With it now being 2026, I thought it would be fun to share my airline elite status strategy for the coming year, following my recent post about my hotel elite status strategy. While I for the most part value airline elite status less than in the past, there are still programs that I strategically get value out of. Still, I’d consider myself to largely be a “free agent,” since elite status isn’t my primary consideration when booking flights.
In this post:
What my 2026 airline travel will look like
As we enter 2026, I’m expecting that this will be a pretty busy travel year for me, with an increase in the number of miles flown compared to last year. What am I expecting from my flying patterns for this year?
- In terms of miles flown, my single biggest kind of travel will be “pure” review trips, intended to review new airline products, mostly while redeeming miles
- For most of my other travel (including with Ford, our kids, and my dad), my priority is flying as comfortably and directly as possible, while also getting the best value
- Admittedly I live in Miami, and American has a massive hub here, which means that American is my most frequently flown airline
I don’t care much about airline elite status anymore
16-year-old me would be so disappointed to hear this, but I generally don’t think it’s worth going out of your way to attain airline elite status anymore, at least for the traditional reasons.
I tend to think there’s huge value in seeking out elite status with hotels, given how useful the perks are, and also given that status can in many cases be easy to earn. I can’t say the same about airlines, though.
Airline elite status has become so much less valuable over the years:
- Airlines have made elite status much more costly to earn; the days of earning 100,000 elite miles with American for $3,000, while receiving eight systemwide upgrades, are over (and that’s fair enough)
- Since airlines mostly award miles based on how much you spend rather than how far you fly, there’s less value in earning miles through flying, not to mention award costs have gone up
- Elite benefits have been hugely watered down, and getting upgrades has become much harder than it used to be; as someone who often flies American due to where I live, complimentary upgrades are now few and far between, and American will sell anyone an upgrade for cash in the days leading up to a flight, often at a reasonable cost
Let me be clear, though — I still think there’s huge value in leveraging airline loyalty programs, I just don’t think it’s worth going out of your way to strive for elite status. Here’s my strategy, in a nutshell:
- I try to rack up transferable points currencies, and then redeem then for aspirational travel, as that gives me the most flexibility and value
- I value first class domestically (it allows me to be productive), so I’m happy to book whatever airline has the cheapest first class fare (if the premium is reasonable), try to find a route where my status will get me a complimentary upgrade, or try to confirm an upgrade in advance using miles or other instruments
There’s another element to this. While some people enjoy flying the same airline as much as possible so that they have a sense of familiarity, I enjoy flying as many different airline products as possible. I enjoy seeing how different airlines compare over time, so by default I’d always rather fly an airline I travel with less often, all else being equal. That obviously makes it hard to pursue status with one program.
My 2026 airline elite status strategy
Just because I don’t value airline elite status in the same way that I used to, doesn’t mean that I don’t have any elite status. For the coming year, I expect to have elite status with two different airline programs…
American AAdvantage Executive Platinum or Platinum Pro status
Last year, I lost American AAdvantage Executive Platinum status, after having it for 14 consecutive years. I dropped all the way down to AAdvantage Gold status, though I’ve slowly been working my way back up the ranks, and currently have AAdvantage Platinum Pro status.
Keep in mind that nowadays American uses the Loyalty Points system for status qualification. Status doesn’t follow the traditional calendar year, but instead, status can be earned between the beginning of March and the end of February of the following year. I’m at a bit over 150,000 Loyalty Points, so we’ll see if I make it to 200,000 Loyalty Points, and earn AAdvantage Executive Platinum status again.
Personally I’m generally rather indifferent as to whether I earn Executive Platinum or Platinum Pro status. I like how Platinum Pro also offers oneworld Emerald status, which is probably what I value most from status with American. That’s because this offers access to the amazing oneworld Emerald lounges, like the Qantas First Lounge Sydney and Cathay Pacific First Lounge Hong Kong.
So, why have I even been pursuing elite status with AAdvantage? Keep in mind with the Loyalty Points system, you can earn status exclusively through credit card spending, if you’d like to. I’ve been able to make the math on this spending work quite well.
That’s because most of my spending has been on the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® (review). The card has a quirk when it comes to authorized user rewards. On this card, the authorized user ordinarily earns the Loyalty Points for their spending, and not the primary cardmember.
