Star Alliance members Lufthansa, Swiss and United Airlines have put together a great offer: First Class flights to the continental US are available at HUF 802,000 (~€2,061) with departure from Budapest. The true highlight of this sale are HUF 856,400 (~€2,201) connections to Hawaii. All itineraries feature a European business class flight to Frankfurt or Zurich and a first class transatlantic crossing. Flights to Hawaii have an additional layover in either Los Angeles or San Francisco. Travel dates can be found as late as April 2021.
Booking these fares poses a risk. Travel between the USA and Europe is still suspended. Further, these fares are not fully refundable and even a change of date may come with a large price tag. Even worse, both Lufthansa and Swiss are back scaling first class capacities. You may end up being downgraded to business class.
You may find flights to the following destinations:
- Fort Lauderdale at €2,349
- Nashville at €2,349
- Austin at €2,377
- San Juan, Puerto Rico at €2,380
- Honolulu, Hawaii at €2,476
- Montreal at €2,496
- Boston at €2,513
- New York at €2,516
- Chicago at €2,542
- Miami at €2,571
- Los Angeles at €2,614
- San Francisco at €2,614
- Dallas at €2,614
- and many more
An Inner European flight to Budapest is followed by a stop in Lufthansa’s or Swiss’ dedicated First Class Lounges. A Swiss or Lufthansa long haul plane will take you onwards to your American destination. Your journey ends with either a domestic first class or international business class trip to Hawaii or secondary US airports like Fort Lauderdale. You can find a review of Swiss’ first class goodness here.
We expect further shakeups in the airline industry over the following months. Some services might be cancelled, aircraft changed or downgraded. The schedule we describe may very well change.
Search & Book
The fare rules for these deal do not give us an expiration date. The travel period varies depending on your destination, but the lowest fare show up as late as March or April 2021. A rather long minimum stay of six days applies in order to score this tickets.
The easiest way to find travel dates and buy tickets is Lufthansa’s best price search. This comes with a but, as Lufthansa shows travel dates to Hawaii only for 2020 travel dates. Consulting Google Flights shows that there are availabilities in 2021, too. However, these connections have overnight layovers in California, often in both directions.
You can search additional dates yourself (instructions) and book them via swiss.com or united.com. Regardless which way you choose, we strongly recommend buying tickets directly with the airline.
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
These tickets are issued in three different booking classes: European flights in J, transatlantic flights in A and American connections in D. The Budapest- Zurich – San Francisco – Honolulu trip pictured above grants the following mileage:
Mileage calculation is currently unavailable.
You can check different combinations with wheretocredit.com’s mileage calculator.
Information & Tips for USA
The United States offers a wide range of tourist sights, from national parks like Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon to cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. The currency is the U.S. dollar (USD), and card payments are widely accepted. Prices vary by region but can be high in major cities, especially for accommodation and dining. Weather differs greatly across the country—winters can be harsh in the north, while the south often stays mild; summers are generally hot and humid in many areas.
The U.S. transport infrastructure is highly car-dependent, especially outside major cities. Urban centres like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco have functional public transit, but many other cities have limited options. Between cities, domestic flights are common for long distances, while intercity buses and Amtrak trains cover some routes, though often with slower speeds and less frequency compared to other countries. Without a car, getting around can be inconvenient in many parts of the country.
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
→ All Dealz for USA