Wide-open biz awards on NYC’s latest Star Alliance Dreamliner flight
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
Come May 2, 2021, New York-JFK will have a new 787 Dreamliner flight, with Star Alliance member LOT Polish Airlines re-launching nonstop service to Krakow, Poland.
The carrier last offered regular service between the two airports in the summer of 2008, according to information from data and analytics firm Cirium. LOT also offers regular service between Krakow (KRK) and Chicago O’Hare (ORD).
As Routes Online notes, LOT’s latest long-haul flight is available to book through Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021 (with the final return on Oct. 25), though the schedule is of course subject to change, especially given the uncertainty around demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There’s great news on the award front, though — LOT is currently offering economy and business-class awards to Star Alliance partners on almost every single date the airline plans to fly.
I was able to quickly pull up award seats on United’s website — economy seats are bookable for 33,000 miles, while business class is consistently available for 77,000 MileagePlus miles each way. I flew LOT’s Dreamliner business class in 2018 — while the seats aren’t especially private, they do lie-flat, and I had a very good flight, overall.
The once-weekly flight departs New York City on Sunday night — you’ll arrive Monday morning, missing out on an extra weekend in Europe. While the flight is timed well for business travelers, it isn’t ideal for someone looking to maximize their time off across the pond.
Instead, I might consider piecing together a road trip through Poland. Warsaw, Lodz, Wroclaw and Krakow all have points hotels, for example, and you can book Hilton stays at award rates ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 Honors points (worth $60-$180) per night.
The flight times are much more reasonable, too. LOT flies at least once a day between the New York City area and Warsaw, so you can work two full weekends into your trip, returning home on the new Krakow nonstop on a Monday.
Or, you can piece together a multi-country Europe trip using United’s “Excursionist Perk.” For example — you can fly United business class from Newark (EWR) to Munich (MUC), spend a few days in Munich then fly Lufthansa on to Prague (PRG) and drive through the Czech Republic and perhaps Slovakia en-route to Krakow for your LOT flight home.
That trip, entirely in business class, will cost you 137,000 MileagePlus miles — with the Excursionist Perk, for the flight within Europe, you’re only responsible for the taxes and fees.
You might also consider booking awards via another Star Alliance carrier, given that United’s rates aren’t especially competitive. Air Canada’s recently relaunched Aeroplan requires 70,000 miles for the same one-way biz award, for example:
Personally, I still recommend booking through United MileagePlus, even if you don’t plan to use the Excursionist Perk. If award flights end up getting canceled — as is a possibility here, given uncertain demand during the pandemic — United has been known to open up availability on its own flights, making it likely that you’d be able to move to a one-stop flight through another city in Europe, including a United Polaris flight across the Atlantic.
If you’re flying economy, meanwhile, you might even want to book with cash. The airline is charging just $273 for a one-way flight between JFK and Krakow at the moment, or $498 for a round-trip. Business-class flyers will be better off redeeming miles, though — currently, both one-way flights and round-trip bookings cost about $3,400, a hefty price to pay for a lie-flat on LOT.
Featured photo by Zach Honig/The Points Guy.
Sign-up Successful!
Welcome to The Points Guy!
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer ends 8/3/2022.
With Status Boost™, earn 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, up to two times per year getting you closer to Medallion Status. Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels, 2X Miles at restaurants and at U.S. supermarkets and earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply.
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months. Offer ends 8/3/2022.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Enjoy an exclusive rate of $39 per person per visit to enter the Delta Sky Club® for you and up to two guests when traveling on a Delta flight.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.