Act fast: Lie-flat business class to Europe as low as 45,000 miles each way

It's been a good week for business-class deal hunters. We saw incredible Air France-KLM Flying Blue business-class award space earlier this week and then stumbled upon first-class flights to Hawaii as low as 40,000 miles each way.

But right now, you can fly up to four people to Europe in lie-flat business class for as low as 45,000 miles each way.

The deal was first reported by Frequent Miler, which flagged the wide-open award space from the East Coast to Europe on Aer Lingus.

Aer Lingus operates lie-flat seats across the pond, which will make for a comfortable journey even if the flight is quick.

Deal basics

Airline: Aer Lingus.

Routes: From New York, Philadelphia and Boston to Dublin.

How to book: Book via Alaska Airlines or through British Airways or Aer Lingus using Avios (starting at 60,000 miles one-way).

Travel dates: From now until September.

Sample flights

We found good availability for nonstop flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Dublin Airport (DUB) in June and July for just 45,000 Alaska miles each way, plus $19 in taxes and fees on the outbound flight and $55 on the return.

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Amazingly, there is availability for as many as four people in business class on many flights, as you can see in the screenshots below.

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Alaska Airlines awards on Aer Lingus. ALASKA

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There's also limited availability from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).

There are also flights to and from Philadelphia for the same rock-bottom 45,000 Alaska miles each way.

You can even add a stopover online with Alaska, though the trip gets more expensive and it's not as easy to find business class round-trip as you can see in the screenshot below. Still, 82,500 miles for a multiple-leg itinerary is pretty good, in my opinion.

You can also book these flights using Aer Lingus or British Airways Avios, but those awards start at 60,000 Avios one-way and generally will see higher taxes and fees.

Related: Review of Aer Lingus business class on the A321neo from Dublin to Philadelphia

Maximize your purchase

When you book this deal, or any flights, be sure to use a credit card for the taxes and fees that earns you bonus points on airfare purchases, such as:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees): 2 points per dollar spent on travel
• American Express® Gold Card: 3 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through amextravel.com
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: 5 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel® (on up to $500,000 of these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees): 8 points per dollar spent on purchases through Chase Travel℠ and 4 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly
• Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees): 3 points per dollar spent on air travel

Bottom line

This deal provides a relatively inexpensive way to visit Europe. Even if your final destination isn't Dublin, with Alaska you can add a stopover there and continue on to mainland Europe. It might also be worth positioning to Dublin and booking a cheap connecting flight to somewhere elsewhere in Europe.

If you don't have Alaska Airlines miles, you can transfer to Alaska from the American Express Membership Rewards program. It offers a 1:1 transfer ratio and periodic transfer bonuses. You can also now transfer 1:1 from Bilt Rewards to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. We explain that benefit in this article.

Related reading:

• Here are the best current credit card welcome offers
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• How to apply for a credit card
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• How to check your credit score for free