Star Alliance members Lufthansa and SWISS have come up with quite a good offer for business class flights between Milan and the USA during the 2021/2022 winter. With a stop in Frankfurt, Munich or Zurich, you can reach New York for as little as €1,365 and Los Angeles €1,457.
While touristic travel to the USA should be possible again from November 2021 onwards for fully vaccinated Europeans, we still want to notify you that these tickets are not refundable. All that Lufthansa and Swiss offer is a date change without a rebooking fee. You’d still have to pay the price difference.
Our availability calendar shows you all possible roundtrips at the lowest fare for trips up to 28 days. It will forward you to lufthansa.com, where you can buy the tickets.
Your itinerary typically consists of four flights – two short flights within Europe in a short haul business configuration and two long haul flights in the airlines’ best business class products:
Many of our readers may have already experienced Lufthansa’s business class. Generally, Travel-Dealz writers and readers are not big fans of the Lufthansa business class, even though it is definitely not bad. One reason for that is that the service is too inconsistent: From extremely friendly and quick to unfriendly and slow – everything is possible with Lufthansa, even in business class.
With SWISS, it very much depends on the specific seat, as SWISS has a throne seat in every row. While the double seats share a platform in the middle, the throne seat has its own platform on each side, which you won’t have to share with anyone. Those seats thus offer privacy and comfort to an extent that the other seats cannot compete with. Therefore, you may be disappointed if you don’t get one of the throne seats, even if the other seats obviously also have a very high standard.
Search & Book
Tickets are on sale until October 10, 2021 for travel between October 29, 2021, and April 9, 2022. The minimum stay requirement is 3 days (or a night from Saturday to Sunday). Furthermore, your stay cannot exceed 3 months.
Google Flights will show additional flight dates. While online travel agencies may offer cheaper tickets, we recommend booking directly with the airlines.
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.
Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
Mileage
Both carriers issue tickets for all flight segments in booking class P. A trip to Los Angeles with Lufthansa via Frankfurt leads to the following accrual:
- 24,384 CV Points on Vistara Club Vistara
- 15,240 Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 13,084 Award Miles + 480 Points on Miles&More
- 13,084 Points on SAS EuroBonus
- 12,192 Award Miles + 2,438 PQP on United MileagePlus
- 12,192 Miles on Copa ConnectMiles
- 12,192 Miles on Thai Royal Orchid Plus
- 12,192 Award Miles on LATAM Pass
- 11,888 Miles on Air Canada Aeroplan
- 8,534 Miles on ANA Mileage Club
While a flight with SWISS and a stop in Zurich is credited like this:
- 15,128 Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 13,448 Miles on Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- 13,348 Award Miles + 480 Points on Miles&More
- 13,048 Points on SAS EuroBonus
- 12,848 Miles on Aegean Miles+Bonus
- 12,102 Award Miles + 2,420 PQP on United MileagePlus
- 12,102 Miles on Asiana Club
- 12,102 Miles on Avianca LifeMiles
- 12,102 Miles on Copa ConnectMiles
- 12,102 Miles on Ethiopian ShebaMiles
- 12,102 Miles on EVA Infinity MileageLands
- 12,102 Miles on TAP Miles&Go
- 12,102 Miles on Thai Royal Orchid Plus
- 12,102 Miles on Egyptair Plus
- 12,098 Miles on Air Canada Aeroplan
- 8,472 Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- 254 Award Miles on LATAM Pass
Information & Tips for USA
The USA offers many sights, natural wonders and cultural significance. Thanks to numerous airlines offering flights across the Atlantic, it is always pretty inexpensive to get there. Alternatively, you can also cross the Atlantic by boat.
Immigration, ESTA & Visa Requirements
The USA has one of the strictest entry regulations in the world. Most EU citizens, among others, are lucky to be able to participate in the so-called Visa Waiver Program. If you get an electronic entry permit (ESTA) for approximately €20, you don’t need a visa for entry.
The Best Time to Visit
Due to its sheer size, the perfect time to visit the USA varies greatly from region to region. In winter, Florida is very popular due to the mild temperatures. In the summer the West and East Coasts are flooded by tourists which drives up the prices for hotels and flights and during the Indian Summer in late autumn New England is a very popular destination. The hurricane season between July and September can be dangerous in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Florida and the southern states are regularly struck by these tropical storms. Blizzards occur from the East Coast to the Midwest during the winter months and regularly put air traffic and public life on hold.
Currency
The US dollar is widely used throughout the world and accepted as a currency in most tourist hotspots worldwide. That being said, carrying cash isn’t necessary in the US, all you need is a credit card! These are very common in the USA and are accepted pretty much everywhere without any issues. If you already have a credit card in your wallet, you should make sure that it does not charge a foreign currency fee if possible. Carrying a few dollars in cash doesn’t hurt though. You might need cash e.g. for the bus ticket if you want to buy it directly from the driver. Most of the time you even have to give exact change.
Finding the Best eSIM Plan
We’ve compared various eSIM providers, such as Knowroaming and Ubigi. To see which plan is best for your travel needs, and which network offers the best coverage, feel free to read our detailed guide:
The Best eSIM Plans for the USA 🇺🇸 Compared
→ All Dealz for USA