Here are the 5 exciting first-class seats I want to fly and how I plan to book them using miles
My friends and colleagues often rib me for having tastes that tend toward the luxurious. Why, they ask, am I always posting from first-class seats with a glass of Champagne in hand?
The truth is, I fly coach as much as anyone. I just don't Instagram about it since ... we all know what coach seats look like.
That said, I am always the first one to jump on a great first-class airline award. Over the years, being flexible, stockpiling transferable points and being quick to hit the "book" button have helped me fly in some of the world's most exclusive airline cabins.
Most recently, I booked a "unicorn" award flying Qantas first class from Los Angeles to Melbourne, Australia, snagging a seat for 130,000 miles plus around $20 in taxes and fees that would otherwise have cost nearly $15,000.
Unfortunately, we have seen certain airlines restrict their first-class award availability lately. Lufthansa, for instance, seems to have cut off its partner airlines from letting their frequent flyer members book first-class awards. Likewise, Emirates placed restrictions on who can use miles from its Skywards program to book first-class awards. (You need elite status.)
That said, there are still a few creative work-arounds for finding and booking some of the world's best first-class seats using points and miles.
Here are five of the first-class awards I always keep an eye on and will book if any availability crops up.
Related: Amazing first-class seats you can book with points and miles
ANA The Suite
I've had the chance to fly the much-lauded The Room business-class suites on Japan's All Nippon Airways (though it's been a few years). I have yet to fly the airline's incredible The Suite first-class product, though, which it introduced at the same time in 2019.
The airline currently flies planes equipped with The Suite from its hub at Haneda Airport (HND) in Tokyo on certain frequencies to:
- Heathrow Airport (LHR) in London
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City
- O'Hare International Airport (ORD) in Chicago
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
It also flies The Suite-equipped aircraft from Narita International Airport (NRT) in Tokyo to ORD and SFO.
You can also find a similar version aboard the Airbus A380s that the carrier flies from NRT to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu.
Designed by Japanese superstar architect Kengo Kuma, there are just eight of The Suite seats aboard each of the Boeing 777-300ERs. They are in a small, self-contained cabin up front and are arranged in two rows of four seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. Each has a closing door for privacy as well as an incredibly large 43-inch 4K entertainment screen.
Passengers can expect amenities such as Nishikawa Air bedding (including Hungarian white duck feather pillows and cashmere blankets), Tential Bakune pajamas and Franzi amenity kits stocked with Decorte skincare products. The dining experience, meanwhile, includes Japanese and Western menus crafted by the airline's "Connoisseur" chef partners.
So, how am I going to book this seat? Seats.aero actually has an ANA first-class award finder tool, but those tickets tend to sell out quickly. By the time I see award availability and try to book, the ticket is already gone. So, instead, I'd plan to search directly on ANA's website. Using the airline's own Mileage Club miles has historically meant expanded award availability, especially in premium cabins. I expect to pay 75,000 miles one-way for a low-season ticket since I can transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to my ANA account.
Alternatively, if I happen to spot award availability that's open to partners — for instance, by searching on United Airlines — then my plan would be to use Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points; I'd need 72,500 points one-way from the Western U.S. or 85,000 points from the East Coast.
Why pay more miles? Well, I already have a lot of Virgin points in my account, and the program is a 1:1 transfer partner (with frequent transfer bonuses) of:
- American Express Membership Rewards
- Bilt
- Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Citi ThankYou Rewards
- Rove
- Wells Fargo Rewards
So if I'm looking to conserve my Amex points, booking through Virgin opens up other transfer opportunities.
Related: I finally flew ANA's The Room business class to see if it was worth the hype
Air France La Premiere
Air France introduced a new, upgraded La Premiere first-class experience in April 2025, and my colleague, Nicky Kelvin, was among the first to fly it.
Ever since I laid eyes on the gorgeous seats and fancy amenities (which I peeked at from behind a curtain while flying business class last year), I've been wanting to find a way to book them.
The hitch is that Air France only allows Flying Blue elite members who have Platinum status (or above) to book La Premiere seats as awards. I don't have status — yet.
Flying Blue periodically offers paid status matches. Currently, I can match my American Airlines AAdvantage Platinum Pro status over to Flying Blue Gold status for 12 months by paying $199. Then, I only need to earn 300 more Experience Points within 12 months to unlock Platinum status. I have many trips back and forth to Europe this fall, and if I fly with Air France-KLM, I might just be able to achieve this.
