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Qatar Airways First Class on its A380 is available nearly every day between Paris and Doha and widely available between Doha and Bangkok. You can fly:
- Paris <-> Doha for 62,500 American Airlines miles
- Bangkok <-> Doha for 50,000 American Airlines miles
- Bangkok <-> Paris for 90,000 American Airlines miles
That’s 6 to 14 hours of luxury, including a flat bed and access to an onboard bar, for reasonable prices (though hardly the pittance that these routes were before the March 22 devaluation.)
Right now the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard® is offering 50,000 bonus American Airlines miles after $5,000 in purchases made with your card in the first 3 months the account is open. The card also confers Admirals Club Lounge Membership.
Routes
Qatar flies its A380 on three routes from Doha to London, Paris, and Bangkok. These routes are remarkably similar in length, between 3,091 and 3,285 miles flown.
American Airlines Routing Rules
American Airlines charges 62,500 miles one way for First Class between Europe and the Middle East and only 50,000 miles one way between Asia 2 (where Bangkok is) and the Middle East.
From Europe to Asia 2, American Airlines charges 90,000 miles each way in First Class. Ordinarily, on a single American Airlines award, you cannot transit the Middle East between Europe and Asia 2, but flying Qatar is an exception. If you book Paris to Doha to Bangkok on Qatar, it will price as one American Airlines award that costs 90,000 miles in First Class. I have tested it.
Award Space
You can search for Qatar award space on ba.com. Here’s how. Any space that shows up there is bookable with American Airlines miles by calling American.
London Route
I didn’t find any First Class award space between Doha and London in either direction. I did find a lot of Business Class space that would be 42,500 miles one way or still 90,000 miles all the way to Bangkok if combined with Qatar First from Doha to Bangkok.
By the way, not all flights on these three routes are operated by an A380. To see the operating aircraft, click on the flight number on ba.com.
This will bring up the Flight Details, including the plane.
Paris Route
The Paris route is the opposite of the London route. There are two A380 First Class seats nearly every day in both directions. Here is a sampling of award space across many months.
Bangkok Route
The Bangkok route falls in between the London and Paris routes in terms of availability. First Class space isn’t available nearly every day like to Paris, but space is available a few times a week on average.
Paris to Bangkok
The most common Paris to Doha flight with First Class award space is Qatar flight 40, which syncs up well to Qatar flight 836, both of which are operated by the A380. This is the type of itinerary you would need to find to pay 70,000 American Airlines miles to fly 13 hours of Qatar A380 First Class.
How to Book
To book award space you find on ba.com, call American Airlines at 800-882-8880 and feed the agent the date, cabin, and flight number. Make sure the $40 phone fee is waived, since Qatar award space can’t be booked on aa.com.
Instead of booking, you can put the space on a five day hold.
Getting Home from Europe or Thailand
Very few MileValue readers live in London, Paris, Doha, or Bangkok, but all readers can take advantage of these awards as part of BIG round-the-world trips. Book the other legs of that trip cheaply by referencing this post about the cheapest awards to every region of the world.
Bottom Line
Qatar A380 First Class award space is widely available, especially on the Paris and Bangkok routes. You can book it for 50,000 or 62,500 American Airlines miles or pay 90,000 miles for two segments.
Right now the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ MasterCard® is offering 50,000 bonus American Airlines miles after $5,000 in purchases made with your card in the first 3 months the account is open. The card also confers Admirals Club Lounge Membership.
Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel℠ and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
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this is fantastic use of AA miles… I wish i had plans to go to Thailand.
BTW, it’s still beyond me why they fly that plane to BKK and not JFK… they are so far behind Etihad and even Emirates.
Lantean,
IIRC, QR have ordered 10 or 12 of these birds, of which they have taken delivery of 5 or 6 ? They will have to put the rest on other routes, JFK, SYD make sense since EK and EY have already done so.
OK, but what are they waiting for and why are they flying it to BKK?
I think they like these routes because they are short enough that they can fly several flights per day with minimal ground time.
Hi All,
I have an un-related question to this topic. I can’t seem to find the answer elsewhere..
Can we redeem an award seat for infant in first/business class?
Thanks!
Yes