Other European Frequent Flyer Programs - Munich to Paris for 900 dollars!!

I think I'm in over my head here. Four of us are looking to travel MUC -CDG/ORY in eary February and the fares seem high, except on Air Berlin. Lufthansa flies nonstop but wants $920....is that possible? what am I missing? RT is much cheaper. Can I book RT and just burn the return leg? Is AirBerlin OK?
--also, AirBerlin has a 40 pound limit on luggage or adds 8 euros per kilo beyond that. Travelling 3 weeks around Europe from the US--we're going to be well over the free limit. Do all intra-Europe flights have the same restriction?
--- if there were a fast train to PAR, that would solve my delima.

With a few exceptions LH don't sell one-way fares. So to get the flight at a low cost you will have to book it as a return and then just never show up for the return part. AB is also a very good airline and as you have noticed you don't have to buy a return ticket.

I think I'm in over my head here. Four of us are looking to travel MUC -CDG/ORY in eary February and the fares seem high, except on Air Berlin. Lufthansa flies nonstop but wants $920....is that possible? what am I missing? RT is much cheaper. Can I book RT and just burn the return leg? Is AirBerlin OK?
--also, AirBerlin has a 40 pound limit on luggage or adds 8 euros per kilo beyond that. Travelling 3 weeks around Europe from the US--we're going to be well over the free limit. Do all intra-Europe flights have the same restriction?
--- if there were a fast train to PAR, that would solve my delima.

Well you can take the train from Munich Station to Paris Station.

You can leave at 6.20am and arrive at 2.32 with change of trains in Strasbourg. Fare is approx US$162.00/person

8 hours train seems to be better than all the air hassle.

8 hours train seems to be better than all the air hassle.

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How much hassle is buying an el cheapo return ticket on LH (or possibly even AF) and just ditching the return segment? Not eight hours of worth, reckons me.

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How much hassle is buying an el cheapo return ticket on LH (or possibly even AF) and just ditching the return segment? Not eight hours of worth, reckons me.


My understanding is that the airlines, already having my credit card number, will come back and charge the OW fare if I ditch the return. Anybody ever have this happen? If not....then that seems best.

Do AF and LH have the same, low baggage allowances?

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How much hassle is buying an el cheapo return ticket on LH (or possibly even AF) and just ditching the return segment? Not eight hours of worth, reckons me.

If it's not possible to buy a OW ticket on a decent carrier I would prefer the train over many low cost especially if OP is over the luggage weight limit and avoid:
-15 euro!!!! per kilo (wizzair) or 8 euros on OP's case
-Going to the airport and all the check-in proceedement (including big lines), going through security,etc is a hassle itself
-Not OP's case but sometimes you will need to get, let say, from Beauvais to Paris, or from Girona to Barcelona, or from Katowice to Krakow, etc, etc, etc

My understanding is that the airlines, already having my credit card number, will come back and charge the OW fare if I ditch the return. Anybody ever have this happen? If not....then that seems best.LH has never done that to me and I have never heard of this happening to anyone.

Baggage allowance within Europe is usually 20 kg in economy class, plus around 8 kg for the onboard luggage. If you have *G status (or are M&M FTL), you would have 40 kg allowance on LH.

My understanding is that the airlines, already having my credit card number, will come back and charge the OW fare if I ditch the return. Anybody ever have this happen? If not....then that seems best.

Do AF and LH have the same, low baggage allowances?


They wont credit you for not flying something! Just book a return and skip the second segment!

AF, AB and LH have 20kg in Eco as baggage allowance. That is common in Europe.

*G get 20kg Extra on LH.
Businsss-Class gives you 30kg Extra.

I would not take the train. The normal journey is 8 hours (compared to 1 hour flight time!). The train is often late. If you miss a connection you may end in a Hotel in Strassbourg!

Remember: Europe is not USA!

If you miss a connection you may end in a Hotel in Strassbourg!

That's not bad at all! :)

My understanding is that the airlines, already having my credit card number, will come back and charge the OW fare if I ditch the return. Anybody ever have this happen? If not....then that seems best.


Yes, theoretically. They even have such a clause buried somewhere deep in the terms and conditions for the fares.

But in reality it won't happen - you could have an unfortunate accident that causes you to miss your flight for all they know. Unless you do it *very* regularly (and the airline has some decent data analysis folks able to detect these kind of behavioral patterns), you'll be fine.

Having traveled in Europe recently, I would go with the suggestion of others, take the train; it might be a longer trip, but thinking about luggage limitation, time to check in, security etc, the train becomes a viable option.

I was looking for ow fares FRA-MUC, and couldn't find anything less than a fortune; even return fares weren't that impressive; I then factored the time I will need to take a taxi from the city to FRA, and from MUC to downtown plus air travel, all that equated at least 4 hours, whereas a short walk from the city into central and onto the express to Munich central all took just a little over 3 hours 15 (and saved a lot money wise).

As for the airline getting back at you for not flying the return sector, relax this is Europe, the real free world (or almost) :)

Having traveled in Europe recently, I would go with the suggestion of others, take the train; it might be a longer trip, but thinking about luggage limitation, time to check in, security etc, the train becomes a viable option.

I was looking for ow fares FRA-MUC, and couldn't find anything less than a fortune; even return fares weren't that impressive; I then factored the time I will need to take a taxi from the city to FRA, and from MUC to downtown plus air travel, all that equated at least 4 hours, whereas a short walk from the city into central and onto the express to Munich central all took just a little over 3 hours 15 (and saved a lot money wise).

As for the airline getting back at you for not flying the return sector, relax this is Europe, the real free world (or almost) :)

For FRA-MUC I also would recommend the train. It easily competes - in terms of travel times - with the airplane.

However, the OP asked about MUC-PAR. Here, the train ride takes about 8 hours. Even considering the problems at CDG and the long journey from both cities to their airports, the plane is by far the better option. Additionally, I would recommend to take the public transportation system in Munich and Paris if you have to get to the airport - unless you have heavy bags. It is by far cheaper and - sometimes - quicker that taking a taxi (think about the traffic jams - esp. in Paris).

There are now some discussions about extending the TGV from France as a high speed train all the way to Munich, it still will take quite a few more years for the completion of these plans. The railway tracks in Germany are not yet available.

...unless you have a negative value attributed to leisure :D

As others said, just buy whatever flight is cheapest and (if necessary) throw away the return.

(BTW, especially if departing from MUC, all the airport hassle stories are vastly overstated ;) )

[QUOTE=Felixberlin;12777452
(BTW, especially if departing from MUC, all the airport hassle stories are vastly overstated ;) )[/QUOTE]
I believe the reference of hassle is related to CDG- not MUC.
One other thought- if the OP has not taken a long distance train in Europe recently it is a very nice experience (and significantly different than Amtrak/Via in North America).8 hours is a bit much for a train ride- however one may to minimize the whole thing would be to take the ICE combination which is ~6 hours IIRC.

I believe the reference of hassle is related to CDG- not MUC.
One other thought- if the OP has not taken a long distance train in Europe recently it is a very nice experience (and significantly different than Amtrak/Via in North America).8 hours is a bit much for a train ride- however one may to minimize the whole thing would be to take the ICE combination which is ~6 hours IIRC.

From Deutsche Bundesbahn (German Railways) (http://www.bahn.de/international/view/en/index.shtml)



München Hbf Tu, 09.02.10 dep: 10:23 ICE 598 Intercity-Express
Stuttgart Hbf Tu, 09.02.10 arr: 12:47
Stuttgart Hbf Tu, 09.02.10 dep: 12:54 TGV 9574 TGV
Paris Est Tu, 09.02.10 arr: 16:34

duration: 6:11

and combines the German and French high-speed trains. However, the tracks from Munich to Stuttgart are not for high-speed journeys.

If it comes down to time, then the plane is the choice. If it comes down to experience Europe, then the train might be an option.

I've just looked up airfares, AF has the return fare MUC-CDG for 87 Euros (midday departure). I think it would be unthinkable to take the train at such price/convenience.

you've all been a great help. Now that I know the "RT police" aren't going to come after us, I found an AF RT flight for $129. It works well. We're starting out that morning from south of Salzburg, so the 6 AM train doesn't work but the 1PM nonstop is perfect. Now...if we don't get hit with another $100 in baggage fees it will be a great bargain.

Considering the fact that it's early February....do we need to worry about ice/snow making it an extra long haul from Austria to MUC? Thank god for snow tires.