Then, once I have Platinum status, I can use my Flying Blue miles to book an award.
Air France's La Premiere suites are currently available on flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and:
- JFK
- HND
- Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)
- Felix-Houphouet-Boigny International Airport (ABJ)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
I have a lot of Flying Blue miles stockpiled since the program is a 1:1 transfer partner of the following transferable points programs:
- American Express Membership Rewards
- Bilt
- Capital One
- Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Citi ThankYou Rewards
- Rove
- Wells Fargo Rewards
I've taken advantage of a few transfer bonuses in recent years.
I expect the ticket to cost between 200,000 and 300,000 Flying Blue miles, but I think that price is worth it to experience the enormous, private seats, which have both an armchair and a chaise lounge that turns into a bed.
Each seat has not one but two 32-inch 4K entertainment screens, as well as plenty of top-notch soft amenities like Dumas Paris bedding and Sisley amenity kits. Passengers can also enjoy gourmet menus by famous French chefs.
Related: Air France debuts its new La Premiere suites in Paris
Japan Airlines A350 first class
Earlier this year, I flew from Sydney Airport (SYD) to HND in Japan Airlines' first class for just 60,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles. It's a fantastic sweet spot with tons of award availability. The catch is that JAL operates the route with a Boeing 777-300ER featuring its older first-class seats.
So, I want to experience the airline's stunning (and newer) first class, found on its Airbus A350-1000s. These aircraft only serve a handful of routes, including the ones from HND to:
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
- LHR
- LAX
- JFK
- CDG
I actually snagged an award last year from Dallas to Tokyo using JetBlue TrueBlue points, and ever since, I've been wanting to fly it again.
These double-wide suites have a swanky aesthetic reminiscent of classic rail carriages, not to mention 43-inch entertainment screens. Passengers are also treated to Airweave bedding, Shiseido amenity kits and, of course, ultra-expensive Salon Champagne.
So how am I going to pull this off? I've set alerts with Seats.aero so that I'm hopefully among the first to know when award availability pops up. My hope is to redeem 100,000 American Airlines miles plus $5.60 from the U.S. to Japan, or around $60 in the opposite direction. I do see these awards pop up from time to time, though they usually require an extra leg within the U.S. to get to the departure point.
Still, with a little spare budget for an extra domestic flight and flexibility on timing, I'm sure I'll be sipping another glass of Salon before too long.
Singapore Airlines Suites
Although Singapore Airlines introduced its current version of Suites first class nearly a decade ago, it remains among the gold standard for international premium travel. Each of the airline's A380s has just six of these suites aboard its top deck in three rows, with one suite to either side of the aisle.
They feature Poltrona Frau leather armchairs, 32-inch entertainment screens and twin-size pullout beds that the flight attendants make up with Lalique linens.
Passengers can also expect soft touches like Lalique pajamas and amenity kits, plus extensive menus from the airline's deep bench of international celebrity chef partners. Fabulous Champagnes and wines like Cristal and Pol Roger are the cherry on top.
So, how would I go about booking these exclusive suites? I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve.
The airline currently flies A380s with suites from SIN to:
- LHR
- SYD
- Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) in Delhi
- Frankfurt Airport (FRA)
- Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)
- Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) in Mumbai
- Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG)
In the past, I have often found award availability to be pretty great on shorter routes to India and China, and I have flown Singapore Suites to Mumbai and Shanghai multiple times. But if you're interested in one of the longer routes to Europe or Australia, you have to strategize a bit.
I happen to keep a lot of Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles in my account because I travel to, from and within Asia frequently. The program is a 1:1 transfer partner of:
Because I have a lot of miles in my account, my trick is to waitlist a lot of first-class awards. You see, Singapore Airlines lets you waitlist pretty much unlimited awards on its flights using its own miles … if you have enough miles in your account to book an award if it becomes available. In fact, the miles only have to be in your account when you waitlist the award. So even if you put a few flights on the waitlist and then book others, your waitlisted awards still remain intact; if an award opens up, you can transfer more points to your account and book the award ticket then.
