Flying in business class is the ultimate luxury and such an amazing experience, and it’s so easy to do it for less than in economy class. I did it much more often in 2025 than all the other years of my life combined, and for each of my 9 flights, I obviously didn’t pay the cash price. Having a luxurious lie-flat pod seat is nice, but having it without paying is infinitely better (I loooove deals and savings)!
I strongly insist that you should absolutely take advantage of the increased welcome bonus on the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card right now!!! It’ll give you 57,000 Aeroplan points, which is enough for my business class flights #1 and #3 below.
That gives you 8h or even 10h of luxury, worth $2000+, with just a single welcome bonus! Insane! The increased bonus, for a limited time, has been around for a while… and I recommend getting this deal quickly.
We’re starting our few personal retrospective articles of 2025 with this one, given this great Aeroplan deal that you really shouldn’t miss. The other articles will follow very soon.
Here are my 9 business class flights of 2025. Have questions? Please do ask them in the comments at the end of this post!
Reflections on my 9 business class flights in 2025
It seems too good to be true, but that’s not the case. And it’s really an incredible experience, believe me!
Luxurious business class flights paid with points of the more lucrative type are literally the very best deal that exists in all of travel. Objectively, it’s the biggest cash savings you can get. That’s why I love it.
If your ambition for 2026 is to taste the amazing experience of luxurious business class flights, it’s honestly very easy when you know how. You just need to put in a bit of time to learn, like for everything in life.
You should definitely read:
- Our guide on how to fly in business class (the minimum to read)
- Our presentation of our new business class deals section
- My other explanation in a different format (with 9 things to know)
- My detailed testimonial of a point redemption (very concrete example)
I often got an amazing value of over 5¢/pt! Most people sadly redeem their precious Aeroplan points and their precious Amex points at 1¢/pt.
Today, I’m sharing my fairly brief impressions on my 9 business class flights of the year with a few pictures of each, both for the hard product (the seat, essentially) and the soft product (everything else).
(I also promise a more detailed review on each one, and we will have more content on business class travel in 2026!)
For each one of my business class flights, I also mention the most important things:
- The airline (it’s vital for the quality of business class)
- The aircraft model (quality varies even within the same airline)
- The points currency redeemed (there are many good ones for Canadians)
- CPP or cents per point (the value obtained compared to the price in cash)
- CPH or cost per hour (the price paid compared to the flight duration)
Finally, I want to share an important personal reflection before diving in. To help you.
For 99% of travelers, the biggest regret, after they’ve finally realized how easy it is to get lots of free travel thanks to the wonderful world of travel rewards, is the regret of not having started sooner!
For me, I’ve been earning free travel for 15 years, so my regret isn’t that. My regret is rather not having wanted to taste business class sooner! In my defense, I was afraid of getting addicted, and that’s actually kind of what happened…
But with all the incredible welcome bonus offers of recent years (like the current ones for 57,000 points from the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card, the 72,000 points from the Amex Gold Rewards Card, etc.) and the fact that I now travel less, it’s easy to at least do the long-distance overnight flights in business class (in a comfortable bed).
If you sadly only travel 3-4 times a year, it’s even easier, of course. The world of travel rewards will allow you to travel more if you want… but if you don’t want to travel more, it’ll allow you to travel better! In business class!
Let’s look at my 9 business class flights, in the approximate order of how I think the specific flight will interest you.
#1: Lufthansa (A350): Montreal (YUL) — Munich (MUC)
Here’s the summary of this points redemption:
- Itinerary: Montreal—Munich
- Price paid: 60,000 Aeroplan points + 119 CAD
- Price in cash: 3680 CAD
- CPP: 5.9 ¢/pt
- Duration: 7h20
- CPH: 8182 pts/hr + 16 CAD/hr
My girlfriend was jealous of my business class flights and decided that we would be flying in luxury for our trip to Europe, at the end of May/beginning of June.
