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With a bit of planning, flexibility, knowledge, and some luck, you can fly lie-flat business class for the price of a (somewhat expensive) economy ticket! There are a few airlines I frequently use to help fly myself, my family, or friends between the US and Europe in business class.
As of August 2025, these are, in my opinion, the best ways to fly between the US and Europe in business and first class on points. My thoughts are subjectively based on programs and airlines that have better availability, predictability, and at what I consider a reasonable points cost. Additionally, due to the constraint of availability, most options are East Coast-centric. I also think these options are the most realistic for anyone using points & miles to book whether you are a beginner or an expert.
You can also use a search aggregator like Seats.Aero (affiliate link) or Roame to quickly find dates with availability for these programs.
If you need help understanding which credit card points transfer to which program, use the handy Award Travel 101 transfer matrix.
- Iberia (starting at 40.5k points one way)
- United (starting at 50k points one way)
- Lufthansa Group (Starting at 60k points one way)
- Singapore Airlines (starting at 60k points one way)
- British Airways (starting at 63k points one way)
- Air France and KLM (starting at 60k points one way)
Iberia (starting at 40.5k points one way)
Sadly in late May, we saw Spain’s flagship carrier Iberia increase the amount of points needed to book award flights. However, there is still great value offered and you can book business class between the East Coast and Madrid for as low as 40.5k points each way. Avios often has 20-30% transfer bonuses from various credit cards, making these flights for as low as ~32k points each way with a 30% transfer bonus.
Why I like Iberia: Predictable release of 2 business class seats 360 days out and only ~41k points one way in business makes this one of the cheapest points options to book a business class flight between US-Europe.
Availability: Iberia generally releases 2 business class award seats 360 days out. There are also occasional award releases within a few months of travel.
Cities: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York (JFK), San Francisco in the US. Other cities in North America and the Caribbean include Mexico City (MEX), Havana (HAV), Santo Domingo (SDQ), San Juan (SJU) outside continental US
Best ways to book: Book these on British Airways or Iberia’s site. BA charges $55 to change/cancel your ticket while Iberia will charge €25. However, Iberia’s customer service leaves a lot to be desired and points may take weeks to be refunded back to your account.
How to search: Manually search on British Airways or Iberia’s site for best availability. Paid search tools are not fully accurate when searching…yet.
Tips: 1) Iberia generally releases 2 business class award seats 360 days in advance. They’re easier to snag for East Coast routes and more difficult from the West Coast. 2) Iberia also randomly releases additional seats closer to departure dates and sometimes has married segment bookings that are generally only bookable directly on Iberia’s own website.
United (starting at 50k points one way)
In my opinion, United is the most exciting US airline based on their current route strategy that has been adding popular leisure-focused destinations. In addition to the usual popular spots like London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Rome, United has been adding other leisure-focused destinations include Dubrovnik, Croatia; Naples, Venice, and Palermo, Italy; Faro and Madeira, Portugal; and Nuuk, Greenland.
Why I like United: Consistency with the Polaris seats, access to Polaris Lounges, and availability often shows up last-minute if you need to travel in a pinch or are feeling adventurous.
Availability: There is no real pattern to availability on United flights. However, with some flexibility and willingness to reposition to New York (EWR) or DC (IAD) and openness to your final European-based destination, there will almost always be a business class seat for you during off-peak travel times or within 1 month of travel.
Cities: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York (EWR), San Francisco, Washington DC (IAD)
Best ways to book: Starting at 50k points one way if you book through Japanese airline ANA’s program. Otherwise it will cost you 80k points if you book through other Star Alliance options including United‘s own program, Air Canada, or Avianca and 81k through Singapore Airlines‘ program.
How to search: Use United’s site and choose “Flexible dates” to pull up calendar view. Find dates with 80k points for business class.
Tips: 1) Don’t forget it can take up to 3 days for points transfers to show up in your ANA account. 2) Booking United flights directly with United helps you earn United status (80k points = 800 PQPs).
