Not only is the Star Alliance offering great dealz to Canada for less than €300 but they are also offering cheap tickets to some destinations in the USA. Houston is a particular highlight, as this tends to be an expensive destination. You can get the roundtrip (without luggage) for only €306. You can depart from various European countries.
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.
This deal is for a Light fare. Star Alliance Gold members will be allowed to check in a suitcase without having to pay a surcharge, but all other passengers would need to pay another €100 to book the Basic fare if they want to fly with a suitcase.
We found cheap flights to Houston from the following countries:
- Ireland: €306
- Poland: PLN 1,401 (~€321)
- Denmark: DKK 2,345 (~€314)
- Czech Republic: CZK 8,599 (~€341)
- Norway: NOK 3,602 (~€309)
- Hungary: HUF 119,900 (~€303)
- Croatia: €332
- Sweden: SEK 3,535 (~€304)
- Italy: €358
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.
For the long-haul flights, you can choose between Lufthansa and United. According to the current schedule, you’d fly with the following aircraft:
- Lufthansa: Boeing 747 on
FRA - IAH - United: Boeing 777 on
FRA-IAHor Boeing 767 onMUC - IAH
In our oppinion, the best choice is either Lufthansa’s Boeing 747 or United’s Boeing 767. Aircraft changes may, however, still be made by the airline.
You can also often fly with a second layover in Chicago, in which case you’d be flying on a Lufthansa A350 on the long-haul flight, and on a Boeing 737 between Chicago and Houston.
Search & Book
The fare rules do not state until when this deal will remain available, but it is clear that your trip needs to start before May 31st, 2021. There’s a minimum stay requirement of six days.
You can use Google Flights to search for available dates. You should then book on Lufthansa’s website. Booking the same flights on United’s website increases the price significantly.
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
The booking class is K. At Miles&More, you’ll get revenue-based miles (900 – 1,300, depending on your status) and roughly 2,900 status miles (twice as much if you hold a status).
The credited mileage varies at the other programs, depending on if you’re flying with Lufthansa or United. If you’re flying with United via Munich (e.g. from Dublin), the entire roundtrip will get you:
- 5,656 Points on SAS EuroBonus
- 5,406 Miles on Aegean Miles+Bonus
- 5,406 Miles on Avianca LifeMiles
- 5,406 Miles on EVA Infinity MileageLands
- 5,406 Miles on Copa ConnectMiles
- 5,406 Miles on Ethiopian ShebaMiles
- 5,406 Miles on Egyptair Plus
- 5,406 Miles on Asiana Club
- 5,406 Miles on Thai Royal Orchid Plus
- 5,406 Miles on Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- 5,406 Award Miles + 1,082 Tier Miles on Azul TodoAzul
- 3,758 Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- 3,132 CV Points on Vistara Club Vistara
- 2,952 Award Miles + 160 Points on Miles&More
- 2,702 Miles on Air Canada Aeroplan
- 2,702 Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 2,702 Miles on TAP Miles&Go
- 2,702 Avios on Aer Lingus AerClub
- 2,702 Award Miles on Emirates Skywards
Lufthansa flights have far fewer crediting options. Should you, for instance, fly from Warsaw via Frankfurt with Lufthansa, the entire roundtrip would get you:
- 3,466 Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- 2,888 Award Miles + 578 PQP on United MileagePlus
- 2,888 Points on SAS EuroBonus
- 2,888 CV Points on Vistara Club Vistara
- 2,860 Award Miles + 160 Points on Miles&More
This is a Star Alliance fare that does not include check-in luggage. Additionally, some other disadvantages may apply, especially when flying with United:
Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian
Lufthansa Group airlines call this fare Economy Light. You can select your seats during the check-in process. While these airlines still allow Star-Alliance-Gold customers to bring one 23kg bag, it is said that this benefit will soon be eliminated without much warning – like on European flights.
United Airlines
The long-haul United Basic Economy allows Star-Alliance-Gold customers to fly with 2 x 23 kg luggage, or even 3 x 32 kg if you’re a MileagePlus frequent flyer. Nevertheless, there are other restrictions:
- You cannot reserve your seats. Even at the time of check-in, you’ll be automatically assigned a seat, which you cannot change.
- You’ll be the last one to board the plane (except if you’re a frequent flyer).
- Additionally, if you’re a MileagePlus-customer:
- No free Economy-Plus upgrades
- Only 50% PQM instead of 100%, and only 0.5 PQS per flight
- No modifications (e.g. Same Day-Changes) possible
- Upgrades are not permitted
Air Canada
On flights with Air Canada, there is also a Basic Economy, but it is not quite as restrictive as United’s. If you have a Star-Alliance-Gold-Status, you can give up a 23 kg luggage, and Air-Canada-Altitude status holders can even be allowed up to 3 x 32 kg.
Other restrictions include:
- You can reserve seats, but at a higher price than usual for Economy.
- For Air Canada Altitude customers:
- 25% miles for transatlantic flights, none for domestic.
- Upgrades are not permitted.
- From Prestige 25K onwards you can select your seats.
If you feel that these restrictions are unbearable, you should book over Lufthansa.com or United.com and select the rate that includes luggage for roughly €100 more.
Cover Picture: Ditmar Lange