The catch is that there’s a limited time targeted promotion (currently valid through the end of 2026), that offers the ability to double dip. For those who are targeted (and it seems to be widely targeted), both the primary cardmember and authorized user earn Loyalty Points for spending. It basically means you earn two Loyalty Points per dollar spent, just in different accounts.
This is great, since it means Ford earns status as well. In terms of making the math work, the Loyalty Point Rewards program really helps there, since you can earn extra rewards, like systemwide upgrades, bonus miles, and more.
For what it’s worth, I also have the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (review), and that can earn one 20,000 bonus Loyalty Points per year without spending. You earn a 10,000 Loyalty Points bonus after reaching 50,000 Loyalty Points in a status qualification year, and another 10,000 Loyalty Points bonus after reaching 90,000 Loyalty Points in the same status qualification year.
Then I also have the Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® (review), which offers up to 15,000 bonus Loyalty Points per year, thanks to the Flight Streak bonus. With this, you earn a 5,000 Loyalty Points bonus after every four qualifying American flights flown, up to three times per status year.
Air France-KLM Flying Blue Platinum status
For the past couple of years, I’ve been really interested in the Air France-KLM Flying Blue program, and have earned Platinum status.
Fortunately this status is relatively easy to earn and maintain, especially with the ability to earn XPs through sustainable aviation fuel and charitable donations. In addition to unlocking SkyTeam Elite Plus status, this also offers access to Air France first class awards, plus access to more Air France and KLM business class awards.
As long as we don’t see any major changes at the program, I plan to requalify for this status. Besides, it’s a good place to credit my revenue SkyTeam flights to, as Flying Blue doesn’t have any minimum requirement of flying with Air France-KLM. I also like how Flying Blue offers rollover XPs, which makes it easier to qualify for status over a couple of years.
Bottom line
While I obviously love airline loyalty programs, nowadays I value the ability to redeem miles, rather than the benefits of elite status as such. I like being a mostly “free agent,” and being able to fly the airline that works best for a particular trip. Thanks to the value of credit cards, I can redeem my rewards across all kinds of airlines. At this point I only have status with two airlines.
I have status with American AAdvantage, and that’s due to living in Miami. I’ve gone from Executive Platinum early last year, to Gold when the program year renewed, to now being back at Platinum Pro. We’ll see if I end the status year with that, or make it back to Executive Platinum.
I then have Air France-KLM Flying Blue Platinum status. This a status program that I’m getting a fair bit of value out of, between SkyTeam Elite Plus, in addition to access to more Air France and KLM business class award seats.
What’s your airline loyalty strategy for 2026? Does it differ from past years?
might be a nice programme since all airlines devaluate their tier status especially I refer to Qatar Airways where I am platinum since 8 years but now I feel like I am treated really bad compared to the years before. Now I made the status match with flying blue. But these guys are out of the world. The status was approved but since 3 months I am not even able to have access to my...
might be a nice programme since all airlines devaluate their tier status especially I refer to Qatar Airways where I am platinum since 8 years but now I feel like I am treated really bad compared to the years before. Now I made the status match with flying blue. But these guys are out of the world. The status was approved but since 3 months I am not even able to have access to my online account unless I am not resetting the password twice a day to check some fares. They are not able to help at all. I am dealing with about 15 airlines online but this is by far the worst online access. Not sure how long I can bear that I can book flights only as guest status because no one replies me to save the issue I complaint by email what's app and even the status match company. They don't care I mean that's not a serious airline if they don't know how to provide a online access if they want bookings
I'm similar to you. I've been an AF fanboy for a while now and simply plan to get Platinum for Life in a few years. I also strive to get AA Platinum Pro. Late last year, I had some United flights so I did a status challenge with United and am now UA Platinum until Jan 2028. Out of 14 years from reading your blog, this is the first time I ever had Star Alliance gold, Oneworld Sapphire, and Skyteam elite plus all at the same time!
We are all different, and we all travel differently. In my case, retired, so many fewer flights/trips, but as a result wanting each of those trips to be comfortable and meaningful.
No need or opportunity for airline status. If I want to fly F, I buy it. Domestically, any upgrade from extra legroom economy to F that doesn’t exceed $1 / minute is a good deal. Premium Economy from New England to Western Europe...
We are all different, and we all travel differently. In my case, retired, so many fewer flights/trips, but as a result wanting each of those trips to be comfortable and meaningful.
