Quick points: Check your aircraft type and seat map before redeeming points and miles

When booking your next points and miles redemption through your favorite airline program, checking the aircraft type and seat map can be just as important as finding a great redemption rate and schedule.

This is because the seats on the aircraft operating your flight can differ enormously even within the same airline and aircraft type. It's well worth your time to ensure you know what the flight's seat configuration will be like so you can fly on the best product available — and also so there won't be any unpleasant surprises when you board.

Take Lufthansa, for example, which is readily bookable with partner miles like Air Canada Aeroplan points and United MileagePlus miles, starting at just 60,000 miles in business class to Europe.

Lufthansa is in the process of updating its business-class seating, which is laid out in a 2-2-2 configuration on the Airbus A330, A340 and A350 aircraft (and either 2-2 or 2-3-2 on the Boeing 747, depending on where you are sitting). This configuration provides little privacy, no direct aisle access for passengers in window seats and insufficient storage.

Its new Allegris product is a noticeable improvement. It has various seating options and direct aisle access as well as excellent privacy and storage options.

Related: On board the first Lufthansa Allegris flight — was the new cabin worth the wait?

So, how do you make sure that you book the new seats and not the old seats? Lufthansa currently only operates the new seats on flights to a handful of North American destinations from its Munich Airport (MUC) base, including:

• Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
• Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ)

Related: Lufthansa reveals new Allegris product, with 14 different seat options — including first-class double beds

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The Allegris seats are currently only installed on some A350 aircraft, so it's a good idea to check your flight details if you want the best product. However, even within Lufthansa's A350 fleet, some aircraft have the new Allegris seats while others don't — that's why checking the seat map before booking is a good idea. You can use a tool like ExpertFlyer (ExpertFlyer is owned by TPG's parent company, Red Ventures) to double-check.

For example, when searching for itineraries from San Francisco to Munich on Dec. 3, 2024, this particular flight is scheduled to be operated by an Airbus A350-900 with older seats in the 2-2-2 configuration.

However, this same flight, scheduled to leave just a few days earlier on Nov. 30 on the same aircraft type, shows a different seat map, with the new seats in the staggered 1-2-1 configuration — this would be a much better use of your points and miles.

Related: Where is the best seat on an airplane? Here's how to choose the place to sit whenever you fly

Bottom line

Checking what aircraft and seat type will be operating on your next flight is a smart step to ensure you're redeeming your points and miles for the best possible product and there are no nasty surprises when you board that long-awaited flight.

The difference between seating types in economy class is minimal; however, in business and first class, the differences can be substantial.

It's worth noting that last-minute aircraft and equipment swaps can and do occur, and sometimes nothing can be done about this. Be sure to check the seat map when you check in online (or at the airport) to see if the seat map looks different than the one you initially saw when you made your reservation (if your seat number has changed without your consent, this could be a clue the seat type has changed). This way, you'll know what to expect when you're on board.