A couple of days ago, Emirates Skywards revealed that it’s adding major restrictions to its first class award tickets. With the policy now having been implemented, I want to take a look at how this works in practice, and discuss what the easiest workarounds are.
Continue reading: WOW: Emirates Restricts First Class Awards To Skywards Elite Members
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Not sure if this was the smartest idea. It seems like 50% of the Emirates first class flights I’m on go out with empty seats in first class, which is understandable when one is on the A380 with 14 first class seats. By not filling up the cabin, they’re leaving money on the table.
As one who will likely be hitting platinum this year, first class award restrictions won’t matter, plus, I am almost always flying Emirates on revenue tickets. That said, if Emirates wants to restrict these awards to those with status only, it would be nice if they would lower the cash fee for the awards.
If it opens up award inventory, some will do what's necessary. An unfortunate but necessary inconvenience.
Keeping the YouTubers/TikToker/credit card trash out of First Class, and keeping it for the high-payers only.
Well done Emirates, no wonder they make more money than any other airline in the world!
Sad, but cue the "this is a dumb decision because it means *I* can't fly Emirates first class" comments...
As A Qantas Frequent Flyer I often use QF Miles to book EK First, as I often fly from Australia to Europe. Will I still be able to redeem for EK First with Qantas?
Can always book an economy or business flex and upgrade with miles. There are still alot of good deals in this. LH did the same for HON. I think EK would rather fly empt(ier) first class (reducing food etc for a full 1st cabin) than not?
Maybe they’ll to it in a LX / SWISS kinda way, where they’re overselling Biz and then op-upping full fare J tickets to F which is great to keep high spenders happy.
Usually its staff tickets in J class.
LX upgrades full fare revenue pax to accommodate J class staff tickets.
I assume EK won’t downgrade existing F bookings by non-elite members, assuming the ticket has been issued?
Honestly I actually expected this, as rather like domestic USA and European short haul, Emirates are increasingly upselling the product to business and other passengers before flights. Also they are shrinking the footprint in new planes. I think most airlines will be like Air France in the next couple of years. With First Class increasingly ultra premium rather than the 12 seat posher version of business it once seemed. Even BA will be like this once they have refurbished the A380s and have the new first product in their delayed 777x cabins.
This is unfortunate but given the number of’ influencers’ clamoring for EK F and degrading the experience for their fellow passengers I think this is a welcome change for many
Assuming as a silver member with a non-status spouse, I can book two F award tickets?
Twice I had entire EK F cabin all to myself from DFW-DXB and twice with only one other passenger.
The mileage game is gradually being killed by US credit cards, it’s as simple as that.
The reason in addition to maintaining exclusivity that this makes sense to me is the EK F soft product is the best in the world and they need to maintain that - I imagine the calculation for releasing an award seat in F is very different to other airlines as a result. Filling an empty seat with a reward ticket makes sense for many other airlines where the additional cost is just a cheap meal and some mid-level wines, but on EK that passenger is going to be eating unlimited caviar, potentially drinking Hennessy Paradis and Dom Perignon P2 etc, so even at massively discounted purchasing prices it’s no doubt costing EK well into a three figure amount for F&B for each First passenger. Equally, F is really quite full in my experience on many routes right now (I’ve taken one EK flight from LHR out of more than 10 in the last 18 months where F didn’t go out 14/14 in the end).
Speaking selfishly, I would love them to go further and release first to Platinum before other levels (the full Air France style restriction to Plat only doesn’t seem viable given the size of F cabins).
“By not filling up the cabin, they’re leaving money on the table.” Your entire post is such an American perspective on the world. That is not always how luxury products work and why no US airline will ever offer a proper luxury experience.
Too many OMAAT readers drinking the expensive champagne and cognac...They had to get rid of the freeloaders
About time! The credit card points trash will be gone and there will not be people vlogging themselves eating.
The credit card points crowd was something…thankfully the cabin gets it dignity back.
In regards to credit card trash are you referring to yourself? That is no way to beat yourself down.
