Free for Premium Members INSIDER NEWS www.first-class-and-more.com August / September 2019 The best Insider Deals Travel smart and save money Use bonus programmes optimally WORLD OF HYATT TOP AIRLINES WORLDWIDE LUFTHANSA 40% bonus on Save big on Business and Business Class to points purchase First Class flights San Diego EUR 932 EDITORIAL British Airways Avios are a very interesting currency in terms of airline miles, and points. Even after some devaluations, there are still excellent ways to book Business and First Class flights from various leading airlines worldwide with outstanding savings. This month, we can provide you with access to Avios at particularly low prices and you can redeem them for flights. We will show you about 30 of the best sweet spots. Our airline of the month of August is Air Serbia. The airline emerged from the former JAT af- ter Etihad Airways‘ entry in 2013 and now serves mainly European destinations and a long- haul route to New York from its Belgrade hub. Lufthansa is now offering First Class rates from EUR 3,490 to Bangkok, Johannesburg or Sao Paulo. The attractive Premium Economy and Business Class offers from France to Alexander Koenig Southeast Asia will run only until 23 August. Swiss First Class offers relatively cheap flights to India, South Africa, and the Middle East. SAS Business Class rates from D/A/CH to Mia- mi can still be booked from EUR 1,733, as can Ethiopian Airlines flights to Cape Town from EUR 1,703. Asiana Airlines and Vietnam Airlines take you from EUR 2,769 in Business Class from Frankfurt to Sydney, while KLM takes you from all over Germany to Namibia for just EUR 1,550. British Airways offers Business Class tickets from Cologne to London for just EUR 186, while in Premium Economy Class you can travel from all over Germany to Las Ve- gas for just EUR 707. Points at World of Hyatt can be purchased until 27 August with a 40 percent bonus once again, Fairmont offers up to 50 percent discount in North America and at Marriott Bonvoy you can easily generate a free night. We will also be presenting three new hotels from all over the world. The legendary Raffles Singapore has reopened after a long renovation, and Waldorf Astoria in Dubai has added a city hotel to its portfolio in the International Finance Centre. In addition, there is the impres- sive Singita Kwitonda Lodge in the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, which offers just eight suites and a private house of the highest quality. Enjoy reading, Your Alexander Koenig OUR OFFER OF THE MONTH „Save big on Business and First Class flights using British Airways Avios.“ Insider News - August / September 2019 BRITISH AIRWAYS AVIOS SAVE BIG ON BUSINESS AND FIRST CLASS FLIGHTS WORLDWIDE In this Offer of the Month, we would like to introduce the currency of the British Airways Executive Club, the so-called „Avios“. Because you can save a lot with the smart redemption of Avios. You can buy Avios at British Airways or sometimes at other Portals such as Groupon. You can also get them by American Express transfer of Membership Rewards points. Where can you use Avios? In principle, Avios can be used for all oneworld partner airlines as well as Aer Lingus flights. These include: • American Airlines • British Airways • Cathay Pacific • Finnair • Iberia • Japan Airlines • LATAM • Malaysia Airlines • Qantas • Qatar Airways • Royal Jordania • S7 • Sri Lanka Airlines How many Avios do I have to redeem for a flight? In contrast to other frequent flyer programs such as Miles & More, the mileage value of a flight is not determined according to a region table but is calculated per segment based on the distance. If you book a routing with several segments, an individual value is determined for each segment and then added. This means that you can combine different cabin classes on a ticket relatively easily. There are two different tables for British Airways and Iberia as well as for the oneworld partners, the latter being slightly more expensive. Below you can see the table for British Airways and Iberia. There is a lower value for the low season and a higher value for the high season. You can see which value is valid on which date in the British Airways search on the homepage. Premium Premium Business Business Distance Economy Economy First Class First Class Economy Economy Class Class Miles Low season High