Two Suites: The first is found on almost all Lufthansa aircraft; eight semi-enclosed compartments (privacy-on-demand via an electrically operated partition) configured 1-2-1. Each has an 81-inch-long lie-flat bed and a 17-inch-wide monitor.
[aside headline="How to Work the Two-Week, First Class Star Alliance Seat-Release Scheme to Upgrade for $200 or Less" alignment="alignright" width="half" headline_size="default"] Not booking on short-notice or inside of 14 days of departure when partner availability is fantastic? Say you’re booking four or eleven months in advance, and what you have is not nearly as good as the amazing deals here: Consider employing FCF’s Upgrade Two-Step Dance:
Step 1: Book a flight you can live with, such as an Easy Up Business Class fare for $1,800 to $2,500, or a Business or First Class mileage award with another airline—the best you can without the Upgrade Two-Step in mind, in other words.
Step 2: Two weeks before departure, and perhaps all the way up until a day before departure, start checking Lufthansa First Class award space on the partner that makes most sense for you (perhaps ANA, or one of the others mentioned here), and, if the seats are there, and are much better seats than you are holding, or are much less costly than the ones you are holding, just cancel that booking. If it’s an award ticket, generally a re-deposit fee of less than $200 is all you’ll incur. If you’re holding a published fare, change fees generally range from $500 to $800. (You’ll have to use the remaining balance within a year of the original booking; double-check all of this of course, with your carrier before you pull the trigger.)
This is perhaps an hour of work, more or less, okay, but you might save a fist-full of cash or fly in much greater comfort (for some 20+ hours)—or both.
In case you’re wondering… every time I’m not holding the perfect booking, I Dance the Upgrade Two-Step… but that’s just me… a guy who likes to upgrade a little bit.
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The second suite is only on B747-400s with a First Class cabin. Each one of the eight seats features an adjacent 81-inch-long lie-flat bed, configured 1-2-1, and a 17-inch-wide monitor.
All long-haul aircraft equipped with a First Class cabin will have the new product by summer 2015.
Experience the suite in detail.
Routes to/from U.S. and Europe with First Class Suites
To/From Frankfurt: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angele's, Miami, Newark, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Washington, DC, and Vancouver.
To/From Munich: Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Los Angele's, Miami, Newark, New York, and San Francisco.
Your North American Departure Not Listed? You can easily connect from all over the U.S and Canada on the same ticket.
Not Flying To/From Frankfurt Or Munich? Remember that Lufthansa serves cities all over Europe, Africa, and Asia. There’s no extra cost in miles for travel within Europe.
Find Lufthansa’s destinations here.
High Fares Equal Great Mileage Opportunity
Normal Lowest Airfare: $10,447 round-trip to Frankfurt from Miami with a 28-day advance purchase. Up to $19,169+ with no-advance-purchase.
Lowest Conventional Award Cost: Lufthansa’s Miles & More charges 170,000 miles.
No Lufthansa Miles? No Problem.
Transfer Starwood Points to Lufthansa: 140,000.
Best Short Notice Travel Opportunity: Lufthansa Partner Award
Lowest Partner Award Rate: Book the Suite through All Nippon’s (ANA) loyalty program—an Amex Rewards and Starwood partner—and you can save up to 70,000 miles (41%). Inventory through ANA and other Star Alliance partners is, at times, similar to Lufthansa’s own—when booked within two weeks of departure.
ANA Mileage Club charges 100,000 miles round-trip for Lufthansa First Class flights to/from Frankfurt on any route less than 9,000 flight miles (Boston or Chicago to Frankfurt for example), and 120,000 miles for flights less than 11,000 flight miles (Seattle-Frankfurt).
Transfer Starwood Points to ANA: 80,000 to 100,000 round-trip—up to 33% fewer miles than many airlines charge for Business Class.
Purchase Amex Rewards Points: They cost 2.5¢ each, and you can buy up to 500,000 points annually. Transfer them to ANA and a First Class award costs $2,500 to $3,000 round-trip (plus taxes, at about $1,200+) for a ticket that otherwise goes for as much as $20,000+.
Cost with other Star Alliance partner mileage programs:
Life Miles: 174,000 miles for First Class, a great deal if you bought miles through one of the 100% bonus buying promos over the past year.
Singapore: Transfer miles from Amex Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi Thank You, or Starwood and the cost is 160,000 miles round-trip from all North American gateways (such as Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and Seattle).
United: 220,000 miles round-trip from North American departure cities. Transfer miles via Chase Ultimate Rewards.
Survey of First Class Suite Award Availability on Lufthansa to Frankfurt or Munich**
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