Lufthansa announced in a press release that flight bookings from European cities to the US are booming. The German airline noticed a jump in bookings after US authorities announced its plans to welcome vaccinated travelers by November.
According to the airline, flight bookings spiked up a week after the US announced the end of its travel ban. On certain days, bookings jumped as much as three times compared to the week before. The airline also mentioned that some routes almost reached their pre-pandemic numbers.
Flights from European Cities to the US
The press release said that “Flights with SWISS from Zurich and Lufthansa from Frankfurt to New York and Frankfurt and Zurich to Miami had the highest bookings from both leisure and business travelers”. Also, the carrier recorded more tickets sold in Premium Economy, Business, and First Class compared to the same period in 2019.
On September 20, the Biden administration announced the end of the travel ban on vaccinated travelers. After the announcement, Lufthansa announced that flights booked for the US jumped by 40%. Lufthansa Group Airlines said the increased booking happened because “the Lufthansa Group Airlines are optimally prepared for the reopening”. As the demand grew, the carrier launched more flights to the US. This includes three daily flights to Miami in November.
Christmas Flights
The latest surge in travel demand to New York this Christmas season made the airline consider a short-term expansion to the state. According to Lufthansa, “New bookings in the past week for this month were as high as they were for 2019 for the same period”. The airline added that “Flights to New York—traditionally in high demand during the Christmas season—have already been bolstered with additional connections”.
The recent Christmas demand is also the reason for 55 new weekly connections between other European countries and New York. The airline is also set to expand its domestic German flights by 45% this month.
During the peak of the pandemic, Lufthansa transported 75% fewer passengers than in 2019.
