A year ago, Oneworld member Cathay Pacific unveiled its new Business Class. This “Aria Suite” can now be found on more and more aircraft.

On my way back from Sydney to London, I had a total of 23 hours to get familiar with the new product. In this review, you’ll read what the new seat offers, where there’s still room for improvement, and whether the other aspects justify Skytrax’s 5-star rating.

To keep things somewhat chronological, the focus of the review is on the daytime flight from Sydney to Hong Kong. I’ll occasionally add impressions from the overnight flight from Hong Kong to London.

• Flight 1: CX 162 Sydney SYD – Hong Kong HKG
  • Time: 11:10 – 17:15
  • Block time: 9h 40m
  • Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER B-KPO (delivered January 2010)
  • Seat: 14A
• Flight 2: CX 255 Hong Kong HKG – London LHR
  • Time: 23:15 – 06:20 (+1)
  • Block time: 14h 05m
  • Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER B-KPF (delivered January 2008)
  • Seat: 19K
• Travel period: October 2025

Booking

Originally, I had planned a three-week trip across Australia: flying into Perth (Vietnam Airlines Business Class booked with Delta SkyMiles), visiting Rottnest Island, then heading over to the East Coast and travelling from Port Douglas (Cairns) down to Sydney by bus and train. The first half of the trip ended up falling through because I “had to” fly around the world with Turkish Airlines instead. But luckily, the return flight remained unaffected.

I had booked a mileage ticket from Sydney to London through Cathay AsiaMiles. Sydney and London were among the first two routes on which Cathay operated the new Business Class, so I was expecting to have plenty of time to test the new product thoroughly. Seat selection was free of charge.

The one-way ticket cost 110,000 AsiaMiles and €249 in surcharges (as of March 2025). €89 of that was actual taxes and €160 were airline-imposed fuel surcharges.

I already had most of the miles in my account because I would occasionally transfer Amex points to Cathay during promotions. Otherwise, at the time of booking, it would have required 137,500 Membership Rewards points.

By now, the same booking would unfortunately be more expensive. The mileage price only increased moderately from 110,000 to 115,000 miles. But since August, the transfer ratio has changed from 5:4 to just 2 AsiaMiles for every 3 MR points. That means you’d now need a hefty 172,500 MR points for the same booking. Given that, if paying with MR points, a Qatar Airways flight would now generally be the better choice (from 90,000 Avios + approx. €300).

Check-in

Business Class passengers can reserve seats free of charge at any time, even before (online) check-in opens. In Sydney, I arrived at the check-in desk around two and a half hours before departure. There are separate lines for Economy, Business, and First Class, even if no First Class is offered on the flight. The First Class lane is then used for Emerald status holders. Ruby, Sapphire, and the rest can use the Business lane.

Both counters were quiet, and even the Economy line was fairly short. Within just a few minutes, my two checked bags were gone and I had my boarding passes in hand.

For London, I had booked a separate onward ticket to Berlin with British Airways. The Cathay staff were able to tag my bags through to Berlin and also issued a boarding pass for the BA flight. According to Cathay’s website, this should be possible, and indeed it was. Thumbs up to Cathay, because even within Oneworld, this is far from guaranteed.

I found Sydney’s security and passport control to be very efficient. There is a dedicated fast track for status holders and Business passengers. The longest part was simply the walk from the check-in counters to the entrance of the checkpoint. Then it was just quickly placing the hand luggage on the belt (nothing needs to be taken out), walking through the body scanner, and heading to the eGate for passport control. Altogether, the process took only two minutes. Even the regular queue would have taken no more than five minutes.

Lounge in Sydney (Qantas First Lounge)

Next stop: the lounge. Thanks to my Oneworld Emerald status, I had access to the Qantas First Class Lounge in Sydney. It’s considered one of the best lounges in the world, and I finally had the chance to visit it. Without status, my ticket would only have granted me access to the Qantas Business Lounge.

The lounge impresses with unique design and lots of space. A nice retro touch is the split-flap display showing upcoming departures. From almost everywhere, you get a fantastic view of the airport apron. During my visit, not only were several Qantas Airbus A380s parked outside, but an Asiana A380 also taxied past. If you like, you can even get a complimentary massage (subject to availability).

There are only a few dedicated workstations, but a large area for à la carte dining. Many of the tables there have power outlets, so you can work while being served. The food is the main reason to visit this lounge. I was familiar with the Qantas First Lounge in Los Angeles, but the selection in Sydney is even larger. Even at breakfast time, there’s a wide range of dishes that go far beyond typical breakfast items:

I opted for the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon (= Eggs Royale) and the corn fritters with bacon. Both dishes were excellent and could easily be served in a restaurant. The only shame was that I arrived too early to try the famous Salt and Pepper Squid.

There are certainly lounges around the world that feel more exclusive (due to stricter entry rules). But there’s no doubt that this is one of the very best Oneworld Emerald lounges anywhere. Since the lounge is operated by Qantas and not Cathay, it does not count toward the overall rating.

Boarding

Boarding was scheduled to begin 40 minutes before departure. Wanting to take good photos of the cabin, I was at the gate right on time, only to notice that even the crew hadn’t boarded yet. Shortly afterwards, I received an email informing me of a 30-minute delay. The aircraft had arrived late in Sydney due to some holding patterns. Still, once the aircraft reached the gate (about an hour before boarding), they could have informed passengers earlier. Communication definitely has room for improvement.

The gate in Sydney is designed so that the entrance for Economy passengers is far away from the priority lanes for Business, Premium Economy, and status customers. This helps disperse the crowd a bit.

Being a rule-abiding German, I naturally lined up first, long before anyone called for boarding. Boarding eventually started about 40 minutes late. First, around 30 passengers with strollers, wheelchairs, crutches, etc., boarded with their companions. Then came First Class (which doesn’t exist on this flight, so only Oneworld Emerald), followed by Business passengers and other status holders.

Overall, boarding was very efficient. In under 30 minutes, a full Boeing 777 was ready to depart, while other airlines start an hour earlier. And there was still enough time for a hot towel and welcome drink.

With the 30-minute delay, we still could have arrived in Hong Kong roughly on time. But we ended up waiting almost another half hour on the tarmac because an aircraft ahead of us had technical issues. Fortunately, I had plenty of buffer time for my connection in Hong Kong.

Cabin

The Boeing 777 in this configuration has a total of 361 seats: 45 in Business Class, 48 in Premium Economy, and 268 in Economy Class. The Business Class seats are split into two cabins, with the rear cabin being slightly smaller. The front cabin has the advantage that not all Economy passengers walk past (especially since boarding in Sydney was done through a single jet bridge).

What looks quite monotonous on the seat map is much more impressive in real life. Despite the heavy use of grey tones, the cabin feels visually inviting. And you would never guess that the aircraft is more than 15 years old.

When boarding, the sense of space is somewhat limited by the open overhead bins, but this allows plenty of room for all kinds of carry-on luggage. Unlike some airlines, Cathay only allows one carry-on bag plus one personal item in Business Class. All Business seats face forward and offer direct aisle access without needing to climb over a neighbour.

Best Seat?

The seats are almost identical across the cabin. There aren’t really “good” or “bad” ones. The exact opposite of Lufthansa’s Allegris Class. The manufacturer describes it like this:

Bringing greater consistency to the passenger experience also guided the design of the suite geometry. The team focused on standardizing the layout so passengers enjoy the same setting, no matter where in the cabin they are seated. Gone is the need for passengers to research which seats in the cabin are best to reserve (sorry, SeatGuru). 

Elements Premier Class Seating | Collins Aerospace

Cathay doesn’t even offer extra foot space at the bulkhead seats anymore, so it really doesn’t matter much where you sit. The center seats in rows 11 and 19 do have one small advantage: there are additional storage areas in front of the seat where you can place things like a laptop or pillow. The same applies to the window seats (11A, 11K, 19A, 19K), but the space there is noticeably smaller.

If you’re traveling as a couple, you’ll likely prefer the seats in the middle section. However, even there it’s not very easy to talk to each other because your heads are quite far apart. For solo travelers, the window seats are the best choice, as they offer a bit more privacy. But even there, you can’t look out very well. The window is quite far away.

Seat

The Cathay Aria Suite is based on a new generation of business-class seats from Collins. It follows the reverse herringbone layout again and is the direct successor to the Super Diamond seat, which is used by Air Canada, British Airways (Club Suite), and many others.

This seat platform is called Collins Aerospace Elements. It’s highly customizable, meaning it can look completely different depending on the airline. Starlux Airlines from Taiwan also uses this seat but utilizes the extra space in the first row to offer a first-class product. Another customer is Etihad, with their new business class on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

So much for the basics. You can find your assigned seat via the labeling on the seat shell, the overhead bin, or by checking the screen. The only thing missing would be a little projector displaying the seat number on the floor, like with Iberia.

Passengers are greeted at their seat as follows:

At first glance, it’s a typical reverse herringbone seat: angled slightly away from the aisle, difficult (but not impossible) to look out the window, and a large table on the window side (in faux marble).

The first wow moment comes once you’re seated. The monitor measures a massive 24 inches and is truly huge. Because you sit quite close to the screen (unlike in, say, the Allegris Suite), it looks even bigger.

Under the monitor, you can see the table, which slides smoothly forward and backward. You can pull it close to you, and it’s generously sized. Even a 17-inch laptop would fit comfortably. There’s also a small holder for a tablet or smartphone. However, on my flight, the table was already pretty worn out. It was so slanted that my mouse kept sliding off by itself.

In the photo above, you can see that the gap on the right is larger than the one on the left (i.e., the table is crooked). That shouldn’t happen after just one year in service. It also wobbled with every bit of turbulence, and even slightly when the person in front of me moved.

Looking left, there’s a large sliding shelf that reveals a small storage compartment for items like a phone. Sounds practical, but isn’t very convincing. On my first flight, the mechanism was already broken and wouldn’t close fully, even though there was a clear “Close immediately when not in use” label. On the second flight, it did close, but the button required a lot of force to press. Apparently that’s normal.

Next is the typical storage compartment containing headphones and a water bottle. There isn’t much space, but you can at least fit the amenity kit and maybe a charger. Next to it is a touchscreen remote (detachable), and in the door, a small mirror. A subtle marking in the faux marble indicates wireless charging, but it’s barely noticeable.

Toward the aisle, there’s an armrest with an interesting adjustment mechanism. Height adjustment isn’t new, but here the armrest also slides forward, increasing the bed surface and closing the gap to the door.

Speaking of the door: every seat has a lightly adjustable sliding door. At the bulkhead seats, it closes perfectly with the wall, offering a high degree of privacy thanks to the tall partitions. At the other seats, rounded edges leave a small gap, but this didn’t bother me.

Finally, there’s the footwell and the area around it. The footwell itself is rather compact, but it doesn’t restrict your feet. There’s plenty of space in all directions.

Nearby is a triangular storage compartment meant to maximize the space. Unfortunately, it’s almost useless. It’s too small for laptops larger than 12 inches, and shoes don’t fit at all. So my laptop stayed on the table, and my shoes ended up somewhere between the seat and the aisle. The charging situation is better: two USB-C ports (up to 60W), one USB-A port, and an international 110V outlet for power-hungry devices.

Seat Comfort & Adjustability

Sooner or later, you’ll want to adjust the seat. In this regard, there are two pieces of good news. First: yes, the seat is adjustable (insert your Finnair joke here). Even better: there are four ways to do it. You can control it via the 24” screen, the small touchscreen remote, a secondary screen under the side table that displays flight time and seat controls, and finally, three buttons accessible only from the lie-flat position: two for adjustments, one for turning the lights on and off. You don’t have to twist yourself once you’re comfortable. Great! And you only need to tap the button once, not hold it. I’ll generously overlook the visible wear and tear.

The headrest is not adjustable, but I actually prefer it this way. Every seat manufacturer has to make compromises: either the headrest is fixed to create a flat bed, or it’s adjustable but can be uncomfortable when lying down, like on Iberia. I prefer Cathay’s solution and use a pillow if needed. Though a second, smaller pillow would help.

Overall, I can give the seat comfort excellent marks. Even after many hours in lounge mode (writing this trip report), it remained comfortable and I never felt the need to get up. And when I did, it was only to (unsuccessfully) search for snacks in the galley, not because the seat was uncomfortable. Even fully upright for takeoff and landing, it’s comfortable despite the three-point belt. The only odd thing was that the belt strap was twisted once. Was it installed incorrectly?

Sleeping Comfort

The seat converts into a 198 cm long bed at the push of a button. Although I nearly max it out at 197 cm, the length isn’t the most important factor in my opinion. Much more important is having enough space to bend your legs, since as a side sleeper, that’s how I sleep at home too. Reverse herringbone seats usually perform well here, and the Cathay Aria Suite does not disappoint. I had plenty of space around my knees (visible in the photo between the screen and the window):

This only works in one direction. Toward the aisle there’s less knee room. But I don’t really need to toss and turn if I’m lying comfortably. And thankfully, I was. I slept very well, and with a 14-hour flight, there was plenty of time for it.

If you’re looking for negatives, you’ll find them:

• The shoulder area is relatively narrow, but not too narrow.
• Even with a mattress topper, the bed is still fairly firm. No aircraft seat can fully match a good hotel bed.
• The head lies slightly higher than the legs. It’s more 179° than 180°.
• Cathay unfortunately doesn’t provide pajamas. Just a pair of slippers.

Food & Drinks

The service began (as mentioned above) with a welcome drink and hot towel.

Shortly afterward, meal and drink orders were taken. I had already made up my mind in advance, since Cathay allows digital pre-ordering of your preferred meal on both flight segments. The selection departing Hong Kong was noticeably larger than departing Sydney. Below are the respective menus:

I actually found it quite difficult to choose between all the dishes, as many of them sounded very good. But first things first: the appetizer from Sydney:

They apparently forgot the nuts. Other passengers received them together with the salmon, but I only got them after asking. The next course consisted of three marinated prawns with some greens and bread.

On the flight from Sydney to Hong Kong, I continued with my pre-ordered duck confit. Visually rather mediocre, but taste-wise a solid 4.5/5:

Desserts are served from a trolley. Personally, I like that, since you can directly see what looks tempting. And you can pick exactly the fruits or cheese you want.

Four hours before landing in Hong Kong, I headed to the galley in search of some light snacks. What I found was… nothing. Upon request, the crew managed to locate some nuts, and five minutes later they came by with a box of chocolates. On a nearly 10-hour flight, I would’ve expected at least chips, crackers, small sandwiches, or something similar. Not every passenger has already had breakfast in the lounge. They also couldn’t offer me the signature mocktail “Cathay Delight” anymore, so I had to settle for a Coke.

As for food, I had to wait until two hours before landing when regular service resumed. The burger was okay (4/5), and the panna cotta was excellent.

If you follow social media closely, you’ve probably heard about the trend of eating pudding with a fork. Not only did it get its own Wikipedia article, it also made its way onto Cathay Pacific flights. So instead of a spoon, I was served a fork with the panna cotta (despite the deep bowl). At least I like this explanation more than a catering mishap.

On the connecting flight to London, the mid-flight snack situation was better, and you could order small bites at any time.

However, the catering on this flight was disappointing. I had pre-ordered the dumpling noodle soup; a dish that has never disappointed me in the Cathay lounge. Since the departure was around midnight (3 a.m. Sydney time), I needed to catch up on sleep and requested it be served mid-flight.

What I received didn’t look very appetizing. More importantly, it tasted more like an instant cup noodle than something worthy of 5 Skytrax stars:

I’m not sure whether this was the noodle soup from the snack menu and the dinner version should have looked different. The pre-order photo at least showed some pak choi. But that doesn’t change much about the disappointing taste. So I ordered an apple crumble and a Häagen-Dazs ice cream to make up for it.

Breakfast didn’t go much better. I requested my breakfast choice three hours before landing (the “Wellness Breakfast”, after all those calories). When it was served, I was told that only Chinese or English breakfast options were left. So I went with the Chinese breakfast, since I can still have a British breakfast in the lounge later. The chicken congee was at least much better than the noodle soup.

Now on to the drinks. Aside from the “Cloud Nine” cocktail and the “Cathay Delight” mocktail (with kiwi juice and coconut milk), there are plenty of other options. The champagne choice was a Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve, retailing for about €50 a bottle:

Service

The service was friendly but not particularly warm. It’s hard to tell whether the smiles were genuine or just part of the routine. But procedures were carried out efficiently and there wasn’t much to criticize, apart from the forgotten nuts.

Overall, the service concept felt a bit more restrained. Some airlines never let your drink run empty and show up immediately with a fresh glass of Coke. With some airlines, the crew takes the tray away the moment they notice you’re done. At Cathay, I had to wait so long that I eventually placed the tray on the bulkhead so I could continue working. That might just be company culture: doing the job by the book, not necessarily going the extra mile, but giving passengers their space.

Lufthansa’s service varies widely. With some flight attendants, you can instantly tell they’d rather be anywhere else. With others, I feel so well cared for that I don’t want to leave the plane. So service can range from 2 to 5+ stars. Every flight is a surprise bag.

With Cathay, I could barely tell the flight attendants apart. Not only because they look similar to a European eye, but because every interaction was carried out exactly the same way. No small talk, no jokes, not even a “Could I get you another…?”. But (almost) all my requests were fulfilled promptly.

One flight attendant on the connecting flight to London, however, showed that things can be different. I barely interacted with her because she was assigned to another aisle, but her smile during boarding already conveyed: I love my job. And that highlighted the contrast with the others.

In-Flight Entertainment

The huge 24″ 4K screen is definitely a highlight of the Aria Suite. On paper, it’s a bit smaller than the 27″ screens in Lufthansa’s Allegris Business Class suites. In practice, it feels noticeably larger because you sit quite close to it. Some Flyertalk users find the screen too big, but I love it. At home, I also sit happily in front of my 80″ screen and enjoy the cinema feeling.

Because the screen is so close to your hand, it can easily be operated by touch. Alternatively, you can remove the touchscreen remote from the side panel. The only odd thing is that the remote must be removed. If it stays in the panel, the screen won’t respond, even though that would be enough for adjusting the volume.

The selection is also impressive. I tried counting again but stopped after 1,000. If you want an overview beforehand, you can check the online catalog. Before starting a movie, there are two self-promo videos, but both can be skipped immediately.

There were also numerous complete seasons of full TV series (not just two or three episodes like on many other airlines) and 30 games including Angry Birds. Plus a comprehensive music selection, including enough jazz albums to keep me entertained for 20 hours. A glance at the flight map and good music, what more could you want?

You can zoom so far into airports and major cities that individual buildings can be identified thanks to OpenStreetMap. Even the gates at the airport. The only downside is that your exact location isn’t shown during taxiing on the ground, but that’s nitpicking at a very high level. Just like the lack of an HDMI input to connect your laptop; so far, I’ve only seen that in the Qatar QSuite.

The provided headphones look pretty cheap, but offer decent sound quality and active noise cancellation. Alternatively, you can pair your own headphones via Bluetooth.

Wi-Fi

Business Class passengers can use the Wi-Fi for the entire flight free of charge. All that’s required is entering your name and seat number. No frequent flyer account needed.

The internet becomes available after takeoff at around 10,000 feet and works until a few minutes before landing. I didn’t notice any significant outages, except for a single three-minute interruption over China.

Speeds were around 15 to 20 Mbit/s downstream. Not quite as fast as some aircraft equipped with Starlink, but more than sufficient for work, and video streaming is also possible. Unlike mainland Chinese airlines, Cathay does not route internet access through the Great Firewall.

Normally, access for the whole flight would have cost around US$20 (~€17) on Sydney–Hong Kong and US$22 (~€19) on Hong Kong–London. Still acceptable prices, even if some airlines now offer free Wi-Fi for everyone.

Extras / Miscellaneous

This section covers everything that didn’t fit into the other categories. First, there’s the amenity kit. The eye mask feels slightly more premium than usual, and it also includes a toothbrush, earplugs, mouthwash, and various cosmetics from Bamford. The bag itself can easily be reused as a cable pouch or toiletry bag (if you don’t already have a hundred of them at home).

Unfortunately, individual air vents are missing. The cabin tended to be on the cooler side. Wearing only a T-shirt, I was quite cold; under the blanket it was comfortable.

For a maximum of 45 Business Class passengers, three lavatories are available. An average ratio. There were no significant queues. The lavatories have also been refurbished and now feature touchless flushing and a foot pedal for the trash bin. Each one had a grey washcloth placed on the floor, apparently on purpose. Why, I couldn’t tell you. A nice detail: you can check on your screen at any time which lavatories are currently free:

Another detail is the artwork in the galley area, which makes the space look much more inviting than on many other airlines.

Cathay did not fly through Russian airspace on either of my flights. However, they don’t avoid it entirely. Flights from New York to Hong Kong, for example, still cross Siberia.

Transfer & Lounge in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, every transfer apparently requires going through security again, no matter where you arrive from. After a long walk and some brief confusion caused by a misleading arrow, I was through in just a few minutes.

Afterward, I made a quick stop at the Qantas Lounge and then continued to the excellent First Class Lounge The Pier. I reviewed it last year. Little has changed:

Beyond the food and general atmosphere, the showers are also superb. No boarding pass check, no putting your name on a list, no buzzer with a two-hour wait like at Turkish. Just a warm, “Of course, please come with me.”

Conclusion

First, a brief summary of the pros and cons from my two flights:

* The rating refers to The Pier First Class Lounge in Hong Kong for Emerald status guests. The Business Lounge next door (included with a Business Class ticket) would only earn four stars.

Translated by Ditmar

A guest post by René

Founded in 1956, the Mongolian flag carrier MIAT is still largely unknown in Europe. Besides domestic routes within Mongolia, it operates many flights to Asia, especially Japan and South Korea. In Europe, only Frankfurt and Istanbul are currently served. Until recently, MIAT relied on Boeing 737s and, for long-haul flights, on an ageing 767 with a very unusual layout. Since 2023, MIAT has taken over two Dreamliners from Suparna Airlines, both registered in Ireland. The 787-9s were adopted with their original configuration and offer a competitive hard product. One important note: MIAT flies over Russian airspace, something to keep in mind when booking.

First, the facts:

• Flight: OM 138 Frankfurt FRA – Ulaanbaatar UBN
• Seats: 12A, 12D & 12G
• Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner EI-MGL (5 years old)
• Scheduled Departure: 14:20 (actual 14:46)
• Scheduled Arrival: 05:10 +1 (actual 04:06)
• Block Time: 8h 50m
• Travel Period: October 2025

Booking

I booked directly with MIAT. Our routing was FRA – UBN – ICN – UBN – FRA. The website is simple, fairly clear, and the menu is in English and self-explanatory.

Stopovers of up to 72 hours in Ulaanbaatar are officially allowed, but cannot be booked directly on the website. Two options: book the flight via an OTA, or book the flight normally with MIAT and then request the stopover by email. That worked very well for me; my return flight to Frankfurt was rescheduled for the next day, allowing me a 40-hour stopover. No extra charge. Whether this always works that smoothly, I don’t know.

There were two business-class fares available: a flex fare about €100 more expensive, or the regular fare, which allows cancellations for a €100 fee. Basically, a bit of a gimmick. I chose the regular fare. I booked approximately 10 months in advance during a Travel-Dealz deal for this routing: €1,432.97 per person in business class, including a stopover in Ulaanbaatar on the return, with a 14-hour layover already scheduled.

All four segments were originally scheduled to be operated by the Dreamliner. About a month before departure, one segment (ICN – UBN) was swapped to a 737-800 with recliner seats only. For a 3-hour daytime flight, that was fine. Included were the usual 2×32 kg checked bags and 1×12 kg carry-on.

Check-in

Using MIAT’s clean, well-designed BAGTAG app, I always had access to all information and changes, and later also to boarding passes. However, I checked in online via the website.

Check-in is at Terminal 2 at Frankfurt Airport. It opens exactly 3 hours before departure. There are three economy counters and one for business passengers. Bags are checked through to the final destination, and all boarding passes are issued.

Lounge(s)

The boarding pass includes access to the Primeclass Lounge. It’s located in the E-area and is rather small and compact, but at our time it was nearly empty. It offers a well-stocked self-service bar and a surprisingly decent selection of hot and cold food. We were positively surprised. Showers exist, but we didn’t use them.

In Ulaanbaatar, there is MIAT’s own Blue Sky Lounge. Space is limited, and during the morning rush, it’s always packed. The food selection is heavily tailored to Asian passengers (lots of instant noodles) and overall quite disappointing, except for the large vodka selection. There are no restrooms inside; you must use the crowded public airport toilets.

For completeness: in Seoul, you may use the excellent and almost empty Korean Air Lounge near Gate 28 in Terminal 1.

Boarding

Boarding begins about 50 minutes before departure. First, there is a boarding pass check to enter the gate’s holding area, which has no toilets. After that, business-class passengers board, followed by wheelchair users and families with children.

Boarding is through a single door located behind the business cabin. This is nice, as economy passengers don’t walk through the business cabin, making the arrival much calmer. Four flight attendants welcome passengers in the cabin.

Cabin & Seat

MIAT’s Dreamliners have 292 seats in three classes. Economy class has 226 seats in a 3-3-3 layout with 81 cm pitch. Premium Economy has 4 rows for 36 passengers, also 3-3-3 with 91 cm pitch, but no difference in width or features.

The business class is arranged in a 1-2-1 reverse-herringbone layout with 30 seats over 8 rows (the last row has only two centre seats). Installed are Cirrus III seats (formerly Zodiac, now Safran), the same type used by Air France or Thai on the 787-9, SriLankan on the A330, and Cathay Pacific on the A350-1000.

The seat turns into a fully flat 1.98 m bed, with 106 cm pitch and 56 cm width. The belt includes an airbag, so no three-point belt is needed.

The cabin occupies the entire forward section and feels open and tidy, but lacks any colour accents, making it visually a bit dull.

Centre seats offer strong privacy, good for solo travellers, but inconvenient for couples or families. Because of the reverse-herringbone layout, you sit next to but not facing each other, and have to lean forward to communicate. There’s no divider between the two centre seats.

At the windows, looking out or taking photos is also slightly challenging because you sit fairly far from the window. Still, these are the more private seats.

There’s a small storage compartment with a mirror, IFE remote, and reading light. At the window seats, the compartment is open and has no mirror. Next to the aisle, each seat has a small storage area. Under the armrest, there’s space for a water bottle (already provided). Under the foot well, there’s enough room for shoes or a small backpack. A USB-A port and universal socket are also available.

Amenities at the seat include a very thick blanket and a mattress pad, which significantly improve sleep quality. The footwell is wide and comfortable, suitable for both back and side sleepers. Only the pillow was somewhat small.

There are three toilets. Two in the forward galley are small with only spray and soap. The third, in the aft galley, is larger and shared with Premium Economy. A staff member strictly enforces access. Economy passengers are sent to the rear. This toilet also has a “loo with a view,” offering a great engine view.

Amenity Kit

The amenity kit, shaped like a toiletry bag, was simple and unspectacular: good earplugs, a tight sleep mask, a comb, a toothbrush with Colgate toothpaste, slippers, lip balm, and a hand cream with a surprisingly interesting scent. I missed a pair of socks. MIAT does not provide pyjamas or sleepwear.

Service

Shortly after settling in, a welcome drink is served. Besides champagne and orange juice, you can order any other beverage, and it will be brought immediately. Before each of the two meals, a hot towel is offered; a large, thick, high-quality cotton towel.

The flight attendants are always very courteous and polite. However, their English is limited to memorised, rehearsed phrases. More complex questions are therefore not well understood, and small talk is almost impossible. Service is also very slow. Not ideal if you’re trying to maximise sleep. The first meal service lasted almost two hours. Still, they proactively checked several times whether you wanted anything else to eat.

I also noticed that there were no announcements from the cockpit during any of the four segments. This may be normal for Asian carriers, but as a European, I do like hearing at least something from the pilots.

Food & Drinks

After the hot towel came the first drink round, served with very tasty pine nuts.

Then there was a small amuse-bouche (tomato and mozzarella), and afterwards the main courses were taken. There was no printed menu, but the crew were able to list and explain everything very well. The options were:

• Tender beef with potato gratin, vegetables, and caramelised onions
• Lamb with tagliatelle and stewed vegetables
• Salmon with mashed potatoes, mushrooms, and vegetables

All three dishes were delicious, though the lamb was a bit tough. The meal came with bread (garlic bread was also available) and a cheese plate, plus salt and pepper. A small cake was served as dessert.

The second meal service began exactly two hours before landing. The lights were turned on, and everyone was inevitably woken up. Breakfast consisted of a filled omelette with fairly crispy bacon, porridge, and some fruit.

The quality of the food was excellent in all four segments. Consistently very tasty.

Entertainment & (No) Wi-Fi

Good noise-cancelling headphones were provided at the seat. The touchscreen monitor could also be operated via the remote control. Contrary to many older reports, about 40 English-language films are available. Not the very newest, but at least from the past year. As always, I stuck to the flight map.

Wi-Fi is not offered on MIAT flights.

Conclusion

Translated by Ditmar

December is right around the corner, and there are plenty of reasons to travel next month. Some will want to have beautiful Christmas holidays, some will need to travel to visit their families, some will want to escape the cold winter weather, and some will be looking to get the few missing status miles together. Whichever group you belong to, we’ve got you covered. First, we’ll take care of those still planning their Christmas Holidays, then we’ll focus on other deals that you can enjoy before Christmas.

