Check the aircraft type and seat before redeeming points and miles

When booking your next points and miles redemption through your favorite airline program, checking the aircraft type and seating chart can be just as important as figuring out the redemption rate and schedule. Fit.

This is because the number of seats on the aircraft operating your flight can vary widely even within the same airline and aircraft type. You should take the time to make sure you know what your flight’s seating configuration will be so you can fly in the best product available — and also so there aren’t any unpleasant surprises when you do. get on the plane.

Take Lufthansa for example, the airline makes bookings easy with partner miles like Air Canada aircraft point and United MileagePlus miles, starting with just 60,000 miles in business class to Europe.

Lufthansa is in the process of updating its business class seats, which are arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration on Airbus A330, A340 and A350 aircraft (and also 2-2 or 2-3-2 on Boeing 747depending on where you are sitting). This configuration offers little privacy, no direct aisle access for window seat passengers, and insufficient storage space.

Its new Allegris product is a notable improvement. It has many different seating options and direct access as well as great privacy and storage options.

Related: On the first Lufthansa Allegris flight – is the new cabin worth the wait?

So how do you make sure you book new seats and not old ones? Lufthansa is currently only operating the new seats on flights to select North American destinations from its Munich Airport (MUC) base, including:

• Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
• Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ)

Related: Lufthansa reveals new Allegris product, with 14 different seating options – including first class double bed

Allegris seats are currently only installed on some A350 aircraft, so you should check your flight details if you want the best product. However, even within Lufthansa’s A350 fleet, some planes have the new Allegris seats while others do not – which is why it’s an idea to check the seating chart before booking. nice. You can use a tool like ExpertFlyer (ExpertFlyer is owned by TPG parent company, Red Ventures) to double check.

For example, when searching for travel from San Francisco to Munich on 3 December 2024, this particular flight is expected to be operated by an Airbus A350-900 with older seats in configuration 2 -2-2.

However, this same flight, scheduled to depart a few days earlier on November 30 on the same aircraft, shows a different seating plan, with the new seats in a staggered 1-2 configuration -1 – this would be much better. Use your points and miles.

Related: Where is the best seat on the plane? Here’s how to choose your seat every time you fly

Bottom line

Checking which aircraft and seats will work on your next flight is a smart step to ensure you’re redeeming your points and miles for the best possible product and there are no nasty surprises. when you board that long-awaited flight.

The differences between seat types in economy class are minimal; however, in business and first class, the difference can be significant.

It should be noted that last-minute swaps of aircraft and equipment can and do happen, and sometimes nothing can be done about it. Remember to check the seating chart when you check in online (or at the airport) to see if the seating chart is different from the one you originally saw when booking (if your seat number is you change without your consent, this may be a clue the chair type has changed). This way, you’ll know what to expect when you join.