Exactly two years ago today I published my first post on Points to Seats. I started the blog with one idea: to share my own experiences booking and flying business class with points, and in the meantime hopefully help others in doing the same thing. Suffice it to say it’s been a time of learning, both in terms of redeeming points, but also for writing and maintaining this blog. I thought I’d take te opportunity to reflect, look back at what I achieved so far and what’s still to come.

I Published my First Post on Points to Seats on September 9th, 2024

I published my first post here, titled ‘Ready for takeoff!‘, exactly two years ago. It’s amazing to me that November 2024 is when I had my first business-on-points experience, and have been able to fly like that almost exclusively ever since. It shows that some knowledge, trial and error, and above all: dedication to the cause can really bring you some incredible experiences for a fantastic cost.

Points to Seats came to be for two reasons: I had been wanting to open a lucrative business credit card, but didn’t have a business; and second, around this time people were telling me I should start a channel to explain about credit card points. As I’m not big on making videos (though that’s starting to change), I decided to start this blog, and make it a ‘business’, allowing me to open a Chase Ink credit card account.

I promised myself that I’d try to post at least once a week, primarily covering my own points redemptions, followed by reviews of the flights I’d take and lounges I’d visit. I’m happy to say that this has worked out better than I expected! In fact, in the 104 weeks that Points to Seats has existed, I’ve now published 162 posts altogether. That comes down to 1 post every 4.5 days. I plan to continue posting at that cadence. Including the Alert Reels and Review Summaries I plan to post increasingly on Instagram, the amount of content should only be increasing from here on out!

Most Popular Posts: Singapore Airlines and Air France

It should be obvious that in the end, this is all driven by your interest and my wanting to inform, the broader public as best as I can. I’m happy to say that over the past few months, Points to Seats is getting increasing traffic. But, where does that trasffic go, and what do people read?

I compiled a list of the most popular content on Points to Seats. You might think my reviews for Qatar Airways or Singapore Airlines Business Class are the most popular, but you may be surprised to know that those are not the most popular by any means. Here’s the most popular posts:

1. Longest flight in the world: Flight Review: Singapore Airlines Airbus A350-900ULR Premium Economy, JFK-SIN
2. Lounge Review: Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) Lounge at New York-Newark EWR, Terminal B
3. Flight Review: Air France Boeing 777-300ER Business Class, JFK-CDG (transatlantic redeye, old seat)

So rather than reviews about the most famous business class products out there, the most poplar reviews by page views include Singapore Airlines Premium Economy JFK-SIN, the SAS Lounge at EWR, and Air France Business Class JFK-CDG.

I think this has to do with the number of recent reviews that are out there for these experiences. The more competition there is on a particular topic, the less popular my content could potentially be. And vice versa, if there’s few reviews out there, especially recent ones, it’s more likely that my content gets viewed. Plus, most reviews will be for the business class experience, rather than premium economy. However, there’s a significant market for reviews of premium economy, and people’s interest in this should not be underestimated – and for good reason!

If I look at the posts with highest engagement, meaning people spend a longer amount of time on those pages, this is the top 3:

1. One of the Best Business Class Lounges: Lounge Review: Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge – The Garden at Doha DOH, Departures C
2. Lounge Review: Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge – South at Doha DOH, Departures A
3. Mini Flight Review: KLM Boeing 787-10 Premium Comfort (Premium Economy), AMS-JFK (transatlantic day flight)

This is interesting to me, because there’s a lot of reviews out there for the Qatar Airways lounges at Doha, but of course I’m happy to see this!

My Lessons Learned and Recommendations

I thought it’d be interesting to reflect on all the premium cabin experience I’ve had over the last two years and pick a few to highlight. I say ‘premium cabin’ because I want to include premium economy besides business class. For that is my biggest lesson of them all:

Booking Strategy Evolved: A Year Out Doesn’t Always Cut It

I’ve been able to book some lovely business class experiences over the last two years, often on the date that I wanted to fly it. This was possible because of my booking strategy, which prioritized settling on a destination 1-2 years out, researching the best ways to redeem points for the flights there and back at certain intervals, and then snapping up the seats as soon as the schedule opens.