I redeemed my Aeroplan points at the guaranteed fixed price for the shortest Canada–Europe flights. I booked the excellent business class on these specific Lufthansa A350s. This route is truly one of the best for Europe. We didn’t want to go to Munich, but you have to be flexible either on the itinerary or on the date (as simple as that). Flights within Europe don’t cost much.
Another basic tip is that business classes vary. Lufthansa has 3 types of long-distance business classes, and they are very different. Their new business class (Allegris) is excellent, but several routes have their old one which is pretty terrible. The Montreal–Munich route has the 3rd (and the rarest), which is on a former Philippine Airlines aircraft.
I was pleasantly surprised by the experience. The seats obviously recline to lie flat, and all have direct aisle access; these are the 2 must-haves for good business class seats, and that’s what I look for, at a minimum.
The seats were very good. It’s certainly competitive with the best business classes between North America and Europe. That’s always the most important thing, at least in my opinion.
The onboard service was excellent. The amenity kit was very good (L’Occitane en Provence, in a Porsche Design bag to have at least a bit of a German touch). The food was very good too.
I certainly recommend this Lufthansa option for Europe (not the one on the Montreal–Frankfurt route or some others; be careful).
#2: United Polaris (787-9): San Francisco (SFO) — Seoul (ICN)
Here’s the summary of this points redemption:
- Itinerary: Vancouver—San Francisco—Seoul
- Price paid: 75,000 Aeroplan points + 133 CAD
- Price in cash: 4074 CAD
- CPP: 5.3 ¢/pt
- Duration: 12h55
- CPH: 5806 pts/hr + 10 CAD/hr
I wanted to be in business class for the long flight, to start my winter trip to Asia off right (for the Marriott Bonvoy doubled elite nights promotion).
I redeemed my Aeroplan points at the guaranteed fixed price for the most common West Coast–Asia flights. I booked the excellent United Polaris business class on the 787-9. United was moving from the 40+ Aeroplan partner airlines with fixed pricing to the group of a few partners with dynamic pricing, so I wanted to make sure I could try it at the low price.
North American airlines certainly weren’t known for their business class, but United was somewhat the pioneer of change regarding that, with its United Polaris business class. Since it’s been a while, their fleet is more uniform, so it’s simpler to be sure you have the right business class than with other airlines.
I really enjoyed the experience. These are lie-flat pod seats with direct aisle access, obviously. It was my longest business class flight to date, and it’s really so pleasant to have that much time to enjoy it while sleeping a full night. They also provide very comfortable pajamas (which I still wear very often).
Service is the biggest issue with North American airlines, but it was good. As it was when I had gotten a free upgrade to a lie-flat seat in March 2020 (surprisingly), thanks to my United Silver elite status (obtained automatically with Marriott Titanium elite status). But that was on a short 3-hour flight that didn’t offer the full Polaris services.
One of the highlights of certain airlines, including United, is that they have 2 tiers of VIP airport lounges. Their highest-end lounge, United Polaris, was exceptional in San Francisco (one of my best ever).
I certainly recommend this option when United’s dynamic pricing is close to the fixed price (which fortunately happens often).
#3: Thai Airways Royal Silk (A350): Bangkok (BKK) —İstanbul (IST)
Here’s the summary of this points redemption:
- Itinerary: Bangkok—İstanbul
- Price paid: 60,000 Aeroplan points + 72 CAD
- Price in cash: 3112 CAD
- CPP: 5.1 ¢/pt
- Duration: 10h
- CPH: 6000 pts/hr + 7 CAD/hr
I decided to treat myself for the return from Australia to Türkiye during my trip across 6 continents to earn 1M points, by doing at least the overnight portion in business class.
