The change to the award booking system at Miles&More in June 2025 has made some extremely attractive prices possible. However, the fact that each individual flight segment is now priced separately also means things can quickly become confusing. Changing the departure airport can easily double the mileage price, meaning that the departure point now plays a decisive role in whether an award flight is worthwhile or not.
In this article, we’ll have a look at the cheapest First Class routes with Lufthansa (and for Senators/HON Circle Members also Swiss) First Class.
All mileage values listed here represent a snapshot at the time of writing. Changes are always possible!
Table of Contents
Unless otherwise indicated, all prices shown below are for one-way flights. These are generally flights in the Saver fare. They are non-refundable and can be rebooked for €410 (plus fare difference), so you should only book at these prices if you truly intend to fly. All tickets also include 3 × 32 kg of baggage.
Riyadh: from Belgrade for 49,005 miles + €290
The cheapest First Class flight you can book with Miles&More is the roughly six-hour flight from Frankfurt to Riyadh, with a feeder flight from Belgrade. This route is operated by an Airbus A340-600 with a total of 8 seats across two rows. Keep in mind, however, that travelling to Saudi Arabia requires a visa costing around €100.
- One-way: 49,005 miles + €290
- Roundtrip: 98,010 miles + €529
- Cash roundtrip price: €3,700 (3.3 cpm)
- Flex surcharge: approx. 5,000 miles per direction
- Example dates: December 24 – January 2
As of December 2025, First Class to Riyadh is only offered until January 12, 2026. After that, no flights with First Class are bookable for the foreseeable future.
Delhi: from Kosice for 56,665 miles + €341
Kosice in eastern Slovakia is a rather unknown departure point. However, the trip can be worthwhile if you want to visit Delhi and do so in First Class. The surcharges remain reasonable, and the minimum mileage price of 56,665 miles per direction is quite attractive. Since Kosice is not served directly from Munich, you can even try out an additional First Class/HON Circle lounge.
- One-way: 56,665 miles + €341
- Roundtrip: 113,330 miles + €626
- Cash roundtrip price: €3,900 (2.9 cpm)
- Flex surcharge: approx. 10,500 miles per direction
- Example dates: September 8-15
Mumbai: from Kosice for 61,966 miles + €340
This is basically the same deal as to Delhi, just roughly 5,000 miles more expensive. Instead of to Delhi, you’d be flying to Mumbai, again with two feeder flights as the flight departs from Munich and there are no direct flights from Kosice to Munich. Just like to Delhi, the flight is operated with an Airbus A380.
- One-way: 61,996 miles + €340
- Roundtrip: 123,932 miles + €624
- Cash roundtrip price: €4,200 (2.9 cpm)
- Flex surcharge: approx. 10,500 miles per direction
- Example dates: August 7 – 17
Chicago: from Dublin for 69,998 miles + €533
In theory, the cheapest destination in the US is not Chicago but San Francisco, starting at only 67,725 miles. However, I wish you good luck finding any availability. The next-best option in the US is Chicago, costing just under 70,000 miles – with halfway decent availability, especially last-minute. Sadly, Miles&More has very high surcharges to North America, reaching roughly €1,000 for a round-trip.
- One-way: 61,998 miles + €533
- Roundtrip: 139,996 miles + €997
- Cash roundtrip price: €5,000 (2.9 cpm)
- Flex surcharge: approx. 21,000 miles per direction
- Example dates: December 28 – January 13
São Paulo: from Helsinki for 98,268 miles + €356
Flights to South America have become some of the most expensive First Class routes since dynamic pricing was introduced. You should budget nearly 100,000 miles per direction for what is at least a 13-hour First Class flight aboard Lufthansa’s Boeing 747-8. Considering the length of the flight, the price is quite attractive. Sadly, availability is terrible. We couldn’t find any availability for the inbound flight.
- One-way: 98,268 miles + €358
- Roundtrip: 196,536 miles + €670
- Cash roundtrip price: €7,100 (3.3 cpm)
- Flex surcharge: approx. 50,000 miles per direction
- Example dates: March 11
Tokyo: from Budapest for 115,567 miles + HUF 117,400 (~€305)
When reading an article about the cheapest first class award flights, one probably wouldn’t expect a flight for over 115,000 miles to be listed. However, the flight from Tokyo to Germany takes roughly 14 hours, making this a much more complete first class experience than e.g. the 6-hour flight to Riyadh or the 8-hour flight from Chicago. Also, it’s worth noting that there’s quite good availability.
- One-way: 115,567 miles + HUF 117,400 (~€305)
- Roundtrip: 231,134 miles + HUF 233,300 (~€606)
- Cash roundtrip price: €7,100 (2.9 cpm)
- Flex surcharge: approx. 10,500 miles per direction
- Example dates: August 2 – 20
Conclusion
The variation in mileage prices that we found while researching this article were astonishing. The same flight could cost twice as much when departing from one city in Europe or another. Now you should have a good idea, where the cheapest departure cities are for each destination, and which destinations show availability. So the next time Miles&More starts selling its points with a nice bonus again, you’ll know where to spend them to reach that dream of flying first class.