No need or opportunity for airline status. If I want to fly F, I buy it. Domestically, any upgrade from extra legroom economy to F that doesn’t exceed $1 / minute is a good deal. Premium Economy from New England to Western Europe works just fine. Business to Asia and South America.
My wife and I leverage our high-cost bank Visa card to our advantage, usually for rental cars and hotels.
Bon Voyage!
Contrary to what seems to be the prevailing opinion around here, I find a good deal of value in having status with an airline. Someone has already pointed out the benefit of getting seats in the Exit Row. I can't remember the last time I didn't have a seat in the Exit Row or better (i.e.: Premium Economy or F/J domestically) for both my wife and I at the cost of a *regular* Coach /...
Contrary to what seems to be the prevailing opinion around here, I find a good deal of value in having status with an airline. Someone has already pointed out the benefit of getting seats in the Exit Row. I can't remember the last time I didn't have a seat in the Exit Row or better (i.e.: Premium Economy or F/J domestically) for both my wife and I at the cost of a *regular* Coach / Main Cabin / Economy ticket. I flew enough to qualify for oneworld Emerald in 2026 after approximately 10 years as oneworld Sapphire. And I've been upgraded to (domestic) First about 20 percent of the time...
Unless I'm flying internationally, I *only* buy economy tickets (one step above Basic). If I'm flying outside of North America, I'm in Business on points.
I'm with you, Jason. As a frequent AA flyer, I always know that (a) I'll be seated in MCE, usually in the first or second row of the main cabin (so quick deplaning), (b) someone will pick up the phone when I call, usually an experienced and capable agent. The little extras like early boarding, upgrades on short hops and a snack box on 3+ hour flights are a nice bonus to help take the...
I'm with you, Jason. As a frequent AA flyer, I always know that (a) I'll be seated in MCE, usually in the first or second row of the main cabin (so quick deplaning), (b) someone will pick up the phone when I call, usually an experienced and capable agent. The little extras like early boarding, upgrades on short hops and a snack box on 3+ hour flights are a nice bonus to help take the edge off flying. And for the love of all that is holy, people, if you want to travel up front, just spring for the ticket (cash or points).
What biased your decision on AS top tier status vs AA?
I find more value with AS miles on AA if you book far enough out
To be clear
I know you know that value that proposition too
Just wondered why get aa emerald vs AS?
@MaxPower, 'Just wondered why get aa emerald vs AS?'
Not sure what you mean there. Perhaps I missed a nuance in your question. 'Emerald' is the OneWorld status level, not an AA status. Why to chase Emerald via AS rather than AA is a valid question, ease of earning and benefits are slightly different, but the alliance-level benefits are the same. It's still OW Emerald.
Because of where I live, I get OW Emerald via...
@MaxPower, 'Just wondered why get aa emerald vs AS?'
Not sure what you mean there. Perhaps I missed a nuance in your question. 'Emerald' is the OneWorld status level, not an AA status. Why to chase Emerald via AS rather than AA is a valid question, ease of earning and benefits are slightly different, but the alliance-level benefits are the same. It's still OW Emerald.
Because of where I live, I get OW Emerald via Qantas. It's still OW status. I understand the paths to Emerald via AA and AS, but they don't work for me.
Sorry
Just meant why did he get OW emerald with AA vs AS
I've been debating jumping off the loyalty train for some time now as I am fortunate to fly F/J 95% of the time, so many of the benefits that come with my status (DL Platinum) come with my ticket price. However, one benefit that doesn't necessarily come with the ticket price that I have come to value a LOT is customer service when there are IROPS (which seem to be occurring more and more and...
I've been debating jumping off the loyalty train for some time now as I am fortunate to fly F/J 95% of the time, so many of the benefits that come with my status (DL Platinum) come with my ticket price. However, one benefit that doesn't necessarily come with the ticket price that I have come to value a LOT is customer service when there are IROPS (which seem to be occurring more and more and more...) or when something goes awry. Whether it's the weather, plane swaps, cancellations, reschedules, or overbookings, Delta has always erred on the side of me, the customer. And when the rescheduling or cancellation has been of my doing, they've also been very accommodating, always noting my status in the interactions. This is not a post to stan for Delta - while they are my preferred US carrier, I am not addicted :) - but rather a post to share a perspective that I haven't seen in the comments yet. But I am starting to care less and less nowadays, not because I have started valuing customer service less and less, but rather because DL/SkyTeam has become less and less convenient (in the USA, I am based out of Chicago, and while I don't mind making connections, the timing of many of their MDW flights are annoying...I do my best to avoid ORD) while also becoming more and more expensive (especially for my international travel, whether TPAC or TATL).
Thank you Ralph, for reminding me that my cash F tickets, give me all of the perks without chasing points.
Seeing the ‘wood for the trees’ comes to mind …. I’ve wasted hours reading Ben’s articles too …. who’s been a numpty?
No need to answer that question …. :-)
Fair enough. If it works for you, great. I stepped out of an AF J cabin and into ATL during Crowdstrike. After some hours, I got a Delta rep to admit they had a duty of care, but could not meet it, since she couldn't get the flight manifests and wouldn't accept my boarding pass/PNR/ticket number. I could say more, but suffice that I don't recommend anyone fly Delta jets.
@Bubba - that experience must have surely sucked. And also, I'm not sure a faulty software update by Crowdstrike that required the manual reset of nearly 40,000 servers, crippling Delta's operations - and AA's and UA's - would necessarily cause me to never recommend Delta. All three of the Big US 3 carriers took days to get back to normal operations...
@ralph
No no
It was just delta that melted down due to crowd strike
Just delta.
This is quite public as is the crowd strike public counter to delta’s lawsuit about how badly delta did vs peers
I’m going with low status on United and Alaska - going to use this year as a test to see which one I should be more loyal to going forwad.
@Ben no Star Alliance status at all?
Given Ben's MIA requirements and good award space on AA and FB, it makes no sense for him to pursue Star Alliance aside from maybe AV (from MIA he could rack up enough AV miles for *G).
Star Alliance has probably become the hardest program to achieve as SK left in 2024 then A3 and AC massively devalued their programs.
Since I do not get to fly for work, 2025 was my first year with status (Atmos Silver), and I’m shooting to earn Gold for 2026 with a combo of flights and spend on the Summit card. My plan is to mainly spend on the 3x categories the Summit has to avoid the opportunity cost of not earning transferable points, so I don’t have higher ambitions than that.
My strategy for this year - I have none.
My company’s preferred carrier is AA, and all business travel is therefore booked on this airline by default.
For personal travel, I select flights based solely on the best available pricing for business or first class and the most practical flight times, rather than airline loyalty or status considerations. As I continue to reduce my overall travel, any AA status I attain—such as Gold or...
My strategy for this year - I have none.
My company’s preferred carrier is AA, and all business travel is therefore booked on this airline by default.
For personal travel, I select flights based solely on the best available pricing for business or first class and the most practical flight times, rather than airline loyalty or status considerations. As I continue to reduce my overall travel, any AA status I attain—such as Gold or perhaps Platinum—will be incidental and not the result of intentionally booking flights to pursue status.
I stopped to run after all airlines programs idem for hotels. I decided to concentrate my action on one Airlines alliance and one hotel company. Hyatt group is the best for tiers and I increase year after year number of nights. 87 in 2025 and expect more than 100 for 2026. Hyatt is especially good out of USA.
For airlines, I chose AF-KLM to become an Ultimate member at the end of 2026. I'm...
I stopped to run after all airlines programs idem for hotels. I decided to concentrate my action on one Airlines alliance and one hotel company. Hyatt group is the best for tiers and I increase year after year number of nights. 87 in 2025 and expect more than 100 for 2026. Hyatt is especially good out of USA.
For airlines, I chose AF-KLM to become an Ultimate member at the end of 2026. I'm Platinum for life member and skipping Star Alliance, I will recieve more tiers and services with AF-KLM and Skyteam members.
Elite status provides what benefits that a premium cabin ticket does not? There needs to be something beyond the watered down benefits we now see. Such as, access to One World first class lounges or access to more/specific award inventory (as Ben notes). For the image-conscious, elite status bag tags can be purchased on eBay for very little.
Free seat selection on British Airways! One of the main reasons I pursue AA Platinum.
Great. How much do you save in seat selection fees per year? What is your opportunity cost to achieve AA Platinum? There are a number of moving parts embedded in the second question. Best of luck.
PS - Reasonably consistent across airlines, top tier status attained purely via means other than flight-based elite credits (EQM or LP or XP or whatever) typically incurs an opportunity cost of $4k to $6k. If flight-based elite credits contributes to half of your requirement, then your opportunity cost is reduce by half.
