Lufthansa continues to expand its network in the U.S. with the launch of new service to the Tampa Bay area, Florida

Frankfurt, Germany, 2014-11-18 — /Travel PR News/ — Lufthansa continues to expand its network in the United States. For the very first time in its history, Lufthansa will offer service to the Tampa Bay area, the gateway to the West Coast of Florida. The new nonstop service from Frankfurt will begin on September 25, 2015. The airline will be operating five weekly flights in summer and four weekly in winter on the Airbus A340-300 on the route between Frankfurt and Tampa. Tampa Bay joins Miami and Orlando as Lufthansa’s third destination in Florida. The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area, a rapidly growing metropolitan region with nearly three million residents, sits on the Gulf of Mexico and boasts some of America’s best beaches.

Flight LH 482 will leave Lufthansa’s Frankfurt hub and arrive in Tampa in the afternoon (local time) after a flight of nearly eleven hours. The return from Florida is a night flight, which will depart in the early evening and touch down at Frankfurt Airport in the morning of the following day. The A340-300 seats a total of 298 passengers in Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class offering the comforts and quality that Lufthansa is known for, with the newest cabin layout in all traveling classes: Seats in the new Business Class extend horizontally at the touch of a button into a flat and comfortable bed 1.98 meters (6.5 feet) in length, and the recently introduced Premium Economy Class offers more personal space and more legroom. In all classes, passengers will enjoy an individual inflight entertainment system with a plethora of offerings, along with fast broadband Internet connectivity via the FlyNet Wi-Fi hotspot onboard.

“We’re delighted that our passengers will soon be able to fly in comfort non-stop to the West Coast of Florida on flights to our new US destination at Tampa,” said Karl Ulrich Garnadt, Lufthansa Board Member and CEO Lufthansa German Airlines. “We’re expecting the new direct connection to elicit huge interest and demand, especially from leisure travelers.” Tampa and its surrounds abound with attractions for holiday-makers to visit and enjoy, such as the Busch Gardens, Adventure Island, the Florida Aquarium and the Legoland theme park. Cultural highlights include the Dali Museum and the white-sand beaches around Clearwater and St Petersburg attract no end of tourists to the region, as do its outstanding golf courses. “We see a promising growth potential on long-haul in the leisure travel business and Lufthansa intends to be more committed to this segment in the future. The new flight to Tampa is a first step in that direction, and further attractive offerings will soon follow,” emphasized Karl Ulrich Garnadt.

Tampa is known as the birthplace of commercial aviation. 100 years ago, the first commercial flight in history occurred between St Petersburg and Tampa on 1 January 1914.

The return trip to Tampa can be booked from 739 euros. Further information and details on booking Lufthansa flights are available on the LH.com website, or by phoning the Lufthansa Service Center at +49 (0) 69 86 799 799 (landline rates). Flight reservations can also be made at Lufthansa travel agency partners as well as at Lufthansa airport ticket counters. Flights to Tampa can be booked together with hotel accommodation at lufthansaholidays.com.

Pictures of Tampa can be downloaded under the following link from our picture archive.

New connection at a glance

Deutsche Lufthansa AG
Media Relations Lufthansa Group