Lufthansa begins nonstop service from New York"™s JFK to BerlinÂ

"¢Â Berlin "“ New York route starts today
"¢Â Flight paves way of shift to Eurowings in summer 2018

Today marks Lufthansa"™s first long-haul flight, after 16 years, from Berlin to the United States. The reintroduction of the Berlin "“ JFK route brings great news for travelers in the New York area that are interested to fly directly to Berlin. For the first time, since 2001, Lufthansa is stationing a long-haul aircraft in Berlin, thus connecting Germany"™s capital and Europe"™s most vibrant city with the Big Apple.

Beginning today, Lufthansa will offer nonstop service five times a week "“ every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday "“ using an Airbus A330-300, to Berlin. With this new route, the Lufthansa Group offers direct flights from the New York area to four destinations in Germany "” Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf and Berlin.

"The Lufthansa Group finds the addition of the JFK "“ Berlin route to be an important pillar of German-American relations. It continues to display the Group"™s strong commitment to servicing the United States of America," said Tamur Goudarzi Pour, Lufthansa Group Vice President Airline Sales for The Americas. "Furthermore, passengers traveling on these newly introduced flights will be able to experience the quality service and products that Lufthansa Group is proud to offer."

The new Berlin-New York route will be transferred to Eurowings, the point-to-point leisure arm of Lufthansa, in summer 2018, thus adding Berlin"™s Tegel Airport to Eurowing"™ long-haul operations. Eurowings plans to further accelerate the growth of its long-haul flights in the 2018 summer timetable period, increasing its capacity to a ten-aircraft fleet. The expansion will give the budget airline a particularly strong presence in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, from which it will serve destinations worldwide with at least seven long-haul aircraft. The areas served will include popular destinations in the USA, the Caribbean and the Far East.

The JFK – TXL route connects two of the most lively and global tourist hotspots. Berlin is a dynamic city with strong historic roots and cultural diversity. Passengers flying there can expect to encounter a thriving art scene, as well as many modern and historic landmarks.

"We very much welcome Lufthansa"™s commitment," said Burkhard Kieker, CEO, visitBerlin. "The new nonstop connection ensures that Berlin is very well connected with our most important intercontinental market."

Visitor numbers from the U.S. continue to rise. Between January and August 2017, some 259,000 Americans visited the city; an increase of 9.9 percent compared to the previous year.

In addition to the direct flights, Lufthansa Group customers in the New York area have a large number of travel options with seamless connections to Berlin through hubs in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the winter 2017 schedule, the Lufthansa Group offers nearly 70 frequencies from the New York area to its various hubs in Europe. From these hubs (Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Zurich and Düsseldorf), passengers are met with 387 frequencies to Tegel Airport in Berlin.

Lufthansa Group currently offers 431 frequencies to 25 destinations in North America. Lufthansa Group carriers that fly to North America include Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, SWISS, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings and Edelweiss. The Group"™s carrier hubs now comprise: Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Brussels, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Berlin.

Passengers can book flights in Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class on www.lh.com.

The new connection at a glance

Berlin "“ New York-JFK (USA)