Lufthansa Group (Starting at 60k points one way)
Lufthansa Group is not just Lufthansa. It also includes Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings/Discover, Swiss, and soon Italy’s flagship ITA. These European-based airlines fly to 20+ US cities and can connect you across the European continent. However, with multiple airlines in the group, the in-air product is also highly differentiated, even for the same airline (looking at you Lufthansa with fancy Allegris seats to outdated 2-2-2 layouts). Make sure to research what your seat could look like beforehand!
Why I like Lufthansa: Double decker planes (A380 and 747s!), some routes have new Allegris business class seats, and great connectivity to get to other parts of Europe after connecting through Frankfurt or Munich.
Availability: Generally plentiful with the exception of peak travel times such as June and September. However, dates generally open up within 1 month of travel if there are still open seats.
Cities: ATL, AUS, BOS, CLT, DEN, DFW, DTW, EWR, IAD, IAH, MSP, JFK, MCO, ORD, PHL, RDU, SFO, STL, TPA
Best ways to book: Book these through Air Canada Aeroplan starting at 60k points one way for the less refundable option or starting at 74k points for the fully refundable option. These flights can also be booked with Avianca Lifemiles starting at 69k points. Beware the costly $200 cancel fee and the $150 change fee with Avianca though. United is another option with flights bookable for 88k points one way but are freely changable and cancellable at no fee. If you have elite status with United, you can book these flights for 80k points.
How to search: Use United’s site and choose “Flexible dates” to pull up calendar view. Find dates with 88k points availability for business class. However, if there is also a United business class flight available, the calendar will show 80k points instead.
Tips: 1) Lufthansa flies some cool planes (747 and A380) but the business class seats are an older 2-2-2 layout. More modern layouts can be found on their 787s and A350s. 2) Swiss has an interesting seating arrangement (1-2-2) with some seats having a neighbor while others are throne seats. You usually have to pay $150-200 to secure a throne seat ahead of time but can choose one for free during online check in. 3) Don’t book these with ANA’s program unless you like paying $1,500+ in taxes/fees.
Singapore Airlines (starting at 60k points one way)
Did you know you can fly Singapore Airlines between the US and Europe? Sounds weird but due to commercial aviation regulations, Singapore Airlines flies a JFK-FRA-SIN route where each segment shares the same flight number. You can book and fly just the JFK/FRA flight. Even better, you can connect from FRA to other parts of Europe, generally on Lufthansa, or other Lufthansa Group airlines.
Why I like Singapore Airlines: Only 60k points one way to fly one of the best-rated Asian airlines, option to connect through FRA on another Star Alliance airline, great food & drink options and friendly service.
Availability: The JFK/FRA route on Singapore Airlines generally has great business class award availability including frequent dates open for booking and most dates having 4+ business class seats available to book with point. Availability
Cities: New York (JFK)
Best ways to book: This deal is generally best booked through Air Canada’s Aeroplan program. Flights between JFK/FRA start at 60k points each way for the less refundable option and 74k points for a fully-refundable option. Taxes/fees are around $6 to Europe and $160+ on the return. Another option is through Singapore Airlines’ program but flights are generally 81k points each way unless it is a Singapore Escapes deal (usually 30% off or 56.7k points) that generally requires you to travel within 1-2 months notice.
How to search: Manually search on Air Canada’s site or use a search aggregator like Seats.Aero or Roame. Be aware search aggregators are not 100% accurate.
British Airways (starting at 63k points one way)
Fly between major US cities to London (LHR/LGW). The best part of British Airways’ program is a guaranteed 4 business class award seats per flight (and 2 premium economy and 8 regular economy seat) when flights are loaded into the schedule if you book through their own loyalty program (Avios). The worst part is you generally need to pay to pick a seat – even for business class – unless you are a OneWorld Sapphire or Emerald. Seat selection for business class is usually ~$200/seat for long-haul business class.