season Low season High season Low season High season Low season High season 1 – 650 4,000 4,500 5,750 6,750 7,750 9,000 15,500 18,000 651 – 1,150 6,500 7,500 9,500 11,250 12,750 15,000 25,500 30,000 1,151 – 2,000 8,500 10,000 12,750 15,000 17,000 20,000 34,000 40,000 2,001-3,000 10,000 12,500 20,000 25,000 31,250 37,500 42,500 50,000 3,001-4,000 13,000 20,000 26,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 68,000 80,000 4,001-5,500 16,250 25,000 32,500 50,000 62,500 75,000 85,000 100,000 5,501-6,500 19,500 30,000 39,000 60,000 75,000 90,000 102,000 120,000 6,501-7,000 22,750 35,000 45,500 70,000 87,500 105,000 119,000 140,000 7,001+ 32,500 50,000 65,000 100,000 125,000 150,000 170,000 200,000 www.first-class-and-more.com 4 Insider News - August / September 2019 In the oneworld partner award chart there is no distinction between high and low season, the same values apply: Distance Miles Economy Premium Economy Business Class First Class 1-650* 6,000 9,000 12,500 24,000 *Not available in the USA 651-1,150 9,000 12,500 16,500 33,000 1,151-2,000 11,000 16,500 22,000 44,000 2,001-3,000 13,000 25,750 38,750 51,500 3,001-4,000 20,750 41,250 62,000 82,500 4,001-5,500 25,750 51,500 77,250 103,000 5,501-6,500 31,000 62,000 92,750 123,750 6,501-7,000 36,250 72,250 108,250 144,250 7,001+ Miles 51,500 103,000 154,500 206,000 Where can I book flights with Avios? The British Airways website has an excellent online search function that allows you to search and book reward flights relative- ly easily. Aer Lingus flights can only be booked via the hotline. Anzahl Price in Euro 100,000 Avios 1,500 250,000 Avios 3,500 500,000 Avios 6,800 1,000,000 Avios 13,500 The best Avios redemptions In the following, we would like to introduce you to a selection of the best Avios redemptions. The availability of these offers may vary, especially in First Class, depending on the date. If your desired date is available, you can also check on the British Airways page without having miles in your account. British Airways The most obvious option is to redeem British Airways Avios for flights on the airline itself. The prices differ between the peak and off-peak season. Unfortunately, there are relatively high surcharges on many routes. www.first-class-and-more.com 5 Insider News - August / September 2019 Germany - Kuwait British Airways First Class One of the sweet spots for British Airways‘ redemption is the route between London and Kuwait, which is just under 3,000 mi- les in length. Including Business Class shuttle from Germany, you pay 55,250 Avios plus EUR 220 for a flight between Frank- furt and Kuwait. A return flight costs 110,500 miles plus EUR 405. www.first-class-and-more.com 6 Insider News - August / September 2019 The redemption value on British Airways can be further increased by starting your ticket in countries that prohibit or limit the levying of fuel surcharges. In the following we will show you several examples: British Airways First Class from Sao Paulo to London With a departure from Brazil, you pay only EUR 29 in surcharges, plus 102,000 Avios. British Airways First Class from Tokyo to London For the same mileage plus EUR 146, you can also travel from Tokyo to London. www.first-class-and-more.com 7 Insider News - August / September 2019 British Airways Business Class from Hong Kong to London You can fly from Hong Kong to London in British Airways Business Class for 75,000 miles and EUR 40 in surcharges. www.first-class-and-more.com 8 Insider News - August / September 2019 British Airways Reward Flight Saver within Europe Another special sweet spot is short British Airways flights within Europe up to 649 miles distance. In low season, you only pay 4,000 Avios (peak season 4,500 Avios) plus EUR 25 in Economy Class and 7,750 Avios (peak season 9,000 Avios) plus EUR 32 in Business Class. The availability is generally excellent. The surcharges here are at a fixed value only for British Airways‘ own flights. You can book the following destinations, among others, at a low price: London to Frankfurt in Economy Class An example would be a reward flight from Frankfurt to London City, which you can get in the low season for only 4,000 Avios plus EUR 25 each way (8,000 Avios + EUR 50 roundtrip). www.first-class-and-more.com 9 Insider News - August / September 2019 The next distance range is from 650 miles to 1,151 miles.