St. Louis gets its 1st transatlantic flight to continental Europe in nearly 20 years
Editor's Note
St. Louis-area residents are about to have a convenient new way to get to Europe.
Lufthansa on Tuesday announced it will begin flying between Frankfurt (FRA) and the Gateway City's Lambert International Airport (STL) in June. In addition, Germany's Star Alliance carrier will also begin service between Munich (MUC) and San Diego (SAN) on March 27.
Lufthansa will operate the Airbus A330 to St. Louis three days a week, on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. In a press release touting the new Munich flight, the San Diego Airport Authority said Lufthansa will operate the A350-900 on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays initially, with frequencies increasing to include Tuesday and Saturday flights beginning in May.
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In a press release, Lufthansa noted that St. Louis is home to multiple international companies. It's the U.S. headquarters for Bayer (formerly Monsanto), which is based in Germany. AB InBev (parent company of Budweiser) and Boeing also have a substantial presence in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
St. Louis was the location of the final headquarters for TWA, as well as a major hub. The airline was absorbed by American Airlines in 2001, which began a wind-down of the hub shortly thereafter. The last transatlantic service out of St. Louis to continental Europe was operated by American to London Gatwick (LGW) in 2003, according to Cirium schedule data. WOW Air briefly flew from STL to Keflavik, Iceland (KEF), in 2018 and early 2019.
In San Diego, the new Munich service will join British Airways' flight to London Heathrow (LHR) and Japan Airlines' flight to Tokyo Narita (NRT). Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lufthansa operated flights to Frankfurt from San Diego.
More: The best things to eat, see and do in St. Louis
The St. Louis flight is now bookable, and the award inventory looks promising. A partner redemption via United MileagePlus requires 33,000 miles one-way for an economy ticket, and 77,000 miles one-way for business class. TPG currently values those miles as being worth 1.13 cents per mile, and MileagePlus is a Chase transfer partner. Lufthansa award inventory is also often available via Avianca LifeMiles, one of the best points currencies to purchase, due to plentiful bonus promos. Of course, booking via Lufthansa's own Miles & More program is always an option too.
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| 10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 5X | 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. |
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Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,400+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and our Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023
Rewards Rate
| 10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 5X | 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. |
| 2X | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day |
Intro Offer
Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel75,000 bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,400+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and our Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023