I redeemed my Aeroplan points at the guaranteed fixed price for Southeast Asia–Middle East flights. The most recent Thai Airways Royal Silk business class is very good, and this specific route actually gives one of the best CPH values possible!!! It was a superb sweet spot, and the cash prices for economy class were expensive in the middle of summer, but…
Due to those 2 reasons, I did what I normally avoid and booked a flight that was supposed to have the least good and very old business class! But miraculously (my very good fortune on this trip continued; see the next flight), the plane was switched at the last minute to one that had the new business class with the best lie-flat seats!
It was an excellent experience, especially thanks to the phenomenal soft product (Asian airlines are known for that, in general). The service was exceptional, as was the food. Even the design of the amenity kit was really very original.
The seat itself was very good, but the only remaining selection was close to the aisle, so there was a bit less privacy than what I’m used to. It’s still a very good bed, but for sure I obviously prefer the other alternating seats farther from the aisle when I’m solo (and by the window ideally).
But for the same price as the shortest Canada–Europe flights, having 10 hours in such a cabin is a phenomenal deal.
I certainly recommend it if you want an original way to get to Asia, going over the Atlantic (Thai Airways doesn’t serve North America). When you’re in business class, a longer flight is a huge positive, certainly not a negative (nothing says “I’ve never flown business class” like wanting shorter flights😉)!
#4: Turkish Airlines (A350): İstanbul (IST) — Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
Here’s the summary of this points redemption this free upgrade:
- Itinerary: İstanbul—Kuala Lumpur—Sydney
- Price paid: Free upgrade (!!!)
- Price in cash: 3909 CAD (whole itinerary)
- CPP: N/A
- Duration: 10h15
- CPH: N/A
I had to take a Turkish Airlines flight to each of the 6 continents for my trip to earn 1 million points, but the flights had to be paid in cash for the promotion. So I obviously booked in economy class, because I’m unable to accept paying thousands of dollars when I know how to get the same thing for so little.
You can book Turkish at fixed prices with Aeroplan points, as I did for my Turkish Airlines business class flight in 2021 (although Turkish seat availability offered to partners is very limited these days). So yes, this time I paid for economy class… but a true miracle happened at the boarding gate!!!
I received a completely free upgrade to business class, to seat 1A at the very front. It’s the first time in my life this has happened to me on a long-distance flight, and I’m so lucky it happened on my longest flight ever (it’s 18h25 in total with the next flight; it’s a direct flight but not nonstop; it’s not the same thing).
I was sooooooo dreading these 2 long flights lasting a total of 18h25 in the air because Turkish Airlines’ economy class seats are pretty terrible for an airline that is so good in business class. I was very sleep-deprived and had already just done 6 flights in 6 days to start the journey. It literally couldn’t have been a better timing!!!
I paid for the most basic fare class as always, I don’t have Turkish Airlines elite status, and my booking didn’t have my account number with my Star Alliance Gold elite status (obtained through Air Canada Aeroplan elite status) since the Turkish number had to be entered for the promotion.
So I don’t know exactly why I got this free upgrade, but I can only assume it was because of the Star Alliance status that must remain recorded in their system. In any case, I was really very lucky.
Anyway, Turkish Airlines business class on the A350 is excellent, but I mainly wanted to recount my best experience of the year (free free is even better than free with points); I’ll tell you more about the experience itself now.
#5: Turkish Airlines (A350): Kuala Lumpur (KUL) — Sydney (SYD)
Here’s the summary of this points redemption this free upgrade:
- Itinerary: İstanbul—Kuala Lumpur—Sydney
- Price paid: Free upgrade (!!!)
- Price in cash: 3909 CAD (whole itinerary)
- CPP: N/A
- Duration: 8h10
- CPH: N/A
After a short layover in Malaysia spent in a beautiful VIP airport lounge, we left again for the shorter Xh segment (which is still long).
That one was also great. Since it’s a brand new flight, the entire great business class experience starts over completely as if it were a standalone flight, although the 2nd meal on this one was a bit less elaborate (their bar is high though). We got another amenity kit, but it was a bit smaller than the one from the 1st flight.
