Short notice opportunities are down, but routes and deals are up on one of the biggest upgrade opportunities to Europe this month.
Over the last two months we reported that Lufthansa’s First Class is back in the game to Europe with available seats found at 19 days out. And in our report, Euro Game Changing First Class Upgrades, Part 2, we found First Class seats available as far out as 28 days on prime routes, instead of the usual 14.
First, Who Can Benefit From Last Minute
Availability So Close to Departure anyway?
- The Last-Minute “Opportunity” Traveler, who we describe here.
- The You-Already-Have-an-Award-Ticket-in-a-Lesser-Class Traveler. More on that here.
- The Can’t-Find-a-Round-Trip-in-First-Class Flyer. Fly Lufthansa First Class on your night flight and return in Business Class for your day flight on an award ticket.
- The First-Class-Fares-Are-Steep-So-You-Purchased-Business-Class Traveler. More on that here.
- The First-Class-Wasn’t-Available-So-You-Booked-a-Business-Class-Award Person. More about that here.
We questioned whether the new trend would change when travel picks up. Well, over the last month it looked like availability was returning closer to 14 days out again. Bummer.
It’s part of a trend, as you can see in the chart. On August 5, we found seats 28 days out (to September 2), while on August 16 and August 18 it had It’s part of a trend, as you can see in the chart. On August 5, we found seats 28 days out (to September 2), while on August 16 and August 18 it had bottomed out to just 15 days, and currently back to the same 14 days.
That’s the bad news.
The Good News
On the upside, there are more routes with First Class seats available, and some big savings to be had if you follow our guidance below.
Current Lufthansa Transatlantic Routes
With a First Class Cabin to Frankfurt
- Chicago
- Los Angeles
- Houston (no nonstop return service September 28 through November 1, 2021)
- Miami (no nonstop return service October 23 through March 26, 2022)
- New York/Newark
- New York/JFK
- San Francisco
- Washington, DC (service resumes March 27, 2022)
Add Connecting Flights to the Long-Haul International Flight
By making a multi-city booking with Air Canada miles (screenshot below), you can book itineraries like Columbus to Copenhagen via Chicago and Frankfurt for 117,814 miles (or $1,531 if you purchased Air Canada points during the recent sale) — or transfer Amex or Chase points to Air Canada miles.
Compare that to a purchased fare of $8,591. Note that the connecting flights may be in economy or Business Class. The trick is to search for the long-haul segment first, since that’s the one you want to fly in upgraded comfort. More on that here.
5 WAYS TO Skin
THE LUFTHANSA FIRST CLASS Deal
Although FCF research shows United offering MUCH LESS availability than Air Canada for Lufthansa First Class flights, United has many sales promotions for miles throughout the year if you don’t have Amex or Chase points to transfer.
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If Germany is not your preferred destination, think opportunistically and reap the rewards.
There’s also pond skipping gold available in our transatlantic masterclass: The Art of Skipping Stones & What We Can All Learn from the Boise to Budapest Premium Traveler