Lufthansa to Enter MSP Market with Year-Round Service to Frankfurt

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL– Lufthansa will launch its first-ever service in Minnesota next summer with a year-round route between Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and the airline’s Frankfurt (FRA) hub in Germany. With the launch on June 4, 2024, Lufthansa will become the 18th airline operating at MSP and the airport’s first new trans-Atlantic carrier in more than four years. 

“We’re thrilled to welcome Lufthansa and the airline’s stellar reputation as a premium global carrier,” said Brian Ryks, CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which owns and operates MSP. “It’s exciting to see this new service that will support the increased year-round demand for air travel from Minnesota and the upper Midwest to Europe and other international destinations.”
 
“These are exciting times for Lufthansa and the Lufthansa Group! We cannot wait to connect the Minneapolis-St. Paul region, and the entire state of Minnesota, with our Frankfurt hub in Germany, offering a direct link to Europe’s leading financial and cultural centers,” said Dirk Janzen, Vice President Passenger Sales, The Americas, Lufthansa Group Airlines. “The United States remains our most important market outside of the Group’s European home markets, and we could not be happier to open new gateways, offering additional travel opportunities from your region to our global network of destinations.” 

Lufthansa will operate the MSP-FRA route five days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday) with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, offering a three-class configuration of business, premium economy and economy classes. Tickets for the flights will be available beginning Sept. 13. 

The flight from Frankfurt will depart at 11:10 a.m. and arrive in Minneapolis at 1:15 p.m. The flight departing MSP leaves at 3:15 p.m. and arrives back in Frankfurt at 6:40 a.m. the following day. All times are local. The early morning arrival for Frankfurt-bound passengers will provide connectivity options to destinations across the Lufthansa Group’s extensive global network, including routes to India and East Africa, that are seeing increased demand from the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. Demand to East Africa from the Twin Cities is currently the fourth-highest in the U.S. after Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago. 

“Lufthansa’s commitment and future investment at MSP will help support a thriving Minnesota for years to come,” said MAC Chair Rick King. “This service adds tremendous trans-Atlantic capacity for accelerating levels of business travel — with the benefit of increased frequency and convenience of flight options— along with more choices for Minnesotans who travel overseas for family and cultural connections.”

Lufthansa is a Star Alliance member that offers seamless connections and flight benefits with a global network of partners that include United Airlines and Air Canada, which both operate at MSP.