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Swiss Airlines is releasing two Business Class award seats during Fall 2017 and Winter 2018 on its American routes, including from the West Coast.

Swiss flies the following routes to Zurich with connections throughout Europe.

You can book this rare award space in a top-notch flat bed for 55,000 Aeroplan miles, 63,000 LifeMiles, or 70,000 United miles. None of those programs collect fuel surcharges on Swiss awards, and all allow connecting United flights free of charge.

The Product

Swiss has a few Business Class products that you can check out on Seat Guru. The best one is on the 777-300ER that flies the Los Angeles route.

Here’s a video of the Swiss 777-300ER.

Searching

You can search for Swiss award space on united.com. Any Swiss space you find there should be bookable with United, Aeroplan, or LifeMiles. I say “should” because sometimes united.com shows phantom award space.

I can confirm that the award space in this post is not phantom, though, because I double-checked its existence on aeroplan.com, which isn’t prone to show phantom space.

The Award Space

All award charts show availability for two passengers. I wish they all showed award space on only the direct flight, but that filter isn’t working at the moment.

Los Angeles to Zurich

Los Angeles has award space almost every day in December and January for two passengers in Business Class. There is also good award space in November and some in October.

This space is confirmed in both directions on aeroplan.com where you can see there are no fuel surcharges. The outbound has taxes of $6 and the return has taxes of $51.San Francisco to Zurich

San Francisco to Zurich has less award space, but still has Business Class award space in the same time frame.

Newark and New York also have award space wide open in the Winter for two passengers in Business Class most days.
Miami often has award space on two daily flights.

Return award space is equally good. Here is return award space to Los Angeles.

Connections

All Star Alliance programs will allow free domestic connections in United First Class and free intra-Europe connections on Star Alliance partners on Swiss Business Class awards.

It shouldn’t be too difficult to connect on United flights from your home airport to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Newark, or Chicago as all are United hubs. Miami, New York, and Boston award space is best for people living in those cities.

If you’re not interested in Switzerland as a destination, from Zurich you can can connect to all of the places that Swiss flies in Europe without changing the price of the award.

Booking

The three best options…

  • 55,000 Aeroplan miles
  • 63,000 LifeMiles
  • 70,000 United miles

…are bookable on the website of the associated miles. (Always book with the airline whose miles you’re using, not whose planes you’re flying.)

Getting the Miles

Aeroplan is a Membership Rewards and Ultimate Rewards transfer partner. LifeMiles is American Express Membership rewards and Citi ThankYou transfer partner and often sells its miles for 1.4 cents or less. United is an Ultimate Rewards transfer partner.

You can earn SPG points via two American Express cards, both of which are temporarily offering 35,000 bonus points–their highest bonus ever.

Bottom Line

Swiss Airlines is releasing two Business Class award seats during Fall 2017 and Winter 2018 on its American routes, including from the West Coast.

You can book this rare award space in a top-notch flat bed for 55,000 Aeroplan miles, 63,000 LifeMiles, or 70,000 United miles. None of those programs collect fuel surcharges on Swiss awards, and all allow connecting United flights free of charge.

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