Qatar now charges for seat selection on award tickets, how to book JAL on points, and Dan's Americas airline ranking

Hey {{first name | reader}},

Happy Friday! Coffee's ready, the week's almost done, and I've got three things to close it out:

Qatar Airways quietly added advance seat selection fees for most saver-level business-class award tickets (booked with Avios or partner miles). This is already the case on most discounted cash fares, so award tickets now match that policy. If you don't have eligible status, you'll now be asked to pay to lock in a seat before check-in; otherwise, you can still pick for free at online check-in. Oneworld Sapphire/Emerald elites still get free selection.

Early reports peg the fee at roughly ~$100 USD per segment, varying by route.

What counts as "most saver awards"? Internally, Qatar uses the U fare bucket for business awards and Avios upgrades, and those are impacted. Premium ("Business Comfort/Elite") fares continue to include free seat selection, and Qatar's generic fees page now reflects that business seat selection is free at the check-in window, so you can avoid the fee if you wait.

What to do now:

Honestly, probably not in most cases. Here's the thing: all Qsuites are excellent. The privacy doors make even the closer-to-aisle seats just as private as any other. You're getting a phenomenal product no matter where you sit.

The only times I'd consider paying the fee:

Otherwise? I'm waiting until check-in and taking whatever Qsuite they assign me. They're all great.

Bottom line: If you're booking Qatar awards and want that perfect Qsuite, factor in the seat fee or be ready to roll the dice at check-in.

Japan Airlines is a sweet spot hunter’s dream: polished omotenashi service, meticulous catering, and legitimately comfy seats. On the current fleet you’ll see the well-regarded SKY SUITE in business on 787s/777s, and now JAL’s new flagship A350-1000 with business suites that have doors and a next-gen first class cabin of just six private suites, no overhead bins and huge screens. It’s the kind of quietly excellent product that makes long hauls feel short. One of my personal bucket-list goals is to try that A350-1000 First. There are four consistently good paths to book JAL:

Pricing (typical targets): From ~60k miles one-way in business and 80k in first between North America and Japan. Space isn't constant, but these are still among the best headline values when you can find them. Book online at aa.com, and you can put awards on hold briefly while you firm up plans.

Search tips: Start at aa.com; if you strike out, also search BA.com or Qantas.com for JAL inventory and then return to AA to book. Keep in mind that although inventory is alliance-wide, displays differ.

Pricing: Historically fantastic (e.g., 60k business to Japan), but Alaska introduced variable/"starting at" pricing and has raised some JAL rates, so expect to see rates between 60 and 75k+ when space exists. Still allows a free stopover on one-ways, which is unique and powerful.

Own-program awards: 110k miles round-trip in business between North America and Japan on JAL planes under the standard chart; JAL also runs Award Ticket PLUS (dynamic add-on miles when low prices aren't available). You can transfer from Bilt, Capital One, and Marriott.

When to search: JAL is known to release close-in space (1-2 days before departure) and sometimes 2-3 weeks out; far-ahead space pops up but is less reliable.

Where Avios shine: Domestic Japan and shorter regional hops on JAL (distance-based pricing; low taxes). Book at ba.com; some oddball domestic routes may still require a phone booking.

The AI economy is booming, and smart entrepreneurs are already profiting. Subscribe to Mindstream and get instant access to 200+ proven strategies to monetize AI tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and more. From content creation to automation services, discover actionable ways to build your AI-powered income. No coding required, just practical strategies that work.

Subscribe to Get Your Free Guide

Dan just dropped a fresh airline tier list. It's a fun, opinionated run-through of who's hot (and who's… not) right now, with clips and receipts to back it up. If you want the 10-minute version of years of flying, watch it here:

I'm with Dan on almost everything in this one… except Copa's spot. Friendly disagreement alert 😅.

Look, Copa isn't going to win any "wow" awards for hard product or soft touches, but they do something wildly useful: connect tons of secondary cities in the Americas without massive detours.

Take Argentina. If you live in Rosario, flying LATAM often means a 5-hour drive to EZE, buffer time so you don't have a heart attack in traffic, then a hop to Santiago or São Paulo, then a ~9-hour long-haul to Miami. Or you book Copa and go ~6 hours ROS → Panama, grab a coffee at PTY, and ~3 hours PTY → Miami. Not glamorous, just way less total travel time and fewer moving pieces. For a lot of travelers, that's gold.

So yes, I agree with the list's spirit, but on Copa I'll politely raise a hand and say: "not sexy, but super effective." Consider this our fun little not-seeing-eye-to-eye moment.

Watch the video and tell us where you disagree!

Want me to chase a specific award or cash fare for the next issue? Tell me your home airport + dates and I'll hunt.

That's it for this week. Enjoy the weekend, and I'll see you Monday with more deals, routes, and strategies.

Catch you in the clouds,
Tomi