European trains can be very relaxing, especially if you're on a high-speed train in First Class. The seating is much less cramped than airplane coach, and you can break up the sit with a walk to the dining car (some first class trips include meals brought to your seat). With a good advance purchase fare you might enjoy this if you need a travel rest day. But if you don't want to lose a day I'd grab that 87 eu return airfare and ditch the return.

you've all been a great help. Now that I know the "RT police" aren't going to come after us, I found an AF RT flight for $129. It works well. We're starting out that morning from south of Salzburg, so the 6 AM train doesn't work but the 1PM nonstop is perfect. Now...if we don't get hit with another $100 in baggage fees it will be a great bargain.

Considering the fact that it's early February....do we need to worry about ice/snow making it an extra long haul from Austria to MUC? Thank god for snow tires.

AF WILL charge for extra baggage intra-Europe. A friend just got zapped for 15 eu/kilo for TOTAL baggage weight (not just per bag) over 20 euros. KLM (AF partner) includes weight of carryons in the total weight. You'd be wise to inquire in advance. Of course, it never hurts to pack light. This CAN be done in winter.

i'd suggest taking the train as well, use the 'Europa-Spezial' for 39 EUR a head (if you book now, bahn.de, the german railway has a english language site where you can book with your cc and might even collect some mails ;) ) and save yourself the worries about luggage penalties. book the tickets from 'freilassing', many hotels have transfer to that station or pay a nominal add-on for the distance from salzburg freilassing (maybe 2-4 eur).

a great site weighing your transport options: http://routerank.com/de/search/MUC/CDG/DD-MM-YYYY-hh-mm/ (just fill in your departure time...)

KLM (AF partner) includes weight of carryons in the total weight.This would be news to me!

If you miss a connection you may end in a Hotel in Strassbourg!!

What is wrong about this?

If Remember: Europe is not USA!

Thanks God! :D

We're starting out that morning from south of Salzburg, so the 6 AM train doesn't work but the 1PM nonstop is perfect. Now...if we don't get hit with another $100 in baggage fees it will be a great bargain.

Considering the fact that it's early February....do we need to worry about ice/snow making it an extra long haul from Austria to MUC? Thank god for snow tires.

Hold on, you go by car to Salzburg, travel by train to Munich, change to the S-Bahn, go to MUC, fly to CDG and travel to downtown Paris for the sake of flying? :confused::confused:

Hold on, you go by car to Salzburg, travel by train to Munich, change to the S-Bahn, go to MUC, fly to CDG and travel to downtown Paris for the sake of flying? :confused::confused:

Hey that is not my quote?

you've all been a great help. Now that I know the "RT police" aren't going to come after us, I found an AF RT flight for $129. It works well. We're starting out that morning from south of Salzburg, so the 6 AM train doesn't work but the 1PM nonstop is perfect. Now...if we don't get hit with another $100 in baggage fees it will be a great bargain.

Considering the fact that it's early February....do we need to worry about ice/snow making it an extra long haul from Austria to MUC? Thank god for snow tires.

You rented a car? Why don't you just return the car at MUC airport - depending on your rental company? Saves a lot of hassle!

Or the Lufthansa-Airportbus may be an alternative:
http://www.lufthansa-airportbus.com/strecken_innsbruck.html
Even if not traveling LH.

Luggage: In Economy-Class you have 20kg (which is standard in Europe) with AF
You have an additional 12 kg as Hand luggage. You may carry two pieces. One big and one small bag.
Usually the hand-luggage is not weighted. It should not look too heavy.

You may save a bit excess-luggage-fee when checking in online and paying in advance!

sorry for the confusion...that's the whole point.. we're flying into Munich, driving around Austria and need to return the car to the Munich airport--then get to Paris. Now, the major hassle is going to be trying to be packing light for a 3 week trip in the winter. at 15-20 euro per kilo overage, it's going to kill me---but worth the time savings. :(

just booked 99 EUR LH fares (round-trip) for upcoming family trip MUC - PAR in Feb.
15th - 17th. Still many days in Feb with this rate available, even with must possible departure times.

There is a TGV going straight from Munich Central Station to Paris Est. No need to change trains on the way:

Dep. MUC@0620 a.m. TGV9576
Arr. PAR@1234 p.m.

Total travel time: 6hrs14min

However, if I were in your position I'd still try to fly... but that's just me.