July 31, 2026 • 16 min read Jump to section Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Copy URL Email The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information. My friends and colleagues often rib me for having tastes that tend toward the luxurious. Why, they ask, am I always posting from first-class seats with a glass of Champagne in hand?
The truth is, I fly coach as much as anyone. I just don't Instagram about it since ... we all know what coach seats look like.
That said, I am always the first one to jump on a great first-class airline award. Over the years, being flexible, stockpiling transferable points and being quick to hit the "book" button have helped me fly in some of the world's most exclusive airline cabins.
Most recently, I booked a "unicorn" award flying Qantas first class from Los Angeles to Melbourne, Australia, snagging a seat for 130,000 miles plus around $20 in taxes and fees that would otherwise have cost nearly $15,000.
Unfortunately, we have seen certain airlines restrict their first-class award availability lately. Lufthansa, for instance, seems to have cut off its partner airlines from letting their frequent flyer members book first-class awards. Likewise, Emirates placed restrictions on who can use miles from its Skywards program to book first-class awards. (You need elite status.)
That said, there are still a few creative work-arounds for finding and booking some of the world's best first-class seats using points and miles.
Here are five of the first-class awards I always keep an eye on and will book if any availability crops up.
Related: Amazing first-class seats you can book with points and miles
I've had the chance to fly the much-lauded The Room business-class suites on Japan's All Nippon Airways (though it's been a few years). I have yet to fly the airline's incredible The Suite first-class product, though, which it introduced at the same time in 2019.
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The airline currently flies planes equipped with The Suite from its hub at Haneda Airport (HND) in Tokyo on certain frequencies to:
It also flies The Suite-equipped aircraft from Narita International Airport (NRT) in Tokyo to ORD and SFO.
You can also find a similar version aboard the Airbus A380s that the carrier flies from NRT to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu.
Designed by Japanese superstar architect Kengo Kuma, there are just eight of The Suite seats aboard each of the Boeing 777-300ERs. They are in a small, self-contained cabin up front and are arranged in two rows of four seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. Each has a closing door for privacy as well as an incredibly large 43-inch 4K entertainment screen.
Passengers can expect amenities such as Nishikawa Air bedding…