After completing Turkish Airlines' six continents challenge last year, I've been looking for ways to redeem my 1 million Miles&Smiles miles on long-haul business-class flights at promotional rates.
When possible, I've been trying to book award flights on Turkish Airlines' A350-900 or 787-9 aircraft, as these offer newer seats and business-class cabin configurations with all-aisle access. In comparison, Turkish Airlines' other long-haul planes have older seats and cabin configurations that don't provide direct aisle access to every business-class passenger.
All this to say: When award space from Istanbul to Johannesburg opened for 75,000 miles plus $218 on dates that worked for a trip to South Africa that I had planned and on an A350-900, it was an easy choice. Of course, you can also look for award availability through other Star Alliance programs, such as United MileagePlus and Air Canada Aeroplan.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on The Points Guy Articles.