Deals Available in the Christmas Holidays

Still planning your Christmas holidays? Well, it’s not too late, and while there aren’t super many options, we’ve found a few things that can help you save some money on your vacation.

Flights

First, let’s see which destinations you can fly to if you still don’t have anything planned for Christmas:

New York & Miami: €2,975 Oneworld First Class Tickets from Stockholm & Lisbon

If you’ve just won the lottery and want to have the best Christmas vacation ever, then this might be a nice idea. Fly first class to Christmas-City, New York! Flights from Stockholm cost SEK 32,693 (~€2,984) with British Airways, which is a great price for that route and travel period. You can depart on the day before Christmas Eve and fly back daily between December 28 and January 1 – even allowing you to spend New Year’s Eve at Times Square before flying back.

You can also depart from Lisbon. While the tickets are around €75 more expensive, the availability is higher.

Bangkok & Singapore: €1,332 Biman Bangladesh Business Class from Rome

If you’d like to spend New Year’s Eve in Singapore, this Biman Bangladesh deal could be a good way to get there. You’d depart from Rome on either December 25 or 28, spend 24 hours in Bangladesh, and then arrive in Singapore. The 8-hour flights to Dhaka are in lie-flat business class, while the 4-hour flights to Singapore are in Recliners. The earliest flight back after New Year’s Eve is on January 5. Using this deal to Bangkok is more complicated, as the latest departure date at this price is already December 9.

Wizz Air Flights between Poland & Norway for €33 r/t (€170 with Luggage)

Dreaming of a white Christmas? It doesn’t get much snowier than spending it in Trondheim (as I did in 2010, with -30°C and waist-high snow). Wizz Air is selling tickets from Poland to Norway – even on some dates during the Christmas holidays – for as little as PLN 138 (~€33) r/t. And if you’re a Norwegian wanting to get away from the snow piles for a couple of days, the deal works in the other direction, too.

Cruises

Want to spend Christmas on a cruise ship? There are some options:

MSC Musica Islands Cruise from Tenerife, incl. Tips (Outside Cabin)

If you book this 7-night MSC cruise for dates outside the Christmas holidays (e.g. December 7-14), you’ll merely pay €437 per person for an outside cabin, including tips and meals. While the Christmas dates cannot match that price, paying €749 per person for the Christmas cruise (December 21-28) is still a very fair price. There’s also an option in between, costing €557 between December 14-21.

Ruby Princess: 16-Night Hawaii & Mexico Cruise from San Francisco in an Oceanview Cabin

Looking to spend your Christmas holidays on board the Ruby Princess, cruising both to Hawaii and Mexico? Then this 16-night cruise from San Francisco is a “cheap” option. An oceanview cabin for dates including Christmas and New Year’s Eve (December 17 – January 2) costs €1,139 per person. If you’re looking to save some money, you can take the cruise before that (December 1 – 17) for €855 per person.

Celestyal Cruises from Dubai & Abu Dhabi, Starting at €369 pp (incl. Tips & Mealtime Drinks)

If you want to spend the Christmas holidays in the Middle East, you could add these Orient cruises for as little as €369 per person, including tips, drinks during meals, and wi-fi for messaging. The cruises are 3 to 7 nights long – whichever you prefer.

Hotels

There are too many hotels worldwide for us to make specific recommendations. However, we can still remind you of the current hotel promos and our best hotel deals that are available in this travel period:

IHG One Rewards: Up to 3x Points for Stays (Registration Required)

Before we dive into specific options, here’s something that you can apply to your Christmas holidays overall. IHG is still offering triple points on stays through the end of the year, as long as you register. Now, not everyone will be spending their holidays at IHG hotels, but those who do should definitely remember to register for this promo.

Hilton Honors: 2,500 Bonus Points per Stay (Registration Required)

Same story as above. This won’t be the main factor in your holiday plans, but if you’re staying at a Hilton, don’t forget to sign up for this promo, which gives you 2,500 extra points per stay.

Marriott Bonvoy: 2,025 Bonus Points per Stay (Max. Three Stays, Registration Required)

Marriott also has a similar promotion for its members, valid for up to three stays before January 10. This one also requires you to sign up first.

Wyndham Rewards: 7,500 Bonus Points Every 2 Nights (Registration Required)

While not very popular amongst our readers, it’s worth mentioning that Wyndham also has a points promo for this travel period. And objectively speaking, it’s the most generous, as it gets you a free night (at their low-class hotels) after only 2 nights.

Vancouver: Free Prepaid Mastercard for Hotel Stays = Hotels with up to 49% Discount

If you’re going to spend the Christmas holidays in Vancouver, make sure to book your hotel on stayvancouverhotels.com, as, in simplified terms, it will get you a discount of up to CA$250 (~€154).

Roomers Munich, Autograph Collection: €187/Night Incl. Breakfast & $100 Credit (Min. 3 Nights)

If you’re spending Christmas in Southern Germany, then you may want to consider staying 3 nights at the 5-star Roomers hotel in Munich. Through our partner Classictravel, you’d pay only €178 per night, including breakfast, and US$100 (~€86) to spend at the hotel.

Deals Available in December, Before Christmas

Want to relax a bit before the family comes over on Christmas? Or want to earn some status miles while escaping the cold European temperatures? Well, we have plenty of ideas:

Flights

Looking for a spontaneous escape, leaving Europe behind you in December, before the Christmas rush begins? We have a lot of options ready for you:

Xi’an, China: €1,448 Non-Stop Shanghai Airlines Business Class from Budapest

If you’re looking for a last-minute business class flight, you could fly non-stop from Budapest to Xi’an with Shanghai Airlines. The latest outbound date at this price before the Christmas holidays is December 13. You can fly back on December 20, 27, or January 10.

Business Class to 20 Chinese Cities for €1,329 with Lufthansa & Air China from Norway

If Xi’an is not for you, and you prefer flying to other cities in China, you can also fly with Air China from Norway. The price is even €100 cheaper, though Air China’s business class is not as fancy, still flying a 2-2-2 seat alignment. The latest departure date before Christmas is December 10, with flights back to Norway at that price being available on December 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, and 26.

Southeast Asia, China & More: €422 Shenzhen Airlines Flights from Barcelona (With 2×23 Kg)

If you’re looking to explore Asia in December, last-minute and as cheaply as possible, you could fly with Star Alliance member Shenzhen Airlines from Barcelona for as little as €422, including 2 x 23 kg of luggage. Sadly, the latest departure date at that price is December 5. Flights back, however, are in abundance – almost daily until December 30.

China, Thailand, Vietnam & More Asia: China Southern Flights from Madrid Starting at €368

Flights from the other Spanish metropolis, Madrid, are even cheaper. There, you’d be flying with China Southern for only €368. However, with only 1 x 23 kg of luggage. The latest departure date at that price is December 11. You can fly back on any Monday, Wednesday, or Friday up to December 31.

China: €664 Shanghai Airlines Non-Stop Premium Economy Flights from Budapest

If business class is too expensive and economy class too uncomfortable, there’s premium economy in between. Non-stop flights from Budapest to China start at only €664 with Shanghai Airlines. The latest departure date before Christmas is on December 6, with flights back available on December 13, 14, 20, and 27.

Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia & More: Etihad Business Class from Europe, Starting at €1,585

Etihad is very popular amongst our readers, so this business-class deal might raise more than a few eyebrows. However, the latest available date in December is already December 3. In other words, this is very last-minute and not really a Christmas deal, unless you’re planning on a very long Christmas holiday. Flights back are available on every Tuesday and Sunday until December 28.

Bangkok: €993 ITA Airways Premium Economy from Italy, Spain, France & Greece

Another last-minute deal. This one has you flying to Bangkok in premium economy with ITA Airways. The price of €993 is attractive, but the last possible departure date in December is on December 4, and the last return date is also only 1 week later.

Kigali, Entebbe, Johannesburg & Maputo: €501 Ethiopian Airlines Flights from London

Looking to escape the cold winter and spend some time in Africa? Ethiopian has some options, with €500 tickets that include 2x 23 kg of luggage. Sadly, the latest departure date is on December 4, and you’ll have to fly back before December 24. So plan on spending Christmas back home.

Johannesburg, South Africa: €408 Air France/KLM Flights from Norway (€522 with Luggage)

Looking to escape the Norwegian cold before Christmas? Then Air France and KLM will gladly fly you to South Africa for as little as €408. The last departure date before Christmas is on December 7, and you have to fly back by December 25.

Bangkok: €675 Non-Stop Norse Premium Economy from Oslo & Stockholm (€769 with 23 Kg)

If you want to fly premium economy to Bangkok, paying €675 for the round-trip is an insanely cheap price – especially for a non-stop connection. This price is available for departures before December 7 and returns before December 25.

Bangkok: €506 Hainan Airlines Flights from Brussels (With Luggage)

If you’re in Brussels, you can fly to Bangkok for €506, including luggage. The flights are offered by the 5-star airline Hainan Airlines, with short layovers in China. The last departure date before Christmas is on December 8. Flying back is more flexible, with almost daily availability until December 30.

Tokyo Haneda: €1,030 ITA Airways Premium Economy from Italy, Spain, France & Brussels

ITA Airways is selling cheap premium economy tickets to Tokyo. The latest departure date for the €1,030 price is December 12. The flight back has to take place by December 24.

Shanghai, China: €1,512 Turkish Airlines Business Class from Bucharest

If you can get to Bucharest before December 11, Turkish Airlines will fly you business class to Shanghai for only €1,512. You can fly back almost daily until January 1. In theory, you could spend both Christmas and New Year’s Eve in China.

Cruises

Looking for a cheap last-minute cruise? Look no further:

Costa Pacifica: 15 Nights from Italy → Dominican Republic in an Oceanview Cabin for €599 pp

Looking to spend two weeks in December on board a cruise ship and Christmas in the Dominican Republic? Then this deal is just what you’re looking for. Departing from Savona, Italy, on December 6, you’ll only pay €599 per person in an outside cabin, including meals and tips. You’ll reach La Romana on December 21.

MSC Splendida: 7 Nights in a Balcony Cabin from Barcelona for €668 pp, incl. Tips & Credit

If you liked the idea of a December cruise but want to stay in Europe, you can book the MSC Splendida. The 7-night cruise starts and ends in Barcelona, and a balcony cabin merely costs €668. The two possible dates are December 6-13 or 13-20.

Royal Princess Cruise in Balcony Cabin from Los Angeles for $935/€672 pp

If you’d like to spend the majority of December on board a cruise ship, you can head to Los Angeles and embark on a 14-night cruise. A balcony cabin on the Royal Princess currently costs merely €601 per person. The cruise departs on December 6 and returns on December 20.

Brand New Ships: 7-Night Caribbean Cruises for €418 pp (Oceanview Cabin)

The Sun Princess and Star Princess are beautiful new cruise ships offering a range of modern amenities. This December, you have a couple of options (before Christmas) to spend 7 nights on either ship, departing from and returning to Fort Lauderdale, for as little as €418 per person in an outside cabin.

Caribbean Princess Cruise from Fort Lauderdale for €588 pp (Outside Cabin)

Retired and have loads of time on your hands? How about heading to Fort Lauderdale and getting on board the Caribbean Princess in Fort Lauderdale on December 11? Then, after 12 nights, you disembark in Fort Lauderdale again, on December 23, right in time to enjoy Christmas on the mainland. The cruise only costs €588 per person in an outside cabin.

Hotels

Last but not least, here are some of the best hotel deals available in December:

Hotel Stripes Kuala Lumpur (Autograph Collection): €86 per Night incl. Breakfast

If you’re going to Kuala Lumpur in December, we’ve got a good hotel for you. Through ASMALLWORLD, you can book Marriott’s 5-star Hotel Stripes for merely €86 per night, including breakfast, an upgrade, and a couple of extras. There isn’t even a minimum stay requirement. Sadly, the price doubles during the Christmas holidays.

Bangkok: €152/Night at the Banyan Tree Hotel in a 48m² Room Incl. Breakfast, Lounge Access

Staying at the Banyan Tree Hotel in Bangkok, with breakfast and lounge access for only €152 per night, is a great deal. Sadly, it’s not available during peak Christmas holidays, but you can take advantage of the 2-night offer on December 7-9, as well as on a couple of other nights in December for a slightly higher price. The latest available dates in December, however, are December 21-23. Remember to use code dealz8 to get the cheapest price.

Regent Hong Kong: 3-for-2 Deal, Starting at €346/Night with Breakfast & $100 Credit (Flex)

The Regent Hong Kong is currently offering a 3-for-2 deal, and while the hotel is very expensive during the Christmas holidays, you can get a price of around €350 on most December dates before Christmas Eve. Considering that this is one of the best hotels in an expensive city like Hong Kong, that’s a good deal. So, how about beginning your Christmas holidays in Hong Kong, e.g. paying €359 per night from December 21 – 24:

Playa del Carmen: Mahekal Beach Resort for €207/Night, with Breakfast, Dinner (min. 4 Nights)

Looking to enjoy some time on the beach before the Christmas holidays? Then head to Playa del Carmen, where the beautiful Mahekal Beach Resort is offering a great deal. A rate with breakfast and dinner only costs €207 per night, as long as you stay at least 4 nights. The latest check-out date, however, is December 23.

The Canary Islands have always been a popular destination for cruises, especially in the winter. This season, there are even more ships than usual cruising the Canaries. Because of safety issues in the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf, many cruise lines have decided to offer Canary Islands itineraries instead. As a result, the islands will host seven mainstream cruise lines with eight ships offering one-week itineraries, in addition to the ships visiting from other parts of Europe.

Perhaps you have been planning a cruise in this region for a long time but have not yet decided on a specific cruise line or a particular ship. In this article, we would like to give you an overview of which ships will be operating in the Canary Islands in the upcoming winter season.

As a native of the Canary Islands and a travel journalist, I have prepared some insider information for each island that many of the passengers on your cruise ship may be unaware of.

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Canary Islands Cruises

This winter, cruise tourism has experienced an explosion of ships in the islands. There will be five different mainstream cruises for the German market, two for the British market, and two for the European market, in addition to luxury cruise lines and cruises departing from the European mainland to visit the Canary Islands and return. We have reviewed all the options so that you can make an informed decision about which cruise might be ideal for you to escape the European cold and enjoy the Canary Islands.

AIDA

The German market leader AIDA, part of the Carnival group, will be operating in the Canary Islands during the winter of 2025/2026 with the ships AIDAcosma, AIDAbella, and AIDAluna. This year, they have added a third cruise that was originally scheduled to be in the Arabian Emirates.

