Flying to New York on Emirates' A380 (and beyond): everything you need to know to book award tickets or upgrade
The a380 is the dream plane for all passengers, and we in Italy are fortunate to have one of the [...]
Emirates
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United States of America
The a380 is the plane of dreams for all passengers, and we in Italy are fortunate to have one of the best routes in the world that is the Milan/New York connection with Emirates.
Why Emirates' A380 in Milan is special
In this article:
Emirates flies daily to Milan Malpensa with three A380s. The first is the classic flight from Dubai that arrives and departs to the United Arab Emirates, the second one also arrives from Dubai and departs towards New York, and the third one arrives from the Big Apple and after a while departs back to Dubai. The latter two flights are operated through the fifth freedom regime, i.e., the possibility that a flight will take off and land at a different stopover from the airline's home base. There are many carriers using this option to lengthen their flights, serve secondary markets, or as in this case intercept an important demand and provide an otherwise impossible connection.
The Milan/New York is the only Emirates flight landing in the U.S. not departing from Dubai on an A380 (There are then the new Bogota/Miami and Athens/JFK, but they are operated with 7777s). That's why it's so special, but also because the fares on these flights are generally much cheaper than all the others either as a cash or point ticket cost.
Today I own a piece of the first A380 where I flew
I've lost count of the amount of flights I've taken aboard Emirates, but it's still a few compared to the total. The a380 is my favorite plane, my first time was actually on Emirates on the Bangkok/Dubai route. And today I also own a piece of that plane. That today, unfortunately, Has already been demolished is one of the many pieces in my collection from AVgeek
Paying an Emirates ticket cash: everything you need to know
The ticket to fly with Emirates can be bought like any other carrier. It can be done online, at the agency, at the airport ticket counter, from the app or on the phone. If you are enrolled in the Skywards loyalty program you will get points for each leg flown based on fare and distance traveled.
There are three ticket fares: Saver, Flex and Flex Plus. Depending on the fare chosen there are more, or fewer, benefits included in the title such as choice of seat, ticket flexibility down to the number of miles earned and those required to upgrade. Even when it comes to taking an award ticket we will have the same differences at the fare level.
When booking cash tickets, the Emirates website clearly shows all this information and also allows you to know in detail all the possibilities.
How to look for the Emirates award ticket
On a scale of 0 to 10, the simplicity of Emirates' system gets an A+. Once you have logged in with your credentials you will be able to select the Classic Rewards option to search for award seats on your desired route. My recommendation is also to select the flexible dates option to have access to the calendar that allows you to cross-reference the various options.
Ticket prices vary depending on the available fare, the cheapest way to get to New York and back from Milan is to spend 35k Skywards points and 132 euros of fees with a saver ticket that includes checked baggage, but not free seat selection (unless you hold silver status or higher).
If you want to travel in business class the best possible fare is 108k miles plus 227euro tax. Obviously it is possible to travel in mixed classes and book outbound in economy (day flight) and return in business (night flight) and pay points and fees accordingly.
Same of course with the rarest and most coveted of cabins, first class. This ticket opens the doors to the suites and also allows you to shower during the flight. The cost per round trip is 204k thousand miles, but I recommend doing only one way not, round trip, and save points by also trying business or economy, which on this plane is the best in the world.
One-way or round-trip award ticket
The flight from Milan to New York is one of the most sought-after flights by all Avgeeks because, as mentioned, it is the only A380 route from the U.S. to Europe by Emirates, but more importantly Is the one that costs the least in terms of points and fees. In recent years, the points skywards have been devalued quite a lot and at the same time taxes have increased to (almost) insane levels.
If you are looking for a one-way ticket you will have a higher cost, Unless a saver rate is available, compared to a round-trip ticket. This example is very clear. Above I looked for a one-way ticket in the first week of November and the minimum price is 87k thousand skywards miles, while as seen in the examples above an a/r on the same dates costs 108k miles + taxes in business.
How to upgrade with Emirates miles
Emirates, and the Skywards program, is probably the airline that has the most transparent and simple system of all the major world carriers when it comes to upgrades. However, there are aspects that leave many insert users baffled.
#1 The first thing to know is. you can upgrade virtually anytime, starting 10 seconds after making the reservation. Emirates immediately publishes details of the cost and ability to upgrade, directly on the booking screen when choosing a fare
#2 There may not necessarily be room to upgrade. The fact that the price of upgrading to a higher class is displayed does not mean that there is actually room in that class, if you want to book a ticket and immediately upgrade it is good to make sure first that there is room available through the call center
#3 It can be done Upgrade in total autonomy directly from booking management, in their private area. Here the system will give the traveler the choice between paying with points and/or cash depending on availability. Generally if you have booked with miles you will only be able to upgrade with miles, conversely a ticket paid cash will have both options.
To upgrade you must have the points in the account, you cannot go negative or option places while waiting to make the points transfer.
#5 You can also upgrade at the airport. At check-in, at the gate, and even on board. However, it will always be necessary to have the miles immediately available in your account.
Award ticket does not have Chaffeur service
Emirates is one of the airlines that offers, almost worldwide, chauffeur service to its business and first class customers. However, this service is not offered to those who have booked an award ticket, or rather it is not included in the standard award ticket.
However, if you took a business class cash ticket and upgrade to first class then you will receive the service provided by the original ticket.
In conclusion
I hope with this guide I have clarified many doubts for those who want to take advantage of Skywards points to book award tickets or make upgrades on board Emirates. Points can be accumulated in many ways and most importantly you can transfer for free from Membership Rewards to the emirates loyalty program in near real time.