This is missing the point. Elite status is of limited value for most premium tickets, but it works really well when travelling in Y.
Example: BHX-IST on 15 Mar is £108 in Y without luggage and £651 in C. *G status gives you lounge access, fast track security, priority boarding, a 23kg luggage allowance, priority baggage handling etc.
If you're happy to pay the $720 difference because you think it represents good value for a...
This is missing the point. Elite status is of limited value for most premium tickets, but it works really well when travelling in Y.
Example: BHX-IST on 15 Mar is £108 in Y without luggage and £651 in C. *G status gives you lounge access, fast track security, priority boarding, a 23kg luggage allowance, priority baggage handling etc.
If you're happy to pay the $720 difference because you think it represents good value for a 3.5 hour flight or because it's trivial to you as your annual income is NINE FIGURES, you should probably consider altogether avoiding public transport and chartering a private plane.
AA makes sense as you are a relative 'captive' based in MIA (and American has its stronghold there.) The Flying Blue over Delta for SkyTeam status is an interesting angle, and I think you may be onto something there, especially since you've pulled off La Première upgrades before.
Personally, I did reach my goals in 2025 (SkyTeam Elite Plus, OneWorld Emerald, Star Alliance Gold), and I'm not sure yet whether I'm going for that again...
AA makes sense as you are a relative 'captive' based in MIA (and American has its stronghold there.) The Flying Blue over Delta for SkyTeam status is an interesting angle, and I think you may be onto something there, especially since you've pulled off La Première upgrades before.
Personally, I did reach my goals in 2025 (SkyTeam Elite Plus, OneWorld Emerald, Star Alliance Gold), and I'm not sure yet whether I'm going for that again this/next year. Nice to have them all if you use them all regularly. Worthless if you scale back or just stay at home. Psh.
Serious question 1990 (I know shock horror is this possible?).
For all your efforts involved in obtaining your goals in 2025, were the savings/benefits really worth it?
Some more than others. Delta Diamond, namely for the Global Upgrade Certificates, yes, that one felt like real value. Used them for DeltaOne on 14+ hour flights that would've cost $10K more than Premium Select. For the others, yes, I still feel 'ahead,' but nothing stands out that as much as that one. The reality is that if you have the money, or someone else is paying, and you know what you want, please, just book the best, and don't worry about status.
Many thanks 1990, appreciated.
@aero
Why does this matter to a self described UK based flyer?
Max, yes, as an Englishman mostly based in the UK, I was aware of the American points for flights, hotel rooms, etc. In my quest for knowledge, I have been evaluating its worth to me personally. After careful consideration I have concluded that, in my case, the slight advantages which might be gained do not warrant the efforts involved.
Therefore, I suppose that the short answer to your questions is, that it matters not to...
Max, yes, as an Englishman mostly based in the UK, I was aware of the American points for flights, hotel rooms, etc. In my quest for knowledge, I have been evaluating its worth to me personally. After careful consideration I have concluded that, in my case, the slight advantages which might be gained do not warrant the efforts involved.
Therefore, I suppose that the short answer to your questions is, that it matters not to me. However, I was interested to know if it was worth the effort for others. I hope this helps?
I came across OMAAT about two years ago, first as a flight reviews reader and then later as a commenter too. I wanted to know if pursuing points, status, etc, was worth my time or effort. My conclusion is that it is not worth it to me.
I now read that Ben, plus others, have under certain circumstances, come to a similar conclusion. It will be interesting to read how many other travellers will also draw similar conclusions.
@Aero
I happened upon this blog last year, and it has been an interesting read. I have always thought that people who sucked at the teats of these loyalty programs were strange, and I have seen no evidence to contradict this.
Mattress runs etc seems so weird and a waste of a short life.
I can understand if you receive status organically via business travel, but to go out of your way...
@Aero
I happened upon this blog last year, and it has been an interesting read. I have always thought that people who sucked at the teats of these loyalty programs were strange, and I have seen no evidence to contradict this.
Mattress runs etc seems so weird and a waste of a short life.
I can understand if you receive status organically via business travel, but to go out of your way to, still seems bizarre to me.
And then there are the complaints of the programs... Talk about people being masochists...
I’m a longtime reader and came to the conclusion years ago.
I have status as a result of travel out of my home airport but it’s not a goal any longer.
Base status in two programs (AS, DL) is nice because exit row at booking makes coach a reasonable experience.
