Lufthansa is headed to the Valley of the Sun.
Beginning next August, the Star Alliance carrier will launch new nonstop service from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) to Munich International Airport (MUC). It will mark the first time the German carrier has offered service to Arizona.
This is the second nonstop U.S. route that Lufthansa has announced this week, following Monday’s unveiling of the first-ever nonstop from Columbus, Ohio, to Europe.
As for Lufthansa’s new MUC-PHX route, the carrier will offer three weekly flights on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays with an Airbus A350-900 starting Aug. 3, 2027. The plane will feature 48 business class suites, 21 premium economy seats and 224 economy seats. However, that aircraft will not feature the airline’s posh, new Allegris interior.
Combined with other European airlines under Lufthansa’s ownership umbrella, PHX brings the group’s U.S. destinations to 26.
More US cities gain access to Europe
Lufthansa and its peers — particularly Air France, British Airways, Iberia and KLM — have pushed into more secondary U.S. cities in recent years. The expansion is fueled by a few factors:
- U.S. residents have a seemingly insatiable appetite for European travel.
- There is widespread adoption of newer, fuel-efficient planes like the Airbus A321XLR and Boeing 787, which can fly profitably to smaller cities.
- Certain airports offer incentives for new flights.
Minneapolis,Nashville, Pittsburgh, Raleigh-Durham, St. Louis, San Diego and others have all gained new transatlantic flights as a result of this expansion.
All of the major European carriers benefit from close, immunized partnerships with U.S. airlines that allow them to operate easily across the Atlantic. Air France and KLM are tied to Delta Air Lines, British Airways and Iberia are linked with American Airlines, and Lufthansa is partnered with United Airlines.
American, Delta and United have also announced their own multi-route expansions to Europe for 2027.
Lufthansa shifts Seattle route to Discover
In addition to the new CMH and PHX routes, Lufthansa will shift its existing Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) service to its leisure subsidiary, Discover Airlines. The affected routes are SEA-MUC and SEA-Frankfurt Airport (FRA), and they are scheduled to be operated by a Discover Airbus A330.
The number of flights a week remains unchanged.
Discover is not a member of Star Alliance, which means loyalty benefits are not guaranteed, including for members of Lufthansa’s close partner, the United MileagePlus loyalty program.
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Source: thepointsguy.com
