Swiss is running a brief fare sale until 22 January for travel between Germany and the USA. The travel period for these fares is from 21 January to 23 June.

Fares are typical of a normal sale. Examples range from €520 from Hamburg to Boston, €540 for Munich to New York and €718 for Stuttgart to San Francisco.

The fare sale applies to departures from the following German cities: Frankfurt, Munich, Dresden, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Hanover and Bremen. Most flights are operated by Swiss or Lufthansa from Germany to Switzerland, while nearly every flight to the US is operated by Swiss.

Keep in mind as with most fare sales, the miles earned are usually 50% of the actual miles flown when purchasing the lowest economy class fares.

To learn more about the fare sale, including fares between other city pairs between Germany and the USA, please use this link to be taken to Swiss’ Fare Sale Webpage.

SWISS is running a sweepstakes between now and December 31 on its Facebook page that will award ONE LUCKY WINNER a complete ski trip to Switzerland’s Zermatt. The package includes 2 round trip economy tickets on SWISS from one of their US gateways, a pair of First Class Swiss Rail Passes valid for 8 days, 3 nights at the Villar-Gryon and a pair of 2 day lift tickets for 2 adults.

It’s not often that a Sweepstakes of this calibre is made available to residents of the USA by a Lufthansa Group carrier so you may want to take advantage of it. The contest is open to residents of the USA who are 18 years or older.

To enter, please visit SWISS’ Facebook Page.

Swiss is running a 2-for-1 fare sale for Business Class travel within SWISS’ European network. This special is in effect between 18 December and 22 December. Most fares from Zurich range between CHF799 (Zurich to Dusseldorf) and CHF999 (Zurich to Prague) for both passengers, making it a true 2 for 1 fare. The best fares are from Basel with Basel-Hamburg costing CHF599 and Basel-Prague costing CHF699.

For those of you unfamiliar with SWISS’ European Business Class service, the main benefit of traveling in Business Class is having the middle seat empty, 2 checked bags at no charge and upgraded meals compared to economy. You’ll also have access to Business Lounges in airports where they are available.

From the bookings that I sampled, they are being issued as “Z” fares, which means that they will earn bonus elite qualifying miles in most Star Alliance frequent flyer programs.

TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS FARE SALE, PLEASE CLICK HERE TO BE TAKEN TO SWISS.COM

A few conditions apply:

Travel must start between 20 December and 22 March.
Travel must conclude between 23 December and 25 March.
Saturday night stay is REQUIRED.
Tickets are non-cancelable and non-refundable
Both passengers must travel together on out-bound and in-bound segments.

10 years ago, SWISS launched their popular “Taste Of Switzerland” on-board dining program that has been enjoyed by long haul Business and First Class travelers. Every 3 months over the past 10 years, SWISS had introduced a new chef and cuisine that sought to bring a touch of Switzerland to their passengers. Over the course of this program, SWISS has introduced over 40 chefs and their unique menus. The focus of the program has been to use Chefs, recipes and ingredients sourced from Switzerland and allow them to act as Ambassadors for Swiss cuisine and culture.

To celebrate the anniversary, SWISS will look back over the 10 years of the “Taste Of Switzerland” and will bring back some of the all time favorites from the program. This “Special Edition” collection of Chefs and cuisines will be introduced to passengers traveling on SWISS long-haul flights in Business and First Class between now and February.

If you are planning on flying SWISS during this special promotion, you are in for a treat!

During their current Winter Fare Sale, Lufthansa and Swiss have some of the lowest fares that I’ve ever seen between Moscow and New York. Granted, Moscow may not be the most popular winter destination but for fares that range between $460 and $500, its a very attractive opportunity. These sub-$500 fares were readily available throughout February and March.

Sometimes with fare sales, you need to be mindful of the airline operating the flights. Many times the lowest fares offered by Lufthansa are for flights operated by United or Air Canada and you miss out on the great Lufthansa, Swiss or Austrian hospitality while onboard. However in this case, most of the Moscow fares are for flights that will actually be operated by either Lufthansa, Swiss or Austrian, making the experience that much better!

As part of this fare sale, other cities throughout Europe are included and the prices range from $700-$1000 which is typical for this time of year. The Moscow fare is the really attractive one out of all the options. Just be mindful that the miles earned for this fare will generally be 50% of the actual miles flow.

To take advantage of the fare, please click here to be take to Lufthansa’s Fare Sale.

Terms/Conditions of this offer:

Ticket must be purchased by January 10, 2013
You must depart between January 5 and March 20, 2013
You must return between January 7 and April 20, 2013
Advance Purchase: 7 days.
Maxium Stay: 1 Month.
Weekend Departure/Arrival surcharges may apply.

SWISS is currently holding a contest celebrating the Holidays that awards a daily winner a SWISS inspired prize. The contest has been in place since 1 December and they’ve already given away free tickets on Swiss within Europe, SWISS Vouchers, Ski Packages, etc.

Here is an example from Day 1 of the Contest:

You can enter the contest each day for a chance to win. All that you need to do is to complete a small puzzle each day, and if you do it successfully, you can enter to win that day’s prize.

CLICK HERE TO BE TAKEN TO SWISS’ CONTEST

SWISS is currently running a holiday fare special for Business Class travel from Zurich to it’s gateways in the USA. Fares are attractive, ranging from CHF2639 (USD $2800 / €2240) for Zurich to New York and CHF3099 ($3290 / €2592) for Zurich to Los Angeles or San Francisco. The Fare Sale is valid for travel between 24 December and 1 January, a perfect time to get away for a week during the Holidays!

