Dear All,

All this is new to me, but have been greatly helped by a couple of previous replies in getting up to speed starting with no knowledge of miles, fare classes, etc. As I get a sense of fare classes, and how to search for them on ITA Matrix, I am starting to doubt that there is any worthwhile way to collect miles for use in upgrading to business on LH (or any airline with good service LAX <> Berlin). My main goal in exploring miles is to make the necessary travel more comfortable. But I don't see how it is possible.

Upgrades with miles to Premium Econ. on LH seem to require fare classes (H, M, Q, S, U, V, W), and the cheapest I see of these (S) is very nearly the cost of a Premium Economy ticket.

The mileage calculator reports on upgrades to business and only specifies vaguely the fare classes "(e.g. M H)". Does anyone know precisely which fare classes can be upgraded from Econ to Business with miles? Or whether any of them cost significantly less than business so that this would be worthwhile?

Finally, paying cash for upgrades seems possible with a broader range of fare classes, and possibly worth it for the 299 Euro jump to Premium Economy. My sense is that the resulting Premium fare class is N and not eligible for further miles upgrade to business?

As far as using miles in other programs, rather than miles and more, it seems that LH does not release much space to other programs until right before travel? Is that business and first -- I just don't see much availability searching through lifemiles or united?

Are there any possibilities here of using miles of any kind (I'm starting with Miles and More, but could branch out) to upgrade from Econ to Business??

(Note: I don't think I fly enough to get status anywhere; maybe in a year an average of one trip from LA to the east coast North America, one to the Midwest, one in the West, and one to Europe, and another flight then within Europe.)

thanks in advance!
zc