Why I like British Airways: Newer business class seat is really nice, guaranteed 4 seat availability 355 days out.
Availability: Good availability, especially from East Coast cities. British Airways also releases 4 business class seats released per flight when the schedule opens up. There is less availability when booking with partners though.
Cities: ATL, AUS, BNA, BOS, BWI, DEN, DFW, IAD, IAH, LAS, LAX, MCO, MIA, MSY, NYC (EWR/JFK), ORD, PHX, PIT, SAN, SEA, SFO, TPA
Best ways to book: There are a few different ways to book with Cathay generally being the cheapest option if there is availability. The second best option is directly through British Airways due to more availability but higher points + taxes/fees than Cathay. You could also book with American or Alaska miles (45-55k usually) but the tax/fees are usually $700+ and American and Alaska miles are hard to get. I do not recommend using American or Alaska miles for most people unless you generate a lot of those points.
East Coast: Booking through Cathay is 63k points and ~$220 to LHR and 63k points and ~$600 from LHR. Booking through British Airways is 80k off peak and 90k peak + $375 in tax/fees.
West Coast: Cathay charges 89k points and ~$400 to LHR and 89k points and ~$800 from LHR. British Airways charges 90k off peak and 100k for peak pricing plus $475.
How to search: Manually search on British Airways’ site for the most availability. However, if looking to book with Cathay, you could use American Airlines’ calendar view to quickly find availability as partner availability is usually shared.
Tips: 1) If flying British Airways back to the US, you can slightly reduce the taxes/fees paid by originating from another European country instead of the UK and connecting through LHR instead. This avoids a UK tax called Air Passenger Duty (APD) that is partially passed on to the passenger. It’s better to do this with Cathay’s program (distance based) as British Airways charges points by segment. 2) Having the British Airways Visa Signature card gives a $200 statement credit for booking a business or first class award flight, up to 3x per year. You need to use the card to pay taxes/fees though. 3) Check your plane type as not all seats are equal. Some business class (all A380s, some 777s, and some 787s) is in a 2-3-2 or 2-4-2 seating (all have direct aisle access though).
Air France and KLM (starting at 60k points one way)
Paris, Amsterdam, or rest of Europe! You can fly between multiple US cities to/from Amsterdam and Paris for as low as 60k points one way in business class. Air France and KLM’s loyalty program, Flying Blue, also has monthly promos where business class flights can be discounted by 25% on certain routes (45k points one way!). However they are usually from Canada (Toronto/Montreal) instead of the U.S.
Why I like Air France/KLM: Great connectivity through AMS/CDG to other parts of Europe, free stopover program, opportunity to upgrade to Air France’s La Premiere first class with cash on select routes.
Availability: Being flexible with dates can help out a lot. Availability has recently been harder to find from the US to AMS/CDG. It’s a bit easier to find a return flight back to the US though.
Cities: ATL, AUS, BOS, ORD, DFW, DEN, DTW, IAH, LAS, LAX, MIA, MSP, NYC (EWR/JFK), MCO, PDX, PHX, RDU, SFO, SEA, SLC, IAD
Best ways to book: Booking directly on Air France or KLM’s program is generally the best way to book. You could also potentially book the flight through Virgin Atlantic for 48.5k/58.5k points. Taxes and fees are slowly creeping up with Flying Blue. Expect to pay $240+ in tax/fees from the US to Europe and ~$500 from Europe back to the US.
How to search: Search directly on AF/KLM’s site. Use the calendar trick to quickly find dates.
Tips 1) Use the calendar trick to pull up a monthly view. 2) Married segment logic could open up more award space. Instead of booking to Amsterdam or Paris, fly to another city in Europe and more saver availability could appear. 3) Take advantage of the free Flying Blue stopover program. You will need to call and there is some trial and error in finding availability that works. 4) 25% award discount for children under 12
