Apr

Emirates Rewards or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and love Business Class Upgrades – Part 1

By: Moez Naseer Categories: Air Travel

Business Class Upgrades
With another international meeting set to take place, it was time again to take that long 14-hour flight from JFK airport all the way to the fantastic city of Dubai. I told a friend of mine about my impending flight, and he told me that for long flights, getting a business class upgrade through Emirates was an absolute must. Still, although business class sounded great, I had already purchased my economy tickets on my flight through Expedia.

That’s When I Discovered That Business Class Was A Must

As my flight neared, I kept remembering what my friend told me about the luxury of sitting in business class. This nagging feeling increased when I looked online and discovered just how amazing a long flight in business class could be with Emirates. They have the whole deal. We’re talking flatbed seats, gourmet meals and an unbelievable on board lounge. Interested to learn more, I called Expedia and found that the tickets I bought could be upgraded.

The Battle For Business Class

After doing some research, I knew what had to be done. First, I went on the Emirates website and created a “Emirates Rewards” account with them. Following protocol, I then attached my new reward number to my Expedia ticket on the Expedia website. By doing this, I ensured that both Emirates and Expedia knew that my ticket was part of my rewards membership. Then, I had to find out how many miles I needed in order to upgrade. To my chagrin, I discovered that I would need to buy a whopping 75,000 miles. How could I afford that?

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Luckily, I was able to find The Mileage Club. This great website offers discounted miles for all types of destinations and airlines. Using this site I was able to find the best price for the Emirates miles that I needed in order to move up to business class. After I bought the miles, they quickly transferred, and all that was left to do was calling Emirates and upgrade my ticket.

That’s When I Hit A Snag

Thrilled that I was about to enjoy this long fight in the luxury of business class, my heart hit the floor when I called Emirates to upgrade my ticket and discovered that there no more seats available! They told me that the best they could do was to put me on a waiting list. When I got to the airport, I was beyond upset. After all I had done to get these great seats and I was still destined to sit in the economy section. Then a ray of light hit me. Suddenly, five minutes before my flight began boarding I heard my name over the loud speaker. The announcement was music to my ears, fate intervened and I had been upgraded to business class!