Turkish is another excellent example of the great variation. The new business class on the A350s is excellent, and the one on the 787s that I had for my long business class flight in 2021 was also excellent. But on certain models, it’s pretty terrible (like on the 777s) in terms of the hard product.
The bed is very comfortable, especially thanks to the mattress provided (surprisingly not always offered by certain airlines). Pajamas were offered too. Really, the only thing missing would be a door like in Qatar Airways’ Qsuite for it to be truly perfect.
For the soft product, that’s Turkish’s reputation. It’s exceptionally good. There’s a real chef on board. Above, you saw the kind of very refined trays for the food. Everything was really delicious; it’s clearly a strong point if you’re a foodie.
The service is really attentive! One of my favorite things about my X trips to Türkiye is their excellent hospitality culture, and it’s present on board too.
So I definitely recommend Turkish Airlines, and I’ll be taking it often myself thanks to my million Turkish Airlines points (which, unlike Aeroplan points, are not better when redeemed with partner airlines).
Here’s the summary of this points redemption:
- Itinerary: Copenhagen—Washington
- Price paid: 50,000 SAS points + 127 CAD
- Price in cash: 2426 CAD
- CPP: 4.6 ¢/pt
- Duration: 8h29
- CPH: 5894 pts/hr + 15 CAD/hr
On the return from Europe with my girlfriend, I had to attend the Vans Warped Tour in Washington, so this option was really perfect.
I redeemed my SAS points obtained with the promotion that gave 1 million points in fall 2024. You can also book SAS flights with Amex points by transferring them to Flying Blue! By the way, I haven’t done the article yet, but there’s phenomenal news: the transfer rate was just improved this week!!! The new rate is 1 to 1; we’ll talk about it again very soon.
Imagine! My relatively simple and inexpensive round-the-world trip gave me 20 transatlantic business class flights worth $X each!!! Pretty crazy. That said, in Canada, SAS only has one seasonal route to Toronto. But I’m very comfortable booking positioning flights for such a good points redemption.
SAS business class is really very good. These are modern and really comfortable lie-flat seats.
The service was excellent, and even the food pleasantly surprised me on this flight (and the next one in the list below; as with Turkish, I have a sample of more than 1 single flight for once).
The only less positive points are that the amenity kit is a bit basic and there’s no mattress or pajamas. But it’s certainly not the end of the world, obviously.
I certainly recommend SAS business class to go to Europe, and we’ll help you with content on Flying Blue.
Here’s the summary of this points redemption this sponsored flight:
- Itinerary: Bangkok—Copenhagen
- Price paid: Sponsored flight
- Price in cash: 2470 CAD
- CPP: N/A
- Duration: 13h5
- CPH: N/A
For my return from Asia this winter, I had my 1st sponsored long-distance business class flight ever. The highlight was definitely that they invited me to be in the cockpit DURING takeoff, which was an indescribable experience as an aviation geek (and which is illegal in Europe and the United States; thank you to Thailand’s weaker regulations)!
SAS kindly offered me this flight so I’d talk about it, given that Flytrippers reached a lot of people who did their promotion, and given that we reach a lot of Canadians (they were launching their brand-new route to Toronto). Again, it’s bookable with Amex points transferred to Flying Blue.
I honestly preferred the very uncomfortable little jumpseat in the cockpit over my luxurious lie-flat seat. I spent almost an hour with the 3 pilots, including before departure (when the captain, who was doing his very last flight ever, showed me everything).
Once at cruising altitude, they sent me back so I could review business class as agreed. That experience was also very good.
I would add that I like the idea of the small self-service station with snacks that complements the meal services well; I wish every airline had this. There’s also some beverages, but I’d rather ask the flight attendant for that, for more options.
The onboard service was excellent. But of course, when they know I’m invited to do a review, as on this flight, I’m cautious about whether the service is really representative. But having taken SAS again 2 months later on a real normal flight, I can confirm that the flight attendants are really friendly.
