A travel blogger recently mapped out a multi-airline run to India built almost entirely on points, and the itinerary is a useful case study for anyone hoarding miles and wondering what they can actually get for them.
The trip's original purpose wasn't India at all — it was the chance to fly Emirates first class on both the A380 and the freshly refreshed 777-300ER. With around 100,000 Emirates Skywards miles in the account, the blogger booked the A380 from Mumbai to Dubai, then the new 777-300ER onward to Brussels, for 102,000 miles plus roughly $700 in taxes and fees.
Getting to India was a puzzle. The dream routing — Air India's new A350-900 business class, ideally nonstop from Newark to Delhi — never opened up. A backup plan via SWISS or Lufthansa to London and then the A350 to Delhi fell through too. The solution came via Qatar Airways: Los Angeles to Delhi through Doha on Avios for just 96,000 points and about $272 in taxes. Not bad for a two-leg journey spanning most of the globe.
Within India, the plan was to fly Air India first class on a 777-300ER from Delhi to Mumbai for 25,000 Aeroplan points, but the booking was switched to the A350-900 in business class to sample the airline's new flagship jet. After the Emirates flights ended in Brussels, 60,000 Flying Blue miles covered a Eurostar hop from Brussels to Amsterdam and a KLM business class flight back to Los Angeles.
Then came the humbling part: a bout of Delhi Belly near the end of the trip that knocked the traveller out for several days. It's a blunt reminder that even well-planned, high-end trips in India carry the usual gastrointestinal risks — pack remedies, be careful with water and street food, and build slack into your schedule.
The full trip report series will cover lounges (oneworld at LAX, Qatar's Al Mourjan Garden in Doha, Air India's domestic business lounge in Delhi, Adani's first class lounge in Mumbai), three Hyatt-brand hotels in Delhi plus the Four Seasons Mumbai and Hyatt Regency Dubai, and all the flights in between — including both Emirates first class lounges in Dubai and KLM's 787-10 business class home.
Why should a regular traveller care? Because it shows what's realistically bookable with points when award space doesn't cooperate. Flexibility across alliances — Avios here, Aeroplan there, Flying Blue to finish — turned a series of dead ends into a workable, mostly premium-cabin route for a fraction of cash fares. And the Mumbai-Dubai-Brussels A380-plus-777 first class pairing is exactly the kind of redemption worth burning Skywards miles on, since Emirates first class at the cash price is eye-wateringly expensive.
The timing carried risks, too. The trip was originally set for spring but was rebooked to summer after cancellations tied to the conflict in Iran — trading pleasant weather for certainty. Summer in India means heat and monsoon complications, so a winter or early-spring window remains the comfortable choice if your dates are flexible.
Expect detailed flight and hotel reviews to roll out over the coming weeks, with the Emirates 777 first class suite and Air India's A350 business class likely the highlights for points-and-miles enthusiasts.
