Istanbul → LAX on Turkish Airlines Business

Cash price: $7,200 • We paid: 150,000 Turkish miles + $317 per person

The seat & soft product: Wide, comfortable lie-flats with genuinely good food (yes to the mezze) and friendly crews. The new IST lounge is a destination in itself (showers, fresh pide, pasta station). We’ve found Turkish consistently generous with award space if you’re flexible by a day or two.

Cash price: $11,580 • We paid: 171,760 Aeroplan points (+ taxes/fees)

The experience: United Polaris delivers direct-aisle access, Saks bedding, and solid lounges ex-SFO. On the New Zealand legs, Air New Zealand Business Premier gives you a true lie-flat bed with on-demand dining and Kiwi-warm service. Seats are in a herringbone layout (not the best for privacy), but the mattress topper/duvet make a real difference on the ultra-long haul. Aeroplan shines for stitching partners like this without brutal surcharges.

SFO → Auckland (Roundtrip) on United Polaris & Air New Zealand Business

Cash price: $5,000 • We paid: 75,000 Alaska miles + $62 per person

What it’s like: Modern reverse-herringbone lie-flats, warm Fijian hospitality, and a fun Nadi (NAN) connection that breaks the long haul in a good way. The Alaska-Fiji partnership has been a long-time sweet spot—low mileage, minimal fees.

Cash price: $10,000 • We paid: 130,000 Virgin Points + $440 per person

Cabin notes: Hawaiian’s A330 lie-flats are surprisingly comfortable for the Pacific hops. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has a partner chart for Hawaiian that’s still compelling for Hawaii↔Asia if you can snag the space.

LAX → Maldives (Roundtrip) in Qatar Qsuites

Cash price: $16,000 • We paid: 170,000 Avios + $541 per person

Why it’s special: Qsuites are the standard everyone else chases: fully-private suites with sliding doors, comfy mattress pads, dine-on-demand, and the option to create a double “honeymoon” suite in the middle pair. Service is polished, the DOH lounge is excellent, and catering is reliably great. Booking via Avios often prices better than other partners and lets you mix segments creatively.

LAX → Auckland on Fiji Airways Business

Oahu → Tokyo / Seoul → Oahu on Hawaiian (Business)

Houston → London (Roundtrip) on British Airways Club World

Cash price: $24,000 • We paid: 150,000 Avios + $950 per person

Set expectations: BA surcharges are… chunky (see that $950). Classic Club World is still comfortable with lie-flats and solid lounges, while the newer Club Suite (with doors) is genuinely great—if you land it. We booked for schedule and availability, accepted the fees, and enjoyed the nonstop convenience.

How we actually pulled this off (so you can, too)

Flex the “triangle”: dates, routes, cabins. Stay flexible on at least one (ideally two) corners of that triangle. If your dates are fixed, consider nearby airports and mixed cabins (e.g., Premium Economy one way, Business the other).

Search segment-by-segment. Long-haul availability may exist even if the full itinerary doesn’t show. Stitch it together.

Leverage multiple programs. We used Avios (Qatar/BA), Turkish Miles&Smiles, Aeroplan, Alaska, and Virgin Atlantic—because no single program wins every route.

Mind surcharges. The miles price is only half the story. BA adds $$$; Alaska/Fiji and many Aeroplan partners stay gentle on cash.

Hold & pounce. Some programs let you hold seats briefly; others transfer instantly from bank points. Know your transfer times before you see space.

Build balances with flexible points. Amex, Chase, Capital One, Citi, and Bilt transfer to most of the programs above—this is how you stay nimble.

Positioning flights are your friend. We often position to West Coast gateways (or HNL) to open partner space and reduce surcharges.

Keep a running “goal chart.” Decide the top 2–3 cabins you want each year (Qsuites, Polaris, Fiji) and save/earn toward those specific charts and partners. 

Heads-up: We found most of these seats via Thrifty Traveler Premium deal alerts. If you want the same ping-when-space-drops superpower, sign up with our code [HOLLYANDLUKE] at checkout, it supports our work and gets you the best available offer.