LMFAO. Yeah I flew EX F 3 times. DXB to Europe was great. I’m sure some obnoxious and loud New Yorkers on the MXP JFK route played part of this. They diminished the experience . A dubai passenger with license plate number 5 on their rolls Royce must have lodged quite the complaint. Gonna be a great day. :)))))
The amount of credit card debt slaves in the US being enabled by their MASTER card points is out of control but it’s a big business. Emirates may receive pushback from the US credit card companies.
First class should not be available for miles in the first place, it's a bit absurd and kills the product, but if it has to be, restricting it to actual frequent fliers rather than some cheapskates with credit card points and no loyalty to the airline is a wise strategy.
Fine with me. It was always an order of magnitude more expensive even with miles for a tired hard product.
And this is why they can boast to be the world's most profitable airline with the financial results to back up their boast.
You want their first class product, pay up or move on. Can't say that I blame them. At the end of the day everything is transactional for companies.
When I got into the points game 15 years ago I thought I was late. I agree that credit cards have created this situation but also influencers and access to info. I remember the days of refreshing OMAAT, learning in the deep comment sections, and spending time on FlyerTalk. Boy, was it a fun ride for a while.
But Omar, some people love to rave about bathing in the steamy cramp shower stall onboard...
Well my penultimate Flights are looking good - I currently have silver with the EK Barclay card 😉 Although I got it for the sign up bonus and will not renew. The sign up bonus plus bank point transfers got me in Back to Back Game Changer flights then with a shower on the way home.
For my Birthday Round the World (sic) I'm upping from last years Birthday RTW DXB - BRU Game Changer Ha, I thought once would be enough, but no LOL So this year I have the following.
IAD - LHR - DXB BA First for 160,000 Avios + $583 Then DXB - HND EK Game Changer for 141,000 Skywards + $441.06 and Finally HND - DXB - IAD Game Changer & Shower for 187,500 Skywards + $1,289.62 (YIKES)
If I figure the cost of aquiring Bank points + Barclay sign up bonus at no more than a penny a point, Then I have an out of pocket expense of $7,198.30 and a Total of 488,500 points/miles Subtract the Out Of Pocket from today's cash ticket prices of $32,574.19 and you get for a value of $0.052/point
FYI My First Round the World in 2013, with 4 Cathy First then BA First - all 747-400 then home via DFW on AA's new at the time B77W for only 263,000 AA Miles
BTW My final (??) Trip is in August and involves LH 747-8i First HND - FRA But apropo of this post, there was an equipment downgrade FRA-IAD, so I used the LH Swiss Hack and reboked on Swiss First without any Swiss status!
I've had a lot of fun, but winding down this hobby. I've flown almost every First Class I have interest in flying - only Air France and the newest seats (JAL / LH) Best Wishes to all and Safe Travels!
Wondering the same thing. Just booked a flight in F for next March. Hoping it doesn't get downgraded.
I see this as positive as well. A proper F product should not be available with miles/points. LX F is way better since they stoped allowing miles bookings.
15 years ago, actually even 10 years ago, you can easily fly 4 segments of Emirates First for 100k Alaska miles.
Those were the days
Of course that was before credit cards and TikTok
I can totally see their point.
Sounds like the executives at Emirates are getting a little pissy that they're not always able to use their staff travel benefits due to all the award redemptions by influencers and wanna-be points kings. God forbid they fly in Business or Economy and realize that things aren't as good as other airlines!
That and CX F and QF F were bread and butter for me back in the early/mid-2010s through AS miles. So many EK F flights. The glory days as a CA-based flyer constantly flying up and down the coast.
This. We seem to be at the end stage of value for points, anyway. I'm trying to fly off season to any airport in Japan, no availability whatsoever. I'm just going to pay cash, like I have done for the last year.
About 2 years ago I was booked in a 777 business, asking about an upgrade to first. The price on board was 5K per person, and I wouldn't be entitled to the first class meal because they didn't have time to prepare it. I also wouldn't be earning miles for it.
On any subsequent trip I've looked at, paid upgrades were never available. If you book through a third party, there's a 0% chance it'll ever happen.
They need to do a better job selling, IMO.
