SPECIAL REPORT AT A GLANCE:
- Bad News: First Class fares are high.
- Good News: Low-fare Lufthansa and SWISS routes exist, from $6,000.
- Great News: Low-fare routes exist, from $3,717 ($3,360 if you have BA Chase card).
- More Great News: Low-fare routes exist, from $2,777, using miles to upgrade to First Class.
- What to do when First Class fares are $5,000+?
- What to do when First Class fares are $8,000+?
- Amex’s International Airline Program (IAP) can save up to 20% on First Class fares.
Lufthansa and SWISS have historically had high First Class fares and never seemed to budge. It was only recently when Lufthansa and SWISS offered fares in the $6,000 to $7,000 range. British Airways, however, has been offering fares in the low $4,000 to $5,000 intermittently for a while.
THE Bad News
Air France fares are high and will likely remain high. Most of the lowest Lufthansa, and SWISS fares are gone. On many routes, a First Class seat on these airlines now costs $7,533 to $16,300.
THE Good News
You can still find these lower First Class fares in the $6,000 to $7,000 range on a few routes with Lufthansa (via Frankfurt or Munich) and SWISS (via Geneva or Zurich):
Boston to Athens, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Prague, and many more.
Chicago to Dublin, Edinburgh, London, and Manchester
Miami to London and Madrid
New York to Bristol, Edinburgh, Florence, London, Milan, Naples, Rome, and Malta
Washington, DC to Bristol, Edinburgh, and London
Great News
Low-fare Routes Exist
from $3,717 ($3,360 if you have BA Chase card)
Now it’s BA’s turn to be the go-to airline as their fares are now even lower. BA now offers First Class fares to Europe (via London) starting at $3,717. Get a 10% discount for using a British Airways Visa Card and the fare drops to as low as $3,360. (Sample screenshot below.)
Recent FCF First Class fare alert showing more routes on British Airways.
To find out how to get a 72-hour hold, for just $10 (If the booking is completed the hold fee will be waived) on a BA First Class ticket, see FCF’s report on Hold This, Dear: A Way to Have Your Deal and Fly It Too.
More Great News Using Miles to Upgrade to First Class for as Low as $2,777 + Miles
American and British Airways allow you to upgrade low Business Class fares using miles. For more details see below.
- Upgrading on American: From Business to First Class takes 50,000 miles round-trip plus $1,100 co-pay.
- Upgrading on British Airways: From Business to First Class takes 36,000 to 45,000 miles during off-peak and 40,000 to 50,000 miles during peak season round-trip.
What to do When First Class Fares Are $5,000+ Using BA Miles for First Class
When BA fares are high, use your hard-earned miles for First Class to London and beyond. BA typically has good award availability.
Work-around for BA's high taxes. If you book First Class round-trip, you’ll pay about $2,060 in taxes. But if you book two one-ways, you’d only pay around $1,544 in taxes to net a savings of about $516.
Using Lufthansa Miles for First Class
There are two award types you can book using Lufthansa miles. The airline offers a First Flex award (fewer miles, more cash) and First Flex Plus award (more miles, less cash). Depending on your itinerary, there are benefits to each.
No Miles? No Problem!
Lufthansa has introduced a buy-miles option for its Miles & More loyalty program. Lufthansa’s Flex award ticket taxes can be high around $1,700+. But the round-trip cost of a First Flex Plus ticket between the U.S. and Europe on Lufthansa is 230,000 miles (115,000 each way) and only $200 in taxes.
If you’re very flexible, book within two weeks of departure to find lower award taxes using partner Air Canada miles or partner United miles.
For example, if you have the miles, you might find award space on short notice using Air Canada and United miles. If you don’t have the miles, get them using Air Canada points-to-miles transfer from Amex, Capital One or Chase or United points-to-miles transfer from Chase. The benefit: The award taxes when using Air Canada miles runs around $250 and $150 when using United miles.
Recent Sweet Redeems alerts:
What to do When First Class Fares Are $8,000+
If the First Class fare is over $8,000, consider buying and redeeming miles for your ticket.
For example, New York to Milan non-stop in First Class on Emirates starts at $16,300 round-trip. Emirates is a points-to-miles transfer partner of Amex Rewards, and you can buy 204,000 Amex Rewards points for about $5,100 and transfer them to Emirates to buy the ticket. You’ll incur $250+ on award taxes with Emirates, but you’re still saving $11,200.
For more details see FCF’s special report on How to Buy American Express Membership Rewards Points.
Amex’s International Airline Program (IAP) can save up to 20% on First Class fares
In our research, the IAP program offers a fare discount of 5% to 20%—on Air France, Emirates, Etihad, Lufthansa, Singapore, and SWISS—on many published First Class fares, depending on airline, advance-purchase, and route.
How To Book and Details:
- Call 800-525-3355 for Platinum Travel Service or 800-553-9497 for Business Platinum Travel Service.
- There’s a $39 booking fee per ticket.
- You can buy up to eight tickets.
- Valid for First Class, Business Class, and Premium Economy.
- Bonus: Earn 5x Membership Reward points by paying with an Amex card.
- Yes, you still earn award miles.
Related REPORTS
Six Plays to Consider When There’s Only One Mileage Seat Available
Why One-Way Awards Can Make or Break a 50% to 90% Off Business or First Class Deal