Star Alliance members Lufthansa und Swiss offer an attractive business class sale from Stockholm to Dubai, Indian capital New Delhi, Bangkok and Hong Kong. Roundtrips with a short layover in Frankfurt or Zurich start at SEK 9,792 (~€841) and are available almost daily in May and September 2020.
To Dubai and Hong Kong, you can also find very attractive first class fares:
When booking via swiss.com, you can combine first and business class tickets as you please, i.e. an business outbound and first or economy inbound flight on the same ticket.
Flights from Stockholm to Zurich are European business class connections on either Swiss or SAS metal. Swiss operates a long haul fleet of Airbus A330-300, Airbus A340-300 and Boeing 777-300ER. These aircraft feature an alternating 2-2-1 and 1-2-1 seating in business class.
You can find a review of Swiss’ business class here. If you select to fly first class, you can read a review of our author Dennis’ first class experience enroute to Hong Kong here.
Search & Book
The fare rules state that the sales period for this deal ends on January 13, 2020 with a travel period from January 15, 2020 until October 31, 2020. A minimum stay of at least six days or a night from saturday to sunday applies. At time of writing, these fares are available almost daily in May and September 2019. For the rest of the travel period, the fare shows only singular dates on which flights at the lowest fare are sold.
You can find suiting flight dates on Google Flights (instructions). Enter them in our flight search to see what online travel agencies have to offer or proceed directly to swiss.com to purchase your tickets.
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.
An exception are the first class fares to Hong Kong, which are really hard to find. Because of this, we took the liberty to compile all possible flight dates at the lowest fare for trips up to two weeks:
Mileage
Swiss issues tickets for all flight segments in booking class P. Without tier bonuses, you can expect between 50% and 100% of your travel distance in award mileage. This example covers a flight to Hong Kong:
- 16,726 Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 13,380 Award Miles + 2,676 PQP on United MileagePlus
- 13,380 Miles on Aegean Miles+Bonus
- 13,380 Points on SAS EuroBonus
- 13,380 Miles on Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- 13,380 Miles on Asiana Club
- 13,380 Miles on Avianca LifeMiles
- 13,380 Miles on Copa ConnectMiles
- 13,380 Miles on Ethiopian ShebaMiles
- 13,380 Miles on EVA Infinity MileageLands
- 13,380 Award Miles on LATAM Pass
- 13,380 Miles on TAP Miles&Go
- 13,380 Miles on Thai Royal Orchid Plus
- 13,380 Miles on Egyptair Plus
- 13,032 Award Miles + 480 Points on Miles&More
- 12,456 Miles on Air Canada Aeroplan
- 11,532 AsiaMiles on Asia Miles
- 9,366 Miles on ANA Mileage Club
If you select to fly first class, tickets are issued in booking class A. It is no suprise that the mileage will be pouring in when buying such an expensive ticket:
- 36,444 Miles on Aegean Miles+Bonus
- 36,444 Miles on Ethiopian ShebaMiles
- 36,096 Award Miles + 680 Points on Miles&More
- 25,374 Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 24,912 Award Miles + 3,370 PQP on United MileagePlus
- 24,912 Points on SAS EuroBonus
- 24,912 Miles on Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- 24,912 Miles on Copa ConnectMiles
- 24,912 Award Miles on LATAM Pass
- 24,912 Miles on TAP Miles&Go
- 24,912 Miles on Thai Royal Orchid Plus
- 24,912 Miles on Egyptair Plus
- 19,146 Miles on Asiana Club
- 19,146 Award Miles + 13,380 Tier Miles on Avianca LifeMiles
- 19,146 Miles on EVA Infinity MileageLands
- 18,592 Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- 18,222 Miles on Air Canada Aeroplan
- 17,298 AsiaMiles on Asia Miles
Information & Tips for India
India is billed as a “subcontinent” not only for geographical reasons. The argument can be made that there is no region on the entire planet as culturally different as India. For example, it is home to as many vegetarians as the rest of the world. But its unique cuisine is just one of reasons to go there – India has a lot to offer. You can finde paradise like beaches in Goa and Kerala. Buzzing metropoles like Delhi and Mumbai invite you as well as and extravagant buildings and palaces like the world famous Taj Mahal. In conclusion, a country as huge as India is full of possibilities.