The AIDAcosma will primarily offer one-week cruises from November 2025 to March 2026. You can start or end your journey in either Gran Canaria or Tenerife. On the 7-night tours, the ship also calls at Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Madeira, and La Palma. At the end of the season, there will be a one-off repositioning cruise to the Mediterranean in March 2026, where you can disembark in either Barcelona (9 nights) or Palma de Mallorca (10 nights). The AIDAcosma is a sister ship to the Costa Smeralda and Costa Toscana, so you can expect a similar experience.

f you prefer to travel on a smaller cruise, AIDA will have the two sister ships, AIDAbella and AIDAluna, from the Sphinx class, which are typically sent by the German cruise line to the islands every winter. With these cruises, you can depart from Fuerteventura or Tenerife for some sailings, but the majority of departures are from Gran Canaria. The itineraries vary, with some sailings visiting continental Africa and the standard itinerary visiting the Canary Islands and Madeira.

TUI Cruises

Mein Schiff is a joint venture between the German tour operator TUI and Royal Caribbean, positioned slightly more premium than AIDA. This winter, due to the situation in the Middle East, it is deploying its two most newest ships, the Mein Schiff 7 and the Mein Schiff Relax, in the Canary Islands. Like AIDA, Mein Schiff primarily operates in German, although the staff usually speaks English; however, you should keep in mind that it is an experience designed for the German market. One of the positive aspects of traveling with this cruise line is the all-inclusive package, which includes over a hundred brands of alcohol and tips included in the price.

The Mein Schiff 7 will be based in the port of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria for the upcoming winter season. The program includes various cruises lasting from 7 to 14 nights. In addition to the Canary Islands, the ship will, depending on the route, either stop in Madeira or Agadir. It is possible to combine both routes.

Furthermore, you can also opt for a cruise on the newest fleet member, Mein Schiff Relax. Here, embarkation is possible not only in Gran Canaria but also in Tenerife. This ship offers one-week trips. In April 2026, there will be a one-off repositioning cruise lasting 9 nights from Tenerife to Mallorca.

MSC Cruises

If you prefer a less German atmosphere during your cruise vacation, both MSC and Costa Cruises will be operating in the islands. In the case of MSC, it will operate with the MSC Musica, one of the smaller ships in the fleet, but ideal for a relaxing vacation.

To ensure maximum flexibility for arrival and departure, MSC allows embarkation in Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife. The trips last for one week, and the ship calls at destinations including Madeira and Fuerteventura. Departures are available until April 2026.

Costa Cruises

Additionally, the Italian cruise line Costa will also be present in the Canary Islands this winter with the Costa Fortuna. If you are nostalgic for the old Costa Cruises, this is one of your last opportunities to travel on this classic ship, as it will be sold to Margaritaville at Sea in 2026 to offer cruises in the Bahamas.

The Costa Fortuna will offer one-week cruises with embarkation in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria or Santa Cruz de Tenerife from December 2025 to April 2026. You can also book the positioning cruises from Europe to the Canaries in December, returning in April.

Additionally, due to the cancellation of Emirates cruises for the Costa Toscana, there will be a trip in November from Europe to the Canary Islands with Costa’s flagship.

P&O Cruises

If you don’t want to be listening to German during your vacation or feel like you’re in the European Parliament in Brussels hearing announcements in five languages, you have two British options for visiting the islands, departing from the Canary Islands.

On one hand, you have the P&O Azura with one-week itineraries from Tenerife. Although it is a ship from 2010, it will be refurbished in April 2026. On the other hand, Marella (TUI UK) will have one of its cruises with weekly departures in the Canary Islands.

Luxury Cruise Lines

For those seeking a more intimate cruising experience without the large crowds and with a more flexible budget, there are two alternatives to consider:

MS La Belle des Océans: This ship, operated by CroisiEurope, has a maximum capacity of 130 passengers and operates open jaw itineraries starting or ending in Lanzarote or Tenerife.

Windstar: The American luxury cruise line Windstar is launching 10 night itineraries this season for the first time departing from Tenerife with stops in La Gomera, La Palma, Madeira (with an overnight stay), Lanzarote, and Gran Canaria.

Cruises to the Canary Islands from Europe

If health issues or fears prevent you from traveling by plane but you want to visit the Canary Islands without spending almost two days on a passenger ferry, there are options available for the winter season.

From Barcelona: The Celebrity Infinity will have 10-11 day routes to the Canary Islands and Morocco during the months of December and January.

From the United Kingdom: P&O Cruises will offer several cruises on this route from Southampton this winter. We recommend doing it with Iona, as it is the newest ship. If you are looking for a premium experience, Cunard will have several trips this winter with the brand new Queen Anne and Queen Victoria. Although it is not the cheapest cruise of the season, this sailing of the Queen Victoria coincides with Carnival week.

Tips for the Ports in the Canary Islands

As a local of the Canary Islands, I would like to provide some information that I hope will help you during your cruise in the Canary Islands. You will need to choose whether your cruise departs from Santa Cruz de Tenerife or Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. If you purchase your cruise with flights, you don’t need to worry, but if you’re traveling independently, you should be aware that Tenerife has two airports (North and South), and only the South has direct flights outside of Spain. You can fly into Tenerife North, but you will typically need to connect through Madrid or Barcelona.

If it is up to you where your cruise starts, either of the two islands is a good starting point for your cruise. However, my personal recommendation, whether you decide to take just the cruise or stay longer, is to start from Gran Canaria. That said, if the combination of flight prices plus the cruise is more economical from Tenerife, it is also a good option.

How to Get to The Canary Islands

Unless you are coming to the islands on a passenger ferry from Huelva or a repositioning cruise, you will take to take a plane to get to your cruise. Fortunely the Canary Islands has an outstanding connectivity and you can find all sort of options from the cheapest low cost flight with extras to fly on business class on a lie flat seat with Finnair or EDELWEISS with their Airbus A350.

Low Cost Carriers

The Canary Islands welcome more than fifteen million tourists, and most fly on low-cost airlines. Practically every regional airport, even the smallest in Europe, offers flights to the Canary Islands in winter. Keep in mind which airline you choose based on how convenient it is for you, and if you have several airlines with the same price, compare the cost of extras (seats, checked baggage) to make your decision.

Flag Carriers

Slowly but surely, flag carriers are starting to have more connections with the islands. The Lufthansa Group offers the most options, both via Zurich with EDELWEISS and with Lufthansa or Discover Airlines in Germany, as well as Brussels Airlines or Austrian Airlines. In Northern Europe, you can fly with SAS or Finnair to the Canary Islands on the Airbus A350, with plenty of connections, while Aer Lingus and British Airways also offer flights to the islands. The downside is that all international flights arrive at Tenerife South.

The other option is to fly via mainland Spain, particularly if your cruise departs from Tenerife, because most flights from mainland Spain arrive at Tenerife North. In this case, the best choice would be Iberia due to its number of connections and hand luggage policy. If you have status with SkyTeam, Air Europa is another option to consider, which allows a free bag for SkyTeam Elite holders. My personal recommendation is to avoid Vueling, unless the price of extras and connections works in your favor.

How to get from the airport to the port

If you fly to Gran Canaria: If you want to go directly to Las Palmas, you will need to take the local bus (guagua) 60 to Santa Catalina for €2.95, and it will drop you off near the cruise terminal. A taxi will cost between €30 and €40; if you go directly to the cruise, ask the driver to leave you at “centro comercial el muelle,” which is next to the cruise terminal, and you won’t have to pay the extra fee.

If you fly to Tenerife: Fom Tenerife South, you will need to take bus 111 for around €10 or pay €80 to €100 for a taxi for a 45 minute ride to get to Santa Cruz. If you choose to fly to Tenerife Norte, the taxi ride will take 10 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic, and it will cost around €30. Alternatively, you can take bus line 20 to the capital for €2.65.

Public transport in the Canaries is not designed for tourists, and although it is technically possible to do sightseeing this way, I personally do not recommend it. A good hack is to reserve a rental car at the airport with return at the port. In January, you can book a car with Cicar for three days from Tenerife South to the port of Santa Cruz for €100. This might be the first time you hear about this rental agency, but it is a staple in the Canary Islands. For €25 to €40 a day, you can rent a car with a second driver included, no credit card needed for the reservation, zero deductible, and even pay with cash.

Cicar is the largest car rental company in the islands, but you can also check TopCar, AutoReisen, or Plus Car, although the latter is a budget option. At the cruise terminals of all the islands, you can rent cars for €80, which, while not the cheapest price, will be less than a taxi. The current price of 95-octane gasoline in Tenerife is €1.10 per liter.

Both ports have accommodation options for all budgets, although if you plan to stay one night in Tenerife before your cruise, I recommend staying in La Laguna instead of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

What to Do During Your Cruise Stop

Tenerife: If you don’t want to complicate things, you can visit La Laguna by taking the tram (45 minutes, €1.35), which is a UNESCO World Heritage site where you can enjoy its historic center and gastronomy. If the weather is nice, you can go to Playa de Las Teresitas, which is just a few kilometers away.

Personally, I would take advantage of the layover time and rent a car. If you’re traveling with kids, you should head to the South to Siam Park, one of the best water parks in Europe, and eat in Tajao, a fishing village very close to Tenerife South airport. Another option is to visit the north of the island, reaching Garachico and the area known as “isla baja.” Along the way, you can try a “guachinche,” which are restaurants that only sell their own harvested wine and homemade food.

Gran Canaria: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has plenty to offer for your day stop. You can visit the historic old town in Vegueta or enjoy Playa de Las Canteras. That said, if you feel up for it, I would rent a car to visit the village of Teror, the Cruz de Tejeda, the village of Artenara, and the dunes of Maspalomas.

Fuerteventura: Locals refer to the island’s capital as “Muerto del Rosario” (Dead of the Rosary) due to the limited activities. If you don’t want to rent a car, the excursion I would recommend is to the north of the island to Corralejo on line 6. To visit the dunes, you will need to get off at “los hoteles” (the hotels). The bus runs every half hour during the week.

Lanzarote: If you don’t want to go too far, you can stay in Arrecife and visit Charco de San Ginés, Castillo de San José, and, if the weather is good, take a swim in the urban Playa del Reducto. Like in the other islands, I recommend renting a car to make the most of the day and visit some works by the local artist César Manrique, such as the Cueva de los Verdes, the Jardín de Cactus, or the Jameos del Agua. If you want to eat, search for “teleclub” on Google Maps; these places used to be social clubs 50 years ago where people went to watch television, but nowadays they are run by locals with very affordable prices and typically good quality.

La Palma: If you don’t want to rent a car, you can visit the historic center of Santa Cruz de La Palma. If you want to go hiking, you have the Cubo de la Galga, which is less than half an hour away by bus from the capital. After the hike, you can eat at Casa Asterio, which is right in front of the bus stop to return to Santa Cruz de La Palma. If you rent a car and the weather is nice, I recommend driving up to Roque de los Muchachos and returning through Garafía to explore the northwest region. If you don’t have much time on your stop, you can return to Santa Cruz.

La Gomera: This stop is not typically on most cruise itineraries. If you are in Tenerife, you can book an excursion for €100, which includes the bus, ferry to La Gomera, and a tour. The roads in La Gomera are narrower than on other islands, so it may not be very comfortable to visit by car; you can always book an excursion.

On all the islands, you will find taxi drivers offering routes, which can be a more comfortable option but more expensive; however, if you have a group of 6 to 8 people, this is ideal. To get an idea of local prices in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the flag fall during the week is €3, the kilometer costs €0.85, and the hourly waiting rate is €17. Therefore, if you research the route before negotiating, you’ll know whether you’re being offered a good or bad price.

One last recommendation is for shopping. Although the Canaries are no longer a free port, there are still items where prices will be better than in Europe. Perfumes are usually cheaper, so check their prices before purchasing, and you might find a good deal. Photography equipment in stores run by the Hindu community often has better prices; I recommend checking the websites of Orly or Duke Fotografia to compare prices with those in your area. Everything you purchase will have a 3-year warranty in Spain. Lastly, my recommendation is to buy local wines if you are checking in luggage, or local rum (Ron Aldea 8 Barricas for around €18) if you are shopping at the Duty Free store at the airport.

Conclusion

If you’ve been dreaming of a Canary Islands cruise, this winter is a truly great opportunity. A shift in global itineraries has turned the region into a buzzing hub for ships, which means more choice in styles and experiences than we’ve ever seen. Whether you’re looking for the high energy of a mega-ship or the quiet elegance of a smaller luxury vessel, a perfect sunny escape is waiting for you.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to leave them in the comments, and I will try to answer as soon as possible.

LuxuryEscapes is one of our favourite sites to search for great hotel deals. Not every deal on their site is good, but some of them are really great. And if you combine them with our exclusive 8% coupon, you’ll often save quite a lot on these 5-star hotels and resorts. We’ve decided to give you an overview of the LuxuryEscapes deals we’ve posted recently, the ones that you can expect to see in more detail in the near future, and an honourable mention.

LuxuryEscapes Promo Code

Let’s begin with the star of this show. Our 8% LuxuryEscapes not only makes their already good offers even more attractive – it can also save you money on offers we don’t list below. No matter if you are interested in one of our featured deals or eyeing something completely different: When spending at least €200, you can save up to €400 when entering dealz8 during checkout.

Our Best LuxuryEscapes Deals

Daily Travel-Dealz readers will be familiar with the deals in this section, but who knows, maybe you missed one:

Bangkok: Banyan Tree for €152/night with breakfast & lounge access

Bangkok is a very popular destination amongst our readers, and so this deal did very well. And it’s really a good one, offering you a large room, breakfast, and lounge access for only €152 at the Banyan Tree hotel with it’s iconic Vertigo rooftop bar.

Bali: Six Senses Uluwatu for €506/night, with breakfast, dinner, & extras

This deal clearly puts an emphasis on the Luxury in LuxuryEscapes, as Six Senses is one of the most luxurious hotel chains. Currently, you can book the Six Senses uluwatu on Bali for €506 per night, including breakfast, dinner, and some extras.

London: Marble Arch for €170/night, with breakfast

Fancy hotels in London are usually very expensive, so this deal for the well-located Marble Arch Hotel for €170/night with breakfast may be quite attractive for many readers visiting the British capital between January and April, or after September 2026.

Florence: Relais Uffizi for €156/night, with breakfast

Florence is another destination where hotels are expensive if you want a good location. Thanks to this deal, however, you can spend 3 nights there for only €469 (i.e. €156/night), including (a very good) breakfast. Sadly, the price is only available until February.

Singapore: Sofitel Sentosa Island for €257/night, with breakfast, dinner, & extras

Speaking of expensive destinations, Singapore is also one of them. And the island of Sentosa even more so. Now, Sentosa is not for everyone. If you’re going to Singapore for shopping, Marina Bay, and the Supertrees, then you should maybe stay somewhere else. But if you’re planning to relax at the beach or take your kids to Universal Studios and other highlights of Sentosa, then this Sofitel is a good choice. You’ll pay €257 per night, including breakfast and dinner, plus a few extras.

