Star Alliance founding member Lufthansa and SWISS have put a decent price tag on business class flights from London to Bangkok. Roundtrips from both Heathrow and London City airport start at £1,244 (~€1,424) with short layovers in either Frankfurt or Zurich. Availability is pretty good in the first half of 2022.
These tickets are not refundable if you cancel them on your own. To change flight dates, you’d need to pay the fare difference, but at least the rebooking fee is waived.
Worldwide travel restrictions are in place to slow the spread of Covid-19. We strongly recommend gathering detailed information about the travel and quarantine restrictions that apply to your desired origin and destination.
A good start is the International Air Transport Association (IATA) website. It provides current updates on a country’s immigration policies. Even better, the Covid-19 Travel Regulations Map is one of the most useful tools you can find.
Our availability calendar shows you all possible flight dates for less than €1,500 (~£1,310) for trips up to 28 days. It will forward you to lufthansa.com, where tickets for both airlines are sold slightly cheaper than on Swiss’ website.
Carriers & Seats
After enjoying a short European business class ride from London to either Frankfurt or Zurich, you will board a Lufthansa or Swiss plane at the airlines’ respective hub. Swiss plans Boeing 777-300ER services to Bangkok, while Lufthansa’s flight plans sees an Airbus A340 scheduled for the trip to Thailand. As both airlines’ business class products are almost identical across their fleet, it’s up to you which you’d prefer.
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. In the future, SWISS will have a new business class, called “Swiss Senses”, which is basically Lufthansa’s Allegris cabin, but in red.
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. Regarding the seats, they are mostly fine, though not really on-par with the competition anymore. That’s why the airline is now slowly installing their new Allegris seats.
Search & Book
According to the fare rules, flights are sold at this price until October 13, 2021. It is valid for flights leaving London before June 6, 2022 with a minimum stay of at least eight days. Maximum stay is three months.
You can find suiting flight dates with Google Flights (instructions). We recommend purchasing your tickets directly at LH’s website.
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 Lufthansa and SWISS issue these tickets in booking class P. Your reward mileage might differ depending on you flying either Lufthansa via Frankfurt or SWISS via Zurich. A trip with Lufthansa should be rewarded like this:
- 14,998 Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 14,998 Miles on ITA Volare
- 12,684 Award Miles + 480 Points on Miles&More
- 11,998 Award Miles + 2,398 PQP on United MileagePlus
- 11,998 Miles on Copa ConnectMiles
- 11,998 Miles on Thai Royal Orchid Plus
- 11,998 Award Miles on LATAM Pass
- 11,592 Miles on Air Canada Aeroplan
- 11,592 Points + 2,318 SQC on Air Canada Aeroplan 2026
- 8,398 Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- Customize Calculation
A trip with SWISS generates the following mileage:
- 15,292 Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 15,292 Miles on ITA Volare
- 12,852 Miles on Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- 12,752 Award Miles + 480 Points on Miles&More
- 12,252 Miles on Aegean Miles+Bonus
- 12,232 Award Miles + 2,446 PQP on United MileagePlus
- 12,232 Miles on Asiana Club
- 12,232 Award Miles + 6,116 Tier Miles on Avianca LifeMiles
- 12,232 Miles on Copa ConnectMiles
- 12,232 Miles on Ethiopian ShebaMiles
- 12,232 Miles on EVA Infinity MileageLands
- 12,232 Award Miles on LATAM Pass
- 12,232 Miles on TAP Miles&Go
- 12,232 Miles on Thai Royal Orchid Plus
- 12,232 Miles on Egyptair Plus
- 11,742 Miles on Air Canada Aeroplan
- 11,742 Points + 2,348 SQC on Air Canada Aeroplan 2026
- 8,562 Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- Customize Calculation
Information & Tips for Thailand
Thailand is famous for its vibrant cities, beautiful beaches, and rich cultural heritage. Key sights include the Grand Palace and Wat Pho in Bangkok, the ancient city of Ayutthaya, and the islands of Phuket and Koh Samui. The currency is the Thai baht (THB), and while credit cards are commonly accepted in tourist areas, cash is often preferred in local markets. The cost of living is generally low, with budget accommodations and street food available, but prices can rise in more touristy areas. The weather is tropical, with a hot, rainy season from May to October and a cooler, dry season from November to February.
Getting around Thailand is fairly easy, with a mix of modern and traditional options. In cities like Bangkok, public transport includes the Skytrain (BTS), metro (MRT), and river ferries, which are convenient but can get crowded. Taxis and motorbike taxis are also widely available. For intercity travel, buses and trains are common and affordable, though train journeys can be slow. Domestic flights are frequent and often the fastest way to travel longer distances, especially to popular islands or northern regions. However, traffic congestion in urban areas can be a challenge, particularly during rush hours.
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…)
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