If you've walked past those first few rows of seats on your domestic flight and wondered, “How do these people afford to sit here?”
There are two answers: One, they're really, really rich. Or two, they use the following strategies to book the best seats on the plane for a fraction of the cost using points and miles.
Even when you're just flying in and around the U.S., there's no reason you can't do it in style … so long as it doesn't break the bank!
As my sister told me a few days ago after buying a cheap upgrade into first class, “I used to hate first class people for thinking they're better than everyone. And after sitting in first class for as little as I paid … I actually do feel better than everyone.”
You don't have to get quite that high and mighty about it, but if you want to fly first class around the U.S. for less, here's how to get it done.
How to Find the Cheapest First Class Flights
When flying in the U.S., the vast majority of flights will be in first class recliners. These are the two-by-two, big plush seats you see in the front of most jets on the major airlines.
They are not, importantly, lie-flat business class seats that you'll see on high-priority routes or the longest transcontinental flights between the coasts. We'll talk about how to book those next.
To get a cheap flight in a recliner, you need to work a little harder than simply flying economy, but it's getting easier overall. Airline executives have admitted that first class seats are getting much cheaper as they hope to entice more people to buy them instead of giving them away to elites with status for free. It's a smart business strategy that elite status holders hate, but it's good news for you to score a cheap ticket in the front of the plane.
Here's how to find one of those cheap fares.
Use Google Flights Filters
If there's a problem in searching for airfare, Google Flights always seems to have a solution. That's why we always start every flight search on Google Flights.
If you want to find the cheapest flights in first class, use the dropdown arrow at the top of Google Flights and toggle it from “Economy” to “First Class.” It's as simple as that.
That might seem rudimentary, but it's actually important, because first class fares aren't always tied to the lowest economy price – they're typically priced independently. When you toggle to “First Class” it will re-prioritize your search results to put the lowest first class fares at the top, helping you find a way to fly roundtrip from Chicago (ORD) to Washington, D.C. (DCA) for just $350!
Use Google Flights Explore
Google Flights has an even better tool to find a first class seat, though. It's called Google Flights Explore, and it's the most underrated travel hack, period. It's best for travelers who know they want to take a trip, but want the destination to be flexible or spontaneous.
Here's what you do:
- Go to Google Flights, put in your departure city and your desired dates of travel, filter for “First Class” and then leave the destination blank.
- Hit search, and you'll get a map of the lowest fares to cities all over the country that looks like this.
3. Scour the map looking for the lowest rates. When you like one, click the white box to be taken to the results page.
4. Book your first class flight on the exact dates you want!
You'll need some flexibility in where you're going, but you won't need flexibility with your dates when using Google Flights Explore. That's the beauty of it.
Watch for Upgrade Offers
As I mentioned above, more and more, airlines prefer to sell their first class seats instead of upgrading elites. For that reason, one of the best ways to get into first class is to watch your airline app closely in the lead-up to your trip.
Why? Because they'll put these specialized upgrade offers into your hands, allowing you to (sometimes) get a good deal on an upgrade.
Here's an example from my Delta app for a flight to Nashville I have booked for later this year. Delta says I can have a first class seat for 17,000 SkyMiles or $182 each way. I did not take this offer. The price is still a little high for a 2-hour flight, but if that price dropped below $100, I'd consider it!
American Airlines is notorious for offering really cheap upgrades on its first class seats. If you're flying AA, keep a close eye on your reservation, and you might see something like this:
And yes … that's real. AA was offering upgrades to first class for just $30 on a short flight from Sioux Falls (FSD) to Chicago, while charging twice that (or more) to move into its Main Plus and Main Select economy seats.
Importantly, you should always check the actual flight price before accepting the upgrades. The airlines sometimes try to bank on your laziness, that you won't check, and some of these upgrade offers are not actually a good deal compared to just buying a new first class ticket and canceling the old one.
Flex Your Points & Miles
Points and miles aren't just for lie-flat seats. In many cases, you can secure yourself a first class recliner for shockingly low rates, even when cash prices are high.