Playa del Carmen: Mahekal Beach Resort for €207/night with breakfast, dinner, & extras

This one’s more for our American readers, looking to spend some time at a Mexican beach next summer. The Mahekal Beach Resort in Playa del Carmen is a beautiful resort, and you’d currently pay €207 per night, including breakfast, dinner, and some extras. You can also bring 2 kids for free.

London: The Clermont, Victoria for €234/night with Breakfast

While not as cheap as the Marble Arch hotel, this boutique hotel right next to Victoria station is also quite an attractive deal. Usually charging over €300 per night, you can currently get it for only €234 through LuxuryEscapes. The minimum stay is only 2 nights.

Other Good Deals on LuxuryEscapes

There are also a couple of LuxuryEscapes deals that we have an eye on. While we cannot promise that we’ll present them in more detail, these are definitely worth a closer look:

Kuala Lumpur: EQ for €144/night, with breakfast

Other than most cities on this list, Kuala Lumpur is actually a rather cheap destination, with 5-star hotels often charging 2-digit prices. Nevertheless, this deal for the EQ Kuala Lumpur is still worth taking a look at, as the rooms are really large and the hotel offers beautiful views of the Petronas Towers. The hotel is located exactly in the middle between the Petronas Towers, the KL Tower, and the Golden Triangle with all of its shopping malls, so the location is quite ideal for any type of traveller.

Bali: RIMBA for €186/night, with breakfast, dinner, and many extras

You’d be staying in a 42 m² resort view room, get daily buffet breakfast and dinner, unlimited rounds of putting golf, access to three beach clubs, and much more. You have to stay at least 5 nights, and it’s available year-round.

The new Swiss Senses cabin on board the new Swiss Airbus A350 is currently touring around Europe. That’s ideal not only for Swiss cabin crew to get familiar with the procedures, but also for aviation enthusiasts, and therefore also for us, to take a look at the cabin away from big press events.

In this article, we’ll take you along on two flights across Europe aboard Swiss’s newest fleet member: one evening flight from Zurich to Prague and then the return flight the next morning. So please excuse the differences in lighting conditions in the photos.

The Cabin

Familiar, yet quite different. That describes the cabin pretty accurately. The seat layout is identical to Lufthansa’s Allegris cabin down to the details. Swiss only offers two additional rows in Business and Premium Economy in their Airbus A350-900.

In Zurich, they’ve also chosen a different colour concept, which is implemented differently across the travel classes. Everywhere you can find subtle references to the existing Swiss onboard product, especially in Premium Economy, which in this form has already been used on the long-haul fleet since 2022.

Swiss manages to give a well-known cabin concept a distinct twist and a clear recognition factor. Each of the 243 seats reflects the previously known design language, now complemented by a Bordeaux red colour accent. The cabin layout per class is as follows:

• 156 seats in Economy Class
• 38 seats in Premium Economy Class
• 45 seats in Business Class
• 3–4 seats in First Class

Economy Class

This is the travel class in which most passengers will continue to sit in the future, and compared to older Swiss seats still flying around, it has finally arrived in the present day. That means adjustable headrests, a proper entertainment system, and, unfortunately, still rather narrow armrests.

The design hasn’t changed much. You still get the beige checked pattern seat, likely without the white cloth headrest, in the future. The side padding should increase comfort on longer flights.

The screen now measures 13 inches, offers 4K resolution, and responds quickly via touch. It’s available in four languages and has USB-C, USB-A, and a headphone jack. Bluetooth pairing for headphones is finally possible.

The tray table is no longer foldable in the middle, meaning if you want to place something down without fully opening the table, you’re limited to the cupholder. The table also pulls forward and has a perforation for drinks. Whether this open lock is a good long-term idea, though, is questionable. Crumbs and grains of rice will likely end up in there sooner or later.

Currently, the first Economy row behind Premium Economy is blocked (as was the case for a long time at Lufthansa) because airbags are missing. These would prevent the head from hitting the hard plastic partition. Apparently, there wasn’t enough time to install Lufthansa’s solution before delivery.

What are the best Economy seats in the new Senses cabin?

Assuming the seats directly behind Premium Economy become usable soon, these seats are probably the best choice, thanks to their extra legroom. With only two rows there, it’s relatively private and calm.

Otherwise, I’d recommend seats in row 28 or row 43 on the right-hand side. The first still has decent legroom, the latter is a row of 2 seats by the window, and thus more relaxed than the typical triple rows.

Premium Economy

Most frequent flyers already know these seats, as they are more or less identical since 2022. Due to the hard shell, the seat moves forward inside the shell when you recline, so the person behind you isn’t affected. Tall passengers may find this uncomfortable at the knees, though.

Swiss chose a slightly updated version of this seat. Like in Business and First, you can now wirelessly charge devices under the armrest. Probably only on brand new aircraft, retrofitting the existing fleet would be too much effort.

Another shared feature with Business/First is the three-point belt, which must only be worn during takeoff and landing. The little divider at head level gives a slight sense of privacy.

Under the centre armrest, you’ll find wireless charging, a headphone jack, and USB-A. Two mechanical buttons adjust the seat; however, these are placed awkwardly. On night flights, I’ve accidentally pressed them in my sleep, which then reset the seat position and woke me up. The same happened to colleague Felix, according to his review.

What are the best Premium Economy seats?

There are hardly any differences between seats here. I’d prefer the window pairs, maybe the first row, but comfort differences are minimal.

Business Class

In the previous Swiss Business, you still had a bit of a “choice” between pairs or single seats. Now every seat has direct aisle access, but in return, there are fewer seats ideal for couples. Seat materials are in deep Bordeaux red with black accents and light wood surfaces.

Pros and cons are identical to Lufthansa Allegris Business, and I’m including my Allegris long-haul experience as well regarding space, seating comfort, and sleep comfort (these parameters translate 1:1 to Senses due to identical seat platform).

All Swiss Senses Business seats have:

• seat heating/cooling
• 4K monitor
• wireless charging
• 60W USB-C + USB-A + universal power outlet
• “sink-in” padding for side sleepers
• closing compartment for an amenity kit, etc.

One major drawback across all seats: you still can’t use the tablet and main screen simultaneously. If you open the tablet (e.g. to change seat mode), the main screen switches off.

Extra Privacy Seat (Window)

Probably the most interesting seat type. There are 12 of them, and the two in row 7 offer extra space. Swiss doesn’t charge extra for them.

What’s a slight negative: the fixed armrest on the window side restricts sleeping position somewhat, though shoulder space remains fine. Storage and having two windows are big advantages.

Classic Seat/Extra Long Bed Seat

This is the weakest seat type in the new Swiss Senses Business. Most exposed and less foot space. There are 15 of them, so most passengers will end up here.

Rows C and H have a bit more storage than D and G. You can sit closer together here with a travel partner (which is otherwise only possible in Business suites, which are even more expensive).

The Extra Long Bed version adds 20cm more footwell length. There are 5 of them. Unfortunately, it doesn’t really increase usable foot space. Tall people may still struggle sleeping sideways.

Business Suite

My favourite seat in the Allegris/Senses cabin is still the Business Suite, more specifically, the window suites in rows 2 and 8 (A/K). These offer by far the most space and privacy. You also benefit from a larger screen than you get in most Business Class seats. There’s also the most legroom here, as your feet don’t extend under a seat in front.

The middle suites, unfortunately, offer noticeably less space than the window suites. However, you can sit together here and lower the divider across the full length of the seats. All suites have extra high walls and closing doors so you can fully retreat. With reservation fees of up to CHF 690 (~€739) though, the pricing is quite steep, almost outrageous.

Extra Space Seat

The 5 Extra Space Seats will probably be most interesting for business travellers who need to work during the flight. Besides the suites, this is the only Business Class seat type that costs extra. Depending on the route, up to CHF 265 (~€284) can be charged here. After the window suites, these offer the most storage space.

Like in the suites, you also benefit from a 24-inch screen. The footwell, however, is much more restricted, as it disappears into the fairly narrow centre console of the seats in front. Still, thanks to its location, this seat offers a higher level of privacy on its own, even without extra high walls.

Which are the best Business Class seats in the new Senses cabin?

This depends on two scenarios. If the reservation fee doesn’t matter, then the window suites are my clear recommendation.

If you want/need to choose among the three free seat types, the Extra Privacy seats are the best choice, especially the two seats at the back of the first cabin in row 7, which have a bit of extra space. If only Classic Seats are left, then I would choose one of the window seats in row 15.

First Class

The Swiss Senses First Class is structurally identical to the Allegris First Class. Again, there are two types of seats/suites, which I have already tested: the window suite on the way to New York and the Suite Plus on the way back. Swiss actually offers a third seat type: the Grand Suite. This combines the window suite 1A with the double suite 1D/E into a single suite, providing the same setup I had on my way to New York as the only passenger in First Class.

The seats follow the style of Swiss’s previous First and Business Class design, complemented by beige surroundings with black and white accents. I personally prefer the colour scheme in Allegris First, but the rest of the parameters remain very impressive: almost complete privacy, a large 4K screen and plenty of storage space. A second person can sit and buckle up on the ottoman to dine together. The large table absolutely supports this.

Compared to my Swiss First flights on the Boeing 777, the screen in the window suites surprisingly didn’t feel much bigger, but it is noticeably sharper and more responsive now. Again, you have the tablet, and again you can’t use the main screen while adjusting the seat on the tablet. The screen in the double suite is still not touch-sensitive, meaning you can’t even bring up the camera on the large monitor unless you pair your phone.

Whether you want to book the Suite Plus for two people is a personal choice. Like many other passengers on these flights, I still don’t fully understand the added value compared to just booking two separate seats with a discount. But if you have the double suite to yourself, you’ll enjoy a huge amount of space.

Where the Senses cabin will fly next

Currently, Swiss Senses is still operating short-haul within Europe until the end of the year. Destinations served from Zurich include Düsseldorf, Geneva, Hanover, Palma de Mallorca and Prague. All travel classes can be booked, except First Class. To sit in Premium Economy, you must book an Economy ticket and then select/reserve the corresponding seats.

From 20 November, Swiss will also fly the Senses cabin to Boston, its first long-haul destination. This route will operate until 27 March, the end of the winter schedule. Not every Zurich–Boston flight will be operated by the A350, though. Until early January, only flights from Thursday to Monday will feature the new cabin. After two weeks of daily Senses service, the Senses flights will be reduced to four weekly flights (Friday to Monday).

From 23 February, Swiss will also fly to Montreal from Zurich. This route will be operated continuously until the end of the winter schedule. With the low number of Senses aircraft currently available, a last-minute aircraft change to an older product is always possible.

Conclusion

In the end, reviews are always subjective. However, it’s fair to say that Swiss has successfully modernised all four of its travel classes. Still, it’s unfortunate that they didn’t learn from the feedback and issues with the Allegris cabin. Some of the simplest things have not been improved. I personally don’t like the Senses colour scheme as much, but that’s a matter of taste.

What I do see as a clear positive: Swiss in parts avoids the pricing madness of Allegris. Currently, non-status passengers can still select three different seat types, so around 80% of the seats, for free. Senator and HON Circle members can select all seats except the suites at no extra charge. That is something Lufthansa missed, and it makes it easier for me to choose Swiss.

For many years, almost every frequent flyer knew the website SeatGuru.com. If you had a flight planned, you could look up the seat map there and especially see which seats were good or bad.

Unfortunately, the site has been heavily neglected in recent years. Ever since the app was shut down five years ago, the website has also stopped being maintained, e.g. no new seat maps have been added. The usefulness of the website steadily declined. Still, it could occasionally be helpful when looking up details about specific seats.

That’s over now. The website has officially been shut down. Only a short message appears now, before users are automatically redirected to Tripadvisor.com (SeatGuru was acquired by Tripadvisor in 2007):

For those who never knew the site, or want to indulge in nostalgia, here is an old screenshot from our archive:

Alternatives to SeatGuru

There are several websites that can theoretically replace SeatGuru. Unfortunately none of them offer such a large collection of user reviews and user photos.

AeroLopa

AeroLopa.com is still a fairly new site, and the best source for detailed and, above all, current seat maps. Even small details are usually accurately drawn, like window positions or how far the emergency exit door extends into the cabin. We’ve already introduced this site in detail.

Scrolling below the graphical seat map, you will often find info such as seat pitch, seat manufacturer and model, power outlet availability, in-flight entertainment, etc. However, AeroLopa is not a direct one-to-one replacement for SeatGuru. You cannot directly see if a seat is considered “good” or “bad”, for example, because the recline is limited. And there are no individual seat reviews.

SeatMaps.com

SeatMaps.com functions closer to what SeatGuru used to offer. The seat maps themselves are fairly simple, often just coloured rectangles. On the other hand, they are usually kept up-to-date, information like seat pitch, etc., is clearly listed, and often reviews from well-known blogs and YouTubers are linked. You can also enter a route or flight number, and you will be directed straight to the correct seat map.

The colour scale of each seat indicates whether a seat is considered positive or negative. Clicking on a seat will show more information. However, these indications often rely on assumptions, and you’ll see statements like “Recline might be limited.”

In theory, there is a SeatGuru-style review function that allows you to rate individual seats. But reviews are usually very sparse because the platform is not widely used yet.

SeatMaestro

SeatMaestro.com launched in 2004 and is almost as old as SeatGuru. The feature set is very similar, but both platforms share the same major weakness: outdated data. For example, you won’t find any configuration of Lufthansa’s new Allegris cabins.

It can still be worth a look if you are specifically interested in seat reviews. The database in this regard is larger than SeatMaps.com.

Google

You’re looking for experiences on a very specific seat and couldn’t find anything on the platforms above? Often, a Google search is worth it. If you want to know whether row 31 on Finnair’s A330 (bulkhead) is any good, search something like: finnair a330 “row 31” or finnair a330 “31L”. You’ll frequently find posts on Flyertalk or flight review sites where specific seats are mentioned in passing.

Translated by Ditmar

Earning and redeeming miles on Edelweiss flights is not only possible with Miles&More, but also with Aeroplan and United MileagePlus. In this article, we’ll have a look at the various options for earning and redeeming miles with Edelweiss, as well as the status benefits you can enjoy.

Miles&More

The most obvious option for earning miles is, of course, Miles&More, the frequent flyer program of the Lufthansa Group. However, not every Edelweiss flight automatically earns you miles!

Award Miles

Unfortunately, award miles for Edelweiss flights can only be earned if the flight is booked under a Swiss flight number. These are codeshare flights numbered LX 8000–8499. For these flight numbers, the regular Swiss mileage credit applies.

As a result, award miles for Edelweiss flights are credited based on spending. As long as the ticket price information is available, Miles&More members without status earn 4 miles per euro, while status holders (FTL, SEN & HON) earn 6 miles per euro.

If Miles&More does not have fare data, the following distance-based rates apply:

Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points

Since the Miles&More status program overhaul in 2024, status credit is awarded in the form of Points, Qualifying Points (QP), and HON Circle Points (HP), depending on travel class.

