LUFTHANSA Fare Sale Highlight:  NYC – FRA for $600.00

LUFTHANSA Fare Sale Highlight: NYC – FRA for $600.00

Lufthansa’s current fare sale brings prices down to historical lows for certain routes, especially from the East Coast and Mid-West gateways.

The best fare is New York – Frankfurt that can book booked for as low as $625.00.  Chicago – Stuttgart isn’t too bad at $749.00.  Otherwise most east coast fares, especially from the Northeast gateways range between $800 and $900, while the Southeastern gateways run from $950 to 1200, making them less attractive, especially since most fares from the West Coast range between $1100 and $1300.

This sale has an extended timeframe and runs until September 15.

The details:

Departures must take place between September 13 and October 29.

Returns must take place between September 13 and April 29.

Tickets must be purchased 21 days ahead of departure date.

Weekend surcharge of $60 may be applied if traveling between Thursday and Sunday.

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SWISS Fare Sale Ex-USA Starts In The $600s

SWISS Fare Sale Ex-USA Starts In The $600s

SWISS is running a short-lived fare sale that offers some of their lowest fares that you’ll see between the US and Europe.

Most fares from the East Coast range in the mid to upper $600 range with the best fare being between Newark and Basel which can be booked for only $617.  Fares from the West Coast start in the upper $600 range but you can book Los Angeles / Basel for only $617.

The fare sale has 2 periods of availability, one for late summer travel and the other for winter travel.    The late summer fare deals are available for travel between August 28 and October 29.   The winter fare deal is available for travel between October 30 and December 15 AND between January 9 and March 31.   Weekend surcharges will apply if you travel Thursday through Sunday.

The fare sale for both deals ends on August 19.

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LUFTHANSA Business Class Sale Ends Soon…..

LUFTHANSA Business Class Sale Ends Soon…..

Lufthansa has been running a Business Class sale for the last few days, and it’s set to expire on August 16.    The sale covers travel between the US and Europe between September and October. Most fares can be had between $2600 and $2900 from the East Coast with some attractive pockets from the West Coast such as Seattle – Munich for only $2900.    There are some fares avoid as well such as Detroit – Munich which is pricing at $5900.  Drive 3 hours to Chicago and save $3100 and fly Chicago – Frankfurt for only $2800!

This might be a compelling opportunity to snag these tickets for Oktoberfest!

The fine print:

The Fare Sale ends August 16

Departures must take place between September 8 and October 28.

Return travel must take place between September 9 an January 28.

Fares based on mid-week travel (Monday-Thursday).  Other days will incur a $60 surcharge.

A Saturday night stay is required.

Fares valid on Air Canada, Austrian, Brussels, Lufthansa, SWISS, and United.


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LUFTHANSA:   Washington DC To Frankfurt or Munich For $550!!

LUFTHANSA: Washington DC To Frankfurt or Munich For $550!!

As part of a fare war that has involved travel to Europe from Washington DC, Lufthansa has launched their salvo with what I think are the lowest fares I’ve ever seen between Washington and Germany.

Specifically, you can book tickets for as low as $550 between Washington DC and Frankfurt for travel taking place between mid September through the end of October.   For travel that takes you into November, the fare is only a few dollars higher at $605.

Deals to Munich are similar and begin at $560 and reach about $590 depending on the dates of travel between September and November.

Since this is not an official fare sale, there is no deadline for the fare.  They’ll simply go away once the fare war subsides.

Keep in mind that any Economy Fare class booked on Lufthansa flights is eligible for Premium Economy upgrade bids.   You can take a $550 fare, bid $150-200 each way and wind up having a Premium Economy seat with all the ‘spoils’ for under $1000!

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LUFTHANSA / SWISS:  USA to Istanbul For $450-600!!!

LUFTHANSA / SWISS: USA to Istanbul For $450-600!!!

No doubt that Turkish tourism is suffering and load factors are down, but for those of you with a desire to see Istanbul, this may be a great opportunity.   I’ve been there a few times, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it on every visit!

In reviewing fares, I found several options available between certain US gateways and Istanbul that can be booked for as low as $450 (San Francisco – Istanbul on SWISS) if you travel between September and March and stay at least 7 days.  Istanbul fares from other US gateways range between $500 and $600.   The East coast of the USA prices in the low to mid $500 range, the Midwest comes in around $550-$600.

There’s no published end to the fare sale so it is probably just a matter of inventory control that will determine when fares start to go back to normal.   But for now, these are really worth taking advantage of.

Pay attention when booking your flights as they can be operated by Lufthansa, SWISS, United, or Air Canada.

If you’re going to fly Economy, your best bet would be to book an LH flight since you can bid to upgrade to Premium Economy for $200-300 per long-haul segment or pay about the same amount and upgrade once you board your flight if Premium Economy seats are available.   If you upgrade the entire trip, you’ll still be able to get to IST and back for about $1000.   Not bad!

To see the best ‘Matrix’ of fares, I suggest using Google.com/flights – it lays out all of your options and gives you fares for 2 months out on one screen.

 

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