LUFTHANSA Business Class Sale To Europe Runs Through January 15 BUT……….

LUFTHANSA Business Class Sale To Europe Runs Through January 15 BUT……….

For whatever reason, Lufthansa thought it made sense to advertise a fare sale for travel between the USA and Europe but the offer only has one attractive route.

For the terms of this sale that ends January 15, you can book travel between New York and Frankfurt for $2700 for departures taking place in February.

Want to fly anywhere else in Europe?  Then prepare to ante up as much as $9300 to get you from Charlotte to Milan or $8800 to get you from Denver to Frankfurt.  Boston to Brussels? $8000.

Here’s a screen shot of some other ‘sale’ fares:

a screenshot of a list of cities

 

I’m convinced that at this point Lufthansa has lost the plot when it comes to reasonable fares for Business and First Class.   Ever since the German Government handed Air Berlin to Lufthansa on a Silver Platter, LH has gone off the rails in many of their markets as far as fare pricing is concerned.    You’ll recall that during the Christmas Season, LH kept business class prices at levels 2 to 3 times higher than in previous years and it seems they are content on continuing the trend.

In fact, the ridiculous rise in fares has caught the eye of regulators in Europe who have figured that Lufthansa on average has raised fares by at least 30% to most markets.  Lufthansa claims that this was an algorithm programming issue, but I doubt that some snowflake intern is responsible for punching in the wrong code to create this fare gouge that has been in place for several months.   If it was a programming error, it would have been caught within hours or days and not by a regulator.   In the past week or so, LH has walked back some of the high economy class fares they were charging, but it took the ‘threat’ of a regulator.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a socialist and don’t expect airlines to make it so that everyone can afford a premium class fare.   If they can sell these fares at these prices, then good for them, and good for my Lufthansa dividend.   But at the same time, when competitors are charging a third or less than what Lufthansa is, at some point Lufthansa will start to see loyal customers defect.   Customers will stop shopping with their loyalty and start shopping with their wallets.

I’ll give you a personal example…..Each year one of our trips include my wife and I going to South Africa for a couple of weeks to visit Safari camps.   Each year we default to LH group since that what we’ve ‘always’ flown so regardless of price we’d always book an LH Group option.

This year?   It may come as a surprise to some of you, but my top 3 choices for our Africa flights include: 1. Emirates   2.  Qatar    3.  KLM.  My wife is liking all the things she has read about the Emirates’ First Class cabin ( thanks for nothing ‘PointsGuy’ 🙂  ) so I suspect that our flight to JNB will funnel through Dubai and that I should bring a shower cap for the A380 flights.

Later this year I will also be going to Le Mans, France to photograph the ’24 Hours of Le Mans’ for a company/team involved with the race.   My flights?   SAS Business on the flights from the US to Paris, and LOT Polish Business for the flights home.    A combination of factors led to those decisions.  Loyalty was not one of them.

And this coming from someone who has been loyal to LH Group for the last 10 years.   I’ve woke up to the fact that status has little impact on my travel experiences and that by shopping for the best value, I come up with other options that literally put thousands of dollars back into my pocket.   My bitcoins simply can’t keep up with some of the LH fare hikes! 🙂

Anyway, if you are looking for that flight between NYC and FRA during February you at least get a reasonable price there.    If you need to travel beyond FRA, your best bet would be to book the NYC-FRA ticket and then buy another ticket to get you to where you really want to go once you get to Frankfurt.

 


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LUFTHANSA Spring/Summer Fare Sale To USA:  Starting As Low As €449

LUFTHANSA Spring/Summer Fare Sale To USA: Starting As Low As €449

Lufthansa has launched a fare sale for Economy Class travel to the USA.   The sale is in place through this Sunday, January 7, and covers travel through July 2018.

It has been a while since fares have been attractive but that changes with this promo.   For example, Frankfurt – New York can be booked for only €449.   Fares from Munich to most of the East Coast range between €449 and €529.   Otherwise, most fares to the USA from Frankfurt or Munich range between €550 and €700.

The terms of the sale are as follow:

  • Sale ends January 7.
  • You must book your ticket at least 14 days prior to departure.
  • You must depart between January 19 and June 28, 2018.
  • You must return by July 28, 2018.
  • A minimum stay of 6 nights is required (Maximum stay is 30 days).

 

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SWISS First & Business Class Sale:  2 For 1!!!  Major, Major Opportunity!

SWISS First & Business Class Sale: 2 For 1!!! Major, Major Opportunity!

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

 


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