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With the recent devaluation of Alaska Airlines, mileage
addicts have been looking for an alternative way to book Emirates First Class
tickets without paying a fortune in miles. One of the best hidden secrets is
Japan Airlines’ (JAL) partner award chart, which has quite a few incredible
deals for medium haul flights in Emirates first class.
How many Miles will
Emirates First Class Cost?
Japan Airlines uses at distance based award chart, which
means the number of miles you pay depends on the total distance flown.
What stands out is the extremely low mileage rates for
flights under 10,000 miles, which cost only 100,000 JAL miles for a round trip
flight in first class on partner airlines, including Emirates.
This opens quite a few sweet spots, especially if you’re
looking to fly from the east coast to Europe on Emirates, which operates two
flights from the New York area:
New York (JFK) to Milan (MXP)
Newark (EWR) to Athens (ATH)
Both flights are under 10,000 miles, which means you can fly round trip on either route in Emirates First Class to
Europe for only 100,000 JAL miles.
In comparison, the same exact trip using Alaska Mileage Plan
miles is 180,000 miles, one way!
Furthermore, Japan Airlines allows open jaw awards, which
means you can fly from New York to Milan, explore southern Europe, and fly back
home from Athens!
It’s important to note that the flight from New York to
Milan is operated by an A380, which has an on board shower and bar, both which
tremendously enhance your first class experience.
Important Caveat:
With partner award bookings, you’re only allowed to add on
Japan Airlines flights. Since Japan Airlines doesn’t operate any domestic flights
within the US, you’ll need to buy a separate paid ticket to New York if you
don’t live near the Big Apple.
How to Earn Japan
Airlines Miles
Currently there are only two credit cards that earn points
that can be transferred to Japan Airlines, the AMEX SPG Personal Card and the
AMEX SPG Business Card.
Both cards earn Starpoints, which can be converted to Japan
Airlines miles at a ratio of 1.25:1 when transferring in 20,000 batches.
Sign up offers vary, but 80,000 SPG points can typically be
earned after making your minimum spend for both SPG Cards, which would equal
100,000 Japan Airlines miles after the transfer bonus, enough for a round
trip first class trip on Emirates!
Before you transfer any points, make sure that award space
does exist for your desired flight and create a JAL Mileage Bank account here.
Search for Award Space
& Book your award
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to book nor search for
award space on any Emirates award flights online with Japan Airlines. However,
you can easily search for Emirates partner award availability on Alaska
Airlines’ website.
How to Find Award Space on Alaska Airlines
Once you find available award space on Alaska Airlines,
simply contact the JAL award team over the phone, and list out the flights you
found award space on.
Since Japan Airlines currently does not pass on fuel
surcharges, your total cash cost should be less than $100!
