TPG Awards 2024: Etihad wins 'dream airline redemption,' but rivals are coming
Every year, the TPG Awards honor excellence in credit cards, loyalty programs and travel. Please click here to read more about our winner selection process and methodology for the 2024 TPG Awards.
The Etihad Apartment — spacious, self-contained first-class suites found only aboard the airline's Airbus A380s — won this year's TPG Award for Dream Airline Award Redemption.
It's hard to beat nearly 40 square feet of personal space, cushy Poltrona Frau leather armchairs, separate pullout beds, private minibars, Armani pajamas, Espa amenities and two types of free-flowing Champagne.
But what set the Etihad Apartment apart from the pack and clinched the award this year was the fact that you can often redeem miles from Etihad's own Guest program or American Airlines AAdvantage for award tickets in the Apartment. You can even do this on the airline's long-haul flights between its hub at Zayed International Airport (AUH) in Abu Dhabi and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.
However, the Apartment is just about a decade old at this point, and a slew of recently unveiled and soon-to-debut first-class products are coming for its throne.
Of course, there are old standbys like Emirates' "game changer" suites found aboard a handful of its Boeing 777-300ERs. Passengers can count on unlimited caviar, a few different vintages of Dom Perignon and even digital windows in the center suites that project what's going on outside.
Singapore Airlines' first-class suites continue to shine thanks to huge (for an airplane) beds, some of which can be combined into doubles, plus fabulous food and drinks (including three kinds of Champagne), bespoke Lalique amenity kits and the carrier's nonpareil service.
Japan Airlines introduced new eye-popping first-class suites aboard its Airbus A350-1000s earlier this year. There are just six of these nearly enclosed compartments (their doors are meant to resemble traditional shoji screens) on board each of the jets; they have a double-wide seating space, part of which converts into a lie-flat bed.
The tech bells and whistles get most of the attention, though. There are innovative features like built-in headrest speakers so you don't have to wear headphones, as well as 43-inch 4K entertainment screens and wireless charging pads. Unfortunately, we haven't seen too many awards open up since their premiere back in January, but a handful have cropped up for just 80,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles each way. Make sure to set deal alerts.
We AvGeeks have a lot to look forward to as well.
Lufthansa touted new business- and first-class seats called "Allegris" for several years. The business-class seats went into service in May. However, the first plane with the new first-class suites only began flying on routes to India on Nov. 9. So, while the rollout is underway, it will likely take a while to become widespread on the airline's long-haul fleet. That said, hopefully Lufthansa first-class award availability will follow — or, at least, follow current patterns, with seats bookable using partner programs like United MileagePlus and Air Canada Aeroplan either close-in or far in advance — rather than disappearing altogether.
The most exciting aspect of these suites, of which there are only three on each plane, is that the middle one can accommodate two passengers. This means you can bring a companion along with you.
Air France La Premiere remains one of the most exclusive first-class experiences in the skies. However, the airline has been selling upgrades from business class at relatively decent rates in the past year or so (that is, if you have an extra $2,000 or so to drop each way across the Atlantic).
Back in July, Air France unveiled a new check-in lobby and lounging suites for passengers departing Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) in anticipation of a new La Premiere cabin sometime this winter (probably early 2025). While details remain scant, given how luxurious the current La Premiere cabin is, you can bet we'll be hoarding our Flying Blue miles to redeem for a ticket if and when they become available.
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For Qantas' "Project Sunrise" flights from Sydney Airport (SYD) to London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) and JFK, which are set to launch sometime in 2026, the airline will operate specially configured Airbus A350-1000s with new first-class suites on board. There are six suites total in two rows of a 1-1-1 configuration; they have separate seats and beds, as well as tall closing doors for privacy.
Only time will tell how much award availability there will be. However, for flights lasting more than 20 hours, you might want to redeem any number of miles to ensure your comfort.
Singapore Airlines had plans for new first- and business-class seats on its Boeing 777-9s. Given the delays with that aircraft, though, the carrier announced that it would install new premium seats, including first-class ones, on its long-haul and ultra-long-haul A350s. We should start to see these in service later in 2026.
Those are just a handful of first-class suits we are eagerly anticipating, but several other airlines, including Cathay Pacific, Swiss and Qatar Airways, have hinted at new first-class experiences to come. Some of those will depend on the delivery of Boeing 777-9s, which have been beset with production delays, so we don't have specific timelines just yet. Still, you can bet we'll report on them when timelines are official.
In the meantime, we'll be hard at work finding awards on some of these new products and putting them to the test against our current airline dream redemptions to help you use your points and miles for the best experience possible.
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