In October I’ll be traveling to Ghana to do some volunteer work. Since I have a ton of miles in a variety of accounts I have many options. My only requirement is that there be lie flat seating, so at minimum I’m looking at business class. I’m only looking at 1-way to Ghana as I will be flying back to the states on Emirates no matter what.
Out of all the options, I’ve narrowed down my choices to 4 different airlines. They are Delta, South African Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines and Emirates. Here is a comparison of the routes, the cost, the cost using mileage currency and any notes.
Which route do you think I should take?
Delta using Membership Rewards
The first option is probably the easiest. Thats flying Delta from Seattle to JFK to Accra. This is a Delta One flight so the service should be excellent.
Route: SEA->JFK->ACC
Cost: $6568.40
Cost Using Miles: 150,000 MR points +$5.60
Notes: If I buy the flight from Seattle to JFK, the mileage for this trip goes down to 90,000 +$5.60 plus.
Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper – copyright © Karl L. Swartz.
South African Airlines using Chase Ultimate Rewards and United Miles
The next option I have is to leave from the Star Alliance hub at Dulles. Leaving from the DC area makes a lot of sense since I want to visit family and friends in the Baltimore/DC area before I leave. This is the only direct flight from Dulles to Accra.
Route: IAD->ACC
Cost: $4682
Cost Using Miles: 80,000 united miles/Chase Ultimate Reward points +$5.60
Notes:
Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper – copyright © Karl L. Swartz.
Ethiopian Airlines using Chase Ultimate Rewards and United Miles
The other option I have to leave from Dulles is to travel on Ethiopian Airlines. With this route I could have a layover in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia which I’m very excited about.
Route: IAD->ADD->ACC
Cost: $6127
Cost Using Miles: 80,000 United miles/Chase Ultimate Reward points +$5.60
Notes: Not all of Ethiopian’s planes have fully lie flat seats.
Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper – copyright © Karl L. Swartz
Emirates using Alaska Airlines miles
Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper – copyright © Karl L. Swartz
Route: SEA->DXB->ACC
Cost: $6967
Cost Using Miles: 120,000 Alaska Airline miles + $29
Notes: This would be by far the longest flight and I’ll be flying back to the States via Emirates in December with layover in Dubai of a couple of days.