Back in September of 2023, German flag carrier Lufthansa announced they would begin service between Frankfurt (FRA) and Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) in the Summer of 2024. That day has finally come and the airline has begun operating 5x weekly service as of June 4th.
The airline flies the route year-round on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays utilizing Boeing 787-9 aircraft featuring 294 seats, including 26 Business Class seats.
The vast majority of Lufthansa’s widebody fleet doesn’t feature direct aisle access in Business Class. This is changing as their new Allegris product began flying on May 1st, However, the 787 is the only aircraft type in their long haul fleet that features direct aisle access on all planes.
The flights are operating using the following schedule:
Frankfurt (FRA) to Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP)
LH 482 Departs: 11:10a Arrives: 1:15p
Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) to Frankfurt (FRA)
LH 483 Departs: 3:05p Arrives: 6:30a (+1)
Flights are available for booking on Lufthansa’s website.
Lufthansa is Competing with Condor on the Frankfurt-Minneapolis/St. Paul Route
Germain leisure airline Condor has been flying between Frankfurt and MSP during the summer season for a few years. While Lufthansa’s new service is year round, they still face competition from Condor’s 3x weekly flights (Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday).
Condor is operating their new Airbus A330-900neos on the FRA-MSP route which means that travelers are getting some of the newest and best products from both Lufthansa and Condor. The Lufthansa flights depart from Terminal 1, which is the main terminal at MSP. Condor flights depart from Terminal 2 which is a separate, smaller facility that serves mainly low-cost carriers.
At first glance, prices in both Economy and Business Class on Condor are significantly cheaper than Lufthansa. To compare pricing between the two flights, I’d recommend using Google Flights.
Regardless of which airline you fly, connecting opportunities are available in Frankfurt to points beyond. Though the two airlines are competitors, the German government has mandated that Lufthansa continue to provide feeder flights for Condor’s long-haul routes.
It will be interesting to see if and how Delta, the largest airline at MSP, responds to this new service now that it is being offered year round. Last year, Aer Lingus announced they would begin flying between MSP and Dublin (DUB) 4x weekly. Delta responded soon after by adding 5x weekly flights between their Minneapolis hub and the Irish capital. However, they haven’t announced any flights to Frankfurt yet.
Summary
Today marks the beginning of year-round Lufthansa flights between Frankfurt and Minneapolis/St. Paul. This service will compliment existing, seasonal service provided by German leisure airline Condor. It will be interesting to determine what the demand is like on this route as capacity will more than double this Summer.