I’ll certainly be taking SAS business class quite often myself, too, thanks to my million SAS points (which are also very good on SAS directly, unlike Aeroplan points).
#8: Air Canada (A320): Vancouver (YVR) — San Francisco (SFO)
Here’s the summary of this points redemption:
- Itinerary: Vancouver—San Francisco—Seoul
- Price paid: 60,000 Aeroplan points + 119 CAD
- Price in cash: N/A
- CPP: N/A
- Duration: 2h26
- CPH: N/A
We’re now at the less interesting business classes, which I decided to include anyway. I went to Whistler for a very cool event for Amex Platinum Card holders, so I was leaving from Vancouver to go to Asia.
This flight was actually included with my transpacific flight with my Aeroplan points at the fixed price, which is really the ideal situation rather than having to book a positioning flight. It doesn’t always work out that well, but it does happen!
Business classes on short-distance flights are usually way less interesting, so we recommend mainly redeeming points for long-distance flights. But when it’s included like that, it’s perfect!
The Air Canada business class experience on narrowbody aircraft is very good. These are recliners and not beds, but they are wider (2-2 configuration instead of 3-3) and offer more legroom.
Personally, I get very good service on Air Canada more often than not, and that was certainly the case on this flight. The flight attendant was perhaps even one of the friendliest I’ve had on 150+ Air Canada flights.
That’s where you see that business class makes all the difference. I had already taken 2 business class flights on Air Canada narrowbodies, and the service and food were very good. They give out hot towels even though it’s a short flight, which I really like (a nice little luxury).
I definitely recommend Air Canada business class on narrowbody aircraft if you can get it free combined with a long-distance flight, but I personally wouldn’t pay more for it (I’m very frugal).
#9: United (E170): Newark (EWR) — Montreal (YUL)
Here’s the summary of this points redemption this free upgrade:
- Itinerary: Miami—Newark—Montreal
- Price paid: Free upgrade
- Price in cash: N/A
- CPP: N/A
- Duration: 1h42
- CPH: N/A
I attended the CardCon credit card conference in Florida as I do every year and chose United for my return flight, in economy class.
I paid in cash because redeeming Aeroplan points didn’t give good value for this flight. It’s a pretty easy concept to understand: with points of the more lucrative type, sometimes it’s a good deal, sometimes not! Anyway, I got a free upgrade this time too, for the 2nd segment of my itinerary (it says “United Economy” for some reason, but 1C is definitely business class).
Don’t go thinking it’s common. It happened to me twice this year to be upgraded for free, but it had only happened 2 other times in my life (600+ flights). Like my previous time on United, it’s thanks to the United Silver elite status that I obtain automatically by having Marriott Bonvoy Titanium elite status (and that’s why I fly United when the price is the same).
This flight is on a tiny regional jet, so it’s far from luxurious. It gives more space, so it’s certainly very pleasant, but it obviously has nothing to do with long-distance business class.
The service was decent, but it must be said that it’s a flight that isn’t in the air very long.
The other advantage is having free alcoholic beverages. And getting off the plane faster, obviously… which is very useful when you have NEXUS to get through customs in 10 seconds, and you’re not waiting for checked bags as a flight pro.
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Summary
Traveling in business class for less than in economy class is easy if you invest a little time. I took more business class flights in 2025 than during all the other years of my life combined, and my 9 flights were obviously quite a bit more enjoyable than if I had been sitting in the back.
What would you like to know about my 9 business class flights in 2025? Tell us in the comments below.
See the flight deals we spot: Cheap flights
Discover free travel with rewards: Travel rewards
Explore awesome destinations: Travel inspiration
Learn pro tricks: Travel tips
Featured image: Business class on Thai Airways and Turkish Airlines (photo credit: Andrew D’Amours/Flytrippers)
