When Aeroplan announced that Emirates would become its newest partner airline in late 2022, there was much fanfare about the ability to book Emirates First Class using Aeroplan points. As part of the roll out, it was expected that Emirates First Class would be available in late January 2023.
As promised, Emirates First Class is now available for booking using Aeroplan points, and flights are loaded into the Aeroplan booking engine.
Book Emirates First Class with Aeroplan Points
You can now book Emirates First Class using Aeroplan points. Unlike other First Class products available through the loyalty program, such as ANA First Class, Lufthansa First Class, and Oman Air First Class, flights with Emirates are priced according to a separate chart.
The pricing for Emirates First Class is higher than the prices for First Class flights with other partner airlines. As a reminder, Emirates’s separate award chart is as follows:
Note that instead of a fixed price for a flight, you can expect to pay a range of prices for Emirates flights in each class of service. There are five different distance bands, with the cost increasing as you move from band to band.
It’s important to note that the roll out of Emirates flights with Aeroplan is set to happen in three different stages. This marks the end of the second stage, and the final stage, in which we expect to see a wider range of prices for Emirates flights, is slated for some time later on this year.
Until then, we expect that the cost of booking Emirates flights to be relatively static until the partnership is fully implemented.
Let’s take a look at the pricing and availability for a few of the different distance bands.
0–2,000 Miles Flown
In the shortest distance band for flights of up to 2,000 miles, the stated range is 65,000–175,000 points for a First Class flight. From Dubai, this covers the area around the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and parts of Central Asia.
For a shorter flight from Dubai to Bahrain, a First Class award prices at 77,000 Aeroplan points, which is certainly a steep price to pay for a flight that’s just over an hour long.
Heading further afield to Istanbul, which measures around 1,883 miles from Dubai, the cost rises to 102,000 Aeroplan points.
In both examples, the prices are in the lower half of the published range, which is similar to what we saw with the recent changes to pricing of Emirates business class flights.
2,001–5,000 Miles Flown
The second distance band on the Emirates chart covers destinations in Africa, Europe, and much of South East and East Asia.
For Emirates First Class flights, the published range is 110,000–325,000 Aeroplan points.
A flight from Dubai to London, on which you can enjoy the shower in the sky and the onboard bar with the Airbus A380, measures 3,421 miles. The flight is currently pricing out at 171,000 Aeroplan points.
Moving further afield to Johannesburg, which measures just under 4,000 miles from Dubai, the cost is 196,500 Aeroplan points.
Oddly enough, a flight from Dubai to Seoul, which measures around 4,200 miles, is priced at less than the slightly shorter flight to Johannesburg. You can currently expect to pay 190,500 Aeroplan points.
Again, we’re seeing prices that are in the lower half of the published range, which might change later on in the year once the partnership is fully implemented.
It’s worth noting that this is the distance band for the popular fifth freedom flights from Milan to New York (JFK) or Athens to New York (EWR).
The flight between Milan (MXP) and New York (JFK) measures 3,995 miles, and prices out at 196,500 Aeroplan points per passenger.
The flight from Athens to New York (EWR) is longer, and the distance between the two cities is just under 5,000 miles. A flight in Emirates First Class will cost you 222,000 Aeroplan points.
It’s worth noting that Aeroplan doesn’t have carrier surcharges on redemptions, which we will discuss more in detail below with a comparison to Emirates Skywards.
5,001–9,000 Miles Flown
The next band on the Emirates chart covers direct flights from Dubai to North America, South America, and Oceania.
The published range of prices for First Class flights is 225,000–475,000 Aeroplan points.
A one-way flight between Dubai and Toronto in Emirates First Class prices out at 302,500 Aeroplan points. The distance between the two cities is 6,899 miles.
A flight from Dubai to Seattle, which measures 7,425 miles, prices out at 324,000 Aeroplan points.
Upper Two Distance Bands
The last two distance bands cover flights of between 9,001 and 12,000 miles and 12,000+ miles, respectively. Any flights of this length would require another segment, since the longest direct flight that Emirates has is 8,824 miles from Dubai to Auckland.
An example of such a routing would be to fly from North America to Dubai, add a stopover for 5,000 points if you wish, and then continue onward to South East Asia, Africa, or Oceania.
If you’re inclined to make a booking like this, you’ll surely pay a premium for it. Depending on how far you fly, you’ll pay anywhere from 300,000–750,000 Aeroplan points, according to the ranges published on the chart.
An example of what this might cost is flying from Toronto to Johannesburg via Dubai. This routing measures a total of around 10,869 miles, and prices out at 489,000 Aeroplan points with both flights in Emirates First Class.
That is a lot of points to part with, but you’d also enjoy plenty of flying time in one of the world’s best First Class products on the Airbus A380. It’s great that we have another option for booking Emirates First Class, but I don’t foresee many people redeeming this many points for a pair of flights.
Is Aeroplan the Best Way to Book Emirates First Class?
With Emirates First Class now available through Aeroplan, there are essentially two ways to book the product, with the other being through Emirates’s own Skywards program.
There have been many negative changes to Skywards in the recent past, largely resulting in business class and First Class flights becoming more expensive in both points and miles.
One of the most popular ways to book Emirates First Class is on one of the fifth freedom routes between Europe and New York.
A booking from Athens to New York (EWR) made through Emirates Skywards will cost you 102,000 Skywards miles plus €135 in taxes and fees.
While a booking through Aeroplan would cost you 222,000 Aeroplan points plus $165 (CAD) in taxes and fees.
As you can see, the number of points required for Emirates First Class is significantly higher with Aeroplan than with its own loyalty program. So, if you have access to Emirates Skywards through US-issued credit cards or otherwise, your best bet is to book with Skywards to save points.
Aeroplan points are arguably much easier to come by, though, so if you find yourself with a large stash of Aeroplan points or without access to Skywards, then at least you have another booking option at your disposal.
It’s also worth noting that Emirates levies fuel surcharges on award bookings, while Aeroplan doesn’t.
For example, a one-way flight from Toronto to Dubai costs 163,500 Skywards miles plus $1,143 (CAD) in taxes and fees.
While the same flight booked with Aeroplan comes in at 302,500 Aeroplan points plus just $83 (CAD) in taxes and fees.
As you can see, the carrier surcharges are significant when booking Emirates First Class through Skywards, while the cost in Aeroplan points is almost twice the number of Skywards miles required.
Generally speaking, if you have access to Skywards, then you should book Emirates First Class through it rather than through Aeroplan. Doing so will save you a number of points, but may also cost you a tidy sum in taxes and fees.
On the other hand, if you don’t have access to Skywards, then Aeroplan is essentially your only option. With many ways to come across Aeroplan points, if you’ve ever wanted to fly in one of the world’s most exclusive cabins, then at least you have the option with Aeroplan.
Conclusion
Emirates First Class is now available through Aeroplan. The flights are loaded into the search engine, and can be booked throughout the schedule.
Flights in Emirates First Class are subject to the airline’s own unique award pricing chart, and we’re seeing prices that tend to be in the lower half of the published range.
The third and final phase of the Emirates roll out is set to be completed later on in 2023, at which point we are likely to see a wider range of prices for Emirates First Class flights. Until then, be sure to lock in a booking if you’ve ever wanted to take a shower in the sky or be in your own private suite.
