- Konrad Tillman
United Devalues First Class Miles Awards
Intro
Oh no! United Airlines has devalued all of their First Class award with no notice as of yesterday. It's a big shame to see this, as there were a couple of great award spots, as I referred to in my previous posts.
Some of these represent some serious devaluation, while others represent just a minor devaluation.
Let's get into it.
Thai Airways
The Thai Airways rate used to run 154K on the nonstop from Bangkok to London. The new Thai Airways First Class is a great product, but there are only 3 aircraft that have the new First Class! However, United has now raised the award rates to 159.5K miles, representing a 5.5K mile increase.
If you are reading this, there is wide open award space on the 2nd of May and the 5th of May.
I digress. The good news is I am here to help. United has thrown us a lifeline when it comes to booking this fare if you originate in Sydney; the cost comes down to 126K Miles...
Do I understand it? No. Do I mind? No😂. For some reason, this only seems to work from Australia; I am not sure why.
Lufthansa First Class
This one really hits you where it hurts. For a lot of US-based passengers, United miles are easy to come by and easily spendable on Lufthansa First Class. Even if it isn't the most lucrative way to book the product. Previously, a flight from the States to Europe would run you about 121K Miles+ minimal taxes and fees. The same award is now 154K! Certainly a bigger upcharge than Thai Airways😱.
However, I am not in the business of frowning upon what is done. I am in the business of making the most of a situation. The sweet spot for booking Lufthansa First Class has never been a direct routing; it's always been a connecting itinerary. For 181.5K miles, you can book two segments of LH First Class, and if you can find space, you can even stretch this from Los Angeles-Frankfurt-Hong Kong through the United website.
Once again, I am here to help. What United didn't include was lowering the fees in South America! Win, win, as it just means I get to take another trip back to Rio🥰🇧🇷. The longest flight in the Lufthansa network will run you 137.5K Miles in First Class, a lot cheaper than the 8-hour hop from New York.
ANA First Class
This one hurts to even write about. It's not the end of the world, as most people won't even book ANA First Class through United (and shouldn't). However, United has raised a one-way ticket in ANA First Class from North America to Tokyo to 242K Miles. Now, this is absurd.
I haven't been able to find any award seats to London to confirm if they raised it in that direction as well. My guess is not as much (which I will explain at the end), but I could be completely wrong.
Air India First Class
In my personal opinion, Air India First Class isn't a great product to begin with, and certainly not worth the miles it takes to book it. However, it is to note that United has not raised the award rates for Air India on inter-domestic flights; I guess this is a good thing🤨.
However, United followed suit similarly to ANA and raised the longer hops out of the US to 242K Miles! For Air India First Class, I'm not sure this is the best redemption🥴. One day it might be after the full re-work of the company is done.
If you are interested in flying Air India for the best value, there is still one good deal left on the table. This is Mumbai to London for 71K Points. For a 9.5-hour flight, this isn't a bad redemption at all!!😉
Final Thoughts
United Airlines has devalued a lot of international First Class awards, especially originating in the USA. However, it's not all bad. While this may be a slight inconvenience, I think this might have a couple of positives. For starters, it's primarily only fares to the US that have been hiked up, and most users on MileagePlus are based in the US. Secondly, the points game is starting to get oversaturated, getting harder and harder to fly. It's turning to a point where if you want to fly using points, you will have to work for it. I don't mind this at all.
In conclusion, award rates have doubled for ANA and Air India to the US. However, Thai Airways has stayed almost the same and Lufthansa has only increased by 21% all across First Class. Still, some good deals to be found, such as Sydney-Bangkok-London in Thai First Class for 126K Miles, Air India Mumbai-London for 71K Miles in First Class, and Lufthansa Buenos Aires-Johannesburg 181K Miles.
