Best and Worst Oneworld Award Programs Between the U.S. and Asia for First Class

How the mileage programs compare—and why having the right credit card(s) makes such a HUGE difference.

This is part five in FCF’s latest mileage-award comparison series, in which we grade major alliance mileage programs by how much they charge for a free award ticket in Business and First Class to/from various regions of the world.

In October we focused on Star Alliance in Business Class between U.S. and Asia; oneworld Business Class U.S. to/from southern South America in September; Star Alliance First Class U.S. Star Alliance First Class U.S. to/from Asia in July, and oneworld Business Class U.S. to/from Asia in June. For this installment, we examine six  oneworld airline loyalty programs for travel between U.S. and Asia  First Class.

Mileage Cost Discrepancies

Flying to/from Asia allows you to take advantage of award chart  discrepancies between airline partners. Having the right credit cards, meaning one from Amex Rewards, Chase, Citi ThankYou, or Starwood (full report in FCF’s March issue) enables savvy travelers to leverage these discrepancies. Make sure you have a handle on this.

Many Asian carriers (and some European carriers) use a flight distance award chart (mileage required is determined by the distance between departure and destination cities), whereas most North American carriers use a regional  chart (a flat rate from one region to another; also known  as a zone chart).

Sometimes you can book a regional award through a North American carrier for use on an Asian carrier at  a much lower rate, such as getting First Class on Cathay  Pacific from Chicago to Hong Kong for 85,000 fewer American miles than you would pay if you booked the ticket through Cathay Pacific.

American miles than you would pay if you booked the ticket through Cathay Pacific.

A Note on the Grading System

It’s very simple, A through F, just like in grammar school. The lower the mileage requirement, the higher the grade; and for this report card, FCF rates not only each airline’s mileage requirements, but also grades partner-flight rates. The grades are based on four sample routes, as it is impossible to account for every route. FCF didn’t include some airlines, such as Air Berlin, Finnair, Iberia, LAN, or Qantas. The reasons vary from not offering First Class awards, or offering them at a ridiculously high rate (e.g.we’re not going to tell you about every F), or a foreign carrier without a points transfer partner (Finnair), which makes the award largely inaccessible.

The Grades

American: A / A

The only North American airline in this report card that charges the same for its own and partner flights to/from Asia. It divides Asia into two regions, 125,000 and 135,000 miles round-trip, which is a great price, and thus received the  highest score for both its own and partner rates. Transfer partner: Starwood.

British Airways: D / D

Uses a flight distance chart and flies between Asia and the U.S. via London. Mileage cost is high because of the routing, and partner awards to/from Asia aren’t competitive, either. Transfer partners: Amex Rewards, Chase,  and Starwood.

Cathay Pacific: C- / C

Uses a flight distance chart. Asian routes are through its Hong Kong hub, and mileage cost tends to be slightly above the average price to Hong Kong. Points beyond Hong Kong are charged separately, so the total cost can be high. Transfer partner: Amex Rewards, Citi ThankYou, and Starwood.

Japan Airlines: B / B+

Divides Asia into five regions. Rates shown are JAL’s new prices as of Nov.1, which increased 30,000 to 40,000 miles round-trip. Partner awards are based on flight distance using the “partner award chart” and start as low as 115,000 round-trip for Los Angeles-Tokyo. That’s the  lowest cost for any oneworld partner award on this route,  but on other routes it charges more than partner American. B for new rates, B+ for partner rates. Miles can be transferred from Starwood.

Malaysia Airlines: D

Uses a flight distance chart, but it’s a non-starter, as it does not fly from the U.S. and its partner flights cost more than other oneworld carriers. Transfer partner: Citi ThankYou.

Qatar: D

Flies to/from Asia via Doha and uses a flight-distance chart, but currently offers no First Class cabin from the U.S. Its partner flights also cost more than many oneworld carriers. Transfer  partners: Citi ThankYou and Starwood.