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Qatar Qsuites are indisputably among the finest enterprise class seats on this planet. However in case you ask us, Qatar Airways First Class deserves a shout-out, too – whether or not you fly one in all Qatar’s A380 with a bar behind the highest deck or one of many Boeing 777s the airline borrowed from Cathay Pacific.
And there is a new method you may make it occur … for the value of enterprise class. Due to a quirk with award pricing when redeeming Qatar (or British Airways) Avios, selecting a section in Qatar Airways first-class on a one-stop itinerary will not value you one other mile greater than reserving enterprise class on the identical journey.
So whilst you can fly enterprise class from the U.S. to Doha and onward all the best way to the Maldives (MLE) for 85,000 Avios and $200 or so in taxes and charges …
… you’ll be able to as a substitute e-book that second section in first-class (sitting in one in all Cathay Pacific’s outrageously snug first-class seats on a leased 777) for simply – you guessed it – 85,000 Avios and $200 or so in taxes and charges.
That is extraordinarily uncommon, as most airways will make you fork over extra miles for transferring as much as a greater cabin for one leg of your journey. In some circumstances, they’re going to even cost you the complete first-class mileage for the complete journey on a mixed-cabin itinerary like this – even when solely a fraction of your journey is up in first. And but right here, Qatar and British Airways are doing the alternative.
Qatar’s first-class seats on the A380 may lack the privateness of Qsuites, however the expertise greater than makes up for it with elevated and private service, a scrumptious caviar course, and top-shelf champagne alternatives like classic Krug onboard. And the primary class seats Qatar provides on Boeing 777s are broadly considered among the most snug within the sky – particularly in lie-flat mode.
However the upside of flying first-class goes far past simply the flight: It additionally will get you into the most effective airport lounges on this planet, Qatar’s Al Safwa First Class Lounge. This place is a component lounge, half museum: a jaw-dropping, art-filled expanse with a sit-down restaurant on the entrance and personal sleeping rooms on the again.
Learn our full assessment of the Al Safwa Lounge … and the very best methods to get in!
It is unclear why this trick to e-book Qatar first for much less works or when it occurred, although we imagine it is the results of a considerably current change. Regardless, it is an incredible loophole and much and away one of the simplest ways to e-book Qatar First Class proper now.
It hinges on discovering award availability on each flights, and that may take some trial and error. You could run into Qatar’s so-called “Flexi awards” which worth out considerably greater, particularly on the ultimate first-class section. And our Thrifty Traveler Premium members wolfed up a lot of the obtainable award area after we despatched an alert yesterday mentioning this wonderful alternative to fly Qatar enterprise class and first-class for much less subsequent yr.
However when it really works, it really works throughout – not less than on the few routes the place Qatar is flying planes outfitted with a bonafide first-class cabin as of late. That features:
- The Maldives (MLE) for simply 85,000 Avios, connecting to island paradise on a Cathay Pacific 777 first-class cabin decked out in Qatar colours
- Bangkok (BKK) for 95,000 Avios, flying onward from Doha on both the A380 or the 777
- Hong Kong (HKG) for 95,000 Avios flying on a type of fancy 777s
- Istanbul (IST) for 102,000 Avios, although Qatar is just flying a 777 outfitted with first-class by late October
- Perth (PER) in Australia for 120,000 Avios on the A380
Qatar additionally flies first class-equipped planes to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG), London-Heathrow (LHR), and Sydney (SYD), however we could not discover any award availability as of publication to let you know how a lot it will value.
Flying to Perth by way of Doha is likely to be taking the actually lengthy technique to the Land Down Beneath, however it’s additionally simply the very best deal on this checklist. You might fly from Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) to Doha and onward to western Australia in enterprise class all the best way for 120,000 Avios … or you may spend that 11-hour flight to Australia in Qatar First on the A380 for 120,000 Avios. It is a simple alternative.
Get this: Reserving the nonstop from Doha (DOH) to Perth (PER), a firstclass award would usually value you 105,000 Avios. You can begin your journey from the U.S. in enterprise class for simply 15,000 extra miles!
For years, utilizing American AAdvantage miles was our go-to technique to e-book Qatar enterprise class: How may you prime reserving for a flat 70,000 miles and some bucks in taxes and charges? However that is modified over the previous yr, as American Airways flyers hardly ever get entry to the award area to e-book these prized suites with miles.
It is a lot simpler utilizing Qatar’s personal Avios miles or British Airways Avios. And people two applications have one other critical edge: In contrast to American, which solely means that you can e-book 11 months prematurely, you’ll be able to e-book 361 days out utilizing Qatar Avios – or 355 days when redeeming by British Airways. That offers you a essential window of almost a full month to lock in your journey in Qatar enterprise class earlier than others have the prospect.
This new wrinkle permitting you to e-book into Qatar First Class as a substitute for the charges of enterprise class makes that case even stronger. Plus, these factors are even simpler to earn.
Each Qatar and British Airways are switch companions with a lot of the massive bank card corporations – and you may even mix and switch Avios between the 2 carriers – which means a stash of factors on playing cards just like the *chase sapphire most popular*, *amex gold*, and *enterprise x* is all you want.
Backside Line
What’s higher than flying enterprise class utilizing factors and miles? Only one factor: Bumping as much as the primary class cabin, sipping top-notch champagne whilst you take pleasure in a caviar course, with out paying one other mile.
We not too long ago found this sneaky technique to take a one-stop journey with Qatar Airways by Doha, reserving your connecting flight in Qatar’s fancy first-class cabins for a similar price as flying enterprise class the entire method. Like all workarounds and loopholes, this one absolutely will not final lengthy. Put it to make use of whilst you can!