Earning points is fairly straightforward, but actually using them to book business class flights? Not so much. Sadly, there's only so much award space – seats bookable with points and miles – available for each flight, meaning you could be sitting on enough points to book, but can't find the space to do so.
For some airlines, award space is nearly impossible to come by. You could search through months worth of flights and not find a single seat you can book with your points or miles. That's why when we find availability for those flights, we send out a Unicorn Alert to give our Thrifty Traveler Premium members a head start on booking. But on other airlines, award space is easier to find if you know where to look.
For many of our favorite airlines flying our favorite business class seats, award space is relatively easy to find and book – so long as you book your flights 11 months ahead of when you want to take that trip. That's when most airlines put their flights on sale, and those empty seat maps mean you're most likely to find an award seat – or several.
There are some airlines where business class award space is close to a sure thing, but flexibility is key. Whether it's a Japan Airlines Business Class seat to Tokyo for 60,000 points each way or Qatar Airways' famous QSuites, these business class seats are your best bet for securing a lie-flat ride this year or, most likely, next year.
Air France or KLM Business Class
Air France and KLM tend to have the most availability for lie-flat seats across the Atlantic you can book with points and miles – and best of all, you can fly Air France business class or KLM business class for as few as 50,000 Flying Blue miles.
While you'll need some flexibility to get the lowest rates, you can reliably book these seats year round in most cases. And it's relatively easy to book, too, as you can transfer points from all the major banks: American Express, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, Citi, and Wells Fargo.
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This flight deal we sent to our Thrifty Traveler Premium members, for instance, included wide-open availability this past summer all the way into spring 2025, and it included availability during the Paris Olympics, too!
Why are these so simple to book? Because Air France and KLM's Flying Blue program prices its award dynamically, meaning if there are empty seats on the plane, they'll be able available to book with miles. In some cases, you might have to pay more miles to secure them they're one of the last remaining seats, but if the flight isn't full, you might be able to snag one of those 50,000-mile rates.
Best of all: You can find these flights from nearly every airport Air France and KLM flies, which is a huge list compared to other foreign airlines.
Read next: How to Book Award Tickets with Air France/KLM Flying Blue Miles
Iberia Business Class
Iberia Business Class can be incredibly easy to book with points ..and for incredibly cheap! The key? Booking in far, far in advance…as in, 11 months out.
You can book Iberia business class to Spain from just 34,000 Avios each way – or 68,000 roundtrip: It's the cheapest way to fly lie-flat across the pond – and you can generally find availability when you book well in advance. No matter what credit card points you earn, you have a path to getting the Avios you need to book these flights.
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If a trip to Spain is on your list, there's no better way to get there than doling out just 34,000 miles to book Iberia lie-flat seats.
Read next: The Cheapest Way to Fly Business Class to Europe: Just 27K Points!
Japan Airlines Business Class
Japan Airlines Business Class flights aren't always a breeze to book if you want to find them within a few months of travel, but if you plan ahead, it's one of the comfiest ways to fly to Japan for cheap.
You can snag Japan Airlines business class to Japan for just 60,000 American or Alaska miles! This is often the easiest way to fly lie-flat across the Pacific.
It's best to look for availability six to 11 months in advance. The more advance planning you do, the better in this case.
And if you search from New York (JFK) or Dallas (DFW), you might be able to snag one of JAL's newest business class seats…which look positively dreamy.
TAP Air Portugal Business Class
TAP Air Portugal's Lisbon (LIS) hub is a perfect place to aim if you want to fly business class to Portugal or beyond to Europe. Not only is it close to the U.S. mainland, making for quick flights, but TAP flies almost everywhere else in Europe, too.
Best of all: You can book TAP Air Portugal business class from just 35,000 Avianca LifeMiles or 60,000 Air Canada Aeroplan miles each way.
When we said 35,000 points, that wasn't a typo, either! There's a unique quirk when booking through LifeMiles that prices the New York (JFK) to Lisbon (LIS) route at just 35,000 miles. It doesn't work in reverse (so you'd have to pay 63,000 on the way back), but it's a crazy deal to get to Europe in style for half the price this year or next.
TAP may not be the most luxurious airline, but you'll have an easier time finding business class availability Europe or Northern Africa with TAP than you will with most carriers.
Again, the earliest birds get the worm when it comes to finding availability, but you don't have to necessarily snag seats 11 months out to book TAP. If you want to fly peak season (like June or July), I'd still recommend looking as far out as possible, but TAP availability pops up throughout the year, typically.
