I’m about to embark on my next review trip, and wanted to provide a rundown of what I have planned. A few days ago I shared how I managed to snag an award seat in Lufthansa’s new Allegris business class, and now I’ve managed to finalize most of the rest of the itinerary. I’m really excited about this trip, as it’s going to have some unique flights. There’s no Emirates or Qatar Airways on this trip!
I booked Lufthansa’s new A350 business class
Lufthansa is finally launching its Allegris business class, as the first A350-900 with the new cabins is flying between Munich and Vancouver as of May 1, 2024 (on select frequencies).
Unsurprisingly, business class award availability on the new A350 is pretty awful. That’s not because there’s a sudden increase in demand, but rather because there’s a material reduction in capacity. Lufthansa’s A350 business class cabin is going from having 48 seats to having 38 seats, so that’s not good for award availability.
I’ve been keeping a close eye on availability, and to my surprise, I was able to find a business class award seat on one of the first flights to feature the Allegris cabins, so I couldn’t help but book it. I think it’s fair to say that this is one of the most anticipated business class products in history. After all, we’ve been waiting for it to launch since 2017, when it was announced. So I figure it’s my duty to finally give this product a try ASAP, and see what it’s like.
The other airlines I’ll be flying on this trip
Since this was planned pretty last minute, I was crunched for time to actually put a trip together. On the plus side, often availability is the best last minute, so I suppose it all worked out. As I went about planning this, I both referenced the list I made of the airline products that I’d most like to review, plus I read all the suggestions OMAAT readers had for what they’d like to read about. With that in mind, let me share what I booked.
Delta’s 737 & A319 first class
For this trip I first need to position to Vancouver, and there were no good last minute award options, so I booked a (reasonably priced) paid first class ticket. When you’re flying Lufthansa Allegris you want to arrive in style, so of course I needed to fly with the United States’ most premium airline, Delta. 😉
I haven’t reviewed the short haul Delta experience in quite some time, but plan to do so again, including the newly expanded Sky Club in Miami. I’m crediting this itinerary to Air France-KLM Flying Blue, given that I’m pursuing Platinum status with the program.
EgyptAir’s A320neo business class
I wasn’t initially sure where to go from Munich, so I did what I always do — when in doubt, fly to Cairo. Cairo consistently has among the most reasonable paid first and business class fares, so if I’m looking to review something, it’s always the ideal place to be “based.”
Best of all, my flight from Munich to Cairo is operated by EgyptAir’s Airbus A320neo, which will allow me to review a new product (I’ve reviewed EgyptAir’s Boeing 787-9 and Boeing 737-800). I’m of course coming in with reasonable expectations…
Kuwait Airways’ A330 & 777 first class
Kuwait Airways is one of two airlines in the world that I haven’t yet flown in first class. I’ve been talking about it long enough, so it’s time to finally rip off the band-aid and do this. I managed to find a reasonable Kuwait Airways first class fare from Cairo to Kuwait to Bangkok, with the first flight operated by the Airbus A330-300, and the second flight operated by the Boeing 777-300ER.
I’m managing my expectations here, but am excited to check off a new first class product from my list. If I’m not mistaken, the last airline I flew in first class for the first time was TAAG Angola, and that was… an adventure.
For what it’s worth, while this is a revenue ticket, I booked this through Amex Travel using the “Pay with Points” feature, so I got 1.54 cents of value per point toward the redemption.
Thai Airways’ 777 first class
Long gone are the days where Thai Airways flies the Airbus A380 or Boeing 747. Instead, the airline now just offers first class on a small fleet of Boeing 777s. So I’ll be flying Thai Airways first class from Bangkok to Tokyo. I’m curious to see how the product is holding up, and also checking out Thai Airways’ new lounge situation in Bangkok, including the carrier’s new Prestige Business Lounge, plus the Prestige First Lounge (which is within the same lounge).
And then I don’t know…
So far I’ve planned this trip as far as Tokyo, though I’m still waiting to finalize the last segment home. Once I land in Tokyo, I do need to get home within 24 hours, so I won’t be routing back via Europe or the Middle East.
There are some “safe” options that are available, like United business class. However, for now I’m playing it by ear, to see if anything more interesting opens. I’d love to fly ANA’s A380 first class, Japan Airlines’ A350 business class, etc., though that award availability can be hard to come by.
Bottom line
I’m starting my next review trip, which is primarily motivated by being able to fly Lufthansa’s Allegris A350 business class. Of course if I’m going to pack up my bags and leave home, I like to make it worth my while (well, and your while!). So I’ll also be reviewing business class on Delta and EgyptAir, as well as first class on Kuwait Airways and Thai Airways.
This should be an adventure, so stay tuned. Thanks for all the feedback on recommended itineraries, and get ready for lots of “live” content.
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