare to fly Business Class to Australia. more >>
Alaska Airlines leaves the door open for anyone to fly Business and First Class the world over via its mileage program, Mileage Plan. That’s because the carrier sells its miles -- and puts no limit (highly unusual) on the amount you can buy. more >>
US Airways is one of the few carriers that have no restrictions on how many airline miles you can buy annually. There’s a 50,000 mile limit per purchase, but no limit to the number of purchases. more >>
Upgrade strategies for First Class travel to Hawaii can be more expensive nowadays, owing to some recent changes. One of the best carriers on the mainland to Hawaii route, American Airlines, now imposes a $300 cash surcharge... more >>
There’s nothing sweeter than a First Class seat on a three-class aircraft. Our favorite strategy for obtaining discount First Class travel to Asia involves knowing the cities that offer the lowest Business Class airfares... more >>
Interesting items, information, insights and intelligence (plus the occasional upgrade freebie) from the First Class Flyer team.
For 13 years, First Class Flyer has been two steps ahead of the airlines, providing customers with insider tips on upgrade secrets, mileage plans and how to fly well, for less.
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