Unfortunately, that system doesn’t necessarily always work anymore, for two reasons: (1) increased competition from other ‘redeemers’ and (2) airlines getting more savvy with how and when they release their award seats. In practice this means that it’s getting incredibly difficult to book some business class seats, such as Japan Airlines or Qatar Airways.

However, I’ve also noticed that airlines including Lufthansa and Swiss have increasingly cut the award seats they’ve made available, at least through partnering programs. Whereas there was business class availably through the end of April, that has all but dried up, with seats not having become available in May and beyond.

All of this means I need to reconsider the strategy. The alternative here is to book flights !6 months out, where the availability can be more sudden and organic. But, likely my strategy will become a mixture of these two options, depending on the airline. I’ll keep you posted with my findings!

Premium Economy Is More Premium than Economy, and Often Worth the Cost!

If there’s anything I learned over the last two years, it’s that premium economy is worth the money. Now, I take some liberties saying that, because premium economy is not a ‘one size fits all’ that’s the same across all airlines. Heck, no travel class is like that: economy can be dreadful in the US, yet quite delightful in Asia – it just depends what airline you’re flying.

However, I’ve flown premium economy on Scandinavian Airlines, KLM and Singapore Airlines at this point, and I’m scheduled to fly it on China Airlines in spring next year. Overall, I’ve greatly enjoyed flying premium economy on all these flights. But where I think the value shines is on the transatlantic flights, especially the red-eye ones. Why? I think they’re not quite long enough for business class to be worth the cash cost, but they are long enough for economy to feel draining upon arrival.

And the best among these? This may surprise you, but I was pleasantly surprised with KLM’s premium economy, and would likely rate it higher than both SAS and Singapore Airlines. With KLM, I felt premium economy was a great value for the cost, with clearly elevated and tasty food, a nice drink selection, good amenities, and a comfortable, well-padded seat. To me, this was a great way to cross the Atlantic without necessarily breaking the bank. As a matter of fact, I’m flying it again in December, and am excited to do so!

And what about Singapore Airlines or SAS premium economy? The former was very good as well, but the seat seemed a bit narrow and not as comfortable as KLM’s premium economy seat. As for SAS, the choices in food were less extensive, the service a bit more rushed, and the headphones were the usual economy earbuds, rather than noise canceling headphones that paralleled those from business class.

Most Controversial: is Japan Airlines Business Class Overhyped?

Here’s a fun one: when you read the average review of Japan Airlines business class, it’s all ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’. I agree the seat is great (both old and new) and I also loved the food – but the service, to me, was not nearly as polished as most reviews would have you believe.

I realize this is controversial because people tend to rave about all Japanese service, so to say that JAL’s service left something to be desires may be a surprise to some. The truth is that having flown Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways, I’ve come away feeling that JAL’s crew is well-intentioned but not nearly as polished. Trash at my seat wasn’t removed for a while, food was served borderline cold, and the crew sometimes made a hurried and impatient impression.

Contrast this to Singapore Airlines crew, that brought me food out of first class and always appeared with a smile in their exquisitely choreographed dinner service, or Qatar Airways incredible attention to detail in all aspects of the service, and it;s difficult to be too excited about JAL’s service. But, in the end, despite all that. I’d still be very excited to fly Japan Airlines. Just not so much because of the ‘stellar’ service.

Overall Best Business Class: Qatar Airways Qsuite

Of all business class experiences I’ve had, Qatar Airways Qsuite really was the very top. Let me be clear: Qatar Airways soft product is stellar and is already one of the best. I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing it both on the A350-1000 from JFK to Doha, equipped with the Qsuite business class seat, and also on Doha to Johannesburg on the 787-9, equipped with the Adient Ascent business class seat. On both flights, the service was fantastic – on the 787-9 it was a bit better as the flight attendant – Ivy – was simply better than the attendant serving me on the A350.

Even on a bad day, I’d say that Qatar Airways business class soft product (service, food and amenities) are top notch and truly word class. But what brings the entire experience to the next level, however, was the Qsuite business class seat on the A350 (and select 777 aircraft).

Specifically, the center honeymoon seats are where it’s at. There is a partition between these seats that can brought down, transforming the single suites into a spacious double seat, which entirely transforms the flight experience. Besides the sheer amount of space you have, it’s just so lovely to sit right next to your partner. The seats are positioned right beside each other, and when you close the doors, you find yourself encapsulated in a truly spacious suite.

