Emirates Award Fee Hikes
Flying Emirates between the U.S. and Europe on one of the airlines' funky fifth freedom routes has been one of the cheapest ways to get to Europe using points and miles. That was true whether you wanted to fly economy, business class, or even all the way at the front in first class. That is no longer the case after these Emirates award fee hikes, which include its three routes from the U.S. to Europe and Colombia. The change essentially kills off the value of this beloved sweet spot.
What Has Changed
Emirates has high carrier-imposed surcharges on its Skywards award flights connecting through its hub in Dubai (DXB). But the airline's fifth-freedom routes — routes an airline operates between two countries, neither of which are its home base — had previously had much lower fees for award flights, which is what made them such a great deal. The following are the three fifth-freedom routes Emirates operates from the U.S.:
- New York (JFK) and Milan, Italy (MXP)
- Newark (EWR) and Athens, Greece (ATH)
- Miami (MIA) and Bogotá, Colombia (BOG)
Business Class Flights
As first flagged by Tim Ritsema of @travelmugpoints on Instagram, Emirates increased the surcharge for one-way business awards from the U.S. to Europe to $433.50, a nearly 312% increase from the $105.30 the airline was previous charging in taxes and fees.
Remember, these fees are just one-way, so double it if you're booking roundtrip. That's a lot of actual cash you're forking over for a flight you're supposedly booking for “free” using miles…
Economy Flights
The taxes and fees on economy awards have taken a hit as well. A roundtrip flight to Italy or Greece will now cost you 35,000 miles and around $290 in taxes and fees, more than double the previous surcharge.
One Fifth-Freedom Route Was Kind Of Spared
For Emirates' fifth-freedom flight from Miami to Bogotá, you'll now pay $267.50 in taxes and fees, up from $105.30 on one-way business class awards. Economy awards also saw a moderate surcharge increase.
Partners Are A Potential Alternative
A solid alternative for booking these Emirates flights is to look at Air Canada Aeroplan. These same Emirates flights may cost you slightly more miles — 41,600 points one-way in economy, 70,000 in business — but fewer taxes and fees.
Emirates Award Fee Hikes: ToP Thoughts
Emirates Skywards miles are looking less and less like a great option for booking award flights, whether you're flying to the Middle East and beyond, or on one of the airlines's fifth-freedom routes between the U.S. and Europe or Colombia. Skywards miles are getting harder to earn. The airline recently lowered the transfer rate from Citi ThankYou points and the transfer rate from American Express Membership Rewards will take a similar nosedive next month. Now, Emirates has more than doubled the taxes and fees on award flights on its fifth-freedom routes, including those from the U.S. What was once a great sweet spot for getting to Europe for cheap with points and miles, will now cost you a lot more cash. Let us know if this change alters any of your future booking plans over in the ToP Facebook Group.