Anytime a fare special like this comes from SWISS, I always encourage friends and readers to take advantage of it. I’ve have the opportunity to experience SWISS’ Business Class Service on their long haul flights, and I would submit that they are among the very best in the world.

The onboard product is excellent with outstanding and comfortable seats, fantastic cuisine and a wonderful crew to take care of you. It’s certainly a fantastic way to cross the Atlantic and these fares make it even more compelling!

To see specific fares between Zurich and other US destinations or to book travel, please visit SWISS’ Fare Sale Webpage. Please keep in mind that this is for travel that originates in Zurich!

As with any fare sale, there are terms and conditions:

Fare must be booked between 17 November and 21 November.
14 days advance purchase is required.
Travel between 24 December and 1 January.
A 3 night or Saturday or Sunday night stay is required.
Non-Refundable

If you look on Swiss.com currently, you will see that “Miami” is listed as a West Coast destination. Swiss will be correcting the error shortly, however the fare for Miami is correct.

SWISS is offering attractive fares to great European destinations from Zurich, Basel, Geneva and Lugano.

The current fare sale lasts until 12 November for travel between now and 31 January, 2013 and includes some great cities. Here are a few of my favorites:

Zurich to Istanbul for only CHF199 (US$ 210)
(read about my visit to Istanbul)

Zurich to Barcelona for only CHF179 (US$ 190)

Zurich to Budapest for only CHF229 (US$ 243)

Geneva to Prague for only CHF189 (US$ 200)

There are many more destinations that are part of this fare sale, including London, Madrid, Paris and Athen among others. For more information on specific fares please visit the SWISS FARE SALE WEBSITE.

I like to bring these fare sales to your attention even though they are intra-European fares in the event you are planning to be in Europe on holiday and can take advantage of these fare sales and add them to your itinerary.

To be kept informed of future fare sales as they occur, please follow SWISS on Twitter: @Swiss_OffersCH

SWISS is holding a brief but attractive promotion offering a 50% discount for upgrades from Economy to Business Class for flights operated within Europe. Between now and 22 October, a Business Class upgrade will only cost you CHF75 or CHF100 (depending on specific route) instead of the usual CHF150-200 (based on a one way upgrade purchase). Travel must take place between 1 November and 20 December, 2012.

Some of the advantages of flying SWISS Business Class include a more generous baggage allowance, dedicated Business Class Check-In areas, enhanced meal service aboard your flight, access to SWISS Business Lounges during your travels and priority handling of your luggage. One of my favorite advantages of flying in Business Class is my ability to exit the aircraft ahead of most people on board. This comes in handy when tightly scheduled connecting flights are involved. In addition, you’ll also have the opportunity to earn additional award and elite-qualifying-miles (dependent on the fare terms and conditions of your specific ticket).

The offer is valid for flights to most European cities that originate in Switzerland. There are a few exceptions however: Flights to Dublin, Lisbon, Moscow are not included. Flights between Basel and London, Geneva and Barcelona and flights within Switzerland are also not eligible for this offer. Additionally, flights must be operated by SWISS aircraft.

To learn more about this great offer and to take advantage of SWISS’ Business Class hospitality, please visit their Business Class Upgrade Promotion webpage.

To help celebrate Germany’s Reunification Day, SWISS has discounted their travel vouchers by 10% for travel to Germany. Only 1000 vouchers are available at the discount price so act quickly if your travel plans fall within the voucher’s validity period. A CHF200 voucher can be purchased for CHF180 and a CHF 100 voucher can be purchased for CHF90

The discounted vouchers are available until supplies last and are redeemable until Friday, 5 October at 12:00p (CET).

The vouchers are valid for travel until January 3 and are for flights from Switzerland to Berlin, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Hanover, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Nuremberg or Munich. All travel must take place on SWISS operate flights.

To Purchase you voucher, please visit the SWISS Voucher Sale Website.

Now that I’ve been home for a couple of weeks after returning from Singapore, I’ve repacked and later this week its off on Lufthansa to Europe to visit family and friends in Slovakia as well as a visit to my friends at Lufthansa in Frankfurt.

I’ve been looking forward to this trip for some time because it gives me another opportunity to visit my 99 year old grandmother who still takes care of her small farm in northern Slovakia. In addition, there will be a few days spent in Bratislava with cousins which will include seeing KHL powerhouses Slovan Bratislava and Moscow Dynamo face off against each other. I’ll finally get my fix for hockey this year since the NHL decided to lock out players so far this season.

From there I’ll fly SWISS from Vienna to Frankfurt via Zurich. I specifically chose this “scenic route” instead of a more convenient non-stop to Frankfurt just so that I can fly on an AVRO RJ100 “Jumbolino” from Zurich to Frankfurt. Earlier this year Lufthansa retired their last Jumbolino, and SWISS has plans to to the same, so I figured time was running out for experiencing this slick little jet.

Looking forward to my first ride on the "Jumbolino"

In Frankfurt I have a busy 3 days full of Lufthansa related activities at the airport which I’m really looking forward to. No doubt that I’ll return with hundreds, if not a thousand or more photos of what I see while in Frankfurt. I’ll also have a chance to experience first hand the new Terminal Pier A+ that has opened in Frankfurt. No doubt that I’ll return with plenty of things to talk about and share for days and days!