But there’s more, because when it’s time to go to bed, the flight attendants will transform this into as much of a double bed as its currently possible in a commercial business class cabin. The attention to detail is striking: an insert is used to cover the space between the seats, to try and make it as much of a single sleeping surface as is possible, so you get to have a double bed in the sky. Now pair that with super fast Starlink WiFi and an excellent soft product, and you’ve got yourself a winner.

Qatar Airways markets their Qsuite business class as ‘first in business‘ – and in my mind, the hype is entirely deserved.

Most Pleasant Surprise: Ethiopian Airlines Cloud9 Business Class

Ethiopian Airlines is not an airline you read many reviews about, and that’s probably because they are not considered to be in the top league of commercial, premium aviation. And don’t get me wrong: they are not. However, I think they offer a very pleasant experience that showcases all the ingredients for a flight experience that could very well end up being world class, with some necessary monetary investment.

Why is that? Ethiopian’s business class seats are generally in a rather uncompetitive 2-2-2 configuration, with only a minority of the fleet in a 1-2-1, and even those seats are not something particularly cutting edge. It’s actually the soft product that delivers: The amenity kit is well-stocked with practical items, and on flights over 4-5 hours you’ll get pretty high-quality slippers, besides the usual pillow and blanket, both of which are very nice. The flight attendants are friendly, genuine and helpful, and provide a lovely service.

I think what most surprised me was the meal service. First of all, I love the Ethiopian courses that are served on flights departing Addis Ababa. These cultural touches are a big plus to me, as they add context and identity to the airlines. Second, Ethiopian crews take the trouble to provide a meal service that is restaurant-like: everything is served directly on the tray table, and all dishes are accompanied with a bread roll, olive and butter, and salt and pepper shakers. Wine is offered to taste before a glass is poured.

If Ethiopian were to pour some money in a nice collab with an Ethiopian brand for their amenity kit, elevate the presentation and quality of the non-Ethiopian food courses, and bring a competitive business class seat in 1-2-1 configuration to all of the planes in their fleet, Ethiopian would certainly become a rival that many airlines would not like to contend with. Unfortunately, we’re not there yet – but it’s a very nice flight experience regardless that I’d happily recommend.

Best Service: Singapore Airways Business Class

While Qatar Airways has all-around the best business class product, if we look at individual factors, the best service would certainly be with Singapore Airlines, in my opinion. We’re not just talking about attendants that are helpful and generous with their time. Rather, it’s the entire attitude and mindset: service with a smile and an enthusiasm I haven’t seen this consistently at other airlines.

The most impressive is the exquisitely choreographed meal service. The flight attendants Rianna and Angel, who were serving my aisle, showed a brilliant teamwork. While Angel inquired about my experience so far, what I’d like to drink, and explained the service flow, she also smoothly setup the table, and exchanged items with Rianna as needed without ever taking her focus of me. Very Impressive! And, not to forget the always good-natured Terrence, who was professional and jovial and was clearly enjoying his job!

Another highlight: for the pre-landing meal, I wanted to know if there was any cheese in the quiche. After a few minutes the attendant from first class came over since his business class colleagues hadn’t yet responded. He wasn’t exactly sure whether there was cheese in any of the dishes, and so instead suggested he could make me the first class sliders but without the cheese. This is how I ended up eating first class food in business class, and I was deeply impressed with the flexibility and generosity of the crew. Well done, Singapore Airlines!

I’ll be flying Singapore Airlines again in November, and am excited about experiencing the business class service flow on the JFK-FRA transatlantic redeye. KLM and Air France have a shortened service to prioritize rest, whereas Scandinavian Airlines does not, so I’m curious how Singapore Airlines handles this. Regardless, I’m sure the servcie will be stellar. However, I did realize that the service does get less personalized and invested in premium economy, unfortunately.

Point Value is Not Just About Premium Cabins: the Value of Alaska Atmos Redemptions on American Airlines

Here’s another lesson I learned: good point redemptions don’t just come from using your points for business class flights. It’s counter to what I usually say, since I do believe that maximizing your points comes from redeeming them for flights in premium cabins. However, strictly speaking, good value depends entirely on the price the flight would have actually cost you if you weren’t buying it with points.

