I have three business trips coming up round-trip from LAX to Bangalore, India over the next eight months. I am given a travel allowance for airfare ($14,000 for my first trip - future trips will likely be similar but maybe a bit less) and book my own tickets. The rules are:
- I can exceed the cost allowance, but I pay for the overage. If I am under the cost allowance, the difference is lost/unused, I don't get to pocket it.
- I can fly through any connecting cities or take stopovers/added vacation days anywhere I want to
- I can fly any fare class
- I can't use miles, only cash
- I have to comply with the Fly America Act. It was explained to me that this means all flights going to/from the US (or within the US) must be on a US carrier, or must be a code share flight through a US carrier. Fights through a foreign carrier that are code share TO a US carrier don't count. This requirement doesn't apply to legs that both start and end outside the US.
I have only ever flown economy, so the prospect of flying premium international flights is exciting. I had to book my first trip with little notice, and I was unprepared by way of not knowing the details and nuances of the different airlines' offerings. For this first trip, I had to book specific legs on United for my outbound flight (for future trips, I'll likely not have this constraint), so I booked on Polaris business (the highest available) for about $3,000. That left about $11,000 for the return flight. I don't fly much, but usually fly with United and have some miles with them, so I have a mild preference for staying with them.
Looking at options for the return flight, I was looking at most airlines for the first time, but Emirates stood out as one of the most appealing, which is why I'm posting here: the double-decker A380, in-flight bar/lounge, and (for first-class) in-flight showers all seem extremely awesome. And, they are a partner with United. The problem is, when I looked through United, there were no first-class OR A380 options available as code shares. That's a shame, because when I look through Emirates, there are some really good options (like BLR -> DXB -> LAX all on A380's first-class for about $8,000). I had to book in a hurry, so I took the only first-class option available through United: Lufthansa first-class on a 747 to Frankfurt, then back to the US in Polaris on a 777, for about $10,000. Lufthansa first-class didn't seem like a big upgrade from business, but I may not ever get a chance to fly first-class again, so I said why not try it.
I should add that I don't eat meat or fish, so the fancy meat meals and caviar have zero value to me. I don't care for champagne much, but I do like mixed drinks and good whisky. I actually don't care much if I fly economy for shorter legs, but I would strongly prefer at least premium economy (45 degree recline) for the longer legs so I have a chance of getting good sleep, if not business with lay-flat seats. Above that, it's all bells and whistles I've never experienced before.
My questions to the group are:
- Why can't I get any of the best Emirates flights as code shares through United? Is there any way around it, maybe by booking over the phone?
- Assuming I can't get any of the Emirates flights I want, what other airlines/routes should I look into? I'd bet there are some experienced flyers here who have had premium seats on many airlines, and I'd love some recommendations for my situation.
Thanks!