Via airlineroute.net, Lufthansa has quite a few longhaul equipment changes coming up, as follows:
As per 11OCT13 GDS timetable/inventory display, initial changes to Lufthansa’s Summer 2014 Long-Haul operation as follow. Summer 2014 season begins from 30MAR14.
Frankfurt – Abuja – Malabao Airbus A340-300 replaces A330-300, daily service
Frankfurt – Beijing Airbus A380 replaces Boeing 747-8I for Summer 2014 season, daily service
Frankfurt – Boston Planned capacity increase with double daily 747-400 service in S14
LH422/423 Boeing 747-400 replaces A340-600
LH420/421 Boeing 747-400 replaces A340-600 from 10MAY14 (Seasonal service begins from 18APR14 initially with A340-600 instead of A340-300)Frankfurt – Caracas Airbus A330-300 replaces A340-300/-600, starting 19JAN14, will be maintained on/after 30MAR14
LH534 FRA1025 – 1430CCS 333 D
LH535 CCS1650 – 0925+1FRA 333 DFrankfurt – Detroit Airbus A340-600 replaces -300 during following period: 30MAR14 – 04MAY14
Frankfurt – Dubai Airbus A340-300 replaces Boeing 747-400, daily service
Frankfurt – Kuwait Airbus A340-300 replaces A330-300, 3 weekly
Frankfurt – Kuwait – Dammam Airbus A340-300 replaces A330-300, 4 weekly
Frankfurt – Miami Airbus A380 operation extends to year-round service (Currently Winter seasonal)
LH462 FRA1030 – 1425MIA 388 D
LH463 MIA1645 – 0750+1FRA 388 DFrankfurt – Montreal 18MAY14 – 12OCT14 Service resumption with 5 weekly seasonal flights
LH478 FRA1330 – 1535YUL 333 27
LH478 FRA1330 – 1535YUL 343 345LH479 YUL1710 – 0625+1FRA 333 27
LH479 YUL1710 – 0625+1FRA 343 345LH last operated this route (Mirabel) in October 1995
Frankfurt – New York JFK Airbus A380 service returns to New York JFK, operating 1 of 2 daily flights
LH400 FRA1035 – 1300JFK 388 D
LH404 FRA1710 – 1950JFK 744 DLH401 JFK1555 – 0535+1FRA 388 D
LH405 JFK2145 – 1125+1FRA 744 DFrankfurt – Seattle eff 06JUL14 Airbus A340-300 replaces A330-300, First Class service cancelled
LH490 FRA1020 – 1145SEA 343 D
LH491 SEA1340 – 0840+1FRA 343 DFrankfurt – Seoul Incheon Boeing 747-400 replaces A340-600, daily service
LH712 FRA1745 – 1045+1ICN 744 D
LH713 ICN1450 – 1910FRA 744 DFrankfurt – Shanghai Pu Dong 2nd Daily seasonal LH732/733 service operates from 16MAY14, is scheduled to be operated by Boeing 747-400 instead of A340-600
LH728 FRA1715 – 0955+1PVG 388 D
LH732 FRA2205 – 1440+1PVG 744 DLH729 PVG1315 – 1910FRA 388 D
LH733 PVG2335 – 0515+1FRA 744 DFrankfurt – Tokyo Narita Boeing 747-400 service continues operation on/after 30MAR14, replaces A380 (747 service starting from 27OCT13)
LH710 FRA1400 – 0750+1NRT 744 D
LH711 NRT0955 – 1435FRA 744 DFrankfurt – Toronto Boeing 747-400 replaces A340-600, daily service
LH470 FRA1345 – 1620YYZ 744 D
LH471 YYZ1825 – 0810+1FRA 744 DFrankfurt – Vancouver Boeing 747-400 service, to be started from 29JAN14, will be maintained in Summer 2014 season on/after 30MAR14
LH492 FRA1325 – 1415YVR 744 D
LH493 YVR1620 – 1110+1FRA 744 DMunich – Boston eff 01JUN14 Airbus A340-600 replaces A340-300 in S13, daily service
Munich – Vancouver Summer seasonal service in 2014 begins on 30MAR14, instead of late-April 2014, daily A330-300 servicePreviously reported changes:
Munich – Seoul Incheon – Busan Airbus A340-600 replace -300, 6 weekly
My general thoughts:
- Where are all these 747s coming from? I count more 747 service to Boston, Toronto, Seoul, Shanghai, and Vancouver, without nearly as many routes getting a cut in 747 service.
- Why does Lufthansa fly to Detroit? And why on earth are they flying an A340-600 there instead of an A340-300? I realize back in the day this used to be one of Lufthansa’s most profitable routes, though I really wonder what I’m missing regarding the service nowadays, especially given that this is the route to the US where first and business class award seats are probably easiest to come by. Must be cargo or something? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not questioning their logic because I’m sure they’re making the right decision, but I’d just be curious to understand it.
- SEATTLE LOSES FIRST CLASS… NOOOOOOOOO! You win some, you lose some, I guess. EVA Air gave us a taste of the good life the past couple of weeks by putting a 777 with their Royal Laurel Class on their Seattle to Taipei route, while as of next July Lufthansa will start flying an A340-300 to Seattle without a first class cabin. And y’all know how I feel about Lufthansa business class. I’ll certainly consider heading north of the border to fly the 747 out of Vancouver if I stay in Seattle past next summer.
Anyway, lots of changes that people will probably have mixed feelings about based on which routes they frequent…
@ Romer Galang -- There's no way to know for sure, but I would guess that the route will permanently stay two class. I could be wrong, though.
