We strive to find and send easy-to-book, useful, and valuable flight deals to our Thrifty Traveler Premium members every day. But for our fellow aviation geeks and self-professed “sickos,” we have something special: We call them Nerd Alerts.
Nerd alerts are tailor-made for those who travel… differently. Want the heads up on when you can book an Etihad Apartment or Qatar Airways First Class, even if those flights don't touch U.S. soil? Happy to book within the last few weeks (or even days) if it means you can snag ultra-rare award space like flying ANA business class? Want to fly lie-flat for cheap, even if it's just for a quick two-hour flight within the Caribbean? Nerd alerts are for you.
These deals are all bucket-list-worthy experiences in the sky that you can book for cheap if you know where to look. And in some cases, it might be more about the journey than the destination. It's an exclusive feature of our Thrifty Traveler Premium service that members can turn off and on.
From incredible last-minute award deals to unique aircraft to some of the best seats in the world on routes wholly outside the U.S. and Canada, these are our best Nerd Alerts.
An Apartment in the Sky for 63K Points (or $921)
There's first class and then there's the Etihad First Class Apartment. Just look at this thing. Yes, that's on an airplane!
These ludicrously spacious first class seats are widely viewed as among the best in the world, firmly earning their place on the bucket lists of many aviation geeks. There's just one problem: Etihad only flies the Airbus A380 – the so-called Whale Jet – equipped with these Apartments on a handful of routes, including just one U.S. destination: New York City (JFK). And finding award availability to book these seats with points and miles is incredibly difficult.
Your best bet at finding affordable award rates for The Apartment is on the on the route between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and London (LHR). When we sent this Nerd Alert to our Thrifty Traveler Premium subscribers, 63,000 American Airlines AAdvantage Miles was all you needed to make this apartment your home for a six-hour flight.
Just a few days ago, we found the same seat flying to and from Mumbai (BOM) in India for just $921 each way, too. That's the cheapest fare for the Apartment we've ever seen, so we sent it as a Nerd Alert, too.
Emirates First Class for 53K Points (Or $940!)
From bottomless Dom Perignon and caviar in your private suite to an onboard bar and even a shower, flying Emirates First Class is one of the most incredible experiences you can have in the sky. Emirates outdid itself with its Gamechanger First Class suites featuring floor-to-ceiling walls for unparalleled privacy.
But finding an affordable way to book these ridiculously cool suites is elusive … unless you know where to look.
While it's nearly impossible to find Emirates First Class flights using points and miles to and from the U.S. for more than passenger, you can find it abroad. This year, Emirates is flying planes equipped with these Gamechanger suites to Brussels (BRU), and lo and behold…
There are other flights where you can book Emirates first class for less, too. Including a strange one…
These normally $10,000 suites can be booked for less than $1,000 sometimes when you snag them on one of Emirates' unique fifth-freedom routes, like this one from Christchurch, New Zealand (CHC) to Sydney (SYD)!
These seemingly random routes that allow airlines to fly between two cities where the carrier itself isn't based can be a great way to fly some of the best seats in the sky – often for substantially less than what you'd pay on a “normal” route. Speaking of which…
SWISS First Class … in South America?
SWISS First Class suites are among the hardest to book in the world. Flying to and from its hub in Zurich (ZRH), you'll never be able to book it using points and miles.
That's why it pays to look far, far away from Switzerland if you've got these swanky first class suites on your bucket list. How about a flight within South America?
Sure, it's a short flight from São Paolo (GRU) to Buenos Aires (EZE). But you can't beat getting the full first class experience for just 39,000 miles each way. You could have easily transferred points from Chase or Bilt Rewards to United put yourself in one of these seats.
Cathay First Class on Air New Zealand?!
How about flying Cathay Pacific First Class with Air New Zealand between Auckland (AKL) and Melbourne (MLB) for just $490 each way?
If you need to read that again, I understand. Let's back up: Air New Zealand recently leased an old Cathay Pacific plane with these first class seats onboard. But because Air New Zealand does not have first class itself, they're pricing these luxurious pods much like business class seats instead.
Just $490 one-way would put you in what Air New Zealand is calling “Business Preferred.” That's some insane value for an incredibly comfortable ride between Australia and New Zealand.
British Airways Club Suites for 15K Points!?
All but the nerdiest travelers will be surprised to hear British Airways flies a fifth-freedom route between the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands. Best of all, you can fly lie-flat for that short two-hour flight.
Flying in a bonafide business class suite doesn't get cheaper than this.
You can book British Airways' amazing Club Suites business class from just 15,000 points each way between Nassau (NAS) and Grand Cayman (GCM) and only $1 in taxes and fees. British Airways is a transfer partner of almost all the major banks – Amex, Chase, Capital One, and even Bilt.
That's the crazy value you can find on this hilarious fifth-freedom route, which gets you all the bells and whistles of business class travel, without the long flight.