Even as a Lufthansa Group member airline, Edelweiss flights only earn Points and Qualifying Points when booked via Swiss’ website and operated under the code share flight numbers LX 8000–8499.

Redeeming Miles for Edelweiss Flights

Even if booked under an Edelweiss (WK) flight number instead of Swiss (LX), Edelweiss flights have been dynamically priced since June 2025. This means there are no fixed award “sweet spots.”

Some flights to North America start at 26,000 miles one-way in Business Class, but surcharges are very high (over €500 per direction). Award availability is generally limited, though good value redemptions can still be found with some searching.

Status Benefits with a Miles&More Status

These are the benefits for Miles&More status holders:

• HON Circle Members and Senators receive lounge access regardless of fare, as long as Edelweiss has a partner lounge at that airport.
• They can also access Lufthansa Group lounges after arrival (if layout permits).
• Frequent Travellers get access to Lufthansa Group Business Lounges in all fare types.

United Airlines MileagePlus

In addition to Miles&More, you can also credit Edelweiss flights to United MileagePlus. Important: The flight must be booked as an LX codeshare (LX8000–8499).

Award Miles

If the ticket was booked directly through United Airlines, you earn 5–11 miles per USD, depending on your status. If booked elsewhere, you earn distance-based credit:

Premier Qualifying Points

As a Preferred Partner Airline, Edelweiss flights earn one-fifth of the award mile credit as Premier Qualifying Points:

Redeeming Miles for Edelweiss Flights

You can also redeem MileagePlus miles for Edelweiss flights through United’s award search. However, long-haul availability is limited, and up to 90,000 miles one-way in Business Class to North America make these redemptions relatively unattractive, even with low surcharges.

Status Benefits

MileagePlus status members enjoy most standard benefits, such as extra baggage, lounge access (with a guest), and priority services at many airports.

Air Canada Aeroplan

The last frequent flyer program that credits Edelweiss flights is Air Canada Aeroplan, though it’s a bit more complex.

Award Miles

Miles can be earned either on Air Canada–coded flights or on Swiss codeshares (LX8000–8999). For Air Canada codeshares, accrual depends on fare type; for Swiss codeshares, Swiss earning rates apply.

Since Edelweiss has no Premium Economy, booking classes E and G count as Economy on Edelweiss, so accrual in those cases is unclear. Otherwise, these rates apply:

Status Qualifying Credit (SQC)

According to Air Canada’s website, Edelweiss flights don’t earn Status Qualifying Miles, though reports in forums suggest otherwise. From 2026, Status Qualifying Credits will replace them, and the same rules will likely still apply.

Redeeming Aeroplan Miles for Edelweiss Flights

Edelweiss award availability via Aeroplan is limited, but when available, pricing follows the Aeroplan partner award chart. Typical one-way rates:

• North America: 60,000–90,000 miles
• South America & Phuket: 80,000 miles
• Other long-hauls: ~60,000 miles

Given the low surcharges, Aeroplan redemptions are often competitive or even attractive.

Status Benefits

Aeroplan status holders enjoy the same benefits as with MileagePlus: extra baggage, lounge access (with a guest), and priority services depending on status level.

Conclusion

The simplest and often most rewarding way to credit and redeem Edelweiss flights remains through Miles&More, thanks to better availability and solid status earning.

However, since the June 2025 dynamic pricing change and high surcharges on North American routes, Aeroplan can sometimes be a more worthwhile alternative.

Program	Air Canada Aeroplan	Miles&More	United Airlines Mileage Plan
Award Miles
Status Miles
Award Flights
Lounge Access	All lounges1	All lounges1	All lounges1
Miles Expiry	12 months	36 months	none

¹As long as Edelweiss operates a partner lounge at the airport.

Have you already booked an Edelweiss flight and want to know how many miles you’ll earn? Use our mileage calculator! Just enter your route and booking class to estimate your miles.

You can also check your status credit for upcoming Edelweiss flights with our dedicated tool, showing all three crediting options and your maximum potential earnings.

Translated by Ditmar

Do you want to use your smartphone on your trip to Australia and not be dependent on Wi-Fi in the hotel and cafés? Then a suitable eSIM plan is the perfect solution for being back online with your smartphone as soon as you land.

Planning a trip to Japan and don’t feel like surfing the internet with your smartphone only in the hotel, restaurants, etc.? Then a suitable eSIM is the cheapest way to surf on your iPhone or Android immediately after landing, just like at home.

When planning a trip to Japan, one of the first things that comes to mind is visiting Mount Fuji. Many people are happy to see it from the plane or from the Shinkansen window, but if you have time during your trip to Japan, it is worth dedicating a day to visiting it. In this post, we will explain how you can do it with a stress-free guided tour or how you can do it on your own. Despite being relatively close to Tokyo, it is a trip that can take all day.

The Klook Tour

Klook offers several tours to Mount Fuji, but the most popular is the “Instagrammable Spots” tour at JP¥7,200 (~€40). One of its advantages is the free cancellation policy up to one day in advance, so if you’ve booked ahead and the weather isn’t cooperating, you can cancel without penalty.

The tour departs from either Tokyo Station or Shinjuku Station. For an additional fee, hotel pickup is available. The tour starts early in the morning and involves a two-hour drive to the first stop, Arakurayama Sengen Park, where you’ll have an hour to explore (which is not much, as queues for the famous selfie spot can take 30-60 minutes, depending on the season). Next, it’s on to the Hirawa Clock Tower for a twenty-minute stop, followed by some time exploring the streets of Iyashi no Sato Nenba. The third stop is Oshino Hakkai, with an hour and a half allocated for this location. The fourth stop is a somewhat controversial twenty-minute break at the Fujikawaguchiko Lawson convenience store, which has become associated with over-tourism. In this stop, you will get a free drink. The fifth and final stop varies depending on the season: most of the year, it’s Oishi Park, but during the autumn leaf season, the tour stops at the Maple Corridor.

Around 5:00 PM, you’ll head back to Tokyo, leaving you free to enjoy a delicious ramen dinner after a long day of sightseeing around Mount Fuji.

Can you do this tour on your own?

The tour has a guide present to ensure nobody gets lost at the stops and to provide some basic information. For those who don’t need a guide and don’t want anyone telling them how long to stay at each point, we decided to calculate the cost of doing this tour independently.

Recreating the Klook Tour

To get from Shinjuku to Arakurayama Sengen Park, you’d take a 1h30 express highway bus for JP¥2,150 (~€12) to Chuodo Shimo Yoshida and then walk fifteen minutes to the park.

From Arakurayama Sengen Park to the Hirawa Clock Tower is a half-hour walk.

Getting from the Hirawa Clock Tower to Oshino Hakkai is more complicated. It’s a seven-kilometre walk with a 180-meter elevation gain, or a 45-minute combination of walking and bus travel for JP¥450 (~€2), while the same trip by car takes only 15 minutes.

From Oshino Hakkai to the Lawson near Fujikawaguchiko Town Hall is an 11-kilometre journey. By public transport, it takes almost an hour and costs JP¥800 (~€4), including walking time.

From the Lawson to Kawaguchiko Oishi Park, you have a 25-minute bus ride for JP¥510 (~€3) or a 6-kilometre walk along the shore of Lake Kawaguchiko.

To return to Tokyo, you’d take a half-hour bus to Kawaguchiko Station and then another highway bus to Shinjuku. These two trips would cost JP¥2,770 (~€15).

In total, transportation would cost around JP¥6,680 (~€37), assuming all connections are on time and you don’t miss any buses.

A More Flexible Option

If you want the whole experience to be more flexible and relaxed, you could also take the train from Tokyo to Otsuki (JP¥1,003 (~€6)) and then use the 2-day Mt.Fuji & Fuji Five Lakes Passport pass, which lets you use all trains between Otsuki and Kawaguchiko, incl. stops along the way (e.g. the Arakurayama Sengen Park), as well as all Fujikyu buses in the Fuji Five Lakes Area for two full days. That pass costs JP¥4,700 (~€26).

This option gives you a lot more flexibility, even lets you make a 2-day trip out of this.

Conclusion

Here’s the overview of the costs of the proposed itineraries:

• Klook tour: JP¥7,200 (~€40)
• Recreated Klook tour: JP¥6,680 (~€37)
• Two-day flexible tour: JP¥6,706 (~€37)

We wouldn’t recommend recreating the Klook tour. If you’re interested in seeing exactly those things and having a care-free day with a guide getting you from sight to sight, then just book the Klook tour.

If, however, you’re not a fan of tours and prefer a more flexible and personalised experience, we think that organising your own trip can make a lot of sense. And spending a night in Kawaguchiko is definitely not a bad idea.

Personal Experience

I (Ditmar) did a self-organised tour with my colleague Peer earlier this year. Personally, I would recommend this to most people. Just go with the flow and explore the region at your own pace. And if you miss out on one or two things from the Klook tour, so what? That also gives you time to see other attractions, such as the Kawaguchiko Music Forest Museum, which I found fascinating. You’ll see the Fuji, you’ll see the lake, you’ll see the Lawson, and all at your own pace.

If you’ve searched for hotels in Bali, you’ll probably have stumbled upon an Alila hotel during your search. However, since Hyatt took over the brand in 2017, these upscale hotels have slowly expanded to other regions of the world. Now there are 17 Alila hotels in five regions.

We decided to make a list of all Alila hotels. While we’re at it, we decided to include the cheapest Hyatt Privé rate we could find for each hotel. This means that by booking them through Classictravel, you get free breakfast and hotel credit (usually US$100 (~€86) per stay).

Here’s the list:

• North America
  • Alila Marea Beach Resort Encintas, California, United States, starting at US$462 (~€397)
  • Alila Napa Valley, California, United States, starting at US$1,001 (~€860)
  • Alila Ventana Big Sur – Adults Only, California, United States, starting at US$1,973 (~€1,695)
• Middle East
  • Alila Hinu Bay, Oman, starting at €210 (no hotel credit)
  • Alila Jabal Akhdar, Oman, starting at OMR 662 (~€1,478)
• South Asia
  • Alila Fort Bishangarh, Rajasthan, India, starting at ₹25,034 (~€239) (min. 2 nights)
  • Alila Diwa Goa, India, starting at ₹59,000 (~€564)
  • Alila Kothaifaru Maldives, Maldives, starting at US$925 (~€795) (min. 2 nights)
• East Asia
  • Alila Wuzhen, China, starting at €159 (without breakfast & credit)
  • Alila Shanghai, China, starting at €245 (without breakfast & credit)
  • Alila Dong Ao Island Zhuhai, China, starting at €330 (without breakfast & credit)
• Southeast Asia
  • Alila Solo, Surakarta, Indonesia, starting at IDR 1,573,000 (~€81) (min. 2 nights)
  • Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, starting at MYR 540 (~€112) (min. 2 nights)
  • Alila Manggis, Karangasem, Indonesia, starting at US$140 (~€120) (min. 2 nights)
  • Alila Ubud, Indonesia, starting at US$188 (~€162) (min. 2 nights)
  • Alila Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia, starting at US$275 (~€236) (min. 2 nights)
  • Alila Villas Uluwatu, Indonesia, starting at US$801 (~€688)

Here’s a map of all the Alilas in the world:

Conclusion

It’s hard to truly understand the real idea behind the Alila hotels. What started with resorts in Indonesia, is now a mix of skyscraper hotels in Southeast Asia for €100, villa hotels in Oman for €250, and adults-only resorts in California for €2,300. It’s not exactly a case of a clearly defined brand identity.

Looking at the map, we also notice that while Americans have to spend a fortune to stay at an Alila hotel in their country, Europeans are even worse off, as all Alila hotels are long-haul flights away.

If you travel frequently outside of Europe these days, it’s hard to avoid the topic of eSIMs. There are now hundreds of providers constantly undercutting each other with better prices. To help you find the right provider, we’ve created a comprehensive eSIM comparison that guarantees you’ll get the best deal.

Many providers also offer discount codes for new or existing customers to save on their plan bookings. You’ll find all current eSIM vouchers and price comparisons for the most popular travel destinations here. Some providers also offer free data or credit. We’ve rounded up the nine best offers for you:

Yesim: Get €5 Credit

Yesim, based in Switzerland, offers eSIM plans in over 180 countries. You only need to install an eSIM profile once, and you can choose from fixed-data or unlimited plans with set durations, or a pay-as-you-go plan starting from €1.50 per GB (billed per MB, offering flexibility).

Your top-up balance is converted into Ycoins (1€ = 100 Ycoins). We have an exclusive voucher for Travel-Dealz readers: new customers receive 500 Ycoins (€5) credit upon registration.

More information and redemption instructions can be found here. If you top up at least €10 within 24 hours of registering, Yesim will give you another €5 in bonus credit. So you can get up to €10 total credit for free.

How much data you get for €5/€10 depends on your destination. In cheaper countries, you could get over 6 GB. See the table for details:

Yesim Rate Overview for Selected Countries

Country / Plan	1GB for 365 days
China	€6
Argentina	€4
Australia	€4
Brazil	€4
United Kingdom	€4
Japan	€4
Canada	€6
Switzerland	€4
South Africa	€6
Thailand	€4
Turkey	€3
United States	€2
United Arab Emirates	€4

Roamless: $5 Credit

Roamless also offers eSIM plans usable in over 180 countries. The main benefit is that there are no fixed data packages—usage is billed per MB, offering flexibility without needing to preselect data volume or duration. Your credit doesn’t expire and can be used indefinitely.

New customers automatically get $1.25 for signing up. With our voucher, you get an additional $3.75, giving you $5 total credit:

Voucher and redemption instructions can be found here. How much data $5 gets you depends on your destination—over 2 GB is possible. See the table for a quick overview or our comparison table for full pricing details.

Roamless Rate Overview for Selected Countries

Country / Plan	1GB for 7 days	2GB for 7 days	3GB for 14 days	5GB for 30 days
Egypt	~€3	~€7	~€10	~€17
Argentina	~€4	~€9	~€13	~€21
Australia	~€2	~€4	~€6	~€11
Brazil	~€3	~€6	~€9	~€15
United Kingdom	~€2	~€4	~€6	~€11
Japan	~€2	~€4	~€6	~€11
Canada	~€4	~€8	~€11	~€19
Switzerland	~€2	~€4	~€6	~€11
South Africa	~€3	~€7	~€10	~€17
Thailand	~€2	~€4	~€6	~€11
Turkey	~€2	~€4	~€6	~€11
United States	~€2	~€4	~€6	~€11
United Arab Emirates	~€5	~€10	~€15	~€26

eSIMio: 2GB Data for 3 Days

eSIMio offers a very generous 2 GB welcome gift to new users. You simply select one of over 190 destinations/regions, and then you have three days from activation to use up your free 2GB.

Red Bull Mobile: 1 GB Data

Red Bull Mobile, in cooperation with Austrian provider 1A and the energy drink brand, offers an eSIM for surfing in over 100 countries. Coverage is strong, especially in North and South America, Asia, Australia, and Europe.

