Even though Europe has yet to re-open for international tourism, many vaccinated Americans are hoping that the borders will open in time for a summer trip overseas. In pre-COVID times, it would have been nearly impossible to book award seats this late, especially in Business Class.

But Iberia has announced that it is releasing substantially more award seats, for flights starting from July 1st, 2021.

A quick look suggests that there are indeed many days where you can fly transatlantic in Business Class on Iberia. Here’s a look at New York’s JFK airport to Madrid in July.

How to Book?

Iberia Plus

Iberia Plus is your best choice for booking award seats on Iberia Airlines. Iberia Plus has a number of reward zones – even though each flight is priced individually – with Zones 5 & 6 relevant to U.S. flights.

Zone 5 Departure Points

• Boston
• Chicago
• New York
• San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Off-Peak Date Pricing (One Way)

• 17,000 Avios – Economy
• 25,500 Avios – Premium Economy
• 34,000 Avios – Business Class

Peak Date Pricing (One Way)

• 20,000 Avios – Economy
• 35,000 Avios – Premium Economy
• 50,000 Avios – Business Class

Zone 6 Departure Points

• Los Angeles
• Miami
  
• San Francisco

Off-Peak Date Pricing (One Way)

• 21,250 Avios – Economy
• 31,750 Avios – Premium Economy
• 42,500 Avios – Business Class

Peak Date Pricing (One Way)

• 25,000 Avios – Economy
• 43,750 Avios – Premium Economy
• 62,500 Avios – Business Class

Other Oneworld Frequent Flyer Programs

You cannot use Alaska miles to book Iberia flights (yet). However you can use AAdvantage miles. You will pay:

• 30,000 miles – Economy
• 40,000 miles – Premium Economy
• 57,500 Avios – Business Class

The advantage of using AAdvantage miles [ed. note – sorry for the bad pun…] is that you won’t be charged any additional miles to connect onwards within Europe.

This might be very relevant if you expect that certain European countries (Greece, etc.) will open to American passport holders this summer, even when Spain does not. Even if Spain does not allow you to enter, you can definitely connect via Madrid to your final destination!

The Bottom Line

Because you can always cancel award flights for a small cancellation fee (or none based on the COVID policies of some frequent flyer programs), you might want to consider a speculative booking for a late summer trip to Europe. It certainly makes more sense to use those miles on a Business Class seat… instead of paying cash for Economy and getting stuck with a voucher if you ultimately cannot travel…