Seoul, South Korea: €3,490 Swiss and Lufthansa First Class from Dublin

Star Alliance members Lufthansa and SWISS currently sells a bunch of moderately discounted first class tickets. This deal covers flights from Dublin to Seoul. Tickets are available for as little as €3,490 with a change of planes in Frankfurt or Zurich.

Included in the deal are two business class rides between the Irish capital and Frankfurt or Zurich, and roughly 26 hours of First Class travel from Europe to East Asia and back. On top, you can access Lufthansa’s and Swiss’ dedicated First Class lounge during your layovers. You also enjoy a generous baggage allowance of three bags, weighing up to 32 kg each.

Our availability calendar highlights all possible flight dates at the lowest price for trips up to 28 days. It will forward you to Lufthansa or Swiss with your selected flight dates.

European flights are operated by Airbus A320 family planes. While the seats in business class are largely the same as in economy, the seat next to you will remain empty, and you will receive free food and beverage service. Long-haul flights are operated by Boeing 747-8 airplanes, with full-fledged First Class service and Lufthansa’s signature red roses. Swiss sends their Boeing 777-300ER fleet to South Korea.

SWISS First Class

In SWISS’ first class, you’ll be served excellent food in a comfortable seat that can be turned into a flat bed. Usually, the 8 first class seats are in a 1-2-1 formation, meaning that every seat has direct access to the aisle. You’ll be allowed to check in 3 pieces of luggage and bring 2 carry-ons. In Zurich, you’ll enjoy the first class lounge, which was recently named the best in the world. You can read all about SWISS’s first class in this review.

Lufthansa First Class

Lufthansa has its own terminal for First Class passengers! This and the food in Lufthansa’s First Class are widely considered to be among the best. The First Class terminal has its own airport security control, free food, hotel-like rooms with bed and bathtub, and so on. You get driven to the plane in a limousine.

The seat can be turned into a 210 cm long bed (roughly 80 cm wide) and has all the usual comforts, such as power sockets, inflight entertainment, WIFI, and so on.

Search & Book

The fare rules don’t give away a sales period. You can find this fare to trips at least eight days long in August, September and October 2024.

Google Flights previews availabilities with decent accuracy. You can also use Lufthansa’s best price search tool to find fitting flight dates. This comes with the added benefit of booking directly on the airline’s website, which we strongly recommend.

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.

Miles & Points

Lufthansa issues long-haul tickets in booking class A, the European legs are booking class J. A roundtrip earns the following miles & points:

If you fly with Swiss via Zurich both way, your accrual looks like this:

SAS and its loyalty program EuroBonus will exit Star Alliance on August 31, 2024. You have to be back in Dublin by that day to earn the points mentioned above.

Destination

Information & Tips for Seoul

Seoul is the capital of South Korea and with 11.8 million inhabitants and a metropolitan region of around 25.6 million also the largest. The city is an important cultural and economic center in the Asian region.

Flights to Seoul

Flights to Korea are unfortunately not as cheap as to China or Southeast Asia, but there are – especially if you are flexible – some bargains that are definitely worth it.

For flights to Seoul, one should usually be prepared to pay between 400€ and 500€ for a good deal. Often there are also bargains in Business Class, especially from LOT.

You should avoid the school holidays, especially the summer holidays. During this period, airfares quickly rise to more than 700€ and partly reach heights of up to 1.000€ for a direct flight in economy. Good deals are not to be expected during this period.

Best Time to Travel

The best time to visit Seoul is from March to May or from September to November. Thanks to comparatively mild temperatures and plenty of sunshine, these months are best suited for tourism.

From the Airport to the City Center

International long-haul flights usually arrive at Seoul-Incheon Airport. The express train to the city centre departs every 30 minutes and takes 40-45 minutes and costs approx. 6,50€. For a taxi you pay between 47€ and 70€.

→ All Dealz for Seoul

Information & Tips for South Korea

South Korea, officially Republic of Korea, is a country located on the Southern part of the Korean peninsula. It is one of Asia’s fastest developing countries and features stand alone traits such as language, culture and cuisine. Especially Korean food (Teriyaki) and music (K-Pop) get more and more popular in Europe and North America.

Visa & Immigration

Citizens of the European Union, Canada, America and Australia get 90 days of visa free stay upon arrival. If you’re not from one of these countries or planning on a longer stay, this official website for foreigners travelling to Korea might be of help.

Currency

Korea’s currency is the Korean Won (KRW). €1 equals roughly KRW 1,300. You can exchange currency in cash or withdraw it by using your credit card at various ATMs. The most used banknotes are KRW 1,000; 5,000; 10,000 & 50,000. Paying with credit card is possible is many hotels, stores and restaurants, not unlike in Europe.

→ All Dealz for South Korea