TravelSort reader Maheshwar writes “I'm writing to request a post on how to redeem miles and points for award travel to India. My friends and I travel to India at least twice a year but I have never been able to get close to redeeming miles and points for an award flight. I follow your blog quite regularly and have dug up many good posts for travel to Asia via Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong, and Singapore KrisFlyer award redemptions. Can you please do the same for travel to India?”
There are several good award options to India, although most that are available as award flights do require connecting in Europe, the Middle East or Asia. These are my top 10 favorite awards to India based on the following criteria:
- Business or First Class (You want to avoid coach on a flight this long!)
- Flat bed in Business Class (Angled flat is just not comfortable for sleeping)
- Award availability
- Award price in miles or points
- Taxes/fees
1. Lufthansa First Class via Frankfurt – 160K United MileagePlus Miles
Lufthansa First Class is only bookable up to 15 days in advance with United miles, but if you have this flexibility and are just searching for 1 award ticket, it's a great way to get to Mumbai (BOM) or Delhi (DEL). Enjoy the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt. The 40,000 mile premium is worth it in my view if you can get both legs in First Class, although unfortunately often this award comes up as a mixed itinerary of business class on one segment and first class on the other.
2. SWISS Business Class via Zurich – 120K United MileagePlus Miles
Swiss Business class, as with Lufthansa Business Class and First Class, is only available a few days before departure and is usually an even tougher award to find availability for, so you need plenty of date flexibility. That said, I have been able to book it for a client of my Award Booking Service.
I've enjoyed my Swiss Business Class award flights–try to get seated in the small mini cabin for a more private and quiet experience.
3. Qatar Business Class via Doha – [Not yet available; will be 135K AAdvantage Miles]
Qatar isn't yet bookable with AAdvantage miles, but Qatar is supposed to join oneworld by late 2013–I'll be sure to post when it does. Qatar only offers Business Class from the U.S., but it's one of the best business class products in the world with flat bed seats, dining on demand, pajamas and amenity kits, etc., so a good deal assuming the current AAdvantage award chart rate of 135K AAdvantage miles roundtrip for business class.
4. Etihad First Class via Abu Dhabi – 180K AAdvantage Miles
Etihad First Class is an enclosed suite product that consistently gets high marks for its hard product, even if the food and service aren't quite up to the better Asian carriers such as Cathay Pacific and Singapore when it comes to First Class. I would spring for first class, even with the 45K premium in miles.
5. Etihad Business Class via Abu Dhabi – 135K AAdvantage Miles
Etihad Pearl Business Class is naturally not nearly as luxe as First Class but it still is a flat bed seat and there's also, as with Etihad Diamond First Class, the benefit of Etihad Chauffeur service (up to 50 kms from the airport in Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai, and up to 70 kms from the airport in Hyderabad and Bangalore).
6. Jet Airways Business Class via Brussels – 135K AAdvantage Miles
While Jet Airways offers a great Business Class product, via Brussels to Delhi, it's notoriously hard to get as an award ticket and you can't search availability online.
7. British Airways First Class via Abu Dhabi – 180K AAdvantage Miles
British Airways First Class is very good, even if it's not the best out there. What brings it down in this ranking are the high taxes and fees, which amount to about $1500, whether you're on a first class or business class award ticket. Given the fees are the same, you may as well use a few more AAdvantage miles to fly first class. If there's any good thing about the fees, it's that it means award availability tends to be better than for some of the other options.
8. United BusinessFirst Nonstop – 120K United MileagePlus Miles
Good luck getting the United BusinessFirst nonstop as an award ticket–it's a needle in a haystack, although you can occasionally get lucky and find a seat a few days out.
9. Asiana First/Business Class via Seoul – 160K United MileagePlus Miles
If you're departing from the West Coast (LAX), Asiana is a decent award option. It's Asiana's old first class product (not the new suite) to Seoul (ICN) then business class in a two cabin flight to Delhi. Asiana's business class is angled lie flat, unfortunately.
10. Singapore Business Class via Tokyo and Singapore – 153K KrisFlyer Miles / AMEX Membership Rewards Points
Another option from LAX is Singapore Business Class, via Tokyo and Singapore. This will take longer also comes with ~$950 in fees, so I rank it below Asiana, even though the business class flight from Singapore to India is about half as long as from Seoul to India, again in an angled flat seat. Singapore doesn't offer first class to India, but another option would be Singapore Suites to Singapore via Tokyo, then again business class to India. That would run you ~243K KrisFlyer miles when booking online, taking into account the 15% discount.
What are your favorite award flight options to India?
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