First, because Asiana first class was a remarkable product. In our case, if you’re flying between the U.S. and South Korea, the absolute cheapest way to book this first class product with points is by using Asiana Club Miles. It’s a big beast — and certainly not the best looking — but for long-haul travel she’s a dream — quiet, smooth (the bigger the plane, the less turbulence you feel), and most importantly, spacious. Sometimes eggs on a plane can be rubbery, but these were actually pretty good. Etihad Airways Business or First Class to Africa, the Middle East, or Southeast Asia. No responsibility will be taken by the bank advertiser for these comments. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). After some shopping around, I decided to book a one-way First Class ticket with Asiana Airlines on their Airbus A380 for 105,000 Aeroplan miles per person. The A380 first class suites are enclosed, utilizing 2 sliding doors for maximum privacy. Asiana Airlines is a truly unpretentious airline. Compared to Asiana Club, you’ll pay 10,000 more miles one-way, but you’ll save around $125. You’ll be provided with huge Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kits, awesome pajamas, great bedding, and slippers. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, tax or legal advice. The suite featured a 32-inch IFE screen, which was positively enormous. A petroleum engineer by trade, Stephen caught the travel bug in college when he traveled to Asia several times. Disclaimer: Upgraded Points, LLC and its website, UpgradedPoints.com, provides information on credit cards, reward programs, travel information and ancillary information concerning travel and credit cards. American Express and Citi often offer transfer bonuses of up to 30%, and LifeMiles Promos can discount first class awards by 20%! Founded in 2007, Air Busan is a low-cost carrier with one-class service that operates over 25 Airbus A320 series aircraft … I loved the Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kit, which feaured earplugs, socks, an eyemask, hand cream, perfume and even a small shoe horn. Lastly, Citi and American Express are known for offering transfer bonuses of up to 30% which you won’t find with Chase. *Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. This is really sad news. The Asiana first class lounge at ICN was a bit of a disappointment. Fortunately, only five of the 12 first-class suites were occupied. I did notice some Evian facial mist, though, as well as some L’Occitane amenities. It looked more like a cigar parlor than a lounge. As a result, Asiana Airlines is well-respected for having excellent award availability. Paid tickets on this particular route usually sell for around $5,000 each way, but I was able to use miles — and get great value in the process. They don’t offer the glitzy seats like Emirates or cigar lounges like Lufthansa, but they offer a huge, enclosed suite with tons of space, excellent food, and professional service. The bad news was that the content options were pretty limited. Get 25% more value when you redeem for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. Asiana Airlines 354 Chongqing (CKG) – Seoul(ICN) Saturday, May 13, 2017 Depart: 12:58am Arrive: 5:39am (+1 day) Duration: 13hr41min Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER Seat: 5A (Business Class) Asiana business class is much like North American first class, with a 12 seat cabin in a 2-2 configuration. First class on Asiana’s A380 features a spacious cabin and is a solid way to cross the Pacific. All in all, I paid about $1,305, which means I paid about 1.4 cents per mi… Photo: lasta29 via Wikimedia. That certainly helped the cabin seem even more spacious than it already was. Ready to book your Asiana Airlines first class flight with ANA miles? Select your dates and complete your reservation. Asiana 747 Business Suite (Image Courtesy of Asiana Airlines) Asiana Airlines has two airline subsidiaries: Air Busan and Air Seoul. They stick to the basics, and they’ve developed a fantastic reputation as a result. Throughout the trip, the flight attendants were helpful, friendly and attentive. © 2021 THE POINTS GUY, LLC. ... Asiana Airlines First Class Amenity CUTTER CAN OPENER MAGNET. Discount coupons cannot be applied to code share flights and tickets with other airlines. It’s relatively easy to earn lots of ANA miles, and these miles are best used for business or economy class redemptions. Plus, I have a few miles left over! Although their redemption rates aren’t as cheap as Asiana Club, you’ll find that they’re tied for second-place. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Major airlines that have withdrawn it in recent years include United Airlines, South African Airways, Air New Zealand, Malaysian Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and LATAM. Although Asiana’s cabins weren’t the newest or chicest, they were solid and spacious, making for a comfortable ride in first class. The seat reclined fully to become a flat bed — I was clearly very comfortable here. After you board your aircraft via a jetbridge exclusively for first class passengers, you’ll be directed to your suite. I never felt short on space and ended up sleeping for eight of the 13 hours that we were flying. CARD HIGHLIGHTS: 2X points on all travel and dining, points transferrable to over a dozen travel partners. Click here to see a list of advertisers that we work with. United MileagePlus is probably the easiest way to search for availability, as you can search using a calendar view for flexible dates. Select your flights and reserve your flight by paying with your United miles and for any taxes and fees. Asiana began operations in December 1988, using Boeing 737 … Lastly, using 120,000 United miles each way is the most cost-effective option using Chase Ultimate Rewards. Asiana has already drastically cut back first class in recent years, still offering it only onboard its A380s to Los Angeles, New York, and Frankfurt. A RED VENTURES COMPANY. Although the cabin was rather bland when it comes to design, the suites — and the seats themselves — were gigantic. United Airlines will return to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in 2021, marking its first time serving the airport in five years. The movie was far from remarkable as well. Korean Air's first class passengers enjoy personal assistance and reserved first class check-in counters with KAL Premium Service. Cuisine is where Asiana first class really shines. However, the privacy was unparalleled. I have flown with Asiana earlier, on their Airbus A330 and Boeing B777 intra-Asia albeit in business class, so I was really looking forward to their first class service onboard the Superjumbo. Change your language by clicking the flag icon in the top-right corner and selecting, Enter your airports, number of travelers, and booking class. For example, 60,000 points are worth $750 toward travel. Asiana’s first class cabin features twelve enclosed suites in a 1-2-1 configuration. You could save up to $250 on round-trip taxes and fees by paying with Avianca LifeMiles. The miles are incredibly valuable! To drink, I selected Chateau Fleur Cardinale Gran Cru Classe 2012, a complex red which paired perfectly with the short rib. American Express is your best option. The seats are gigantic: 25.2 inches wide, 84 inches in pitch, and 81 inches long in bed length. The food is great, though you’ll want to save most of your stomach for the flight. See, 57,500 Ultimate Rewards points to Korean Air SkyPass to book a first-class ticket, Jordan Aviation could launch US flights with a former Emirates plane, How pilots keep their skills sharp during COVID-19 downtime, You can now add select Chase business cards to Apple Pay, Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. All in all, I paid about $1,305, which means I paid about 1.4 cents per mile. My suite came outfitted with a large pillow and blanket, as well as slippers and pajamas for sleeping. However, the credit card information that we publish has been written by experts who know these products inside out, and what we recommend is what we would (or already) use ourselves. In other words, transferring 60,000 Marriott points will get you 25,000 LifeMiles, ANA miles, or Asiana miles. You can use Singapore KrisFlyer miles as well, but they’re generally not a good idea since KrisFlyer charges a lot of miles and passes on fuel surcharges. I've only been on Asiana, but can report that the service is exceptional, the 777 is roomy, and the FA's are award winning (Syktrax gives them BEST ECONOMY CLASS WORLDWIDE and BEST FLIGHT ATTENDANTS WORLDWIDE). Champagne was Moët & Chandon Champagne, which I suppose is a bit better than what business-class lounges serve, but overall it wasn’t a memorable experience. Advertisement: Virgin Atlantic has an excellent Upper Class, but no first class product. The content featured on UpgradedPoints.com has not been provided by the credit card companies mentioned. Advertiser Disclosure: Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive compensation. It’s among the most accessible countries in the world, and there are a lot of options available for nonstop flights. Opinions and product recommendations on this site are ours alone, and have not been influenced, reviewed or approved by the issuer. Avianca LifeMiles is transfer partners with American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy — giving you a lot more options. Once you’re done booking and preparing for your flight, you’ll want to be as immersed in the first class experience as possible. The thing that sets them apart, however, is the fact that you won’t pay for fuel surcharges at all. The food was excellent and I loved the pre-order option, but the airline really needs to up its game when it comes to Wi-Fi and entertainment options. The airline presently only sells first class on their small fleet of A380s, which they fly primarily to Los Angeles, New York, and Frankfurt. The new “Business Suite” fares will be 30-40% lower than current first class prices. Click here to see a list of advertisers that we work with. Asiana Airlines is the largest shareholder in Air Busan, which is a low-cost airline joint venture with Busan Metropolitan City. You can make these redemptions happen with any of the major transferable currencies, though the best value will generally come from American Express Membership Rewards points. For more information on our advertisers, see here. Avianca LifeMiles and United MileagePlus don’t allow stopovers or open-jaws. Though their only transfer partner is Marriott, it only costs 80,000 miles each way. Gallery View Customize . 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