Qatar First Class to Thailand and Australia
Qatar Airways is best known for its Qsuites Business Class, which is among the best in the sky. But did you know Qatar also operates a first class cabin on some routes?
While rare, Qatar First Class can be found on routes flying this leased Boeing 777 from Cathay Pacific. It's the same exact seat from that Air New Zealand I mentioned earlier, decked out in Qatar's signature maroon colors instead.
Best of all, you can fly this seat from Qatar's hub in Doha (DOH) to Bangkok (BKK), too! It might be the long way around the globe if you're trying to get to Bangkok from North America, but it's possibly the most stylish.
And if you have 50,000 American Airlines miles or 75,000 Qatar Airways Avios (which can be transferred in from Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, or from your British Airways Avios account), you can make one of these seats yours for that long haul flight.
Plus, on a different Qatar First Class route, you can also use your points to fly all the way to Perth, Australia (PER).
Just 100,000 American AAdvantage points is enough to book this seat … which is a lot better than almost $10,000!
ANA ‘The Room' Business Class
ANA's “The Room” Business Class is one of the best in the sky – maybe the best, period.
But it's hard to book, usually. Your only way to cross this one off the list from the U.S. is to book just a few days before departure. Plus, you'll have to pick one of the few routes where these latest-and-greatest suites are flying.
That's why we sent this unique flight deal flying from Asia back to the United States roundtrip.
The pricing was so good that we had to send this. It would be worth it to book this fare and then either change or cancel your return flight or just keep pushing it out into 2025 and see if you can find a reason to go back to Asia!
Last-Minute Japan Airlines Business Class
We try to avoid sending our Thrifty Traveler Premium members last-minute flight deals. Typically, we're looking for something further out to help you plan more effectively.
But when seats like this become available – even at the last minute – we're going to send you a Nerd Alert about it.
Singapore Airlines First Class (& Singapore Suites!)
Singapore Airlines is one of the best airlines in the world, renowned for its luxurious business and first class cabins. To fly to Singapore (SIN) in first class from the U.S. is a tough ticket to find: It's expensive and extraordinarily rare to book it using points and miles.
But Singapore flies these seats all around the rest of the world.
If you want to fly between London-Heathrow (LHR) and Singapore, for instance, you can do so for 141,000 Singapore miles. That may seem like a lot – and it is! These seats are rare and expensive no matter what.
And the same goes for Singapore's unbelievable Singapore Suites on the A380. Singapore Suites are like a flying hotel room with a double bed and two recliner chairs in a spacious, open room. It's the fanciest airplane seat in the sky, and the airline flies it on the flights between Singapore and India!
Cathay and Qantas First, One Way
One-way flights aren't something we send to anyone but our Nerd Alert subscribers. If we can't get you home, we won't send you the deal.
Unless you join the Nerd Alert list. That way, you'll get unreal deals like this one.
This Qantas First Class deal is the perfect example. These $10,000 flights, bookable for just 70,000 Alaska miles, was too good not to send, even if you could only book it one-way to Sydney (SYD) and not home.
The same goes for this sweet deal flying Cathay Pacific business class to Southeast Asia, also booking with Alaska miles for the best rate.
It's an incredible flight deal that our travelers devoured a few weeks ago. You could use it to get to Hong Kong (HKG) and onward to Singapore (SIN), Thailand, the Philippines, and more!
Intra-Asia Business Class
Finally, there are also some super cheap ways to fly business class within Asia.
For travelers with Delta SkyMiles, the sneakiest best use of your points and miles might be intra-Asia business class flights on the likes of Vietnam Airlines.
Just 40,000 SkyMiles can put you in a lie-flat seat from Vietnam to Osaka (KIX), and Tokyo-Haneda (HND) or Tokyo-Narita (NRT).
No points? No problem! This fifth-freedom flight on Amsterdam-based KLM Airlines between Singapore (SIN) and Bali (DPS) is one of the funkiest flights out there, but it's also one of the cheapest ways to fly business class, period!
How to Get Our Nerd Alerts
Did one of these deals pique your interest? Have any of these aircraft or premium cabins on your travel wish list? Thrifty Traveler Premium members can get every Nerd Alert we send.
Simply log in to your Premium account online and go to “Settings” and “Deal Filters.” Scroll to the bottom, and toggle on “Nerd Alerts” to start receiving them.
You can also see any nerd alerts and all our recent flight deals in your Premium account. Scroll through the deals to find them or type “Nerd Alerts” into the search bar at the top.
Bottom Line
Not every flight deal has to be the easiest, simplest route between two destinations. Sometimes you have to look around the globe to find the strangest fifth freedom routes flying some of the coolest airplane seats in the world for prices you won't believe.
We label these Thrifty Traveler Premium deals “Nerd Alerts” but you don't have to be the nerdiest traveler to book them. It's all about what kind of experience you want to have in the sky – and what you're willing to do for it.