The juice for higher status isn’t worth the squeeze for me because I don’t review flights and I find premium economy and a paid lounge...
I’m a longtime reader and came to the conclusion years ago.
I have status as a result of travel out of my home airport but it’s not a goal any longer.
Base status in two programs (AS, DL) is nice because exit row at booking makes coach a reasonable experience.
The juice for higher status isn’t worth the squeeze for me because I don’t review flights and I find premium economy and a paid lounge on an 8-10 hour ex-EU/UK daytime departure flight is fine, and business class lounges are also fine when I on an award in business class.
Justin, eponymous, thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences with me, much appreciated.
In a way I agree that the elite status of frequent flyer programs somehow lost their appeal - especially when one usually travel in business class anyway.
I do have active oneworld/QR Emerald, Skyteam/AF Platinum and Star Alliance/LH HON status. IMHO, the latter actually stands out quite a bit over the other two and is probably the only status which I think is worthwhile trying to keep. It will be a tough year for...
In a way I agree that the elite status of frequent flyer programs somehow lost their appeal - especially when one usually travel in business class anyway.
I do have active oneworld/QR Emerald, Skyteam/AF Platinum and Star Alliance/LH HON status. IMHO, the latter actually stands out quite a bit over the other two and is probably the only status which I think is worthwhile trying to keep. It will be a tough year for me as LH stopped flying direct to my milkrun destination.
I would say SAS is a better value at the moment if you happen to use their network from time to time. 45k level points is pretty easy if you do any amount of travel long haul. They partner with KL/AF too.
AF-FB Plat status certainly makes sense - can get access to La Premiere sure, but more importantly for most, access to better FB award availability and pricing.
As for American... welcome back? (Good try, Atmos, but you didn't get Ben this year...). PPro really is the sweet spot for OWE status (even the silly things like being served first on partner airlines like BA are nice... enjoyed my "priority meal" a few days ago including...
AF-FB Plat status certainly makes sense - can get access to La Premiere sure, but more importantly for most, access to better FB award availability and pricing.
As for American... welcome back? (Good try, Atmos, but you didn't get Ben this year...). PPro really is the sweet spot for OWE status (even the silly things like being served first on partner airlines like BA are nice... enjoyed my "priority meal" a few days ago including my "priority last special Chai tea leftover from Christmas").
Even though 175k is achievable, so hard to find SWU availability. But I'll still make EP this year - honestly value AA miles more than the LP at this point, they still offer great value, so I enjoy earning them through AA Hotels, eshopping, SimplyMiles and now of course through Citi.
OWE via PP, FTW! C'mon AA, give Peter more MCE! Ugh, SWU remain disappointing. 125K LP is enuf.
I'm both happy and annoyed with AA today. They swapped the 777 for new 787-P for both legs of an upcoming LHR trip.
On the plus side, snagged 4 new business preferred suites (whatever they're calling the bigger ones) on the outbound. Looking forward to trying that out.
On the inbound, had 4 MCE seats for the family and now there's only 3 (couldn't give us 4 because the remaining 'available' MCE seats are all...
I'm both happy and annoyed with AA today. They swapped the 777 for new 787-P for both legs of an upcoming LHR trip.
On the plus side, snagged 4 new business preferred suites (whatever they're calling the bigger ones) on the outbound. Looking forward to trying that out.
On the inbound, had 4 MCE seats for the family and now there's only 3 (couldn't give us 4 because the remaining 'available' MCE seats are all exit row). Got no notification - only looked at it because they notified me about the inbound (and only then because there was a slight schedule change, not because of an equipment swap and not because seats changed). And they're doing absolutely nothing about it - won't even let me switch flights to a 777 flight where there are MCE seats.
Almost as if designing a plane with only 18 MCE seats (only 12 of which are not exit row) was a terribly stupid idea. And they put all the MCE seats by the bathrooms so you've got PE coming from the front and all of economy coming from the back. (No rear lav on v2 of the 787-P as best I can tell). Honestly considering just cancelling those tickets and booking on another airline.
Epic on the 787-P. Wow, 4 in the first row is that much more impressive. At least the redeye is excellent. Westbound, while longer in duration, is usually less sleeping, so, could be worse. Could you cancel the return segment and keep outbound? Might require an agent to override.
Booked two one ways. So probably will keep the outbound and cancel the inbound.