We were excited to try Transavia on a direct flight from Paris Orly to Malaga in the spring, but wound up disappointed. Here’s the full breakdown, including what we paid, what went wrong, and how Transavia compares to the other European budget carriers we fly regularly.
Icelandair runs transatlantic business class sales several times a year, and the prices can be hard to beat. We’ve paid between $900 and $1,300 round trip from DC to Europe in Saga Premium, including onward connections to Oslo and Paris. But it’s important to know this is not a true business class product. After flying it multiple times and comparing it with six other premium economy products, we think Saga Premium offers some of the best value in the category. Here’s everything you need to know before booking.
We’ve flown United Airlines Premium Plus to Europe multiple times, mostly on the 777-200. We’ve also flown every United cabin to Europe, so we have a good sense of how it compares. Here’s our honest review of United Airlines Premium Plus, including what we paid and whether it’s worth booking.
We flew TAP Air Portugal business class from Lisbon to Washington Dulles after winning a bid upgrade on the morning of our flight. The experience included a lie-flat seat, an excellent meal, and an impressive Portuguese wine list, but not everything lived up to business class expectations on this transatlantic route in an A321neo narrowbody plane. Here’s what impressed us most and what fell short.
As elite status gets harder to achieve and à la carte perks get more expensive, we’ve had to be very deliberate about our strategy. Here’s a breakdown of why it’s worth it to go for elite status, even at lower tiers, how to chose the right alliance, as well as an example of how to achieve status and the perks you’ll get. We hope this helps you elevate your travel experience in 2026 as everything is getting outrageously pricey.
We discovered that not all European business class products are created equally. Here’s what we learned testing four different airlines on intra-Europe flights, what they’re worth, and whether we’d do it again.
Most flights to the gorgeous Azores archipelago route through Lisbon, which adds about seven hours of travel each way if you’re flying from the US or Canada. But there’s an affordable direct option from the East Coast that skips the backtrack entirely and will get you there in less than six hours. Here’s how to book it, what we paid, and whether it’s worth it.
There is a lot of advice floating around about how to get upgraded to business class. You’ll hear people tell you to wear a suit, mention it’s your honeymoon, or arrive at the airport four hours early to “befriend” the staff. In our experience, none of that actually works. These are our tried and true ways to get business class upgrades, and you don’t need to be a frequent traveler or have airline elite status for most of them.
We’re always happy to get upgraded or enjoy a first-class domestic flight on a longer international business-class route, but is it worth a cash splurge for this short flight? We break down the whole experience, including what we paid, so you can decide if it’s worth it to you.
Etihad business class has a strong reputation, but seat selection matters more than we expected on the older 787-9 aircraft. In this review, we break down everything from check-in and lounge access to the in-flight experience and what we paid, plus the big seat mistake we wish we’d known before booking.