I still remember reading the excitement of Lucky’s first EK first class flight thanks to a delay on original flight and got him rebooked to EK F!
I’m guessing that they don’t need the first class cabin to be filled for it to be profitable. Besides I’m also assuming that they make far more money from a customer that pays cash vs booking with points.
Not sure how that is a thing given how empty the F cabins routinely are. Of maybe 15 F flights on EK over the years I have only seen an A380 or 777 F cabin go out full once, to TPE.
Whatever the case, the trend is towards a general tightening-up of first class redemptions across the board.
You’re a legend! Love seeing your itineraries. How do you generate the spend to get the points?
Not sure where you are flying from but Singapore tends to have good availability from LAX to NRT in business. Just booked two tickets for 2 months out and there were seats available multiple days every week.
I’ve flown 100s of sectors in biz and first with multiple airlines for work and with points and I’ve never been bothered by the “influencer/credit card trash” that some people are so worried about. Doubt airlines are too. You think they don’t love free advertising?
The idea that frequent flier seats and upgrades are a gift is so misguided. Airlines make a ton of money from these back door sales. Business people and sheiks aren’t upgrading with points at the gate. So airlines can offer such ways to sell some more of their seats without cannabalising the full fare seats. My work pays $10k last minute to fly me from New York to London but leisure travelers rarely come close to this price. So you can “pay” $1500/2k to use Avianca miles and everyone is happy.
If demand for these seats grow you simply restrict awards, charge more fees. That’s fine with me.
Singapore does similar. Upgrade costs so expensive. $2-3k from Singapore to Sydney with half full biz cabins. I guess they emphasize full paying customers more which is a revenue decision.
Completely agree but EK are well known to oay for reviews with top YouTubers although the reviewers are not always upfront about that.
Ditto what Mick said. Jealous of your awesome itineraries, Bill. Would love to know your card and earning strategies.
We'll bite the bullet and just open the lower-tier Barclays card and take the annual fee hit to redeem miles for F, if we even find the need. Once we ticked the EK F box, there hasn't been a huge desire to fly via DXB again. The fifth freedom routes are interesting but for NYC-area, we always used SQ biz from FRA.
But after the first year, those spend requirements to keep EK status are absurd. I wonder about the churnability of Barclays card products. I swore them off years ago after some terrible customer service experiences. Lucky, could you shed light in a separate article?
@DCAWABN remember the AS BofA debit card? That was the gateway to me not taking a single flight in economy since 2010. Well... that and this blog.
To be honest I think Emirates built a big reputation based on glitzy Fist Class cabins, about 15-20 years ago, and gradually its fading, to the extent that many others including JAL, ANA, Air France etc have vastly better 1st class cabins. Sure they released game-changer 6 years ago, but its only in a handfull of planes, and then only in out-dated 777 planes. For some reason Emirates wins a lot of accolades, but the bigger issue is their very mainstream business cabins which is a 20+ year old product on most of their fleet.
I recently flew JAL new 1st between Singapore and Tokyo, and the cabin and service was amazing. I have no desire to hop back into one of those tired old Emirates seats and pay exhorbitant fees.
Unfortunately, it’s the points churners and the worst of the so called influencers that have ruined the game for everyone, and forced emirates to do this. Especially the Zionist extremists such as Nicky Kelvin, and the plethora of fat ungrateful Americans.
A shame, but well done Emirates for protecting the experience of their customers.
It's certainly a first-world problem, though, right? I mean I think EK F is pretty gaudy and the catering doesn't compare to NH or JL but it's not a bad way to get to Asia.
The seat/bed and the IFE are great for a long-haul flight.
Emirates is the world’s most profitable airline by only filling 78% of their seats.
Customers do not need American credit card trash filling the cabin.
@ Justin dev This again? Buddy, no one is forcing you to take a shower flying EK F. And you know, the lavs have ventilation. I won't even go into how absurd complaining about "steamy" is for a dedicated shower. I had no problems with the size and I am 6'4". Lastly you ever used lounge showers in HKG or NRT? Talk about a humid environment. Marble and slate with no windows don't make for a pleasant after-shower experience.