Qatar Airways QSuites
You might think the best business class in the world would be impossible to book. But it doesn't have to be…so long as you plan far, far ahead.
To fly Qatar Qsuites from 70,000 miles using American miles or Qatar Avios, you have to be on the ball as soon as availability opens up as the space never hangs on for long.
Qatar's vast network from its Doha (DOH) hub is a huge advantage for the airline, too. Qatar itself doesn't have to be your destination, as all of Qatar's planes are equipped with business class and most of them are equipped with QSuites. Whether you want to fly to Zanzibar (ZNZ), the Maldives (MLE), Thailand, or all the way down to South Africa, Qatar can get you there in style from its many U.S. gateways.
Turkish Airlines Business Class
Turkish Business Class is oven overlooked for travelers hoping to visit Turkey or beyond, but it shouldn't be.
Because it's often forgotten amongst its European peers, you can book Turkish Airlines business class from 65,000 miles fairly easily. Plus, when you book with partners, you can find award rates for 63,000 points each way, too.
You'll pay slightly higher fees depending on which airline program's miles you use to book, but Turkish tends to have decent availability on flights all over the world.
Turkish is a great way to get to eastern Europe, Greece, or beyond into India, Africa, and even Southeast Asia. Its Istanbul (IST) hub airport is brand new, and features a lovely business class lounge with everything you'd expect food and drink-wise from a Turkish lounge.
Our Tips to Booking Class
Searching for business class flights you can actually book with your points and miles can feel like a full-time job…it actually is for those of us at Thrifty Traveler Premium. While letting us do the work for you is the easiest way, there are some other tried and true methods you can use to secure business class seats on your own time.
Start Earning the Points You Need Early
Booking business class flights is easiest 10 or 11 months before your flight in most cases. That means you'll want your points and miles in your account and ready to go before then.
For most travelers looking to fly business class with points and miles, I'd recommend a year or forethought to get what you need.
Plus, you should tack on a few months if you are signing up for new credit cards to get bonus points and miles from a welcome offer. Sometimes it can take a while to hit that minimum spending requirement and the bonus points may not always post immediately. It's better to be safe than sorry!
Read next: The Best Airline Miles to Use for Booking Business Class Flights
Look for Award Space 11 Months Out
The easiest-to-book award space comes online at the very end of the booking calendar, so look way, way out to find the best space.
Most airlines put their flights on sale 11 months in advance, including seats bookable with points and miles. Right now, for instance, it's late August. That means that July 2025 flights are on sale. Booking early when the seat map is at it's emptiest is your best shot at scoring a business class award ticket. If you want to fly somewhere next summer in business class, it's high time you start looking for flights, because once that award space is gone, it's gone.
Check for Last-Minute Award Space
I know I told you you should be ready months and months in advance to book business class seats, but the other method airlines use to sell these seats using points and miles is to release them at the last minute.
Whether you've already booked your flights and are looking for a comfier seat or you're willing to take a last-minute trip, it always pays to look for business class availability in the weeks leading up to your trip.
In many cases, airlines will release award availability in the last week or two before travel. In other cases, you can get as much as a month ahead of time. But if you're not satisfied with the flight you've booked, some last-minute space might be for you.
Still, your best bet is to book way out ahead of time. That way you get the ideal seat assignment and don't have to stress about it, either!
Don't Be Afraid to Book (And Then Rebook) Your Trip
This is my tried-and-true, number one travel tip I give to fellow points and miles travelers: Never be finished booking a trip.
If you don't see business class space right away, use your points to book a one-way economy ticket first, then keep checking for the business class flights you want throughout the year. The great thing about award tickets is they're typically flexible, meaning you can easily change or cancel your flights and get your points back into your airline account for just a small fee and then rebook your flight into business class.
Sometimes, that availability pops up at the last minute like I mentioned above. Other times, Thrifty Traveler Premium will hit you with an award alert for the flights you want to make your trip extra special. Either way, by booking one-way economy awards, you stay flexible while ensuring that you'll be able to go on your trip.
Read more: How I Turned an Economy Award Ticket to Tokyo into a Business Class Suite
Bottom Line
Finding business class award availability is what we do here at Thrifty Traveler Premium, so we know that some programs are better than others when it comes to consistently available business class seats bookable with points and miles.
Some of the easiest-to-book business classes in the world are also some of the best, bringing in the likes of Qatar Airways QSuites, Air France, Turkish, and more, too.