Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Whether you like it or not, the holiday season is rapidly approaching (or is already here, depending on your point of view). And what better way to get in the yuletide spirit than taking a trip to Europe and visiting some famous Christmas markets? If your schedule is somewhat open for the rest of 2019, you’ll want to listen up, as we’re seeing some solid availability in business class from numerous U.S. cities over the next several weeks.Don’t miss out on deals like this by subscribing to TPG’s daily newsletter today!Let’s dive into what we’ve found by airline.LufthansaThe German carrier can get you right into Munich (MUC) or Frankfurt (FRA) from several U.S. gateways. You can visit markets in either one of those cities — including one right at the Munich Airport — or catch a quick, connecting flight to another destination. Frankfurt’s market open its doors on November 25, while the airport market at MUC kicks off Nov. 15.Here’s a summary of dates with at least two Lufthansa business-class award seats available at the time of writing:New York CityFrom New York-JFK and/or Newark (EWR) to Frankfurt (FRA): November 16, 18-20 and 24-30; December 4 and 10-11From New York-JFK and/or Newark (EWR) to Munich (MUC): November 16-19, 24-26 and 28-30; December 3 and 9-10From Frankfurt (FRA) to New York-JFK and/or Newark (EWR): November 23-27; December 4, 7, 10-12, 14 and 16-17From Munich (MUC) to New York-JFK and/or Newark (EWR): November 23-26 and 28-29; December 4, 10-13 and 16-17Washington-Dulles (IAD)To Frankfurt (FRA): November 18, 20, 24 and 26To Munich (MUC): November 17, 19 and 24-25; December 15From Frankfurt (FRA): November 25-29; December 3-6, 10-12 and 16-18From Munich (MUC): November 24; December 3, 10-12 and 17-19Boston (BOS)To Frankfurt (FRA): November 18-19 and 25-26; December 3-4 and 9-10To Munich (MUC): November 18, 24-25 and 29; December 3-4 and 9-10From Frankfurt (FRA): November 19-20 and 25-26; December 3-5, 10-12 and 16-19From Munich (MUC): December 4-7 and 10-19Philadelphia (PHL)To Frankfurt (FRA): November 17, 20 and 23-27; December 2-5, 7-11 and 16-18From Frankfurt (FRA): November 23-27; December 3-7, 9-11 and 16-18Detroit (DTW)To Frankfurt (FRA): November 17-20, 24-26 and 29; December 1-4 and 8-11From Frankfurt (FRA): November 25-27 and 29; December 3-6, 10-13 and 17Chicago-O’Hare (ORD)To Frankfurt (FRA): November 18-20, 23-26 and 30; December 2-4 and 9-11To Munich (MUC): November 17-19, 24-25 and 28; December 1-3 and 8-11From Frankfurt (FRA): November 23-26; December 3-7, 9-11 and 16-17From Munich (MUC): November 23-26 and 28; December 3-7, 9-11 and 16Charlotte (CLT)To Munich (MUC): November 16-19, 23-25 and 29; December 2 and 8-10From Munich (MUC): November 25, 27 and 29; December 4-7, 10-14 and 17-18Miami (MIA)To Munich (MUC): November 18-19From Munich (MUC): November 25-28; December 10-11Orlando (MCO)To Frankfurt (FRA): November 16, 18 and 27; December 17From Frankfurt (FRA): November 25-28Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)To Frankfurt (FRA): November 18-19 and 24-25From Frankfurt (FRA): December 11-13Austin (AUS)To Frankfurt (FRA): November 15, 17, 20 and 24-25; December 1-2 and 7-9From Frankfurt (FRA): November 24-25; December 4, 6-7, 11, 13 and 15Denver (DEN)To Frankfurt (FRA): November 17-19 and 24-27; December 1-4 and 8-10To Munich (MUC): November 17-19 and 24-25From Frankfurt (FRA): November 24-26; December 4-6 and 10-13From Munich (MUC): November 24-25; December 4-5, 12 and 16Los Angeles (LAX)To Frankfurt (FRA): November 19, 24, 26 and 28To Munich (MUC): November 19, 24-25 and 27; December 1, 2-4 and 9From Frankfurt (FRA): November 25 and 28; December 5-6From Munich (MUC): November 23-25 and 27; December 4-6 and 10San Francisco (SFO)To Munich (MUC): November 18-19, 24-27 and 29-30; December 1-4 and 8-11From Munich (MUC): November 23-27 and 29; December 3-6, 10-11 and 16-17Seattle (SEA)To Frankfurt (FRA): November 18-20 and 24-26; December 1, 2-4 and 8-11From Frankfurt (FRA): November 25-27; December 4-6 and 10-13Other notesMany of these dates have more than two seats available, so if you’re looking to travel with a family or some friends, you may be able to score business-class awards on the same flight. Unfortunately, I’m not seeing availability from other Lufthansa gateways in the U.S. — including Atlanta (ATL), Tampa (TPA) and San Diego (SAN).SwissSwiss has opened up some decent award availability — including several dates from the West Coast. (Photo by Ethan Steinberg / The Points Guy)This Zurich-based carrier is generally fantastic at opening up business-class award availability on long-haul routes, and if you can reach the Swiss capital, you can visit a number of markets right there (don’t miss the Swarovski crystal tree in the main train station). However, Zurich is also a great jumping off point to other cities in the area; I