intl business class in the US
 

On one leg of a recent flight from SAT to Vietnam, the travel agent put me in business class from IAH to SEA on China Airlines. On the return, that leg was in first class on AA. The China Air accommodations are VASTLY superior to what AA offers on the same route, as it is their normal international product. I know that many international carriers have segments completely within the US, but I cannot seem to find them on travel websites like Expedia, etc. Any advice how to find these hidden jewels?

First, welcome to FlyerTalk !

Click on the flight details. Pay attention to the "OP by" and flight number. Sometimes they say codeshore or operated by another a/l. On international routes, if the flight number has 4 digits it most likely is not that carrier's metal. You always can match the flight numbers on the a/l web site for more details. Good luck.

Thanks. But I didn't make myself clear. I want to learn how to find the international carrier's business class segments totally within the US. For example, if I need to fly to New York, I know that Emirates flies from IAH-JFK as the first leg of a flight that continues to Dubai. It is much better than any domestic first class from Texas to New York. Where can I go to find these legs on international carriers that connect US cities?

No can do. Illegal to sell. You could buy a one way ticket to the aircraft's international destination (QF JFK-SYD, getting off at LAX), but it wouldn't work in the reverse.

I think you will find the problem is that non US carriers cannot transport passengers on a domestic itinerary. A foreign carrier may make additional domestic stops to take on more passengers only. Such as ORD LAX BKK. But you could not book the ORD LAX for passage.
SAM

The term for a foreign carrier transporting passengers or goods on an entirely domestic itinerary is 'cabotage.' It is almost never allowed, anywhere.

It's theoretically (and sometimes practically) possible to ticket these 'tag' segments on an international ticket (e.g. flying Qantas LAX-SYD without immediately continuing on to Australia by booking it as part of a oneworld RTW) but you'll have to find a really savvy agent to ticket them; most won't even though they're technically legal as long as they're part of a single international ticket.

Thanks for the answers. I understand. Seems like this is a case of our government interfering with the free market, not allowing its citizens access to the best products and services. Now a follow-up question. Do any domestic carriers offer their int'l business class product on domestic routes? Since the answer to my first question says the government is shielding domestic carriers from competition, I assume the answer to my second questions is.....fat chance.

Sort of. UA has PS JFK-LAX JFK-SFO. AA has Flagship service (something like that) on the same routes.

Beyond that? CO has pseudo international C to HNL from EWR (and IAH?).

Apart from the whole of the EU!

There are some instances where you can get similar treatment.

Delta, for one, offers flights from ATL to LAX and back on both their 767 and 777 aircraft that are continuing on to international destinations. I've been on the DL 777 from ATL-LAX that was continuing on to either Tokyo or Beijing (after I got off in LAX), and it was their premium product. I had a similar ride on the return flight on a 767 that was continuing on to Buenos Aires (after I got off in ATL). So, there are a few flights out there but not many.

BA does (or used to) stop in Detroit on the way to Houston, but as others have posted, you can't buy a seat on the intra-US legs. Too bad, a tier point run would have been nice.

You may also get lucky in the airline is positioning one of those international birds for a particular reason.

A few years ago, when connecting from a domestic flight (I was going SLC-IAH-EWR-PVD), I flew CO on a 777 in F that was flying IAH-EWR-(to either MUC or FRA)! That A/C was set up to include international service! :cool:

IAH-DXB is non stop, it doesn't go via anywhere

Except very rare one-off situations, CO's 777s don't fly domestically. Even if you do get a 752 or 767 with business class seats, you won't get the service (standard domestic first).

same with AA ,,,, on a few routes you can get int bus seats (much better than first in 757 or 738 ) in 777 or 762 but coach service..

PAL flies LAS-YVR and sells tickets for the route. OBviously the US gov't regs do not apply; perhaps there are other US-Canada routes like this?