by Lufthansa Flyer | Jan 26, 2018 | Austrian, Brussels, Fare Sale, Featured, Lufthansa, Swiss |
Lufthansa Group has launched an incredibly attractive BUSINESS CLASS Fare Sale to the USA from Germany with fares starting as low as €1339 ROUNDTRIP! The fares are not expected to stay at these levels for more than a few days (if that!) so you might want to take advantage of them sooner than later.
The fare sale covers flights operated by LUFTHANSA, SWISS, AUSTRIAN, BRUSSELS, United, and Air Canada.
The travel windows seem to be fairly wide open with many travel dates available for travel between April and January 2019. But like I said, this fare sale may only last hours or days. Once the allotted fare classes are booked, the pricing will go back to normal. The fares would required midweek departures and arrivals but that’s an insignificant hurdle to cross for this kind of deal!
Example fares include:
Munich to Los Angeles for €1339
Frankfurt to New York for €1339
Munich to Houston for €1339
Dusseldorf to Boston for €1339
and many other combos between German and US cities.
H/T: SkyTravelAgent.de
by Lufthansa Flyer | Dec 12, 2017 | Austrian, Brussels, Featured, Lufthansa, Miles & More, Star Alliance, Swiss |
As has been widely anticipated, Lufthansa has announced that Miles & More will convert to a revenue based program beginning with flights booked on March 12, 2018 and afterward.
As is typical for a revenue-based model, the more you spend on airfare, the more award miles you will earn for your account. Obviously, this favors passengers that book higher level Economy class tickets, Business, and First Class tickets.
The way Lufthansa is going to do it is by assigning ‘multiples’ based on the airline operating your flight. You then multiply the ‘eligible’ part of your fare (including surcharges) by the ‘multiple’ to calculate how many miles you’ll receive.
For flights operated by Lufthansa Group airlines (Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Eurowings, Brussels), a base ‘multiple’ of 4 will be used to determine your award miles credit. For example, if your fare has $400 basis (inclusive of surcharges), you’ll earn 1600 miles for the booking.
According to the somewhat poor details in their press release, it appears that the 4 ‘multiple’ will apply to other Miles & More member airlines such as (LOT, Croatia, etc.).
For passengers holding status with Miles and More (Frequent Traveler, Senator, Hon Circle), the multiple will be higher. For these passengers, the ‘multiple’ will be 6 for flights operated by Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, United Airlines, Air Canada, LOT Polish Airlines, Croatia Airlines, Adria Airlines and Air Dolomiti. A multiple of 5 will be used for flights operated by Eurowings, Brussels Airlines, and other Miles & More airlines not mentioned in the previous sentence. There will no longer be a separate ‘Executive Bonus’ calculation. This has been factored into the higher multiples being awarded to members with elite status levels.
According to the release, the determining factor for how miles are credited will be based on your ticket number. For example if you book your Lufthansa-operated flights through a travel agent and that travel agent assigns a ‘Eurowings’ ticket number to it, you will earn your miles based on the ‘multiple’ in place for Eurowings. So be careful when using a travel agent when booking a ticket and make sure they ticket it to the airline that you are actually flying in order to ensure the full mileage credit that you paid for!
With this announcement, no changes are being made as far as how you earn elite status within Miles & More. The same terms and conditions stay in place for status qualifications.
As far as the currency calculation being used to calculate your fare and award miles, all ticket sales will be converted to Euros for the basis of determining the amount spent on your ticket. For example, lets say you spend $720USD to buy your ticket, at the time of sale the $720 will be converted to Euros at current ‘FX’ rates. This Euro amount is what will be multiplied by the earnings multiple to determine how many miles you’ll earn. So if the $720USD translates into €611, the €611 will be multiplied by the multiple to determine award miles earned. A bit unfair if your currency is worth less than the Euro, but it is what it is. It probably would take too many abacuses to keep track of all of the different currencies for the purpose of calculating miles.
ALSO, and a big ALSO:
If your ticket is issued by any other carrier within Star Alliance not mentioned above, and you have the miles from that ticket being credited to your Miles & More account, NOTHING CHANGES. Those tickets will continue earning under the existing terms and conditions and are not subject to this revenue based models. For example, you book a ticket issued by Singapore Airlines, and credit your miles to MM, you’ll continue earning your award and status qualifying miles under the ‘old’ system.
Lufthansa has created a dedicated webpage to help communicate the details of these changes, you can find it here.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Nov 30, 2017 | Brussels, Business Class, Fare Sale, Featured, First Class, Swiss |
SWISS has launched a fantastic fare sale for First and Business Class travel that permits 2 passengers to travel for the price of 1!
The sale covers flight to Asia, The Middle East, and Africa but there is one caveat: You have to depart and arrive from one of 3 French Airports including Paris Charles Degaulle, Nice, or Bordeaux. However, this fare sale is way worth that minor inconvenience!
For example, 2 of you can fly from France to Johannesburg (via ZRH) in for €5200. You can reach destinations in Asia for as little as €2400 if you’d like to fly in First Class to Hong Kong!
The Business Class sale is equally as attractive. You can reach Rio de Janeiro for only €1300 or Mumbai for only €1150/roundtrip per person. Many other destinations come in at the same price points.
Please note, to get these prices you have to book 2 passengers onto the same itinerary. If you try to book the ticket for yourself only, you’ll be quoted the regular fare price. So find a friend, family member, or polite stranger and enjoy the First Class ride.
As far as the terms and conditions are concerned:
- You must purchase your ticket by December 18, 2017
- Your travel must be completed by October 31, 2018
- A minimum stay of 3 to 5 nights is required (varies by destination)
- Tickets are non-cancellable and non-refundable.
- 2 Passengers must travel on the same itinerary.
I’ve flown in SWISS First Class a few times over the last handful of years and can genuinely say it’s one of the best experiences that I’ve ever had when traveling.
Related: SWISS’ New First Class Lounge in Zurich
H/T: SkyTravelAgent.de
