tudorranch

I tried looking through the wiki's to find this cross product question, but could not find anything relevant. Please direct me to the spot if there is one. I will be travelling on my own to Europe from NC in October. I have enough miles on American outright or Delta/Star Alliance or any other Amex partner to get a first class ticket. I would like to know the best options for a first class product to somewhere in Central or Eastern Europe (final destination is Croatia). I am completely flexible as to a connection city - I am more interested in the best flight experience. Can you help?

irishguy28

Some airlines will require you to hold status in their own programme in order to book First Class (an example is Air France). And in many cases, availability for October will have been snatched up as soon as the transatlantic seats for your dates became available to book, last October/November/December. There are only 1 or 2 First Class seats available for redemption on those few flights left that have a First Class.

Rather than ask which is the best, you would be better advised trying to simply find availability on any carrier on suitable dates. Your options are going to be very limited.

SMFlagg

Best FC overall? AF La Première JFK-CDG, Singapore Suites JFK-FRA, or Lufthansa on the A380.

Without status, you won't be able to book AF. Similarly, it will be very difficult to book LH unless you are within 15 days of departure. Your AMEX points can get you onto the Singapore Suites assuming the availability is there. You'll need to transfer them to a Krisflyer account. But I will echo what irishguy28 says, you will have a tough time finding availability now. So I would look for any availability and then hope that more becomes available closer to departure.

Duke787

The only first class you really can get is AA/BA/LH/SQ. As noted AF is a non-starter with miles unless you have AF status.

AA is only on the 77W (which as of now basically means 1x JFK - LHR and 1x MIA - LHR) but only the JFK - LHR is completely reliable.

BA is basically J+ and is going to require huge carrier surcharges - plus unless you backtrack, almost any flight is going to be very short (JFK/EWR - LHR is 6.5-7 hours if you are lucky)

IMO, LH is the most reliable F option for TATL. However (and this is a big however), they only start releasing F seats to partners at T-15 so you'll basically have to book last minute or book another itinerary and change (and pay change fees if applicable) to switch to F at close-in. If you are using AMEX, Aeroplan will be your best option to get LH F - they do charge a carrier surcharge so be well aware of that. With Aeroplan you can also book *A J in the interim and then switch for a fee as noted at close-in if you want to change one or both directions to F (if space becomes available).

The only other true F option is SQ on JFK - FRA. It requires SQ miles (which you can transfer from AMEX) and would be priced at the partner chart since you'd be looking for LH J to carry you on to your final destination. You'll have to call to book that since you can't book mixed itineraries that involve partners on the SQ website (you can only book SQ-only awards).

Personally, I don't find F worth it for TATL. I'm also NC based and from the East Coast, I find the flight is too short to really enjoy, especially since sleeping for part of the Eastbound flight is key to avoiding jet lag. I did do LH F a couple years back as a daytime flight (a little longer and no worry about jet lag) and it was definitely great just again IMO not worth the extra miles for a short flight (I'd rather save my miles to ensure J or F on a TPAC or Australia/NZ flight).

For me the best TATL options are all J. A few options (though this certainly doesn't cover all).

DL: I recently flew DL J and as long as you get it at the saver level (80k), I think it's a very good option, especially if you can get the A330 (though we flew the 763 and it was fine).

OS: OS J is great, I love their food and if you get row 1, there is no issue with footwell size.

TK: TK J is nice (and the IST J lounge is fantastic) but is 2-3-2 on the 777 plus you'll be subject to the laptop rule on the way home.

AA/UA: Perfectly fine for sleeping but not going to provide a particularly special experience. I don't mind either but these days my only goal for TATL is a bite of food, 1-2 drinks, and then 5-6 hours of sleep

AF: Haven't flown at all but the 777 with the new BEST seating (1-2-1 is what the seat map will show if new) is a very good seat. AF has a good reputation on the food / beverage side

ajeleonard

Singapore suites JFK-FRA or Air France

bosman

I echo Duke787's suggestion to focus on J. J class has come a long way (on most carriers) and generally is a great product, particularly for such a relatively short flight.

Yoshi212

-You'll have to get from NC to a gateway such as IAD or JFK/EWR so that can complicate or add miles needed and/or time to your travels.
-You'll also want to minimize your connections to avoid burning most if not all of your first day in Croatia so look at the airport wiki of your final destination for connection points.
-You're several months behind others in redeeming awards.
-F across the Atlantic isn't a great value. Most flights average 6-7 hours and are overnight. A quality J product will be a greater redemption value and less complicated. OS and TK via IAD and VIE/IST maximize sleep ability while keeping an itinerary easy. LX, LH and SK are other good options.
-If you're truly stuck on an F experience you should look at SQ's JFK-FRA suites followed by LH or LX F (edge to LH for aircraft) or AF F if you're eligible for booking.

tudorranch

Any thoughts on LO business class product? Dreamliner 787 nonstop JFK-WAW?

BearX220

Most J products are more spacious and better kitted out than F was 20 years ago. The few F-designated products remaining on TATL IMO offer only marginally more than J (exhibit A: BA).

Duke787

It wouldn't be my first TATL choice but it's certainly a lot better than angle-flat or Y. They use the ottoman style J seat that you find on TK / CA which I'm actually a big fan of but some don't like it because it is more exposed and 2-2-2.

For TATL you should aim for AA if you can get the 77W (which only flies JFK - LHR once a day and occasionally is slotted for a daily MIA - LHR flight), DL if you can get an A330 flight or AF on a 777 with BEST, or for *A I'd look for OS / TK / LX / SK or maybe SN / LH.

Kagehitokiri

on SQ could also book two connecting suites for double bed, as single

Duke787

​​​​​​
Yeah forgot OP had AMEX. SQ J is a good option too - hard part will be finding saver UA Y/F space for RDU - JFK or IAH to connect into the SQ flights.

I advise the OP to sign up for an Aeroplan account and DL account and poke around with dates and destinations to see if you can find something that fits your goals.

Don't forget about the RDU - YYZ flight which opens up AC as a good option