2-for-1 offer on Lufthansa first class ex-India

Lufthansa's ex-India First Class offering is available on flights ex-BLR, BOM and DEL. Which is probably why, for ex-BLR, BOM and DEL routings to a set of European destinations, LH is offering a 2-for-1 deal on First Class. Must note, that this isn't their new first class offering, but is clearly an awesome experience. Note, that the offer is for bookings made between 1-31 August 2013, for travel between 22 August 2013 and 1 February 2014. Here's a summary of the starting rates (they don't seem to change much irrespective of dates, though availability seems a challenge sometimes). I've copied the links such that clicking on the relevant city in the tables below will take you directly to the booking page on the LH website.

Ex-BOM

• AmsterdamfromINR 258,000*
• BudapestfromINR 265,000*
• BerlinfromINR 267,800*
• HamburgfromINR 267,500*
• MadridfromINR 264,700*
• MunichfromINR 258,000*
• LondonfromINR 281,000*
• MilanfromINR 265,000*
• ParisfromINR 268,500*
• RomefromINR 265,000*
• StuttgartfromINR 267,700*
• VenicefromINR 264,700*
  
  

Ex-BLR

• AmsterdamfromINR 267,300*
• BudapestfromINR 267,000*
• BerlinfromINR 270,000*
• HamburgfromINR 269,300*
• MadridfromINR 266,600*
• MunichfromINR 270,200*
• LondonfromINR 282,800*
• MilanfromINR 266,800*
• ParisfromINR 270,400*
• RomefromINR 267,000*
• StuttgartfromINR 269,600*
• VenicefromINR 266,500*

Ex-DEL

• AmsterdamfromINR 267,200*
• BudapestfromINR 266,800*
• BerlinfromINR 269,500*
• HamburgfromINR 269,200*
• MadridfromINR 266,400*
• MunichfromINR 261,000*
• LondonfromINR 282,700*
• MilanfromINR 266,700*
• ParisfromINR 270,300*
• RomefromINR 266,800*
• StuttgartfromINR 269,400*
• VenicefromINR 266,400*

Conditions for this offer

• Purchase by: 31.08.2013
• Departure period: 24.08.2013-31.01.2014
• Return period: 27.08.2013-28.02.2014
• Advance Purchase Period: 21 days
• Outbound and inbound travel should be together
• Non refundable and no change allowed
• Advance Purchase 21 days, stopover not allowed
• fares, taxes & surcharges for only 1 person
• Minimum stay is 6 days
• Maximum stay is 1 month

4.944% Government of India Service Tax is levied on First, Business and Economy Class tickets ex India. DU charge of INR300 will be levied on all tickets ex India. Taxes may vary due to currency fluctuations/revision.

LH typically operates a Boeing 747-8I ex-BLR, Boeing 747-400 ex-BOM, and Airbus A340-600 ex-DEL (to MUC). Each of the links above take you to LH's First Class service offering page for the relevant equipment.

Now, the thing is that the price difference between business class and first, on LH on the available routes, is quite high - BOM-FRA in September works out to Rs 150-160k in Business class, and Rs 260k in First. The way I therefore look at it is, if two passengers are planning to fly Business class in any case, then it makes perfect sense to book it on First Class. Plus, I'm sure the highlight of such an itinerary would be the experience at LH's First Class Lounge in Frankfurt (a separate building altogether), which includes being driven to your plane in a Mercedes or BMW. Here's a post on the LH First Class lounge in FRA, by Lucky at One Mile at a Time. I've never had occasion to be there, but would love to!

Associates in the travel industry who are involved in bookings, tell me that First Class is almost always virtually empty (happy to be corrected). However, Business class is 75% occupied (not necessarily revenue seats) on average. Which appeals to me, as being the most likely reason for such an outrageous and incredible offer! From LH's POV, this also means releasing Business Class seats to other single travelers, and so maximises their revenue potential as well.

Conclusion

If you're traveling in twos (remember, it doesn't have to be a family member - two colleagues could well qualify for this) in business class in any case, and LH is an option, then this deal is a no-brainer - just go for it. However, for those of you who work for corporates with unintelligible travel policies and unintelligent admin teams, convincing your employer about this being a better deal in such cases, may well be your biggest challenge!