News for Lufthansa Group customers in the Austin area: Today, Lufthansa will resume flights to and from Texas’ capital to Frankfurt, Germany. With Texas being one of the most important markets in the United States, the resumed flight to Austin brings the number of Lufthansa gateways in the Lone Star state to three, with service already existing from Houston and Dallas to Frankfurt.
“Austin is our third gateway in Texas, offering not only a connection between two culture-rich cities, but also an important link for the region’s ever-expanding technology ecosystem and the global technology hubs which Lufthansa serves,” said Don Bunkenburg, Senior Director of Sales for the U.S. – Central, West & Central America, Lufthansa Group. “Central Texas residents can now access Lufthansa’s vast network of destinations in Europe and beyond via Frankfurt. The resumed service also supports the growing interest in Austin for both commerce and leisure, directly benefiting the local economy and spurring further business development on both sides of the Atlantic.”
“As the third city in Texas to offer nonstop flights to Frankfurt, Germany, Austin continues along the path towards becoming a globally recognized city and destination,” said Gina Fiandaca, Assistant City Manager of the SD23 Mobility Outcome. “Mobility access for Austinites and Central Texans is critical for our community and improves the quality of life of our residents. Today, we’re proud to resume this important service that allows Austin to go further than it’s ever gone before.”
Lufthansa’s Austin service will employ the Airbus A330-300 in a three-class cabin configuration offering 42 Business Class, 28 Premium Economy and 185 Economy Class seats to accommodate a total of 255 passengers. Flights will occur three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. LH469 will depart Austin at 4 p.m. and arrive in Frankfurt at 9:10 a.m. the following day. LH468 will leave Frankfurt at 10:05 a.m. and arrive back in Austin at 2:15 p.m. All times are local.
“We are thrilled to welcome back Lufthansa and direct flights to Frankfurt, Germany,” said Jacqueline Yaft, Chief Executive Officer for AUS. “As business travel continues to recover and as leisure travel demand remains strong here in Austin, the re-launch of this route is an exciting pandemic milestone recovery for AUS.”
AUS is part of a growing community, not only of passengers and Austinites, but of “planespotters.” As part of the celebration welcoming back direct flights between Austin and Frankfurt, Germany, AUS hosted a planespotting competition among local hobbyists. Planespotters are aviation and photography enthusiasts who take photos of exciting, new, and sometimes unique and elusive aircraft that make their way in and out of AUS. As the first flight from Frankfurt arrived at AUS on Friday, four planespotters were positioned to take photos of the arriving flight. Soon, the winning photo from each planespotter will be posted to AUS’s official Instagram account for followers to see, share and like.
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About Current Airport Improvements & the Airport Expansion and Development Program
The Airport Expansion & Development Program (AEDP) is a strategic, phased approach to guiding construction and improvement projects, including select 2040 Master Plan projects, at AUS over the next several years. The AEDP projects will improve the passenger experience and meet the rising demand for air service at AUS in three phases; optimizing the Barbara Jordan Terminal through improvements that accommodate forecasted demand and enhance operations; expanding infrastructure to increase gates; constructing a new midfield concourse, and connecting tunnel. Driving regional economic recovery and supporting Austin’s growth is a primary goal of the program. The program will create jobs and provide opportunities for local businesses and the Minority-owned (MBE) and Woman-owned businesses (WBE) in the contracting community.
In 2021, AUS launched an Environmental Assessment (EA) guided by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to support the AEDP, which will be submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for review and approval in April, 2022.
About Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
Owned and operated by the City of Austin, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is the second-fastest growing, mid-sized Airport in the United States. Austin-Bergstrom is also an economic engine in Central Texas, supplying over 74,000 direct and indirect jobs in the Central Texas region.