There's a best example of this: It's using Alaska Atmos Rewards points to book American Airlines first class.
For instance, a few months ago, we rounded up all the nonstop American Airlines First Class flights to Phoenix (PHX) you can book with Atmos points, and the rates are cheaper than booking the same flights in economy with many other programs!
Our Co-Founder Nick Serati actually booked this deal for his whole family for Spring Break this year, snagging these seats from Minneapolis (MSP) to Phoenix (PHX) for 30,000 miles each.
How to Book Lie-Flat Seats Using Points
Thousands of those recliners are criss-crossing the country every day, but lie-flat seats are the holy grail of domestic first class flights. They are much harder to find and book, but it's not impossible if you know where to look and have some tools in your toolbox.
Know Your Airline Partnerships
The first thing you need to know to get a good rate on a lie-flat seat flying domestically is your airline partnerships.
Here's an example: A recent Thrifty Traveler Premium deal alerted our subscribers to availability to book American Airlines business class flights from Boston (BOS) to Los Angeles (LAX) at super low rates. But the cheapest way to book those flights wasn't with American miles – it was with the miles of some of American's partners.
American isn't the only airline where you can save big on bookings with partners. You can get Delta first class seats using FlyingBlue or Virgin Atlantic, and you can get United first class using Air Canada Aeroplan.
In almost every case, it's cheaper to book with the partner than directly with the airline, so it's worth checking if you have transferable points from banks like American Express, Bilt, Capital One, Citi, Chase, and more.
Know Your Plane Types
Not all planes are created equal! First class on one plane doesn't mean first class on another. Let's say, for instance, you want to fly these swanky new business class suites from American Airlines between the coasts for your next trip. (How could you not? Look at them!) This is an example of a Thrifty Traveler Premium deal alert we sent to our members so they could book these seats from just 27,000 points each way.
The problem is, American Airlines flies a few different kinds of planes on those routes – some with lie-flat suites and some with old recliners. And sometimes those seats are priced almost exactly the same, making it hard to tell which one you're booking.
Take this example: American flies two different Airbus A321 planes between the coasts. One of them has suites and the other recliners.
That's why you need to use a website like Aerolopa before you book. I use it before I book any flight to make sure I know exactly what I'm getting. You can look up the precise airplane type or even use your flight number and date, thanks to a recent update to the Aerolopa site.
Another way to make sure you get the right plane is to check Google Flights. Expand the flight options, and you can see details about your plane and onboard experience associated with each fare – including whether or not you have a “lie-flat seat,” an “individual suite,” or a “standard recliner seat.”
Look at this example of flights between Boston (BOS) and Los Angeles (LAX). The JetBlue flight has JetBlue Mint lie-flat business class, and the United flight only has a normal recliner … and JetBlue is cheaper! You wouldn't necessarily know that unless you're an airplane nerd or you took a closer look at what's included!
This can even be handy when choosing between different lie-flat seats. One of my favorite deals in travel is booking Hawaiian Airlines' new First Class on the 787 from Seattle (SEA) to Honolulu (HNL) from just 40,000 points each way. It resulted in one of the best flights of my life, but if I hadn't checked to make sure I was on that new, fancy 787 with an “individual suite,” it could have been a different story.
Here's what my seat looked like and what I paid for it, thanks to a recent Thrifty Traveler Premium deal.
Look at these three Alaska/Hawaiian flights all operating on the same route on the same day for about the same price. One of them would put you in an Alaska Airlines standard recliner. The other, would put you in one of Hawaiian's very old 2-2-2 lie-flat seats. The middle one is the real prize – the 787 Leihoku Suites!
Google Flights helped me make this flight one of the best of my life when it could have been very ordinary … all for the same price. Double-check your birds before you book, people!
Bottom Line
Flying first class isn't just for the rich … if you know where to look. First class flight deals are out there, whether you want to fly in a recliner for less or in a lie-flat seat using points and miles.
