New award availability gold mine? Lufthansa's new St. Louis service has wide-open business class space
Earlier this week, Lufthansa announced it would start nonstop
service from St. Louis (STL) to Frankfurt (FRA) with its A330 aircraft.
Service will start June 1, 2022, and operate 3x weekly on Sunday, Wednesday. and Friday. This will be the first time the St. Louis area has seen mainline nonstop service to Europe in over 20 years, making flights to Germany and beyond far easier for those in the St. Louis metro area.
If you're in the market for a flight on this route, you're in luck. Right now, you can take advantage of wide-open business class award space on the route throughout the summer. Let's take a closer look at the award space.
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Lufthansa business class award space from St. Louis to Frankfurt
Virtually every date that the flight operates next summer has at least one open award seat, with many dates having three or more seats available. This can be helpful if you're flying on just the St. Louis to Frankfurt flight, or even if you're connecting on for a trip elsewhere in Europe. Additionally, you could potentially use this flight as your way to get across the pond even if you are originating elsewhere in the U.S.
You can any type of Star Alliance miles to book this award ticket, but you'll want to remember that Lufthansa does add fuel surcharges to award tickets. With this in mind, consider booking with a loyalty program that doesn't pass these fees along to its customers. Some good options to consider include Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles and United MileagePlus.
As discussed, you're not limited to Frankfurt as your final destination. You can add a connecting leg to your itinerary and pay a similar number of miles with these three programs.
Alternatively, you can add a stopover to a one-way ticket for just 5,000 extra miles if you book with Aeroplan.
Likewise, United MileagePlus will let you add a free stopover to a round-trip itinerary with its famous Excursionist perk, though it generally charges slightly more miles than Aeroplan for business class awards to Europe.
Related: How to plan a free stopover on your next trip abroad
Earn points to book
Currently, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One and Citi ThankYou points to both Avianca LifeMiles and Air Canada Aeroplan.
If you need to top up your points balance for a future award, consider opening a card that earns Capital One miles. These points transfer instantly, so you can transfer the points as soon as you're ready to book your ticket to Europe.
Here's a look at some of our favorite Capital One credit cards:
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. ($395 annual fee).
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Earn 2x miles per dollar on everyday purchases and a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit (up to $100) every four years ($95 annual fee).
Or if you'd rather book with United miles to take advantage of the Excursionist perk, consider topping up your balance with one of these Chase Ultimate Rewards earning credit cards. Ultimate Rewards points transfer instantly to MileagePlus and Aeroplan at a 1:1 transfer ratio.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Earn 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on dining and 2 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on travel.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in the first three months from account opening. Earn 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on travel and dining purchases.
- Ink Business Preferred Credit Card: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 in the first three months from account opening. Earn 3 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar on the first $150,000 spent per account anniversary year (then 1 point per dollar) on shipping; internet, cable and phone services; advertising with social media sites and search engines; and travel.
Related: 5 incredible sweet spots of Capital One’s revamped transferable miles program
Bottom line
If you're looking to fly from the St. Louis metro area to Europe next summer, this could be a great opportunity to book your flights. You have plenty of options to choose from and can connect on to the huge Star Alliance European network, which covers virtually every major city in the region.
Feature photo by Ryan Patterson/The Points Guy
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- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
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Rewards Rate
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles50,000 Bonus MilesAnnual Fee
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Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.670-850Excellent/Good
Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees