Fly Lufthansa business class to Munich from Boston, Denver and Los Angeles from 88K miles
If Munich is on your must-visit list and you want to travel in style this summer, Lufthansa has some excellent business-class redemptions available right now on its biggest passenger jet. For the first time, the German airline is adding its Airbus A380 superjumbo jet, the world's largest passenger plane, to regular service out of Denver International Airport (DEN).
The route from DEN to Munich International Airport (MUC) will run during the summer, from April 30 through the end of September. Right now, you can book business-class seats to the Bavarian capital from Denver and some other cities like Boston, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
Big thanks to our friends at View from the Wing for first spotting this deal. The website noted that the size of the double-decker A380 jet — 78 business-class seats in the plane's 2-2-2 configuration — provides many opportunities for award redemptions.
We found a lot of availability from Denver and Boston in May and June, starting from 88,000 miles each way, plus taxes and fees. If you're flying out of LA or D.C., then July is your best bet to score business-class seats at the lowest redemption rate.
When searching for this deal, I used United Airlines' website to find the available award flights. This is because I don't have a lot of miles in my Lufthansa Miles & More account, and the site won't let me search for award flights without the proper amount of miles.
Tip: If you plan to use miles you've accrued on United, go to United's website and click the "30-day calendar" link to get the best idea of availability for the month you're searching. Also, don't forget to hit the "lowest" link under the "Business" tab to sort the results; this way, you will see the lowest redemptions at the top.
Deal basics
Airline: Lufthansa (Star Alliance)
Routes: From Boston, Denver, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., to Munich
How to book: Directly with the airline
Travel dates: April 30 to Sept. 30
Book by: As soon as possible
Sample flights
As we mentioned above, we found the best availability at the lowest redemption rates in the following months:
- May (from Denver)
- June (from Boston)
- July (from LA and D.C.)
Here's the United MileagePlus award calendar showing the availability for business-class redemptions out of Denver in May and early June. As you can see, you have lots of options.
Here's a nonstop flight from DEN to MUC on May 7 available for 88,000 miles plus $5.60 in taxes and fees.
Here's the entire itinerary that you can book for 176,000 miles and $130 in taxes and fees.
Related: United Airlines debuts largest-ever lounge at Denver International Airport
You can fly from Dulles International Airport (IAD) in the Washington, D.C., area to MUC in July for 88,000 miles nonstop.
As we said earlier, May is the sweet spot for finding business-class seats out of Boston to Germany. This mid-May flight from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to MUC is available for only 88,000 miles.
The return flight to Boston is available at the same redemption rate. The round-trip journey will cost 176,000 miles and $136 in taxes and fees.
Here's the calendar view showing the availability for business-class seats out of Los Angeles in late June and early July. As you can see, you have lots of options for scoring a great redemption.
The one caveat for those looking to take advantage of this deal in Los Angeles is that all the lowest redemptions are for flights with a layover in Denver. Still, flying business class from the West Coast to Munich for 88,000 miles each way is too good to pass up.
Maximize your purchase
Don't forget to use a credit card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 2 points per dollar spent on travel
- American Express® Gold Card: 3 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly through the airline or amextravel.com
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: 5 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly through the airline or American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 of these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 3 points per dollar spent on travel
Bottom line
These award flights are not just a great way to score a luxurious seat for a trip across the Atlantic; they're also ideal for families looking to visit Munich and who have the miles to splurge on luxury seating for a summer vacation.
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