Summary
- Lufthansa has upgauged Munich-Washington Dulles to the A380.
- It replaces the A340-600, providing 80%+ more seats per flight in the summer, capitalizing on the peak demand.
- Dulles now has three A380 operators for the first time since 2019.
On May 31, two significant things happened in Lufthansa’s Munich-US development. First, flights to Seattle began, a route Condor briefly served in 2017. Second, and the subject of this article, Lufthansa introduced the A380 to Washington Dulles, the first time the superjumbo operated on the Munich airport pair. I’m sure the developments will make it into next week’s edition of my jam-packed notable routes article (see the latest version here).
The A380: Munich-Washington Dulles
Lufthansa has served the 3,705 nautical mile (6,861 km) Star Alliance-orientated route since 2005. (United also operates it.) On May 31, the day I researched and wrote this article, Lufthansa switched from the 281-seat A340-600 to the 509-seat A380 ahead of the peak season.
Both aircraft types have eight first-class seats, but the double-decker quadjet adds 22 more fully flat business class beds (+39%), 24 more premium economy seats (+86%), and a near doubling of regular economy seats, with 182 added (+96%).
Related
Lufthansa Changes Airbus A380 Winter Plan On Route Between Munich & Delhi Airports
Three destinations will now see Lufthansa’s superjumbos in the coming winter.
The route is scheduled as follows, with all times local:
- Munich-Dulles: LH414, 16:25-19:25 (9h block time)
- Dulles-Munich: LH415, 22:20-12:20+1 (8h)
Lufthansa’s A380s are due to be flown to Dulles until September 30. It is one of five airports globally to see the airline’s double-deckers in the summer, joining Boston, Delhi, New York JFK, and Los Angeles. From October 1, Dulles will switch to the 293-seat A350-900, slashing capacity by 42%, massively helping with stronger yields in the less demanded season.
Photo: Chittapon Kaewkiriya | Shutterstock
The third A380 operator to Dulles
Lufthansa joins British Airways and Emirates in using the superjumbo to Dulles. It is the first time since 2019 that three airlines have used the equipment there when Air France – which has since withdrawn the type – also did so.
Between June and September 2024, Dulles is one of three US airports with three or more A380 operators. It joins New York JFK (four) and Los Angeles (six).
Only six other airports globally have that many users in the three months: Johannesburg (three; Qantas will fly the equipment there from September 30), London Heathrow (six), Seoul Incheon (three), Singapore (four), Sydney (four), and Tokyo Narita (three).
Photo: VIncenzo Pace | Simple Flying
In June 2024, Dulles’ double-decker timetable is as follows. Two A380s will simultaneously be on the ground in Virginia.
|
Airline |
A380 arrival time |
A380 departure time |
Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
|
British Airways |
20:30/20:35 |
22:45/22:50 |
Daily |
|
Emirates |
08:40 |
10:55 |
Daily |
|
Lufthansa |
19:25 |
22:20 |
Daily |
Photo: Wirestock Creators | Shutterstock
Where Munich passengers go
Lufthansa’s Munich-Dulles flights carry point-to-point passengers, those who connect to another flight in the Bavarian hub, those who connect to United at Dulles, and passengers who transit through both airports.
Booking data suggests that approximately 54,000 roundtrip Lufthansa passengers flew Dulles-Munich-xxx last year when the A380 was not used. More than one in two passengers transited like that. Italy was the leading country market, followed by Germany and Croatia. Dulles-Berlin was the number one origin-destination at the airport level, followed by Budapest and Dubrovnik.
Will you be flying the A380 to/from Dulles soon? Let us know in the comments section.