With that in mind, economy class redemptions can absolutely be redeemed for good value with points, but it’s definitely more difficult given that economy class flights are quite a bit cheaper than those in premium cabins.

With that said, if there is a way to redeem points for good value economy class tickets, it’s through Alaska’s Atmos Rewards for American Airlines flights to the Caribbean and Mexico.

I know: that’s not a sexy redemption. But here’s the thing: the flights, even in economy, during a long weekend, can easily be $400-600 per person. Redeeming Alaska Atmos miles you can get the return flight from the US East Coast (e.g. New York) for 25000 points per person. I’m in Cancun writing this post thanks to exactly this kind of redemption!

They key to all this is the Alaska Atmos Rewards Summit credit card. This card comes with an annual 25.000 mile global companion certificate: basically a 25.000-mile companion pass, for global flight redemptions through Alaska Atmos.

Since American Airlines flights can cost as little as 12.500 points per person one way, you can book the return flight for yourself for 25.000 points and get the flight for your companion for free. If you manage to get this credit card when there’s a 100.000-mile welcome bonus, that’s 4 return flights for yourself and your partner to the Caribbean. That’s a great deal, even if it’s ‘just’ economy!

Here’s What I See in the Future of Points to Seats

Let’s now turn our eyes to the future. I’m excited for what’s going to come in the near and long-term future of Points to Seats. A few days ago I already revealed some of my plans, which includes a stronger presence on Instagram by way of carousels that summarize my reviews, and also reels to alert to transfer bonuses and other such ‘bite-size’ news that is best distributed through video.

Otherwise, I have various trips coming up that I already announced or am yet to still talk about:

• Around Thanksgiving, I’ll be visiting Germany and Austria, flying Singapore Airlines business class to Frankfurt, and then leaving from Vienna in Condor business class.
• For Christmas, I’ll be heading back home on KLM premium economy and returning in Air France’s new business class seat.
• In Spring 2027, I’ll visit Taiwan, and will experience China Airlines premium economy.
• For Memorial Day 2027, I’ll be heading for Spain, flying Aer Lingus business class to Barcelona via Dublin and leaving from Madrid on Iberia business class.

This is about as far as we can currently book our flights, but we have a lot more planned: Japan and Thailand for November 2027, probably a Caribbean destination sometime in 2027, and not to mention our wishlist destinations for the years to come after 2027, including Patagonia, another African Safari and a lot more.

Of course you can expect:

• Reviews after the fact of the flight and lounge experiences.
• Guides on how to book the high-profile or good-deal flights.
• Analysis of any credit cards that can help to get the necessary points.

…so that hopefully you can take a page out of my book and try it all for yourself. Specifically I plan to write many more guides so I can provide step-by-step instructions on how to book the flights I’ve booked. And, if you need help with any of that, feel free to contact me, and I’ll be happy to help.

Another thing I want to devote more time to is airline loyalty programs: I’ve already published quite a bit about Flying Blue, Air France-KLM’s loyalty program, and the why and how of my status qualification. I’d like to take this to the next level and write up guides on this and other loyalty programs to help you understand the pros and cons of their value proposition, and whether it makes sense for you to participate in these.

Do you have any topics you’d like me to cover? Please don’t hesitate to let me know! Looking forward to the future and hope you’ll be a part of it too!

Summary

I’m excited about the progress I have made with Points to Seats, and the growth it has experienced thanks in large part to your involvement: your reading of my content here, via subscription to the newsletter, or on Instagram and Facebook. I’ve been able to have some wonderful premium cabin flight and lounge experiences over the last two years and have been glad to be able to share this with all of you. Meanwhile I hope you’ve been inspired by this and have been able to put some of this into practice yourself. And if not, feel free to reach out and I can help you get there.

With what’s been achieved so far, this is not a time to sit idle. I will continue reporting on my trips and explaining how I’ve been able to do it. I will also publish more Instagram content, both summaries of my reviews for easier and quicker digestion of that content, and reels to alert you to credit card transfer and welcome bonuses. So, follow me on Instagram and subscribe to Points to Seats so you get both the instagram and bloc content!