You only need to install the eSIM profile once, and then you can top it up with any plan without needing to reinstall for each country.

Travel-Dealz readers get an exclusive voucher for 1 GB of free data. All you need is the Red Bull Mobile app and the voucher code to activate the “TRAVELDEALZ” data plan for one year:

Instructions and more details can be found here. Note: The free data is only available to new customers and is not usable in Russia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt, India, and Iraq.

Plaza Premium: 1 GB of Global Data

Airport lounge operator Plaza Premium has a Smart Traveller program, and anyone who signs up (for free), can get a free eSIM with 1GB of global data.

Nomad: 1 GB for 3 Days

Nomad also offers a data-only plan with 1 GB free for three days, limited to new customers. Simply register—no credit card needed—and start using it right away.

Need more data afterwards? Our voucher gives you $3 off any plan costing $5 or more.

SimLocal: 500 MB for One Day

Sim Local offers 500 MB of data free for one day in over 100 countries. The plan automatically switches networks, making it ideal for multi-country travel. It’s a data-only plan and only for new users.

You just need to register with your email and verify your phone number—no payment info required. That means quick and easy access.

If you need more data after your free day, you can pay $3.75 per additional 500 MB per day. Use our 15% voucher, which is valid for existing users too.

Firsty: Surfing Unlimited by Watching Ads

Firsty offers a free plan called Firsty Free, which is ad-supported—similar to how YouTube or Spotify operate. You earn data by watching ads. Speeds are reduced (256 Kbps to 1 Mbps, depending on region), so it’s mainly useful for emails and messaging.

A major benefit is that Firsty Free is always available. Even if you have no data, you can open the app, watch an ad, and generate new data. The Uber app works fully with Firsty Free.

GigSky: 100-500 MB for 7 Days

GigSky has been around for years and was one of the first companies to offer low-cost eSIM roaming back in 2018. If you’re new to eSIMs, GigSky’s free plan is perfect to test the waters—no credit card needed. Just download the app, register, and get between 100 and 500 MB (depending on the destination), valid for 7 days.

Conclusion

The eSIM market is crowded and competitive, leading to ever-lower prices. If you’re flexible with providers, you can save real money with free credit offers. The deals from Yesim and Roamless alone can get you up to 5 GB of free data, depending on your travel destination.

Do you know of any other providers that offer free data or credit? Then leave a comment.

Translated by Ditmar

Hilton has teamed up with Currensea to offer two branded debit cards in the UK. While the Hilton Honors Debit Card isn’t really very attractive, the Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card can quickly end up being worthwhile, especially if you spend quite a few nights per year at Hilton Hotels, but not enough to earn a status. In this article, we’ll list the pros and cons of these debit cards.

Hilton Honors Debit Card for £60/Year

The cheaper debit card costs £60 per year, but its benefits are quite unattractive:

• Earn 1 Hilton Honors point per £1 spent
• Earn 2 Hilton Honors points per £1 spent at Hilton properties
• Earn 2 Hilton Honors points per £1 spent in foreign currency
• Earn 3 Hilton Honors points per £1 spent at Hilton properties in foreign currency
• Get instant Silver status
  • Get two free bottles of water when you arrive.
  • Fifth night free on reward stays

• 0.5% fee when you spend in foreign currency. Not terrible, but not great either
• 0.5% fee on ATM withdrawals abroad. Increases to 2.5% if you withdraw over £250 in a month

As you can see, the cheaper Hilton Honors Debit Card is nothing to get excited about, and it’s debatable if it’s even worth £60.

Hilton Honors Plus Debit Card for £150/Year

Now, despite costing over twice as much, the Plus debit card is actually very attractive. Here are the benefits:

• Earn 1.5 Hilton Honors points per £1 spent
• Earn 3 Hilton Honors points per £1 spent at Hilton properties
• Earn 3 Hilton Honors points per £1 spent in foreign currency
• Earn 4.5 Hilton Honors points per £1 spent at Hilton properties in foreign currency
• Get instant Gold status
  • Get two free bottles of water when you arrive.
  • Fifth night free on reward stays
  • Free breakfast at all Hilton Hotels (except in the USA)
  • Space-available room upgrades, up to Executive Floor room types.
• No fees when you spend in foreign currency.
• No fees for ATM withdrawals abroad, up to £500 per month; 2.5% afterwards.

This is far more appealing. First of all, the debit card functions are great, as you’ll pay no fees abroad. But getting free breakfast at all Hilton Hotels outside the US is also worth quite a lot. This can quickly recoup the yearly fee of £150 per year.

Are the £150 Worth It?

We believe that the £150 are worth it if you spend between 5 and 35 nights at Hilton hotels. Obviously, the more you stay, the more it’s worth it. Here’s a table with some examples, showing you how much this debit card could save you.

As you can see, assuming that you’d pay £15 for breakfast and are travelling as a couple, you’d already have recouped the card’s fee after only 5 nights. And if you stay at Hilton hotels more often, your savings can quickly reach the hundreds. On the other hand, the card doesn’t make as much sense for people who usually stay over 40 nights at Hilton Hotels, as they would already get the Gold Status without the card, making it harder to justify and recoup the £150 fee.

Conclusion

While the cheaper card is pretty useless, the Plus card is a great deal for those staying over 5 nights at Hilton hotels. Not only will you get upgrades and free breakfast, but the card’s conditions regarding FX fees and ATM withdrawals are also very attractive.

FAQ

The InterContinental hotels stand for 5-star luxury and have been very popular, even before the significant improvement of the loyalty program IHG One Rewards three years ago. While very well represented all over Asia, the number of InterContinental hotels in Europe is far more limited. So where are the Intercontis in Europe? We did some research:

• Austria
  • InterContinental Vienna starting at €165
• Bulgaria
  • InterContinental Sofia starting at €122
• France
  • InterContinental Lyon – Hotel Dieu starting at €189
  • InterContinental Marseille – Hotel Dieu starting at €189
  • InterContinental Chantilly Château Mont Royal starting at €205
  • InterContinental Paris – Champs-Elysées Etoile starting at €321
  • InterContinental Bordeaux – Le Grand Hotel starting at €334
  • InterContinental Paris – Le Grand starting at €455
• Germany
  • InterContinental Berlin starting at €107
• Greece
  • InterContinental Athenaeum Athens starting at €122
  • InterContinental Crete starting at €133
• Hungary
  • InterContinental Budapest starting at €114
• Ireland
  • InterContinental Dublin starting at €271
• Italy
  • InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace starting at €333
• Malta
  • InterContinental Malta starting at €85
• Netherlands
  • InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam starting at €309
• Poland
  • InterContinental Warsaw starting at €104
• Portugal
  • InterContinental Porto – Palacio das Cardosas starting at €156
  • InterContinental Lisbon starting at €160
  • InterContinental Cascais-Estoril starting at €188
• Romania
  • InterContinental Athénée Palace Bucharest starting at €140
• Switzerland
  • InterContinental Geneve starting at €333
• Slovenia
  • InterContinental Ljubljana starting at €124
• Spain
  • InterContinental Barcelona starting at €188
  • InterContinental Madrid starting at €219
• Türkiye
  • InterContinental Istanbul starting at €147
• Ukraine
  • InterContinental Kyiv starting at €226
• UK
  • InterContinental Edinburgh The George starting at €144
  • InterContinental London – The O2 starting at €206
  • InterContinental London Park Lane starting at €321

Here you can see all InterContis on a map:

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Conclusion

France has the highest number of these hotels with its 6 InterContinentals. But you can also see that many countries only have one InterContinental, usually located in their capital. Some countries, such as Belgium, the Czech Republic or the countries in Northern Europe, do not have any of these hotels at all. Only London and Paris have two of them in one city.

If the list has inspired you to book one of these hotels, then we will be happy to forward you directly to the booking site:

For nine months now, Lufthansa’s new Allegris cabin has been in operation. The first two destinations were Vancouver and Toronto. We were on board the inaugural flight to Toronto and had the opportunity to test most of the Allegris seats, particularly the Allegris Extra Long Bed Seat and the Allegris Window Suite.

While the initial destinations like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal are no longer served with the Allegris cabin, Lufthansa has shifted its focus from North America to Asia. This shift offers significant advantages, which we’ll discuss later.

Allegris Routes for the Summer Schedule 2025

All routes are Munich routes, with a big focus on the USA.

Departures from Munich

All four cabin classes can already be booked for these routes. For the first time, the new Allegris First Class Suites are available for booking. Solo travellers booking double suites can expect costs of up to €2,900.

Departures from Frankfurt

As of now, it is still uncertain when the first Lufthansa aircraft equipped with the Allegris cabin will be available for flights from Frankfurt.

Current Allegris Routes for the Winter Schedule 2025/26

The number of Allegris destinations increases this winter, but not all destinations will see consistent Allegris service.

Departures from Munich

Seven destinations are consistently operated with the Allegris cabin. Bangalore is the eight destination, but will also have flights with the old business class seats.

Departures from Frankfurt

Finally, the first destinations have been announced for Allegris flights departing from Frankfurt. The first flight with a Dreamliner Boeing 787-9 will take place on October 9. The Dreamliner does not have a first-class cabin.

How to Know if Your Flight Has the Allegris Cabin

A sticker in the flight selection process will indicate an Allegris flight. You can also recognise Allegris-equipped flights by their seat maps, which vary by cabin class. Currently, the Allegris cabin is installed only on select Airbus A350-900s based in Munich, as well as Boeing 787-9 planes based in Frankfurt. If your flight uses a different aircraft type, it will not feature the Allegris cabin.

First Class

Allegris-equipped planes are easily identifiable in First Class. Airbus A350 planes with First Class tickets are definitely Allegris-equipped.

The upper/right section of Suite Plus is always greyed out in the online search. Couples are advised to contact the hotline directly for booking. Additionally, the A350-900 equipped with the Allegris cabin is the only jet in the Lufthansa fleet that features just a single row of First-Class seats.

Business Class

While it is not as straightforward, there are sufficient clear indicators to determine if you are flying with an Allegris cabin. The seat map is notably different due to its alternating 1-2-1 and 1-1-1 configurations, which contrast sharply with the previously used 2-2-2 or 1-2-1 (ex-Philippine Airlines A350) layouts.

Moreover, the total number of Business Class seats differs from other configurations. The Allegris A350 features 38 Business Class seats, compared to 48 in the classic Lufthansa A350 and 30 in the former Philippine Airlines aircraft.

Premium Economy

Identifying the differences in premium economy is a bit trickier. The Allegris cabin includes 24 seats arranged in a 2-3-2 configuration, with three rows of pairs by the windows and four rows of triples in the centre.

In other Lufthansa A350 configurations, there are either 21 seats (in rows 12-15) or 26 seats (in rows 9-12). This provides a clear distinction from the Allegris Premium Economy seats, which are located in rows 14-18.

In the Dreamliner, Allegris planes have 28 premium economy seats, while non-Allegris Dreamliners only offer 21 seats.

Economy

In economy class, there are also noticeable differences between the Allegris and the other A350 configurations. Due to the premium-heavy and space-intensive design of the Allegris layout, the economy class section begins at row 19 in the Airbus A350 (as opposed to row 14 or 16 in other layouts).

Additionally, Lufthansa has omitted the sixth economy class lavatory in the cabin configuration, meaning that, unlike the other two layouts, there is only one lavatory located at the rear left. In exchange, there are two additional seats on the right side in row 41. The other two configurations end in rows 42 and 45.

The Dreamliner has fewer differences. You can best recognise the Allegis Dreamliner by the 2 lavatories in the back of the plane, compared to only 1 lavatory in non-Allegris Dreamliners.

Which Planes Currently Feature an Allegris Cabin?

For aviation enthusiasts, there is a way to identify if a specific aircraft with an Allegris cabin has already been assigned to the planned flight, regardless of travel class, by checking the aircraft registration. The following aircraft registrations are equipped with an Allegris cabin:

Can I Book Lufthansa Allegris Using Miles?

It is, in theory, possible to book most seats with miles on Lufthansa’s Allegris aircraft. However, First Class seats cannot currently be booked with miles. It is uncertain when—or if—this will change.

The bigger problem, however, is the availability. Most destinations, such as Tokyo, have almost no availability, and others, such as US cities, have ridiculously high surcharges. With the new dynamic pricing system, prices are quite variable, but the best option we could find for flying Allegris business class with miles was Budapest-Munich-Shanghai for 32,022 miles + HUF 130,800 (~€343).

Seat Reservation in Allegris Business Class

Finally, let’s briefly discuss seat reservations in the new Allegris Business Class. Only Classic Seats (aisle seats) will remain free for all business class passengers. Other seat types in Allegris Business Class can be reserved for free depending on the ticket type and passenger status.

The following seat types can be reserved without extra charges:

Seat Category	Business Saver	Business Flex	Senator	HON Circle Member
Classic Seat
Extra Privacy Seat	€100 / €140 / €170*
Extra Space Seat	€130 / €170 / €230*	€130 / €170 / €230*
Extra Long Bed Seat	€100 / €140 / €170*	€100 / €140 / €170*	€100 / €140 / €170*
Suites	€400 / €500 / €600*	€400 / €500 / €600*	€400 / €500 / €600*	€400 / €500 / €600*

Additionally, there is speculation that upgrades to the Allegris Business Suites may soon be possible using eVouchers. However, an official announcement is still pending. Seat reservations in first class are generally free, but solo travellers will need to pay up to €2,900 extra to reserve the Suite Plus in advance.

The pricing structure for seat reservations in economy class is as follows:

Conclusion

More and more routes now reliably feature the Allegris cabin, even though the rollout of new aircraft is progressing slowly. The cabin stands out across most travel classes compared to previous layouts, offering enhanced comfort, especially in business class, albeit often at a premium.

For those primarily interested in trying out the new cabin, mileage tickets for Allegris’ routes to Cape Town and Bengaluru are the most worthwhile. These destinations offer comparable flight times to North America but require roughly half the surcharges at the same mileage cost.

At Travel-Dealz, we always try to reach people wherever it’s most comfortable for them. Not only do we publish our deals on our website, but we also share them on X, Facebook, Telegram, WhatsApp, Mastodon, Instagram, and our Newsletter.

We are now taking it to the next level, as you can join us on TikTok and YouTube. While you shouldn’t expect us to present deals while dancing choreographed moves to trendy music, we will be uploading reels that summarise our most interesting content. We’ll also be uploading those reels to our Instagram account.

We started posting reels two weeks ago, so feel free to check out what you’ve missed so far. And if you have any feedback, feel free to reach out. We’re new to this, so we’d gladly hear your suggestions.

Is Wordle still a thing? Even if the hype surrounding the word game has flattened, it’s still a nice game for short breaks during the day. So today, we would like to present you with some adaptations that might be a little more exciting for frequent travellers like us, such as a wordle with country forms and IATA codes – of course, they can all be played for free.

