The best deal that I could find was $805 from Houston (IAH) which was even a few dollars less than Lufthansa’s advertised rate of $829. Most East Coast departures range between $950 and $1050, while most of the West Coast fares are in the $1100-1150 range.
The fare sale ends on April 10 and is valid for the following travel dates:
Departures must take place between April 29 and May 15, 2014
Returns must take place between May 6 and August 15, 2014.
Tickets must be purchased 14 days prior to departure.
As always, please be mindful of which airline will actually be operating your flight. For this promo, Lufthansa, United, Air Canada and SWISS are all potential carriers so plan accordingly. The airlines you fly go a long way in determining the quality of your flights as well as determining the kind of miles that you will earn for your Frequent Flyer programs. Fares like this normally are coded as discount or deep-discount economy fares and in some cases may earn little or no miles for you. If you are unsure, leave a comment or email me and I’ll help you sort out the details!
Thanks to the strikes scheduled to cripple German airports tomorrow, Lufthansa has announced the cancellation of over 500 flights. These include long haul flights to the USA and Asia as well.
If your travels are impacted by the strike tomorrow, Lufthansa will re-accommodate you as best as possible. There are 2 ways to take care of this. You can call Lufthansa but expect lengthy hold times due to thousands of travelers who will be impacted trying to call in. This link will take you to the phone directory for Lufthansa service centers around the world. If you are traveling on an award ticket (ie United Mileage Plus redemption), you may want to contact UA instead since they would have access to your booking and could help you with your options.
The better option would be to go on Lufthansa.com and use their “My Booking” function which will allow you to sort out other options that are available to you.
I wish I had better news, but thanks to the union’s antics this will be one of the worst strikes to grip Germany in quite a while and airlines are being held hostage.
As part of an LSG Sky Chef event in New York last week, Lufthansa has unveiled an entirely revamp Menu strategy specifically designed for flights departing US Gateways. For those of you not familiar with LSG Sky Chefs, it is a Lufthansa Group subsidiary and the largest provider of inflight meals in the world. In fact, 1 in 4 meals served by any airline, on any flight is sourced from LSG Sky Chefs.
The new ‘Taste Of America’ program is designed to serve regionally inspired cuisine for passengers traveling in First or Business Class and is scheduled to begin in May. For the program, Lufthansa has taken the US and divided it into 4 regions:
Northeast/Midwest: New York, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Newark, Philadelphia
Southeast/Mid-Atlantic: Atlanta, Miami, Orlando, Charlotte, Washington DC
Central: Dallas, Houston, Denver
West: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle
The new program looks to take advantage of regional traditions and ethnic influences to create unique dining experiences and move away from everyone having the same menu at the same time when flying from the USA. As part of the 5-star strategy, this is a major piece to the puzzle when it comes to improving the on-board experience from one of Lufthansa’s largest markets.
The program itself is a collaboration between Lufthansa food specialists and LSG Sky Chefs which undertook the daunting task of reviewing over 1,000 menu ideas before choosing the finalists. The vetting process went beyond just taste and flavor. The options chosen for the new menu had to pass a stringent review of the meal’s ability to maintain freshness and appeal when served in an airline environment, which includes preparation, temperature variations, altitude, etc. It was not as simple as the food tasting good on the ground, it had to perform while in flight as well. Additionally, ingredients used towards this menu are locally sourced so that authenticity to the region and ethnic inspiration can be maintained.
Here is the breakdown of the initial menu concept that will be on board beginning in May:
Northeast / Midwest: Italian inspired selections including Pasta stuffed with Artichoke.
Southeast / Mid-Atlantic: Cartoccio, a locally inspired seafood dish.
Central: Smoked and grilled Beef with a spicy chili sauce.
West: Cioppino – a seafood ragout with tomato and saffron.
Expect that these options will change on a monthly basis as is normal for Lufthansa’s dining menus. There will of course be other menu options available on board besides the options listed above.
To see what some of these options look like and the work that went into the program’s development, take a few minutes and watch the following video:
