Swiss Business Class Sale

Dreading those 10-hour overnight flights across the Atlantic from the West Coast, I always have an eye out for business class deals. Swiss Airlines has just announced discounted summer business-class fares to “selected destinations.” What “selected” means is that Zürich is not included. You have to fly to such cities as Paris, Athens, Rome, Milan, Barcelona, etc. You’ll go through Zürich, but you can’t get off the plane. Gemut.com’s air department can sell you a business-class ticket from New York to Paris on Swiss for travel in July for around $3300, depending on taxes. That’s a pretty good price until you go to Orbitz and find out that you can fly nonstop to Paris from New York on Air France for about the same money. Now I prefer Swiss to Air France but not enough to change planes in Zürich. Swiss flies from New York, Boston, Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles. These sale fares range from about $3000 to $3500, not including taxes; are for travel from July 1 to August 31, and must be booked and paid for by April 30. Get a fare quote online or call 800-521-66722x2.

P.S. Word is that transatlantic air bookings by Europeans coming to the U.S. are so strong that foreign airlines are switching inventories to Europe from the U.S. market. An industry source told me that some airlines have re-allocated to Europe some 15% of seats formerly earmarked for sale in the U.S. This is putting a big squeeze on low-priced tickets in the U.S. North American ticket buyers who have delayed their purchase in hopes of a sale may wait a very long time.