View Full Version : muc - lax
I have to go from Munich to LA at the end of October and back about a week later. Though LH has a daily direct flight, the website is already asking over EUR 2000 for the direct connection.
What could be a good and cheaper alternative? BA looks ok. I'm happy with Swiss too, but what would Prune readers recommend on this route?
I've heard New Zealand has a great seat pitch on their service from London (I'm tall), but their website won't offer me a through ticket from Munich.
Globaliser
2nd Jun 2006, 11:51
Welcome to PPRuNe, praa!
As a first step, I'd recommend using the ITA Software demo site (http://matrix.itasoftware.com/cvg/dispatch/) to do some basic searching for combinations of dates. Try all the different combinations, especially (for your purposes) using the Month-long search option.
Anything that this site shows ought to be bookable, with one exception: It uses availability displayed to the US market, and the availability displayed to the German market (or other markets) may be different - so fares may look like they're available (which they are in the US) when you can't actually buy them in Germany. One way around that, though, is to try to get the tickets from www.aa.com or some other site that sells from US availability.
A quick look suggests that you should be able to get tickets on the LH non-stop for about €710, so I'm a bit puzzled by why you can only get a very expensive ticket. Does your stay include a Saturday night? If it doesn't, then the fare will rocket.
If you're looking at one-stops, one advantage of doing MUC-LHR-LAX on BA is that LHR-LAX now operates from Terminal 1, like the MUC flights. So doing that BA-BA connection at LHR is very easy (unlike many LHR connections).
Condor fly FRA-LAS (Las Vegas) during the summer and last year through the winter with tickets from DUS so I presume also Munich (LH flight) . Bookings possible from next week (7th =/-) for the winter according to the website . Service is the LH service and Comfort Class ( Business ) is the old LH Bus. Class for around e2200 return - don't know Economy prices . LAS also easier than LAX - less pax and a regular SouthWest connection for next to nothing .
Just my point of view having tried all the combinations .
Thanks for the advice. The outbound travel date couldn't be moved because of the starting date of the event I'm headed to and that may have pushed up the LH website price for that date - I'm not the only one headed that way on that route on that day.
However, both Swiss and United were both offering routings on LH (sometimes direct) for a much better price. And hey presto, the United website suddenly came up today with the non-stop LH flight there and back for about EUR 820. That's a bit more than a one-stop route but worth the extra.
Obviously it pays to make comparisons with the other airlines in the same alliance.