American, JetBlue, Alaska, Delta, and United can all fly you nonstop to destinations across the globe. We're truly lucky to have so many domestic airlines with transcontinental service.
But these U.S. airlines largely lack what many, lesser-known foreign airlines provide: Plentiful business class award space.
Booking business class seats on U.S. carriers using your points and miles can be an excruciating exercise. Besides the occasional flurry of American Airlines awards or Delta SkyMiles Flash Sales on its long-haul routes, it's mostly slim pickings for U.S. travelers trying to fly these homegrown airlines abroad.
But airlines the world over also fly to and from the U.S., meaning if you have flexible points from banks like American Express, Chase, Capital One, Citi, Bilt, Wells Fargo, and more, you have access to much cheaper (and much easier-to-find) business class seats on these other carriers.
You may have never thought of flying Austrian, Turkish, Egyptair, or Cathay Pacific, but I'm here to tell you that you should start giving them proper consideration, because business class deals – even during peak season – are popping up on these airlines more than on your favorite domestic carrier.
Europe: Iberia, Aer Lingus, & More
Can American, JetBlue, Delta, and United all fly you to Dublin (DUB) in a lie-flat seat? Yes, they can. But can you ever find one of those seats for 39,000 points each way? Don't make me laugh …
That's where foreign airlines like Aer Lingus come in. Thanks to its fixed award chart, the price Aer Lingus charges for a lie-flat seat across the pond doesn't change.
When you book this lovely seat (that we find to be criminally underrated) you can do so with Aer Lingus Avios, Alaska Atmos Rewards points, American AAdvantage miles, or United miles … all for a flat rate.
The best rate is bookable with Aer Lingus itself for 50,000 miles each way. Combine that with a transfer bonus like the one that was running when we sent this flight deal alert to our Thrifty Traveler Premium subscribers, and you can get the same flights for just 39,000 Amex points!
This is what we do at Thrifty Traveler Premium. We have a team of award space hunters searching every airline all over the world. And what we found with Aer Lingus, Iberia, and countless other airlines is that it's easier to book foreign carriers using points and miles than U.S. airlines in most cases.
This Iberia seat on their brand new A321XLR planes was a stellar flying experience. I flew it last year and found it comfy, luxurious, and well, well worth the 42,500 miles each way I paid for it.
You can similarly book these seats with Avios – Iberia's version of Avios, just like Aer Lingus and British Airways. In the peak summer months (like this alert for dates in August 2027), you pay slightly more, but in the off-peak season, you only have to pony up 40,500 from several East Coast cities. It's one of the best deals in travel.
Here's an airline that may be new to you: LOT Polish Airlines.
Poland doesn't get the tourist love that many other European countries do, perhaps unfairly. But even if you don't want to go to Poland, booking business class with LOT puts you one quick connection (and a business class lounge stop) away from some of the coolest cities in Europe … for some awesome rates.
LOT Polish Airlines is part of the Star Alliance – the worldwide alliance of airlines connected to United airlines. That means you can use partner programs like Avianca LifeMiles, Air Canada Aeroplan, and ANA Mileage Club to book these seats for as little as 50,000 miles each way! Earning these points isn't difficult, either. Just look at all of the transfer options in the screenshot above from one of our Premium flight deal alerts from last week.
You can also book little-known Austrian Airlines with all of the same Star Alliance partners, flying nonstop to Vienna (VIE) next year for very similar rates!
Also part of the Star Alliance is Turkish, which offers one of the nicest business class seats in Europe. Famous for its awesome on-board dining, Turkish can also be booked for just 65,000 Turkish miles each way.
I might sound like a broken record, but it's way easier than you think to earn Turkish miles thanks to transfer partners like Bilt, Capital One, Citi, and Rove.
Asia: Cathay Pacific & Japan Airlines
If you want to fly the other way and across a different ocean, a whole new roster of potential foreign airlines awaits. The best example isn't exactly “lesser-known,” but you can't talk about business class flights to Asia without talking about Japan Airlines.
Japan Airlines Business Class is one of the best in the world – offering quintessential Japanese hospitality, authentic Japanese food, and wide, comfy seats … all for just 55,000 Japan Airlines Mileage Bank miles each way!
These points aren't quite as easy to earn as some other foreign programs, but you can transfer Bilt points to Japan Airlines 1:1, and you can transfer Capital One points 750:1,000 – or closer to 1:1 with a big transfer bonus. And even if the 55,000-point rates aren't bookable, you can still secure a seat for 80,000 Japan Airlines miles on most dates anyway.
If you're flying farther south in Asia, Cathay Pacific is the airline that deserves the most of your attention. The Hong Kong-based carrier offers lie-flat seats starting at just 91,000 Cathay Asia Miles each way, which you can transfer in from Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Citi, or Wells Fargo.
The best part of Cathay bookings is that you can book onward connections to destinations like Vietnam, Bali, Thailand, and Singapore, too – giving you more options for your next flight!
South America & Africa: Egyptair & LATAM
Finally, a few examples from the rest of the world: Namely, South America and Africa. We'll start with LATAM, the South American long-haul airline that has not only a fancy business class seat, but some eye-poppingly cheap award rates to fly those seats.
The cheapest rates to Lima, Peru (LIM) are available for as low as 33,000 Asia Miles each way, 50,000 Virgin miles each way, or 42,000 Japan Airlines miles each way (only 60,000 miles roundtrip with JAL).
As you can see above, you can transfer points from nearly every flexible currency in the U.S. to an airline program to make these seats yours, too.
Last, but not least, is Egyptair, perhaps the least known of these lesser-known airlines. It should, however, be slightly more well-known now thanks to a refurbishment of its A350 aircraft that now feature a business class cabin that looks like this.
You can snag a seat to Cairo (CAI) from several cities in the U.S. for as little as 65,000 miles each way if you book with partner ANA. With LifeMiles or Aeroplan, it only takes a few more of your miles (or the points you transfer there from several banks) to make these seats yours, too!
Bottom Line
If you want business class award flights overseas, you'll have better luck looking at more obscure foreign airlines than your favorite U.S. airline in most cases.
Whether it's Egyptair, Austrian, or Cathay Pacific, let a foreign carrier take you abroad on your next big trip if you want to fly up front.
