How I booked an Emirates Airbus A380 first-class award without elite status, and how you can, too

Editor’s note: Citi is a TPG advertising partner. When I saw the recent news that Emirates had decided to restrict first-class awards to elite Platinum, Gold and Silver members of its Emirates Skywards loyalty program, I thought my dream of flying this aspirational product with onboard bars, showers and unlimited caviar was over. I have …