I'm trying to plan a grand trip next March that involves flying in EK F to Dubai, then Madrid. From there, my wife and I will go to either Lyon or Marrakech or possibly Barcelona. From there, it's back to LAX. I looked at potential award flights and don't really like the options I could find. I have a healthy supply of Chase UR, Citi TYP (with Prestige, so I can transfer to airline partners), and AA miles. Everything I could find involved either BA with high fees or Lufthansa through Frankfurt-- and all in economy. We'll have to go back to work within 36 hours of landing, so I want to be rested. J or F seats would be nice, but if not, then the shortest trip back would be best.

Also, if there are no great options, I'm thinking of flipping the itinerary so we fly to RAK/LYS/BCN first, then MAD-DXB-LAX in EK F. But I still haven't found a great route to the first destination. I was surprised to not being able to find direct flights on IB from LAX to Spain in March.