Lufthansa Group has raised the carrier-imposed surcharges on its long-haul tickets again, its third increase in 2026. The first two came in March. This latest round, reported in early October, covers award tickets booked with Miles & More as well as paid fares, so the cash you pay on top of your miles for a Lufthansa Group award has gone up again.
If you've been saving miles for a Lufthansa business or first class seat, the miles price isn't the number to watch. The cash portion is.
What Changed
The new surcharges apply to long-haul routes, including flights to North America and Asia. They apply to both cash fares and award tickets, so you can't avoid them by paying with Miles & More miles instead of cash.
The exact amount depends on the route and the cabin. To see what you'd pay, price the exact flight in Miles & More and read the cash amount for taxes and surcharges before you confirm. That cash amount, not the miles figure, is where this change shows up.
Why It Matters for Your Miles
An award ticket has two prices: the miles and the cash. Surcharges sit in the cash part, and they can be large enough to change whether a redemption makes sense at all.
Say an award looks reasonable in miles, but the cash portion comes close to what a paid ticket on the same flight would cost. At that point you'd be spending a lot of miles to save very little money.
Other loyalty programs that book Lufthansa Group flights may charge less in taxes and surcharges on the same routes. Our explainer on how partner flights work walks through why the same seat can cost different amounts depending on the miles you use.
What You Should Do
- Price before you commit miles. Before you buy or move miles for a Lufthansa Group award, price the exact award in Miles & More and look at the cash line.
- Compare with the cash fare. Check what the same flight costs as a paid ticket on the same date.
- Compare across programs. Price the same flight in any other program you can book it with, and put the cash portions side by side.
If you're specifically after Lufthansa first class, our guide to booking Lufthansa First Class with miles covers the partner programs worth using to book it.
The Bottom Line
Lufthansa Group award tickets now carry higher surcharges than they did after the two March increases, and this round is the third this year. Before you redeem or transfer points for one, price the full cash portion and compare it with the paid fare and with other programs. Book through Miles & More only if it still comes out ahead.
