Summary
- Flights on a Boeing 747 are becoming harder to find, but Lufthansa, Air China, and Korean Air operate 11 US routes this summer.
- Earn miles and points through loyalty programs like Lufthansa’s Miles & More or Korean Air’s SKYPASS to book 747 flights.
- Spend points to book your desired destination on a Boeing 747, like Lufthansa’s economy flight from Frankfurt to New York, which costs 30,000 points.
The Boeing 747 quadjet is becoming a rare breed in commercial passenger operations. An analysis by Simple Flying revealed that this summer, only three airlines — Lufthansa, Air China, and Korean Air — will operate 11 US routes using the Queen of the Skies. This article will take a closer look at how to fly on a Boeing 747 aircraft using points and miles this summer.
The Lufthansa case
Of the three airlines operating Boeing 747 passenger flights,
Lufthansa
has the most US destinations to choose from this summer. The German national carrier offers daily flights to seven US airports, including Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Miami (MIA), Los Angeles (LAX), Houston (IAH), and San Francisco (SFO).
Here are the US flights from June 19, 2024, to September 2024:
|
US Route |
Aircraft variant |
|---|---|
|
FRA to ORD |
Daily (four weekly 747-8, three 747-400) |
|
FRA to IAH |
Daily (747-400, 747-8) |
|
FRA to LAX |
Daily (747-8) |
|
FRA to MIA |
Daily (747-8) |
|
FRA to EWR |
Daily (747-8) |
|
FRA to JFK |
Daily (747-400) |
|
FRA to SFO |
Daily (747-8) |
Photo: MKPhoto12 | Shutterstock
It is worth noting that the carrier deploys its Boeing 747s on other international routes, such as Frankfurt (FRA) to Mexico City (MEX) or Frankfurt (FRA) to Johannesburg (JNB).
To book a flight on the Boeing 747, passengers can purchase a regular fare or use their miles and points. Naturally, passengers must be members of an airline loyalty program to use points and miles for flights and cabin upgrades.
The most obvious way to earn points for the upcoming Boeing 747 trip is by flying. Lufthansa’s Miles & More loyalty program is the largest in Europe, allowing passengers to earn points by flying with numerous airline partners. You can earn Miles & More points with the following carriers:
- Lufthansa Group airlines: Lufthansa, SWISS, Eurowings, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Air Dolomiti
- Miles & More users: LOT Polish Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Luxair
- Star Alliance airlines
Lufthansa is a member of
Star Alliance
, meaning that flying with one of the 26 Star Alliance airlines will earn you award miles.
Related
Which Airlines Use The Miles & More Frequent Flyer Program?
Besides Lufthansa Group carriers, several notable European airlines also utilize the extensive frequent flyer program.
When you have enough points, you can start checking if it is possible to book an award flight to your desired destination on your preferred aircraft (in this case, a Boeing 747) using miles. According to the Miles & More website, a one-way economy ticket between Frankfurt (FRA) and New York (JFK) can be purchased for 30,000 points, while a one-way business class ticket can be bought for 56,000 points.
Photo: Miles & More
In addition, if you are a member of the United Airlines MileagePlus program, you can use your MileagePlus miles to purchase a seat in Lufthansa’s economy, premium economy, business class, or first-class cabin. However, be aware that award space is often minimal. As per the airline, Lufthansa offers first class experience on just three aircraft types, including Boeing 747-8, Airbus A380, and Airbus A340-600.
Related
Lufthansa Is Planning A New First Class Cabin For The Boeing 747-8
Lufthansa has reaffirmed that a new first class cabin will be coming to its Boeing 747-8 aircraft.
The German aviation giant currently operates a fleet of 27 Boeing 747 aircraft at an average age of 14.8 years, according to Planespotters.net data. The fleet comprises 19 most recent Boeing 747-8s and eight older Boeing 747-400 doubledeckers.
The Korean Air case
The South Korean flag carrier is one of the few airlines operating the passenger version of the Boeing 747 widebody. Currently, Korean Air has a fleet of 19 Boeing 747 aircraft with an average age of 11.3 years. According to Planespotters.net, the fleet comprises 15 747-8s and four older-generation 747-400 aircraft. Interestingly, the airline has the last-ever built passenger version of the 747-8 in its fleet, registered as HL7644.
Photo: Keith Tarrier | Shutterstock
Those wishing to fly on a Korean Air Boeing 747 to the United States should note that the airline will operate flights to three US airports from its primary base at Seoul Incheon Airport (ICN). Notably, the carrier reintroduced its Boeing 747-8 route between South Korea’s capital and London Heathrow Airport (LHR) this summer.
|
US routes |
Aircraft variant |
|---|---|
|
INC to ATL |
Daily (747-8) |
|
INC to HNL |
Daily (747-8) |
|
INC to JFK |
Daily to double daily (747-8) |
To book a Korean Air 747 flight using miles and points, you must be a member of the Korean Air loyalty program SKYPASS. SKYPASS members, of course, can earn miles by flying Korean Air or its
SkyTeam Alliance
member airlines, such as Delta Air Lines. The number of miles you earn is based upon the distance and booking class of your flight.
According to Korean Air, a one-way award economy class ticket from South Korea to North America would cost 35,000 SKYPASS miles during the off-peak season and 52,500 miles during the peak season. Business class tickets cost 62,500 miles off-peak and 92,500 during the peak travel periods.
Meanwhile, a one-way first class ticket from Korea to North America on a 747-8 aircraft would cost 80,000 SKYPASS miles during the off-peak season and 120,000 miles during the peak season.
The Air China case
Air China is the third airline that you can choose if you want to fly on the Queen of the Skies this summer. China’s flag carrier currently operates a fleet of 10 747s, including seven 747-8s and three 747-400s, at an average age of 15.1 years.
Photo: Fasttailwind | Shutterstock
Air China
will use its fleet of 747s to operate on a single US route this summer. It is worth noting that flight availability on the 747 within China is higher than to the US.
|
US routes |
Aircraft variant |
|---|---|
|
PEK to JFK |
Five times weekly (747-8) |
The Chinese carrier uses a frequent flier program, Phoenix Miles, meaning that passengers can accrue miles when flying on any Star Alliance member flight as long as the fare is eligible for mileage accrual. And then use them on award flights. Since Air China is a member of the Star Alliance, you can use several partner miles to book flights. For example, you can use United miles to book on Air China, provided they release award space.
Given the recent capacity restrictions, there is no award space available on the Beijing to New York route. According to a CAPA analysis, the US government recently increased the weekly flight limit for Chinese airlines from 35 round trips to 50. While this is a considerable increase, it is still well below the 150 round trips permitted before the pandemic.