With that in mind, I transferred a few hundred thousand points into my account so I could waitlist awards to and from Europe for 148,000 miles each way and from Australia for 98,000 miles each way. While I was at it, I also waitlisted awards to both Delhi and Mumbai for 61,500 miles each way.
Already, several flights have become available between Singapore and Frankfurt as well as one flight between London and Singapore and two flights between Sydney and Singapore — all over the course of a three-month period.
This strategy isn't for everyone, but if you have some flexible travel plans taking you to and from Singapore, it can be a great way to sneak in a first-class redemption.
Etihad The Apartment
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad has some phenomenal premium cabins, including its A350 business-class suites and its new A321LR mid-range business- and first-class seats. That said, I'm still a huge fan of its spacious Apartment first-class suites aboard the Airbus A380.
No, this is not the three-room Residence, which you have to pay a significant premium to book. Instead, these are the nine other first-class suites on board, which you can actually book using miles.
There are just two hitches. The first is that Etihad currently has just seven A380s in service flying from Zayed International Airport (AUH) to:
- LHR
- CDG
- SIN
- NRT
- Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
So you'll have to be traveling to or through countries other than the U.S.
That said, the airline has periodically brought its A380s back onto its route to JFK, so that could happen again.
Second, your best bet for booking an award ticket is to use Etihad Guest miles since award availability with partner miles, such as those from American Airlines AAdvantage, is almost nonexistent. However, you can transfer points from the following programs to Etihad Guest at a 1:1 ratio:
The good news is that with some flexibility in dates, you can generally find award availability, even on longer routes. Between Abu Dhabi and London, you'll need 120,000 to 140,000 Etihad Guest miles plus about $360 to $700 in taxes and fees; to fly to Toronto, you'll need 200,000 miles plus around $600 to $650, depending on the direction.
I love the airline's suite-style Apartments with closing doors, Poltrona Frau leather armchairs and large separate beds, not to mention lighted vanities and private minibars. The on-demand meal service and Georgio Armani pajamas are pretty great, too.
Note: The ongoing conflict in the region is an important consideration for travelers weighing a trip to Abu Dhabi.
Related: The ultimate guide to Etihad's A380 first-class Apartment
Other first-class cabins coming soon
There are many other first-class products I'm excited to see come down the runway.
We expect to see Cathay Pacific's new "Halo Suites" first-class product debut sometime in 2027, though that will depend on whether the airline receives any of the Boeing 777-9s it has on order. Given the delays in that aircraft's development, the time frame is ... fluid, to say the least.
British Airways gave us a sneak peek at its newest first-class suites back in November 2024, though we have yet to see them in service. Hopefully, the first A380s retrofitted with the new fixtures will take flight soon, though. These have wider seats, longer beds and up-to-date touches like 32-inch entertainment screens. My only caveat is that British Airways awards tend to incur very high taxes and surcharges (we're talking $700 to $1,100 one-way), so I'll need to save up before I can book.
Then there's the new Qantas first class, which we should see deployed on the airline's "Project Sunrise" A350-1000 flights between London and Sydney in October 2027; Sydney to New York City flights will launch after that.
More like mini-hotel rooms than seats, there will be six of these enclosed fixtures on each A350 in two rows of three seats each. They will have armchairs and separate 80-inch lie-flat beds, dining tables that accommodate two passengers, and 32-inch Bluetooth-enabled entertainment screens.
Singapore Airlines is also due to unveil its newest iteration of its famous Singapore Suites first class later this year or in early 2027. The rollout is expected on retrofitted Airbus A350s and newly delivered Boeing 777-9s.
Qatar Airways has hinted at plans to install private jet-inspired, first-class suites on its forthcoming Boeing 777-9s, and we can expect to see new first-class suites from both Air India and British Airways debuting in the not-too-distant future.
Although I've caught a peek at Lufthansa's new Allegris first-class cabins, the airline seems to be having some operational issues with them ... and first-class award space using partners' miles has all but disappeared lately. So, I'll be keeping an eye out for whether it reappears.
I would also love to fly the new Swiss Senses first class, which is an alternate version of Allegris, but you have to be a Miles & More Senator or HON Circle elite member, and I don't anticipate earning that status anytime soon. But maybe I'll find an inexpensive business-class fare and pay to upgrade if a decent offer comes through.
Which first-class awards are you interested in booking? Leave a comment with your top picks.
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- Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
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