Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

Lufthansa and SWISS launch a new UK business class flight sale (and it doesn’t need two people)

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SWISS and Lufthansa have launched a good Business Class sale. 

Unlike some fare deals we write about, these are for departures from the UK so you don’t need to position yourself somewhere in Europe first.

Even better for those who live outside London, you can also book these deals from UK regional airports.

The fares are not as cheap as we saw in the ‘2 for 1’ SWISS and Lufthansa sale earlier this year.  However, these are still good fares and, of course, you don’t need to be travelling as a couple to take advantage.

Swiss Boeing 777

You won’t earn Avios or BA tier points but you WILL get a decent travel experience at a good price.  You will also earn a pile of Miles & More or other Star Alliance miles which can be a handy alternative to Avios.

These fares are good for bookings up to 10th November.

You can travel between 11th November 2019 and 15th July 2020.

What is the Business Class pricing?

Here are the Business Class deals.  These are return prices per person from London – regional departures may differ slightly.

Headline fares are:

  • Bangkok £1,577
  • Beijing £1,682
  • Cape Town £1,877
  • Dar es Salaam £1,845
  • Delhi £1,317
  • Dubai £1,272
  • Hong Kong £1,681
  • Johannesburg £1,877
  • Male / Maldives £1,796
  • Mauritius £1,944
  • Mumbai £1,317
  • Muscat £1,542
  • Nairobi £1,575
  • Shanghai £1,497
  • Singapore £1,877

Some of these are clearly very good, eg Dubai, Delhi, Shanghai, whilst others fall into the ‘definitely not bad but you might see better’ category, eg Singapore.  Others look pricey but are available at peak periods, eg Jo’burg is available over Christmas if you are flexible (17th to 29th December was bookable last night).

Lufthansa 2-4-1 UK sale

Most routes are available with both Lufthansa and SWISS, so you need to see which is most convenient for you.

Flying Lufthansa

With Lufthansa, you can depart from London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow or Manchester with a transfer in Germany.  You can book these deals here.  Ignore the small list of destinations shown on that page, which appear to be randomly generated.

Lufthansa is 100% fully flat in long-haul business class, although not everyone is a fan of the current seat layout which means that both of you are sharing a footrest, albeit with a divider.  The A350 cabin is pictured above.  SWISS is better in this regard as the seats are not angled towards your neighbour.

Here is my review of an A340 Lufthansa business class flight from last Autumn.  As it happens, I flew Lufthansa business class again yesterday, from Frankfurt to Dubai, and my views remain the same.  With so many airlines offering 1-2-1 seating these days, being forced to sit with a stranger – with no divider – in 2-2-2 seems very outdated.  Especially when, as in my case, the stranger has a terrible bout of flu ….

Swiss 2-4-1 UK sale

Flying SWISS

SWISS Business Class is pictured above and below.  All flights require a transfer in Zurich or Geneva.

The sale page is here.

Importantly if you click a destination name on that page, you get taken to a new page with a calendar.  This shows you all dates where the sale fare is available.

SWISS offers an impressive Business Class service.   You get a good quality seat, good food and drink and a very attentive crew.  It is a very civilised experience.

I flew in SWISS Business Class to Dubai last October with my family and enjoyed it, although the seats are showing their age a bit.  I didn’t do a review, unfortunately.  However, Anika did review her recent SWISS flight from Zurich to Chicago here.

SWISS and Lufthansa are both part of Lufthansa’s Miles & More loyalty scheme, although you can of course credit your flight to any other Star Alliance programme.  Whilst I am generally very positive about Miles & More, you may want to consider other Star Alliance schemes as M&M is now revenue based – and when you pay peanuts for your fare, you earn peanuts in miles!

How to book

For SWISS, you need to book via this page here.

For Lufthana, the Business Class deals for London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester can be found here.

In theory, you can book all flights on either airline from either website.

Your best option to maximise your miles when paying is American Express Preferred Rewards Gold.  This offers double points – 2 per £1 – when you when you book flight tickets directly with an airline.  Our review of Amex Gold is here.

These deals should remain bookable until 10th November.


How to earn American Airlines miles from UK credit cards

How to earn Star Alliance miles from UK credit cards (February 2025)

None of the Star Alliance airlines currently have a UK credit card.

There is, however, still a way to earn Star Alliance miles from a UK credit card

The route is via Marriott Bonvoy. Marriott Bonvoy hotel loyalty points convert to over 40 airlines at the rate of 3:1.

The best way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points is via the official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card. It comes with 20,000 points for signing up and 2 points for every £1 you spend. At 2 Bonvoy points per £1, you are earning (at 3:1) 0.66 airline miles per £1 spent on the card.

There is a preferential conversion rate to United Airlines – which is a Star Alliance member – of 2 : 1 if you convert 60,000 Bonvoy points at once.

The Star Alliance members which are Marriott Bonvoy transfer partners are: Aegean, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Avianca, Copa Airlines, Singapore Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines.

You can apply here.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points for signing up and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review

Comments (21)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • The Original David says:

    Also worth mentioning that LH operates the B747-8 on some of these routes – the upper deck on those is a very civilised experience, particularly with light loads that mean you get 2 seats to yourself.

  • Clive says:

    I booked last night FCO-BKK-SIN-FCO for £977 with LX out and SQ back in business on their A380

  • Spk says:

    Does anyone know which fare class it books into? Can’t be J as it’s discounted? Thanks!

    • marcw says:

      P probably.

    • The Original David says:

      My ex-GOT on LH a few months ago booked into P, for “piss-poor earning”. I got about 6k M&M points for GOT-FRA-PEK, all in Business. About 11k status miles though, if you’re chasing M&M status.

      • rob says:

        Agean I think is normally best for earning for these flights.

        • Clive says:

          Most of the discounted LX/LH etc flights do book into P so Where to Credit is your friend here. Agean Miles and Bonus does give 100% for these flights.

      • Gavin says:

        I did well from crediting LCY – HKG on LX in P to United. It credits at 100% normally, but with an additional multiplier if you have status with United. 1.5x for Gold and 1.75x for Platinum.

        Using the miles for domestic redemptions on ANA in Japan which are a bargain.

  • Geoff says:

    OT: If you were looking to transfer the Miles & More earnt here to Heathrow Rewards for vouchers, then I wouldn’t hold your breath. This hasn’t been working for 2 weeks, due to a ‘small technical issue’ and there is no eta for fixing or any other way of accomplishing it.
    Rob, are you able to get any more info from Heathrow Rewards? Thanks

  • Ralphy says:

    I booked the other day, flying with Qatar, all Q-Suite flights, for £1,428 return, from Oslo to Johannesburg, via Doha.

    I added a BA Club Europe return, Heathrow to Oslo, for £268 and a total outlay of £1,696 and I get the Avios and the Tier Points for the whole trip.

    If one has the time, then what’s not to like?

  • John says:

    Lufthansa is starting Munich – Newcastle in February, and I can see some of these prices from there too.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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