Lufthansa celebrates a decade of nonstop air service between Orlando, Florida and Frankfurt, Germany. Exactly ten years ago to the day, Lufthansa flight LH 464, an Airbus 330-300, arrived at Orlando International Airport (MCO) for the first time, marking the opening of Lufthansa?s 20th North American gateway. This route was the first of any airline to offer First Class service from Orlando to Europe, and has been nonstop ever since. Skip ten years forward, Lufthansa is ramping up new innovations to lead Orlando passengers into the future of air travel.
Over the last decade, Lufthansa has safely and successfully transported 1.9 million passengers on the MCO-FRA route. Within the same timeframe, the 940,000 passengers who arrived at MCO positively impacted the economy of Central Florida by generating more than $600 million. In 2016, last year Lufthansa carried almost 233,000 passengers on its MCO-FRA route, more than doubling the number of passengers carried on the route during its first year.
?Florida has proved to be an important market for Lufthansa and the Lufthansa Group, especially Orlando? the popular vacation mecca and a leading U.S. host city for large business conventions and conferences,? said Tamur Goudarzi Pour, Vice President Airline Sales, The Americas. ?We are thrilled to have reached this ten-year milestone in Orlando, as well as bring our airline?s premium products and high quality service to the area?s residents. Furthermore, we?re looking forward to introducing another decade of innovations for enhanced passenger experiences.?
?As we celebrate ten successful years of partnership with Lufthansa, Orlando International Airport salutes the visionary leadership that has brought world-class international service, nearly one million passengers and over $600 million into Central Florida?s economy,? said Phil Brown, Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. ?Congratulations Lufthansa and we look forward to many more years of cooperation and success.?
For the 2017/18 winter schedule, flight LH 464 is scheduled to depart from Frankfurt at 1:50pm and arrive in Orlando at 5:50pm. The return flight, flight LH 465, is scheduled to depart from Orlando at 8:05pm and arrive in Frankfurt at 10:55am the following day.
Over the decade of service, and due to more demand for the route, Lufthansa increased flight frequency from Orlando to Frankfurt to seven days a week and replaced the Airbus 330-300 with a Boeing 747-400. The B747-400 has 371 seats, which allows for 150 more passengers per route\per day compared to the first flight. The aircraft also offers 43 more premium seats compared to the A330, including 32 Premium Economy seats, and 67 Business Class seats, for a total of 99 premium seats.
On the ground and onboard, Lufthansa is committed to providing its customers the highest quality experience. For the past two years, the airline has contracted with the Airport Lounge Development (ALD) in Orlando to make use of its new lounge, The Club at MCO. This lounge offers quiet areas for relaxation, a full-service bar, a business center, hot and cold snack and beverage service, luggage lockers and shower facilities. While inflight, passengers will appreciate the most up-to-date onboard products in all travel classes, including lie-flat Business Class seats, FlyNet and the newer Premium Economy seats that were introduced in 2014 .
What?s more, the Lufthansa Group is heavily investing in aviation technology, promising to enhance Orlando passengers? experiences throughout the entire travel chain, beginning with booking a flight, and continuing throughout, until passengers retrieve their luggage at their destinations.
