My expectations weren’t high to begin with. The return trip set me back 112,500 SAS EuroBonus Points and an SAS American Express Companion Ticket. So I decide to take one for the team and take the journey with an open mind. It’s no secret that Air China doesn’t have the best reputation, but I’ve also seen some good reviews in the past. At this point I was happy with not flying economy class. To be honest, Air China wasn’t at the top of my list, but finding any kind of last-minute reward availability from Europe to Thailand during Christmas is an almost impossible task. Reward availability is easy to find, even during peak season.

Air China First Class seems to be the exception.

As a result, there are fewer reward seats available for the ever-growing mass of reward players. More and more airlines are getting rid of their first class cabin.