Visa & Entry
EU citizens need a visa and a passport to enter India. The easiest way is to apply for an eVisa, that will grant you two entries and a stay up to 60 days. It costs around 30€ on the government’s official site. With it, you can enter the country at almost any international airport.
Transport infrastructure
Flag carrier Air India and a bunch of smaller LCCs connect the airports of Delhi and Mumbai to almost any noteworthy city in the country. For a country its size, India has an excellent railway network. This allows for extremely cheap ground transportation. Renting a car is possible, but incredibly dangerous due to poor road conditions and reckless driving habits.
Currency
Official currency is the Indian rupee. 100 rupees are worth around 1,30€.
→ All Dealz for India
Information & Tips for United Arab Emirates
Visa & Entry
Most European citizens may enter the United Arab Emirates without a visa and with their passports only to stay there as tourists as well as for business(without work) or visiting purposes for a maximum period of 90 days within 180 days.
Best Time to Visit
In April and May, the temperatures in the UAE are around 30 °C and can even climb to just close to 40 °C. You usually don’t have to expect less than 25 °C, so you can always bring your bathing suit. In June, July and August, 40 °C are standard. The most pleasant travel months are December, January, and February when temperatures rarely climb above 25 °C.
Ramadan
You should know that the United Arab Emirates is a Muslim country. This means that Ramadan, the month of fasting, is strictly celebrated. There are usually no drinks and no food during the day, at least not in public. When booking offers during this period, you should keep that in mind.
Finding the Best eSIM Plan
We’ve compared various eSIM providers, such as Airalo and Airhub. 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 for Dubai & Abu Dhabi 🇦🇪 Compared (United Arab Emirates)
→ All Dealz for United Arab Emirates
Information & Tips for Thailand
Thailand is an increasingly popular holiday destination for Europeans – both beach and party tourists get their money’s worth in the South Asian tropical state.
Whether Bangkok, Koh Samui or Phuket, Thailand offers multi-faceted cities and quiet beaches. Also, the country is always easy to reach from Europe. Especially to Bangkok, there is almost always at least a good deal!
Best Time to Visit
While hot summer temperatures prevail the whole year long in tropical Thailand, the best travel time is definitely the winter from November to February. Thanks to the northwest monsoon it doesn’t get warmer than 33 degrees. In summer the temperatures can quickly reach 40 degrees. The rainy season also starts in June and will last until October – high humidity is what you’ll have to prepare for!
Entry & Visa
Most EU citizens do not need a visa for stays up to a length of 30 days. The entry permit can be extended by another 30 days before expiration by local immigration authorities.
Currency
The national currency of Thailand is the Baht (THB) which is divided into Satang. One Euro is about 40 THB.
Finding the Best eSIM Plan
We’ve compared various eSIM providers, such as Nomad, Airhub, and RedteaGO. 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 Thailand 🇹🇭 Compared (Bangkok, Phuket…)
→ All Dealz for Thailand
Information & Tips for Hong Kong
Hong Kong is an Asian city-state and a vital trading metropolis in the Pearl River Delta not far from the Chinese coast. The city has long been a center for trade and business. Hong Kong is one of the largest air traffic hubs in Asia and therefore offers excellent connections to the rest of the world, hence the good deals that various airlines often provide. Flights in economy class usually are between 400€ and 500€ sometimes for even less than 400€.
Best Time to Visit
Winters are mild and dry, whereas summers are hot with rainfall and high humidity. The best time to travel is from October to early December when the weather is sunny, cool and therefore very pleasant.
Entry & Visa
Entry is possible for most EU citizens without a visa, and only a passport is required. A permit for 90 days is issued upon entry. For further information, please visit the website of your countries Ministry of foreign affairs.
Currency
The local currency is the Hong Kong Dollar ($, HKD, HK$). One Euro is approximately HK$8. Many credit cards may charge a foreign currency fee (up to 2% for payment) in Hong Kong Dollars.
Getting from the airport to the city centre
The fastest and most convenient way into the city is by Airport Express. This train will take you to the city centre within 24 minutes and will cost you around €12 per trip. Alternatively, you can also get into a taxi and pay approximately €35.
→ All Dealz for Hong Kong