East Meadow, New York – Reported by Elite Traveler, the Private Jet Lifestyle Magazine
Lufthansa announced last week that it will be the first airline to offer scheduled Airbus A380 service to San Francisco with daily flights between Frankfurt and the “City by the Bay” beginning May 10, 2011. Flight LH455 will leave San Francisco at 2:20 p.m. and arrive in Frankfurt at 10:05 a.m. the following day; the return flight LH454 will depart Frankfurt at 9:35 a.m. and arrive back into San Francisco International Airport at 11:55 a.m. Staring today, flights are available for booking on www.lufthansa.com with rates from San Francisco to Frankfurt starting at $549 (one way fare based on roundtrip purchase; including taxes).
“San Francisco has been a US stronghold for Lufthansa for more than 50 years,” said Jens Bischof, Vice President, The Americas for Lufthansa. “I applaud the airport’s management for their dedication in becoming A380-ready. It demonstrates our shared commitment to serving the global travel needs of the area’s active business community while embracing the environmental advancements of the A380. Very soon, Europe’s most highly regarded airline will serve SFO with the industry’s most advanced aircraft to date.”
“Lufthansa’s announcement that it will begin regularly scheduled A 380 service between Frankfurt and SFO is great news, not only for the airport but for the entire Bay Area,” said San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee. “The economic windfall generated by international flights such as Lufthansa’s new service spreads throughout the entire region in the form of jobs and local revenues. I congratulate Lufthansa on bringing the first regularly scheduled A 380 to San Francisco International Airport.”
For over 50 years, Lufthansa and its partner airlines have served west coast travelers with flights to Germany and convenient one-stop connections to Europe and beyond; currently to more than 400 destinations. In addition to daily flights to Frankfurt, Lufthansa also operates daily flights from San Francisco to its Munich hub and in 2010, Swiss International Air Lines introduced daily flights to Zurich. By bringing the Airbus A380 to San Francisco, Lufthansa will increase its number of seats offered daily by approximately 30 percent.
The Airbus A380 is the world’s most fuel-efficient aircraft, burning about 12 percent less fuel than other wide-body jet, and is approximately 30 percent quieter than the current generation of wide-body aircraft. Currently, Lufthansa provides A380 service to Tokyo, Beijing and Johannesburg, and will begin service to New York’s JFK airport on February 28. The airline has ordered a total of 15 A380 aircraft, all scheduled for delivery by 2015. This will make Lufthansa the largest A380 operator in Europe.
Lufthansa’s A380 is configured with 526 seats and features the airline’s new First Class product. Located on the upper deck, this space is the quietest cabin in commercial aviation and boasts an air humidification system – the first of its kind to be installed on a commercial aircraft – that improves air humidity to help fight off jet lag. Two large, luxurious bathrooms with separate changing and lavatory areas offer enhanced personal space and storage. The cabin’s eight generously proportioned, ergonomic seats measure 6’9″ feet in length and 2’7″ feet in width and provide the ultimate in comfort and innovation for an exceptional travel experience.
Also located on the upper deck is the award-winning Business Class cabin with 98 seats featuring improved functionality, including more storage and a power supply that works with all worldwide connections.
The main deck is home to an impressively spacious Economy Class cabin. Each of the 420 seats features an in-seat video screen, an optimized ergonomic design and a slimmer seat back that adds two inches of personal space per passenger.
Content from our partners
www.lufthansa.com