You should be able to route through another city, though, to get first class.
I also read that FRA-DFW will go from A330 to A340 with no first class. I am concerned because I booked United award travel on LH First Class DXB-FRA-DFW before the devaluation. I will change my flight date to December of 2014. Do you think they would revert back for the 2014 fall schedule? With the United devaluation on partner airlines, I guess I can try to find a flight to another region on the return? I don't want to lose my first class flight back home on LH.
@ Martin -- Unfortunately none of the two cabin A340s have the new business class yet.
Thanks for the informative posts. I am looking at LH flight from Philadelphia to Frankfurt on a two class A340-300. I was wondering if there is any way to tell if this is the newer version with the lie flat seats or the older angle-flat seats. I cant view a seat map on the United we site.
Uhhh... I don't see a second daily IAH-FRA flight... C'mon, Lufthansa, not all of us have Ben's luck and we also want to fly LH F :)
Not only does LH fly out of DTW but they operate a lounge there (which UA Star Golds can access even if flying domestically) so it must be a fairly important station for them.
Leaving Seattle already? I've thought about leaving Texas many times. On the other hand all my stuff is here, and moving stuff is a pain in the ass. At least Texas isn't as bad as Oklahoma, Arkansas, or Louisiana. Maybe that's not really saying much. The main thing keeping me from considering a place like Seattle is that I've been living in a city with three hundred days of sun per year and on those...
Leaving Seattle already? I've thought about leaving Texas many times. On the other hand all my stuff is here, and moving stuff is a pain in the ass. At least Texas isn't as bad as Oklahoma, Arkansas, or Louisiana. Maybe that's not really saying much. The main thing keeping me from considering a place like Seattle is that I've been living in a city with three hundred days of sun per year and on those rare occasions when the sun does not shine it really pisses me off. Whenever the sun does shine it gets mind numbing hot, but I guess you can't have the good without the bad.
@ Lark -- Still not sure where I'll move next year!
@Ed - the dreaded "sliding C seat"
@BOSFlyer - Pretty unlikely given the schedule for refits. The A346 are going to MUC. A388 are getting new C soon but B744 are last in line. Sorry.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/21566240-post559.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles-more-lufthansa-austrian-swiss-other-partners/1333570-new-business-class-retrofit-routes-etc.html
Please let us know when the time comes.
Oops sorry, summer is 747-8 and packed too !
Miami has the A380 year round and year round that plane is packed and almost no F/J availability except for Lucky :-)
@Stephan,
I am pretty sure the 747 will be new C product, LH is accelerating change to new product
@ Lucky:
"if I stay in Seattle past next summer."
What?
@Lucky ,
For an idiot like me, does that mean that BOS loses any shot at new F or J? Is the older J product on the 747-400 or A340 still fairly nice? I was thinking about booking a family trip in the spring BOS to Italy via FRA/MUC on LH one way, return on another carrier just to change it up.
@William - Yes, it will as the old F B744s are being taken out of service and all B744s will lose F by 2015 and become two class only.
@Bosflyer - No, the B744s are not getting new C before the changeover to two cabin only configuration in 2015.
The A343s and A346 are getting the makeover now and some will be flying out of FRA with new C and F - example is the changout to YVR which has traditionally been A343/A346.
Do you think the 747 on the YVR-FRA route will have the new FC?
via @airlineroute:
Lufthansa to fly Boeing 747-400 aircraft on Frankfurt - Rio de Janeiro route from 30MAR14
So, count another 747 there....
At least one of the two BOS FRA flights is always via 747 in the summer so seasonal increase is only one 747. Yeah--agree with Bos Flyer, bring on the new C!
There's nothing like watching the LH 747 take off or land from Castle Island in South Boston. ;-)
I know at this point I'm just being repetitive, but Detroit's routes are a result of its automaker presence - not just the big 3, but smaller manufacturers of parts, etc. Hence the direct routes to Germany, France, and Asia. The direct flight to the Middle East is owing to its large middle eastern population.
It looks like the 346 to DTW is for a fairly small window of about 2 months. So there is maybe some sort of special event. Or a lot of cargo scheduled for that window as everyone is speculating.
"why LH fly to DTW" ?
LH flies to DTW / ATL / DFW, three major rival hubs. They realize the importance of 1-stop connections instead of forcing all pax to do 2-stop connections that include a hub-to-hub.
And there's always a population that appreciates quality over alliance loyalty.
I hear a lot of the 747's will have new C product, so can't wait to fly it finally out of BOS (it's been a looooong time coming)
Extra 747 capacity comes from the 748 and A380 deliveries I reckon.
Detroit must be cargo?
@ cahbf -- It's slowly supposed to start happening, though even optimistically it'll be 2015 before most of the fleet is done.
AM I wrong that they are replacing all their crappy business class cabins? I fly IAH-FRA all the time and use GPUs to escape the misery but I thought I read on here that LH is putting in a competititve J produce on a priority (ie, 2013) basis.
GM has offices in FRA and DTW - my guess is that makes it worth it
@ Larry D -- Yep, Philadelphia to Frankfurt is operated by a two cabin A340-300. Philadelphia to Munich is only operated by US Airways and not Lufthansa, though they fly a nice A330 on the route with Envoy Suites.
I believe the PHL -FRA is operated by a A340 and since it wasn't mentioned I presume it's equipment will remain. Is that the "old" business class I want to avoid? What about PHL - MUC?
Detroit's due to the auto business I'm guessing...and Detroit's on the rebound the past couple years in that sector (even if not the whole city)