personally recommend the Christmas markets in and around Colmar, France.Here are the dates that currently have business-class awards for two (or more) travelers:Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Boston (BOS)To Zurich (ZRH): November 18-19 and 24; December 3From Zurich (ZRH): November 24, 26 and 29; December 7 and 9-17New York CityFrom New York-JFK and/or Newark (EWR) to Zurich (ZRH): November 18-20, 24-25 and 28-29From Zurich (ZRH) to New York-JFK and/or Newark (EWR): November 23-26, 28 and 30; December 4, 7 and 10-20Miami (MIA)To Zurich (ZRH): November 17-18 and 27From Zurich (ZRH): November 24-27; December 3, 7 and 9-12Chicago-O’Hare (ORD)To Zurich (ZRH): November 18, 25-26 and 28-29From Zurich (ZRH): November 25-28; December 5-6 and 11-17Los Angeles (LAX)To Zurich (ZRH): November 18From Zurich (ZRH): November 24 and 26; December 2-4 and 12AustrianAustrian business class is a great way to cross the Atlantic. (Photo by Summer Hull / The Points Guy)Though Austrian Airlines has a much smaller route network to the U.S. — and only offers seasonal service to a couple of gateways — there are many dates with business-class award availability over the next several weeks. This will put you at Vienna’s terrific Christmas market, though you can catch a train or a short connecting flight to many others.Here are the dates with two such seats at the time of writingNew York CityFrom New York-JFK and/or Newark (EWR) to Vienna (VIE): November 17, 19 and 25-29; December 2-4, 6, 8 and 10-11From Vienna (VIE) to New York-JFK and/or Newark (EWR): November 24 and 26-29; December 3-5, 8, 10-13 and 15-16Washington-Dulles (IAD)To Vienna (VIE): November 19 and 24-26From Vienna (VIE): November 24-29; December 3-6, 9-12 and 16-18Chicago-O’Hare (ORD)To Vienna (VIE): November 17-20 and 24-25; December 2, 7-8 and 12From Vienna (VIE): November 24-25; December 3-8 and 10-16How to bookAll three of these carriers belong to Star Alliance, so you can use any currency from a member airline. Unfortunately, only two will allow you avoid fuel surcharges on all of these carriers: United MileagePlus and Avianca LifeMiles. Here are the award rates for a one-way, business-class ticket from the U.S. to Europe (or vice versa) with each of these programs:ProgramAward RateTransfer partnersUnited MileagePlus70,000 milesChase, MarriottAvianca LifeMiles63,000 milesAmex, Capital One, Citi, MarriottNote that booking through Air Canada’s Aeroplan program could be a good option for Swiss-operated flights, as you’ll pay no fuel surcharges and need just 55,000 miles each way (or 57,500 miles if connecting to a city in Eastern Europe). However, using Aeroplan to book Lufthansa- or Austrian-operated flights will add hundreds of dollars in extra fees to your award tickets, so you’d be better off going with one of the two above programs.Just note that United will still tack on a $75 fee for booking award flights within 21 days of departure — though this is discounted or waived for all Premier elite travelers and will disappear for everyone starting Friday Nov. 15, 2019.Best strategy for these awardsIt’s situations like this that really display the incredible value of transferable point currencies — like American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards. Instead of focusing on a specific airline’s currency, earning transferable points will allow you to transfer them to many different airlines. When a relatively last-minute award deal like this pops up, you’ll be ready to jump on it — no matter which alliances or airlines are involved.Here’s some of our favorite cards that earn these flexible points, along with the current welcome offers for new cardholders:Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.Chase Sapphire Reserve: Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $4,000 on purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership — though be sure to check the CardMatch Tool to see if you’re eligible for a targeted 75,000-point offer after meeting minimum spend requirements (offers subject to change at any time).The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in your first 6 months of Card Membership. — though be sure to check the CardMatch Tool to see if you’re eligible for a targeted, 125,000-point offer (subject to change at any time).Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 60,000 bonus miles when you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.For more information and additional offers, check out our complete guide to the best travel rewards credit cards.Bottom lineAs the weather cools and the holidays approach, booking a spur-of-the-moment trip to some of Europe’s best Christmas markets might be tempting. Fortunately, you can currently do so on style thanks to solid award availability on Lufthansa, Austrian and Swiss in business class over the next several weeks. But hurry! These awards won’t last long.