What is Wordle?

Have you managed to avoid Wordle so far? Congratulations. Since its release in October 2021, the game has taken over social media channels around the world. And that is certainly also due to the simple game principle: users only have to enter five letters to guess a word. With a total of 6 attempts, the respective colours indicate whether the letters are correct:

• Grey box : Letter does not appear in the word
• Yellow box : Letter occurs in the word, but in a different position
• Green box: : Letter and position are correct

So you can work your way up to the right term step by step. Here’s an example:

With the original and many adaptations, only one word can be guessed each day. This makes it possible to share the day’s progress with fellow players. On other sites, you can also play multiple times in a row.

Worldle – Guess Country Shapes

A slightly more sophisticated Wordle implementation is Worldle. The other day, a person played it in front of me on the plane. And as someone who has spent a lot of time with Geoguessr, I was immediately drawn to the game. Only the outline of a country is displayed here, which you then have to guess:

Well, do you know? In this case, I figured it out, at least on the third try. Luckily, there is a compass to help you. It shows in which direction – and how many kilometres away – the desired country is located:

Worldle #130 3/6 (100%)

https://worldle.teuteuf.fr

Flagle – Guess Flags

For those who spend less time looking at maps but more time, e.g. watching the world cup, you may be more familiar with the countries’ flags than their outline. In that case, you may enjoy playing flagle:

Statele – Guess US States

This one is for our readers from the US, or those who travel there often. Can you recognize each US state by its outline?

For, instance, which state is this?

Furthermore, there are 4 bonus rounds, where you can also test your knowledge of the state’s neighbouring states, capital, flag, and some facts about the state. By the way, the state in the picture is West Virginia.

Wheretaken – Guess Where the Photo is From

In this version, you’ll be shown a picture and have to guess where it was taken. There’s the original version, now called wheretaken classic, a new version and one that is limited to places in the US.

There are also some fun bonus rounds, where e.g. you’ll have to say which of the pictures was taken in a certain place and what the place is called.

Travle – Guess the Countries Between 2 Countries

With this one, instead of recognizing shapes or flags, you need to test your geographical knowledge and enter the nations located between two given countries. And to make things even more challenging, you get extra “points” for getting them in the right order, basically creating a path form country A to B.

Capitale – Guess Capital Cities

There’s a wordle alternative called countryle. While that one could make it on this list, its sister game Capitale is more unique, so we’ll focus on that one. Basically, you need to find a capital by being told if the capital you entered is on the correct continent, if the population roughly matches, same for the city’s surface area, how far away it is located and in which direction. Countryle is basically the same, but Hemisphere, Continent, Avg. Temperature, Population, and Direction are the “helping” factors. Usually, continent and direction will be the only really helpful ones.

Geodle – Guess the Country by Political/Demographic/Geographical Factors

Geodle is a bit like Countryle, but on a more difficult level. Here, you no longer get the distance and direction as helping factors. Instead, You get to know if the country you entered matches the continent, population, religion, government system, and average temperature of the nation, as well as if it’s also landlocked or not. So you’ll need a lot of knowledge to get this one right.

Geordle – Guess the Country & Capital like Playing Hangman

Remember playing hangman as a kid? Well, here’s your chance to play it again, in search of a country and its capital. Instead of drawing a stick figure trying to escape death by hanging, there are three red dots. If you guessed wrongly 6 times, you lost – and get shown 5 skulls, so someone probably did get hung in the background.

Conclusion

Though no longer as popular and trendy as before, these games can be a nice pass-time while you’re waiting for your train/plane or simply taking a break from work. And while the normal worldle is just a pass-time, you’ll even sharpen your geography skills with these – and maybe even discover a place that you’d like to travel to. When you do, we’ll have the right deal ready.

It’s not easy to get started with the topic of earning miles. And even when you think you’ve figured it out, more and more exceptions come to light.

A particularly tricky case involves codeshare flights. We’ve briefly touched on this topic in the help section of our miles calculator, and in principle, the following rules apply for miles credit:

• Oneworld: Miles credit is based on the flight number, regardless of which airline actually operates the flight.¹
• SkyTeam: Miles credit is based on the flight number, regardless of which airline actually operates the flight.¹
• Star Alliance: Miles credit is based on the operating airline, regardless of the flight number.

1 – Exceptions are possible, e.g. you often don’t get miles if the operating airline is not a member of the alliance.

For flights with SkyTeam or Oneworld, the process is relatively simple. You might just need to decide whether it’s better to book a KLM flight through Delta or KLM if you’re trying to optimize the number of miles.

It’s different with Star Alliance, where booking class mapping comes into play. This determines how booking classes are internally assigned and, consequently, how many miles are credited. This can be straightforward (such as within the Lufthansa Group) or more complicated in other cases. Sometimes, you can’t be sure how many miles will end up in your account when you book. However, there are ways to narrow it down as much as possible, which this article will discuss.

Example: Lufthansa Premium Economy, operated by United

For instance, Lufthansa offers the following premium economy flight to New York. The flight number is LH7607, but it is operated by United:

On the Lufthansa website, this is displayed as booking class N:

It is tempting to consider the flight as booking class N for miles credit purposes. However, neither of the two possibilities that come to mind are correct:

1. It is not a Lufthansa flight in booking class N, since the operating airline is what matters in Star Alliance.
   Therefore, the input LH:N:BER-EWR in our miles calculator would not be correct.
2. It is not a United flight in booking class N, which would be a basic economy flight (and also a domestic flight).
   Therefore, the input UA:N:BER-EWR in our miles calculator would not be correct.

So, what is correct? You can figure this out in other ways:

Finding the “Correct” Booking class

If you’re lucky, someone else had the same question before you. There are relevant threads on forums like Flyertalk, e.g. it’s mentioned there that Lufthansa’s class N maps to United’s class R.

But you can also approach the question in other ways. Most frequent flyer programs provide tables for earning miles. The websites of Air Canada Aeroplan and United MileagePlus are particularly clear in this regard.

A look at the Aeroplan site shows that class N is the cheapest of all premium economy classes:

You can then check the table for United flights and look for the corresponding class. This confirms the mapping to United’s booking class R:

Therefore, the input in our miles calculator should be:

The flight price in the miles calculator is optional and only important for credit with Miles&More and United MileagePlus. If you need to be absolutely sure, you can also ask the airline. However, you can’t always count on a timely response.

Translated by Ditmar

Scheduling so-called stopovers has proven its worth, especially on the long way to Oceania. Stopovers along the route allow you to stretch your legs between flights and explore other cities and cultures (often at no extra cost). These are then possible, e.g. in Qatar, Dubai or Singapore, and are often supported by the airline and/or the state. Another well-known stopover destination is Iceland on the way to North America.

But even without such special programs, it is possible to explore several travel destinations on one trip. Due to the very dense network of airports in the USA and Canada, almost every major city can be considered for a stopover. Even if stopovers are theoretically not allowed there, it is almost always possible to spend up to 24 hours in such a city along the flight route.

Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas in one trip? No problem if you are specifically looking for suitable connections. How to do it – and what you need to consider – is what you can find out in this guide.

Initial Situation

The Oneworld airlines recently offered several cheap economy class tickets to the USA. For example, you could fly from Sweden to Los Angeles in California (or to over 40 other destinations) and back for around €360:

In this case, there is a connection in Helsinki of 45 minutes on the way there. Overall, it is not a bad connection if you want to get to your destination as quickly as possible. But that’s by no means enough for a trip to the city.

The aim of this guide is therefore to book flights with:

• as many stops at interesting places as possible
• and the longest possible transfer time (i.e. just under 24 hours)

This requires four basic steps:

1. Check Fare Rules

The fare rules of the underlying offer are the rules of the game for your flight booking. Here, among other things, it is determined for which travel period flights are available, with which airlines you can travel and what the costs are if you cancel. They also contain details on transfer and stopover regulations.

Johannes has already explained how exactly the fare rules can be interpreted in a separate article. The easiest way is to go to the ITA Matrix and search for a return flight there. It looks something like this in the new matrix:

After the subsequent loading process, you only have to select a flight similar to the one above. After clicking on “rules” the complete fare rules appear:

Now, the browser search function (Ctrl + F or ⌘ + F) helps to find the appropriate conditions for “stopover”.

For the purpose of planning a trip with stopovers, two points from the fare rules are of particular interest:

• Stopover restrictions
• Transfer restrictions

If stopovers are allowed, it is usually not a problem to spend several days at one destination. As a rule, a stay of at least three days is possible, sometimes it can last several weeks.

With cheap tickets, real stopovers – with exceptions such as Iceland, Lisbon, Doha, etc., aside – are usually not allowed. Instead, only a certain number of transfers, i.e. layovers, are permitted. Each of these transfers must not exceed a period of 24 hours, which is very important for our flight planning later.

The rules for Oneworld fares like this one are quite complicated:

Admittedly, I don’t fully understand every item on the list, either. But at least you can see that up to two transfers are allowed in Europe and two more in North America. That’s enough for a few stops.

Since the fare above is a rather complicated example, here is another one. The corresponding fare comes from Lufthansa / Star Alliance on Frankfurt – San Francisco:

We are talking about so-called areas here. The IATA divides the world into the following three zones, which are defined as follows:

• Area 1: North, Central and South America
• Area 2: Europe, Middle East and Africa
• Area 3: Asia and Oceania

2. Look for Stops

After the theoretical details have been clarified, you can then search for the desired stops. Maybe you already know exactly which cities you want to visit. Then, of course, this step is omitted.

Stops can be made either in Europe or North America. The following are therefore in question:

• Scenario 1: Stockholm – North America – Los Angeles, CA
• Scenario 2: Stockholm – North America – North America – Los Angeles, CA
• Scenario 3: Stockholm – Europe – North America – North America – Los Angeles, CA
• Scenario 4: Stockholm – Europe – Europe – North America – North America – Los Angeles, CA
• Scenario 5: Stockholm – Europe – Europe – North America – Los Angeles, CA
• Scenario 6: Stockholm – Europe – Europe – Los Angeles, CA
• Scenario 7: Stockholm – Europe – Los Angeles, CA

So if you want to see as much of North America as possible, you can change planes twice within the USA. In this case, however, American Airlines doesn’t fly to Stockholm, so scenarios 1 and 2 fall flat.

Let’s see what other connections are suggested on the Stockholm – Los Angeles route. Google Flights (instructions) is very suitable for this. Among others, the following are listed:

So on these dates, one of the cheapest options includes a layover in Helsinki and a layover in either London or Dallas. All of these cities are interesting options; however, for now, the layovers are far too short to see the city. We will therefore try to extend the whole thing to almost 24 hours if possible.

If you have already found an interesting connection, you can jump straight to step 3. But there are countless other routings via other cities that Google Flights does not show.

With the Matrix

The ITA Matrix is a very powerful flight search tool. However, it is not exactly beginner-friendly, so it is definitely worth taking a look at our instructions (Part 1 and Part 2) for the inexperienced.

The function of only spitting out connections with a certain number of stops is interesting. With only two transfers, it still works quite well with “X X” in the Routing Codes field.

The search then returns some results that look much more interesting.

Summarising the way there and back, we were now presented the following options:

• London + Chicago
• London + San Francisco
• London + Dallas
• London + New York
• London + Nashville
• London + Charlotte
• London + Seattle
• London + Dublin
• Helsinki + New York
• Helsinki + Dallas
• Helsinki + London

If you’re a fan of a particular city, you can also set it as a requirement by using a code such as “HEL X”. Then the first transfer takes place in Helsinki, and for a second stop, there are further suggestions, e.g. Helsinki + New York.

Anyone who has already found a suitable routing in these inspirations can jump straight to point 3. Otherwise, there is still the manual search for connections:

More Stops

Google Flights finds not only return flights, but also multi-stop connections. In order to be able to search for these in a meaningful way, however, some creativity is required when selecting the airport. In general, you can never go wrong with one of the major hubs, as there are numerous connections to other airports. A (partial) list of hubs and focus cities in North America:

With the Star Alliance, you are usually limited to the big hubs when it comes to transfers. It looks better at Delta and American. There you can also transit at many other airports, e.g. Raleigh, San Diego or Las Vegas.

If you have a specific destination in mind, it is best to use Google Flights to check whether it works or not. The multi-stop search is ideal for this:

In the multistop tool, you can now let off steam for hours and search for possible connections.

3. Optimize Flight Times

In the second step, you have usually already found bookable connections. However, these are still not very attractive (except possibly for those who collect miles). You can now change planes in London and Dallas, but a stay of a few hours does not offer enough time for sightseeing.

It is usually attractive to extend your stay to almost 24 hours and to plan an overnight stay. If you arrive early in the morning, a connecting flight in the evening can also be interesting.

Google Flights is again the tool of choice for finding such connections. At least if you don’t want to make more than three stops. All desired destinations are simply entered there individually in the multi-stop search.

Choosing the date is a bit trickier, e.g. for red-eye flights. You can usually always find a cheap connection by trial and error (after a few seconds of loading time). As soon as this is the case, all suitable segments can be selected one after the other.

Here, it is important to pay attention to the flight times. For example, if you arrive in Chicago at 17:00, connecting on the next day at 17:00 allows for the maximum permitted. Eventually, all flights are selected, and the result looks like this, for example:

If desired, further 24-hour stops could be additionally incorporated here. But then you have to search the matrix. Here’s an example of what could be possible though the matrix:

4. Book the Flights

When searching for flights via Google Flights, the actual booking couldn’t be easier. At the bottom of the search results, you will find a suitable button that will take you directly to the booking. This works very reliably, at least for big airlines, such as American and United:

In this case, our routing is only aound €30 more expensive than the original booking, with only one change in each direction. It’s common for the price to increase by around €5 per flight segment due to the higher taxes.

Things are different with SkyTeam. Multi-stop bookings with KLM, Delta and others are usually not possible from Google Flights. Then you have to resort to the matrix. Thanks to the ITA Powertools, that’s not a problem either:

Disadvantages & Risks

Those who see flights only as a means of getting from A to B will certainly prefer short flight times. Everyone else has the opportunity to explore interesting cities that you would probably never visit. Because cities like Charlotte, Minneapolis, Detroit, … are quite nice for a day, but hardly anyone has them on their radar as their final travel destination.

Nevertheless, such bookings are not completely risk-free: Even flights with several transfers are only a transport service from A to B. In the event of a delay, only the arrival time at the final destination (in this case, Los Angeles) counts for passenger rights. If your flight is delayed, you cannot expect any compensation.

In theory, a layover can also be removed by the airline at any time, e.g. when there’s a schedule change. In practice, however, your wishes are usually taken into account if the flight times change significantly.

Conclusion

I hardly ever book direct flights anymore and always try to include mini-stopovers that are as interesting as possible. It only gets tricky when you’ve already been to Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York & others at some point. But even then, interesting alternatives can often be found.