Last year, Lufthansa and Swiss have announced the launch of new routes from the US to Europe. These are now going live in June 2024.
Lufthansa announced three new routes, two to Frankfurt and one to Munich. Additionally, Swiss announced a new route from Washington to Zurich.
Lufthansa’s New Routes from Germany To the US
Lufthansa’s three new routes from the US to Germany at as follows:
- Seattle SEA to Munich MUN (starting 6/6/24): Will operate three times per week on a A350-900.
- Minneapolis MSP to Frankfurt FRA (starting 6/6/24): Will operate five times per week on a B787-900.
- Raleigh-Durham RDU to Frankfurt FRA (starting 6/6/24): Will operate five times per week on an A330-300.
When it comes to aircraft on the new routes, you might be spoiled for choice since Lufthansa has a wide range of wide-body aircraft in its fleet. These includes the queen of the skies B747-800i, which we reviewed last year on a flight from Newark EWR to Frankfurt FRA.
On the Munich to Seattle flight, you’ll end up on an Airbus A350-900 since Lufthansa operates 23 of these. Munich is Lufthansa’s primary hub for their A350 aircraft. They do not all have the same configuration; some are former South African and LATAM aircraft.
If you’re lucky, you’ll end up on the Lufthansa A350-900s outfitted with private Business Class “suites” in a 1-2-1 configuration. These aircraft were originally from Phillippines Airlines, and Lufthansa now operates them on select routes.
Lufthansa has announced the Minneapolis service will be operated with B787-900 aircraft, and Raleigh-Durhan service will be operated with A330-300 aircraft.
It’s worth noting that Lufthansa is also the largest operator in the world of the Airbus A340-300 aircraft, with 17 aircraft. So, there is a good chance that the airline will eventually operate some of these aircraft on one or more of these routes. These feature a 3-cabin service with 30 business-class seats, 28 Premium Economy seats, and 221 economy seats.
If you are a fan of the A380, the airline has 8 of these in service – recently reintroduced after a multi year hiatus. These feature a 4-cabin class of service: 8 first-class seats, 78 business-class seats, 52 Premium Economy seats, and 371 economy-class seats.
Additionally, the airline also operates 10 A330-300 aircraft configured in a 3-cabin service with 42 business-class seats, 28 Premium Economy seats, and 185 economy seats. However, these will be replaced by new Boeing B787-9 as and when the airline takes delivery of them.
Lufthansa B787-9 aircraft feature a 3-cabin service with 26 business-class seats, 21 Premium Economy seats, and 247 economy seats.
In the future, the airline may choose to operate B777-9 aircraft on this route since Lufthansa is scheduled to take delivery of 20 of these. However, the first deliveries are expected to commence in 2025.
Swiss Air’s New Service from Washington To Zurich
Swiss Air also announced a new daily service from Washington Dulles IAD to Zurich ZRH. The new service will take around 8 hours; the first flight was set for March 28, 2024.
Swiss has announced it will be operating their A330-300 aircraft on this route. That said, Swiss operates several types of widebody jets capable of flying this route.
These include 12 B777-300ER configured with eight first-class seats, 62 business-class seats, and 24 Premium Economy seats.
The airline also has 14 Airbus A330-300, which will probably handle the bulk of the work on this route initially. These aircraft feature 8 first-class seats, 45 business-class seats, and 0 Premium Economy seats.
However, this configuration is expected to change in 2025, with Swiss Sacrificing some First Seats for Premium Economy seats. The new configuration will feature 4 first-class seats, 43 business-class seats, and 21 Premium Economy seats.
The airline is scheduled to deliver several A350-900 aircraft in 2025, which may also be used on this route. Currently, the airline also has 4x A340-300 aircraft configured with 4 first-class seats, 42 business-class seats, and 21 Premium Economy seats.
However, while the A330-300s may be used on the route initially, they will be retired once Swiss takes delivery of its new Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
Final Thoughts
The bottom line is that a greater choice is always welcome in the travel industry. The creation of new routes on which you can earn and redeem Star Alliance miles is excellent news, especially if you regularly travel between the US and Europe.
These new four routes give you lots of new options to head across the Atlantic. They are also a great choice if you want to travel to a smaller European destination and need to connect in a major European city.
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