Airlines of all three big alliances are offering very cheap business class tickets to Chicago. SkyTeam member airline Air France, Star Alliance member airline United and Oneworld airline American Airlines are all offering non-stop flights. Prices start at €1,017 with Oneworld.
Search & Book
The fare rules of the Star Alliance far and the SkyTeam fare match pretty well with expiry dates of March 17, 2020. Maximum length of stay can be up to 3 months.
The Oneworld fare is expiring on March 15, 2020 and allows stays of up to 12 months.
The minimum stay requirement for all three fares is a night from Saturday to Sunday.
Availabilites vary a lot. The Oneworld fare is available from April, 2020 to January, 2021 with great availability (but often with a layover), the Star Alliance fare is available July and August, 2020, whereas the SkyTeam fare is unfortunately only available in August, 2020.
The best way to find these fares is Google Flights (instructions). Play around with the filters to find your preferred travel dates with your favorite alliance. After that, put the data into our Travel-Dealz search. Some of the fares can only be booked through various OTAs. But if you have a choice, book the tickets directly with the respective airlines such as Air France, United and Iberia.
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
The mileage varies depending on the operating airline, the alliance and the frequent flyer program you want to credit these flights to.
The Oneworld tickets are issued in booking class I, the Star Alliance tickets are issued in booking class P and the SkyTeam tickets are issued in booking class Z.
Hotels
Hotels in the US can be very pricey. That’s a valid reason to do a bit more research before booking your stay. We would suggest doing that with one of our favorite platforms:
Don’t forget to check out the following deals as well:
Information & Tips for Chicago
Chicago is known for its architecture, museums, and lakefront, with highlights like Millennium Park, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Willis Tower. The currency is the U.S. dollar (USD), and credit cards are widely accepted. Prices can be high, especially for accommodation and dining in central areas, though there are budget options. The weather is variable—summers are warm and humid, winters are cold with snow, and spring and fall are unpredictable, so packing layers is advised.
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
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