Eurowings Makes Last Long-Haul Hurrah With New US Routes
Lufthansa Group’s low-cost arm Eurowings will make something of a last hurrah in long-haul flying next summer, adding four new seasonal routes before wrapping up operations across the Atlantic.
Eurowings will offer new service between Frankfurt (FRA) and Anchorage (ANC) and Phoenix (PHX), and between Munich (MUC) and Las Vegas (LAS) and Orlando (MCO) for the summer 2020 season, Lufthansa said on Wednesday. The flights all begin on Apr. 20 and operate through the summer.
- Frankfurt-Anchorage: three times weekly, competes with Condor
- Frankfurt-Phoenix: five times weekly, competes with Condor
- Munich-Las Vegas: twice weekly
- Munich-Orlando: three times weekly
The airline will fly an Airbus A330-200 with 270 seats split between 22 in business class, 17 in premium economy and 231 in economy.
In June, Eurowings CEO Thorsten Dirks outlined turnaround plans for the airline that involve it ending long-haul services by the end of 2020 and focusing on short-haul point-to-point flying in Europe.
The odd thing is branded Eurowings long-haul flying will continue past 2020. Those flights, however, will be operated by and the responsibility of Lufthansa.
The split strategy is somewhat similar to the "Jump" platform Lufthansa employed for lower yield long-haul markets several years ago. The operation included several Airbus A340s branded "Lufthansa" in a leisure-oriented seating layout that were operated by lower-cost Lufthansa CityLine crews.
Lufthansa plans its own new routes to the US from Munich next year. The Star Alliance carrier will launch five-times weekly service to Detroit (DTW) and six-times weekly service to Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) from its Bavarian hub on Apr. 20. Both routes will operate year round with Airbus A350-900 aircraft with 293 seats.
Related: Review: Lufthansa A350 Business Class
“North America remains one of our strongest growth regions and where the Lufthansa Group carriers are meeting the global demands of our customers,” said Heike Birlenbach, senior vice-president for global sales and chief commercial officer of the Frankfurt hub at the Lufthansa Group, in a statement.
Lufthansa will compete with Delta Air Lines on the Munich-Detroit route, according to Diio by Cirium schedules.
In addition, Lufthansa will begin flying the Airbus A380 year-round between Munich and both Boston (BOS) and San Francisco (SFO) next April. The airline operates A340-600 aircraft on both routes currently, Diio schedules show.
Related: Lufthansa Expands Airbus A380 Offerings in US
The new Eurowings and Lufthansa routes complement plans by Swiss to add Washington Dulles (IAD) to its map in 2020. Daily Washington flights from Zurich (ZRH) with an A330 begin on Mar. 29.
Lufthansa, as well as Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Swiss, flights between Europe and North America operate under a joint venture with fellow Star partners Air Canada and United Airlines. The partnership allows them to act as essentially a single carrier, coordinating schedules and fares, and offering passengers a more seamless travel experience among them.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.

