Take off with a new travel offer from MasterCard International, Lufthansa and SWISS

Following the success of the similar initiative in 2005, the promotion offers MasterCard cardholders up to 20% discount on airfares and a chance to win free tickets from participating banks.

The discount is valid when purchasing a full fare business or economy class ticket to any travel destination in Europe, and is open for ticket purchasing until 15 June 2006. In addition, using a MasterCard card from the participating bank, for any transaction, during this promotional period automatically enters the cardholder into a draw to win business class airline tickets from Lufthansa or SWISS.

Mr. Schaher Murad, Marketing Manager, UAE, Gulf and Pakistan, Lufthansa German Airlines said, "It is a pleasure for us to tie up with MasterCard International this season for the New Travel offer with Lufthansa and Swiss. With the Gulf region emerging as an important business and financial hub, we trust that the promotion will be a source of our appreciation and incentive towards our customers."

"With the increase in electronic payments for airline tickets, we wanted to ensure that passengers get the best possible deal. Coupled with our online offering, passengers can get the best value fares, and receive a 20 percent discount on tickets for this summer period, when paying with MasterCard,"

said Hazel Saldanha, Manager of Marketing, Communications and Customer Relations, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) for the UAE and Gulf Region.

Commenting on the promotion, Thomas Edelmann, Vice President, Strategic Alliances & Business Development, MasterCard International South Asia Middle East Africa (SAMEA) said, "Travel is a key focus area for MasterCard, so we are delighted to have an alliance with airlines, Lufthansa and Swiss. This promotion ensures that our cardholders' 'Priceless' trip starts with a hefty discount of up to 20% when they pay for their flights with their MasterCard card. MasterCard cardholders can use their cards at more than 24 million acceptance locations around the world, which include more than 1 million cash machine locations worldwide. There is no better way to pay than with a MasterCard card when travelling."

Winners of the promotion will be announced by participating banks from July 2006.