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Update 6/4/2024: Emirates Skywards has updated its remaining partner award charts. All partner award charts now match the new chart listed below.
This past weekend, Emirates quietly cut the mileage requirement for economy awards on flights it operates by up to 55%. But the airline didn't stop there. Economy award pricing on its partner carriers also got a haircut. Here's what you need to know about these changes, including a look at the partners now requiring fewer Skywards miles.
Emirates Slashes Partner Economy Pricing by up to 20%
Emirates doesn't belong to one of the big three airline alliances. To compensate, it has partnerships with multiple airlines to increase its connectivity. And of these 17 partners, you can redeem Skywards miles for flights on nearly all of them.
Earlier this year, Emirates tweaked its partner award chart. As a result, business-class awards in certain distance bands became up to 27% more expensive.
Unfortunately, undoing the price increase in business class wasn't in the cards, but Emirates did trim economy rates on all of its partner carriers by up to 20%. A spokesperson for Emirates indicated that this reduction offers Skywards “members the opportunity to reach flight rewards faster.”
And as a result, the following partner airlines will use a new award chart:
- Air Canada
- Air Mauritius
- Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras
- Bangkok Airways
- Condor
- Copa Airlines
- GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes
- Japan Airlines
- Jetstar
- Korean Air
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- South African Airways
- TAP Air Portugal
- United Airlines
And the new chart for economy redemptions, plus a comparison to the old chart, looks like this:
| One‑way distance (miles) | Economy Class (OLD) | Economy Class (NEW) | % Decrease |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–250 | 8,000 | 8,000 | 0% |
| 251–500 | 10,000 | 8,000 | 20% |
| 501–1,000 | 14,000 | 12,000 | 14% |
| 1,001–2,000 | 20,000 | 18,000 | 10% |
| 2,001–3,000 | 26,000 | 22,000 | 15% |
| 3,001–4,000 | 32,000 | 26,000 | 19% |
| 4,001–5,000 | 38,000 | 32,000 | 16% |
| 5,001–6,000 | 44,000 | 38,000 | 14% |
| 6,001–7,000 | 52,000 | 44,000 | 12% |
| 7,001–15,000 | 60,000 | 54,000 | 10% |
The pricing is now live, so you'll see the cheaper rates if you try to book a flight on one of Emirates' partner airlines.
Related: How To Find Airline Partner Award Flight Availability
Final Thoughts
Emirates quietly made economy awards on its partner airlines cost up to 20% less. That's a big deal if you prefer to use your miles economically and book the cheapest seats available. And maybe, it's enough of a reason to bring the Skywards program into focus; economy awards are now reasonably more affordable.
Related: Emirates Skywards+ Subscription Plans Are Worth a Look
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