How I flew $24,000 worth of business class flights this summer for $789.92
Four lie-flat seats, two airlines, and the exact mix of points and tips that made it possible
This is the Window Seat Travel Hacking series, your guide to turning everyday spending into five-star hotel stays and lie-flat flights. The goal? Help you make the most of the money you’re already spending so you can book the luxury travel experiences you used to only dream about.
If you haven’t yet read my Travel Hacking 101 guide, start there.
This is The Summer I Booked Four Business Class Flights. Together, they connected New York with Europe and made possible two separate trips: one to Menorca, Spain, and one to Amsterdam and Portugal, which is still to come at the end of the month.
It’s not lost on me that I have the immense privilege of being able to visit Europe more than once in one summer. It’s literally a dream come true for me. But a huge part of that is only possible because of points. Paying cash for all four flights would have cost me $24,241.84! Instead, I redeemed points from my everyday spending—groceries, meals with friends, and even the Ubers I once struggled to justify—and together they all added up to one of my favorite luxuries: being fully horizontal in the sky.
I know it’s an indulgence not everyone has gotten to experience, and I want to change that! So I’m showing you exactly how I did it: the routes, the points I used, and the tools that made it possible, so you can start planning your own season in lie-flat luxury.
Read on for:
The exact flights I booked in business class this summer (and what they would have cost in cash)
The strategies I used to find availability during peak travel season
The unglamorous tradeoffs behind glamorous seats (and why they’re worth it)
A step-by-step playbook for you to start booking your own lie-flat flights for 2026!
KLM JFK<>AMS (Boeing 777-200 & 787-10): I’ll be flying KLM business for the first time towards the end of the month, so I’ll give you guys an update with a full review afterward. What I can say now is: the airline has a reputation for cheerful service, a strong onboard product (they’re the oldest airline in the world!), and of course, their iconic Delft house souvenirs (I can’t wait to have one of my own). I’ll report back soon!
Singapore Airlines JFK<>FRA (Boeing 777-300ER): Singapore consistently ranks among the world’s best airlines, and its business class lived up to the hype. Some things I noted during my flights:
The cabin is split into two sections: a larger one just ahead of premium economy, and a smaller, more private one situated behind first class. If you can, book the smaller section—it’s so much quieter, especially during boarding.
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Not all seats are created equal. Most have angled footwells that force you to sleep diagonally, but the bulkhead seats offer a full bench in front of you, meaning unlimited foot space. These feel closer to first class seats than business, and they’re the ones to grab. Go for 11K, which is both a bulkhead seat and in the smaller cabin.
There are a couple of other things to note: a few “window seats” have no window (check seat maps carefully), and converting the seat to a lie-flat position requires you to get up and manually flip it down. It’s a little clunky compared to just pressing a button, but as long as I can be horizontal, I’m good!
For these specific bookings, I relied on a few factors most: