Emirates First and La Premiere – How I Booked the Family Redemption

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Booking a family trip in Emirates First and La Premiere is no small feat—even for the most seasoned points and miles enthusiast. As longtime readers of PMB know, chasing premium cabin awards has become a bit of an obsession for me—often, the thrill of the hunt rivals the flight itself. For our European adventure in March 2025, I managed to secure Emirates First and Air France La Première—two of the world’s most coveted products. It took meticulous planning and backup strategies (Plan A and Plan B)  to pull off the ultimate family redemption. In this article, I’ll break down exactly how I booked these flights and share practical tips and strategies to help you do the same.

Emirates First and La Premiere – Plan B Flights

The plan for this 10-day trip is to visit Athens, Greece, and Rome, Italy, flying out of Ottawa, Canada. When I booked these flights about six months in advance, I knew they were my Plan B—a backup option in case my ideal First Class (Plan A) flights didn’t come through.

Outbound Flights – Air France Business Class

For trips to Europe, my go-to option is usually the Air France flight from Ottawa to Paris, followed by a connection to my final destination. However, I was aware that Emirates has a fifth freedom route from Newark to Athens. It’s an intriguing option, especially with taxes as low as $103 USD—a bargain compared to Emirates routes that go through Dubai, which often exceed $1,000 in surcharges. But there were a few drawbacks. First, positioning flight to Newark would cost additional points or cash. Second, Emirates operates a 2-3-2 Business Class cabin on that route using a Boeing 777, which is, frankly, absolutely horrible. If First Class had been available, I would’ve jumped at the chance—but getting three First Class seats on that flight is nearly impossible unless it’s last-minute or same-day availability. Given all that, I stuck with the more practical choice and booked a Flying Blue award: Ottawa–Paris–Athens. It was the most straightforward and reliable option, especially with family in tow.

Inbound Flights – Swiss

Booking a flight between Athens and Rome was the least of my worries. The real challenge was finding a return flight—ideally one that didn’t involve Air France, since taxes for three passengers would’ve added up to around $1,100 USD. I wasn’t keen on paying that again if I could avoid it. After exploring a few alternatives, I ended up booking Swiss from Rome to Zurich to Montreal.

Swiss may not have the most modern Business Class, but for the price, it was a solid redemption. I booked a flexible Business Class ticket for 85,000 points plus $116 per person, giving me the option to switch if a better flight opened up later.

The final cost of my Plan B flights was:

 

Emirates First and La Premiere – Plan A Flights

Initially, my goal was to secure Lufthansa First Class for my family on the outbound, inbound, or even both segments. But in January 2025 (T-2 months), I discovered that Emirates would be launching their retrofitted 777 on the Newark–Athens route. For those unfamiliar, this updated aircraft features a 1-2-1 layout in both First and Business Class—a major upgrade from their older 2-3-2 configuration. While it’s not the Game Changer First Class, the new cabin design still looks fantastic and offers a much more refined experience.

You can find more info about the Emirates 777 Retrofit program here.

 

Booking Emirates Business Class

I decided to shift focus from Lufthansa First and instead prioritize Emirates, even in Business Class, given the impressive new 1-2-1 layout. On my target date, I spotted two Business Class award seats available and booked them immediately for 87,000 Skywards miles plus $101.50 in taxes each.

For the third seat, I set up an alert using one of several flight award availability tools available.

 

I had been closely monitoring the seat map to track how many seats remained available in both Business and First Class. At the same time, I was studying the release patterns for this route to get a feel for when Emirates tends to open award space. While I had set an alert, I knew it was more of a backup, as those tools are not truly real-time.  About a month before departure, one First Class and one additional Business Class seat became available. While my dream was to get all three of us into First, I knew that was unlikely in advance—Emirates tends to release extra First Class seats only on the day of departure.

Positioning to Newark

With the third Business Class seat now secured, my family was fully confirmed to fly to Athens in the new Emirates Business Class. All that was left was booking a positioning flight from Ottawa to Newark. Since the Emirates flight departs close to midnight, I had two direct United options. I chose the 3:17 PM flight, which gave us plenty of buffer for delays and put us first in line at the Emirates check-in counter—important if I wanted to try for a same-day First Class upgrade.

Cancelling Plan B

Did I end up cancelling the Air France flight I originally booked from Ottawa to Paris to Athens (Plan B)? Not right away. I decided to hold onto it until the last minute—and for good reason. March in Canada can be unpredictable, and a snowstorm has the potential to cancel flights. While international flights are rarely cancelled outright, the United positioning flight to Newark would be more vulnerable to delays and cancellations, especially during East Coast weather events.  In the end, I did cancel the Air France ticket just 24 hours before departure, incurring a €70 per person cancellation fee to get the points refunded. As for the United flight, award space never opened up, so I paid $942 out of pocket—covered using my United Travel Bank balance rather than points.

Let’s break down the total cost of switching from the original Air France booking to the Emirates itinerary:

 

Upgrading to Emirates First

If you’ve been following closely, you’ll recall that about a month before departure, Emirates released both a Business Class and a First Class award seat.  What I did was not only book the passenger in a business class seat, but also double-booked them in First Class as a strategic move. Here’s how the Emirates bookings stood at that point:

Emirates offers an auto-upgrade feature, allowing you to join a waitlist for an upgrade that will clear automatically to Emirates First if they choose to do so. In my case, that didn’t come through, so my next option was to request an upgrade at the airport during check-in, which is ultimately what I did.  While not officially confirmed, it seems upgrades at the airport are handled on a first-come, first-served basis (except in Dubai). Since our United flight from Ottawa arrived early, I was first in line when the Emirates check-in counters opened. With at least four First Class seats still unassigned (and possibly two more blocked), I was 99% confident the upgrade would go through—and it did.