I am bummed as they fly direct to DXB from my home city, one of the few. We don’t drink and don’t go crazy on food, just want a comfortable experience. Unfortunately their biz class is not and I am not going to risk not getting first on a long haul flight to be stuck in a sub par biz product.
I guess I need to start getting more creative with airlines/routes. Luckily my husband is typically game for some creative routings. 🙂
I don’t see where the announcement addresses the Qantas situation at all. We will see come May 12
Then, did a good job by converting my amex to book a first class flight a week ago from India to The united states.
Just my two cents worth but when I think of First Class I think of 'exclusive' and EK First as glitzy as it is just isn't. Anyone can pretty much buy themselves into the cabin by spending bonuses on credit cards.
I think the last ten to fifteen years most airlines had kind of given up on First as a product and all the evolution and revolution was in Business Class which just got better and better. However, the last few years we are again seeing airlines have a real focus on doing in First what they have been doing in Business over the past decade and EK is getting worried. Because true First Class passengers are not just seeking $600 bottles of champagne and caviar....they are also seeking exclusivity.
Just to clarify, I mean First Class in the long haul international airline context 🙂
The fewer pro Israel TikTok muppets filming themselves in premium cabins (eg Nicky Kelvin and the Points Guy stooges), to the annoyance of everyone else paying for their seat, is a fantastic thing.
Well done Emirates. Ban those credit card churning muppets
Unlikely but I'm not sure why two of those replying have claimed it says this clearly/obviously - it doesn't say this. It only talks about Skywards rewards.
It is less likely QFF members get access that EK basic members don't, but occasionally we do see odd arrangements like this. Have sometimes seen inventory on SQ on Velocity points that aren't on Krisflyer.
A major factor in this decision I imagine will be driven with Emirates frequent fliers themselves.
We have two types of redemptions:
1. Those that spend a huge amount of money with an airline and fly regularly with said airline and accumulate a mass of points.
2. Those that have never spent a penny flying an airline yet amass a ridiculous amount of points/miles on bonus transfers based on credit card spend (especially US based credit cards).
The problem for the airline is that when their actual frequent flyers go to try and redeem their hard earned points/miles they struggle to find availability because that's all been swallowed up by people that have never handed over a penny in actual revenue to Emirates getting in first.
I can totally get the annoyance of actual frequent fliers.
Even worse, the points aren't even accrued with Emirates co-branded credit cards, but shuffled around between various earning partners before ultimately being redeemed at EK. Redemption opportunities were always intended to reward brand loyalty. Seems to me that this is an attempt to restore the balance.
The catering on NH and JL is amazing if you like Japanese food, but the western menus are a little 'meh'.
Could simply be due to Emirates promoting that "exclusivity" and forcing members to take more flights rather than just gaming the system with points
We'll have to wait and see. Since EK and QF frequent flyers have closely aligned reciprocal benefits that far exceed a mere codeshare agreement, there may be cause for hope. I'm sure QF will notify its members in due course.
Hopefully Singapore Airlines follow the similar concept. And of course I hope Emirates will only be given to their Platinum Members only. Soon. It is coming.
I’d say their western menus put the majority of western airlines menus to shame, actually.
Agree somewhat but EK (and others) aren’t stupid and they get revenue in return for being partners with cards and airlines. Not like they are killing a free ride.
But good luck to them if the algo says they’ll make more money this way!
Absolutely!
But like most corporations - they want the revenue but want to give back as little as possible in exchange..
Booked my 5th freedom flight today, bog-mia. Thanks for the info. Not getting involved in the political fray. Just wanna eat caviar and drink champagne in First Class!!
Hopefully the next step is Emirates completely ban all American TikTok / instagram / YouTube influencers in all cabins, starting with First. And no video recording in the cabin.
These scumbags are the ones that have ruined the flying experience and the points game for normal individually . And are a vile cancer on the global travel industry.
MEGA - Make Emirates Great Again.
Just got confirmed that Qantas Frequent Flyer will still get access to Emirates! https://flighthacks.com.au/qff-access-to-emirates-first-class/
It was long overdue.. they have showcased it and many have experienced it...now March the value with value..
