Summary
- Lufthansa’s new nonstop service to Minneapolis from Frankfurt offers year-round access to Germany and its global network.
- The airline will operate this flight five times weekly using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
- Lufthansa solidifies its US presence with new routes, focusing on capturing post-pandemic travel demand.
Lufthansa has begun a nonstop service to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, which serves the largest commercial center in Minnesota. The airline announced the route in September last year and will offer this flight year-round.
First Lufthansa flight touches down in Minneapolis-Saint Paul
On June 4, Lufthansa began operating its first-ever flight to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP), connecting it with its primary hub in Frankfurt. The service began right in time for the busy summer season, giving the Twin Cities year-round access and connectivity in Germany and the airline’s global network.
Photo: Lufthansa
Dirk Janzen, Vice President Passenger Sales, The Americas, Lufthansa Group, commented,
“… The launch of this route serves as a main bedrock of our summer expansion plan in the United States, the most important market outside of the Group’s home markets, and we could not be happier to add more opportunities and capacity into and out of the U.S.”
Schedule and equipment
This nonstop service will operate five times weekly: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, and will be operated by one of the carrier’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The aircraft offers a three-class configuration (30 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, and 215 economy class seats).
Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock
Lufthansa has become the 19th airline to operate at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport and the first new transatlantic carrier in more than four years. The service has also launched during a high demand from MSP to European destinations. Lufthansa will operate the flight according to the following schedule:
Route |
Flight number |
Flight days |
Departure – Arrival (local times) |
---|---|---|---|
Minneapolis – Frankfurt |
LH483 |
5x weekly (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday) |
3:05 pm – 6:30 am (+ 1 day) |
Frankfurt – Minneapolis |
LH482 |
5x weekly (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday) |
11:10 am – 1:15 pm |
The flight’s timings have been strategically decided as the early morning arrival back to Frankfurt offers plenty of connecting opportunities for passengers looking to travel to Europe, as well as to the airline’s destinations in India and East Africa. Lufthansa had previously highlighted how the Minneapolis-St. Paul region is home to the fourth-largest US market to East Africa, behind Washington DC, New York, and Chicago.
According to Brian Ryks, CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which owns and operates MSP, more than 35,500 passengers are projected to travel from MSP to Germany, while nearly 365,000 are expected to fly to Europe from MSP.
Expanding US reach
With the current service, the Lufthansa Group now connects to 26 gateways in the United States, offering around 400 weekly flights during the current summer schedule. Lufthansa recently launched a new nonstop route from Seattle to Munich and increased capacity to Washington D.C. with an A380 from Munich. The carrier will also start direct service from Raleigh-Durum to Frankfurt on June 6.
Photo: NYC Russ | Shutterstock
Indeed, Lufthansa hopes to capture a significant portion of the lucrative US market as post-pandemic travel resumes in full swing. In 2023, the airline carried 60.3 million passengers on 455,000 flights. With hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, it flies to more than 200 destinations in 80 countries across the globe.
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