 

As soon as the Emirates counters opened, the agent quickly processed the upgrade, just 39,000 Skywards miles per person to Emirates First.

With the upgrade confirmed and boarding passes in hand, I went ahead and canceled Passenger C’s Business Class ticket (PNR: ABC), which had been double-booked as a backup. Emirates charges no cancellation fee for award tickets, so the miles were fully refunded without issue.

And there you have it—the long and strategic journey of securing Emirates First to Europe for a family of three and all that was left now was La Premiere.

Booking Air France La Premiere

While I was focused on locking in our outbound flights on Emirates First, I was also actively searching for return options on  La Première from Air France. This option wasn’t initially on my radar—until a fellow points and miles enthusiast mentioned that they had occasionally seen three award seats released in La Première. Having flown it before, I knew that getting the whole family into what many consider the best First Class product in commercial aviation would be an incredible experience. Of course, I also knew it wouldn’t come cheap, though the Paris to Washington D.C. route tends to be the most cost-effective for La Première redemptions.

As luck would have it, just one day after our planned return date from Europe, I found exactly what I was hoping for: three La Première award seats on the Paris–Washington D.C. route, with a no-cost connection from Rome to Paris included.

The total came to 498,000 Flying Blue miles plus $1,505.40 in taxes—that’s 166,000 miles and $501.80 per person.

This was a steep price to pay, no doubt—but I also knew this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. With rumours of a new La Première cabin on the horizon and the ongoing devaluation of Flying Blue awards, I had a strong feeling this window wouldn’t stay open for long. That intuition turned out to be right—Flying Blue award rates have since increased by over 50% on many routes. Also, keep in mind that La Première awards can only be booked by Flying Blue Platinum members. For tips on how to book and a full breakdown of the experience, check out my  La Premiere review.

Positioning from Washington

Even better, there was a same-day connection from Washington to Ottawa, departing just under two hours later—a perfect fit.

I knew this would be a high-risk connection—clearing U.S. customs, collecting bags, rechecking them, going through security, and reaching the gate in under two hours is no small feat. However, with Global Entry and the La Première ground escort, I was confident we’d be able to bypass most lines and make it work. It also helped that both flights departed from the same terminal at Dulles. Still, I played it safe. I booked our United tickets as fully flexible and also secured a backup Aeroplan ticket on Air Canada for the following morning, just in case. I couldn’t book two United flights for the same route so close together, as the United system would have flagged it as a duplicate and auto-cancel one of them.

This was a classic Plan A and B setup to ensure we got home from Washington smoothly. I also looked into the historical on-time performance of our inbound flight from Paris and noticed it often arrived early, which it did. We ended up having plenty of time to make our connection. Thanks to La Première service, we could use the diplomat line for customs, CLEAR lanes for security, and United’s Global Services check-in. And to top it off, we even had time to relax in the La Première lounge before our United flight home.

What about the Swiss booking—the Plan B itinerary from Rome to Zurich to Montreal? Since it was a flexible Aeroplan ticket, I cancelled it well in advance without penalty.

First Class Family Redemptions – Tips & Strategies

Booking First Class—especially for multiple travellers—is part art, part science, and part luck. It’s not just about having the points for something like Emirates First and La Premiere; it’s about using them strategically. Whether you’re planning a dream trip for your family or trying to secure a premium cabin for a group, success often hinges on flexibility, timing, and having a solid backup plan. Below are some key strategies that will dramatically increase your odds of locking in those elusive First Class seats.

• Always have a Plan A and a Plan B
  Plan A is your dream itinerary; Plan B is what you book first based on current availability. Once Plan B is secured, work toward upgrading to your ideal Plan A flights as space opens up.

• Have more points than you think you’ll need
  When booking for multiple people, especially in premium cabins, award seats often appear one at a time. You’ll need extra points on hand to grab these opportunities as they come up.

• Stay flexible
  The more flexibility you have with dates, airports, and routes, the better your chances of finding award availability—especially for hard-to-find first class seats.

• Be willing to pay change or cancellation fees
  If you lock in Plan B flights, be prepared to modify or cancel them once Plan A becomes bookable. This may cost you, but it’s part of the strategy.

• Book flexible fares when possible
  If available at a reasonable surcharge, book tickets with flexible change or cancellation policies to minimize risk and fees.

• Know the routes
  Understanding which routes airlines fly in first class will help focus your search. Tools like FlightConnections.com let you filter by cabin and carrier.

• Study award release patterns
  Many airlines follow predictable patterns when releasing award seats, though these patterns can change monthly. Learning them gives you an edge, but requires some ongoing research.

• Accept the role of luck
  Sometimes, despite all the planning, it comes down to being in the right place at the right time. Award space can appear unexpectedly, so stay alert and persistent.

These strategies are like pre-requisites, before embarking on your journey of booking a group or family into first class. The more you know, the better chances you will have and who knows, maybe you can accomplish what I did with an Emirates First and La Premiere bookings.

Conclusion

Booking First Class for a family takes more than just a stash of points—it demands patience, strategy, and a whole lot of flexibility. This trip required countless hours of research, backup plans for every segment, and a willingness to pivot when needed. But when everything finally came together—Emirates First on the way there, Air France La Première on the way back—the effort paid off in a big way. These are the moments that make the game worth playing. With the right preparation and mindset, even the most aspirational redemptions can become reality, or in my case, the ultimate family redemption on Emirates First and La Premiere.