Glad to be wrong:
Emirates Skywards Blue Tier members can still redeem Miles for upgrades prior to flight departure (from Business Class to First Class) and use Cash+Miles to save on First Class tickets. Members based in the UAE, KSA, India and US can also sign up and enjoy immediate Silver Tier membership status with the loyalty programme’s cobranded credit cards including Emirates NBD, Emirates Islamic Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, SAB, ICICI Bank, Barclays, and HSBC.
Members of airlines which partner with Emirates Skywards are not impacted by this change.
I think Emirates like Dubai is just an empty shell case. They are just not smart enough to close off the gap right now. This gap will definitely be closed after they realised it Just like most people in UAE, they have the tendency to forget to close gaps and forget to wake up for work. After being in Dubai for so long, I reckon they just aren’t there at all. No innovation, just another country with money to try to stir trouble.
Hahaha emirates will never be great again. They never will and will never be a 5 star Skytrax mate. Dream on
@Santos,
Why would I leave a perfectly good shower in my hotel room or my home to shower in a lounge or onboard just to say I have done it. If you are going to the airport so stinky, that you need to clean yourself in those places, I would suggest you give yourself more time before heading out to the airport.
This. Having some silly YouTubers who used credit card points to access the cabin without any loyalty to the airline is devaluating the product and ruins the experience for people who actually paid to be there. The point of first class is privacy and tranquility, which is easily ruined by some influencer who only cares about taking cool pics.
What in the world does this have to do with Israel? There is no shortage of of influencers who have flown Emirates first class, the vast majority of who are not Jewish, and yet you single out a Jewish influencer?
Blaming credit card companies for mileage award restrictions is idiotic. Do you guys not realize that the airline companies sell mileage points to these credit companies which they then distribute to us? It's a huge revenue generator for airlines. The ready availability of large numbers of miles is purely due to airlines selling them to us through credit cards -- not at all the fault of the credit card company.
Clearly Emirates doesn't consider this "huge revenue generator" huge enough to justify letting customers who hoard CC points to book first class. Neither does Air France with La Première, etc. Luckily, outside the US, airlines are still primarily airlines and while CC points are a nice extra source of revenue, airlines seem to be waking up that they're hurting their main business, which is transporting people.
Because of all the influencers crowding the cabin? This is such a weird argument!
Ben I receive a post from Point Hacks and Emirates has confirmed that Qantas as a partner airline will not be affected and award seats will still be available .
See link below to Pint Hacks how to still redeem via Qantas website
Sorry forgot the link
Ben I receive a post from Point Hacks and Emirates has confirmed that Qantas as a partner airline will not be affected and award seats will still be available .
See link below to Pint Hacks how to still redeem via Qantas website
https://www.pointhacks.com.au/news/emirates-restricts-first-class-rewards-skywards/
Qantas actually has access to ALL Emirates First Class awards (at least those that Skywards Platinum members can see), not “some” of them as mentioned in the article.
No one is blaming them.
But the benefits to the airline have to be weighed against the cost to their ACTUAL frequent flyers and the availability for reward flights.
Airlines will always look at what angle maximises their revenue. Of course they will factor in stuff like profit from sales of points to the credit card companies but then they will stack this up against their own loyalty program and frequent flyers, loss of actual revenue sales in First (why would anyone pay $XXXXX when you can just spend a load on a credit card, earn a bonus and get an award ticket) as well as the integrity of the cabin.
Many people talk so highly of Emirates but my experience was poor. The plane was old. The configuration was not luxurious for a long flight - 2-3-2 business class and for that it was expensive. I wonder if their premium economy is good enough for a fraction of the price...
Why would they do that? Tickets were booked before the policy came into place.
Yeah, it’s definitely disappointing — I’ve always wanted to fly my family of four from LAX to Dubai in Emirates First Class. I guess the next best thing is applying for their Skywards credit card that gives you Silver status. It comes with perks like bonus miles and lounge access, so it might still be worth it.
Anyone have any ideas? I’ve saved up 2,000,000 Amex points and I’m not sure how to use them. How would you spend that many points?