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Fascinating: Lufthansa's European Union Strasbourg "Shuttle" Fascinating: Lufthansa's European Union Strasbourg "Shuttle" Fascinating: Lufthansa's European Union Strasbourg "Shuttle" * Ben Schlappig * Published: 8 hours ago * Updated: 7 hours ago * 32 [comments-i] 32 Share Tweet Did you know that Lufthansa operates a twice monthly flight between Frankfurt and Strasbourg, with a huge business class cabin, and with disproportionately expensive fares? Neither did I, until I stumbled upon this FlyerTalk thread. In this post: * Lufthansa's twice monthly Frankfurt to Strasbourg flight * Is this flight reasonable, wasteful, or both? * Bottom line Lufthansa's twice monthly Frankfurt to Strasbourg flight Two times per month, Lufthansa operates a route between Frankfurt, Germany (FRA), and Strasbourg, France (SXB). At just 111 miles, I believe this is Lufthansa's shortest route. The route is so short that it's ordinarily operated by a bus... except for those two times per month. These flights typically operate around the middle of each month, from Frankfurt on Mondays, and to Frankfurt on Thursdays, with the following schedule: LH1072 Frankfurt to Strasbourg departing 1:25PM arriving 2:20PM LH1073 Strasbourg to Frankfurt departing 2:05PM arriving 3:00PM Even though the flight operates with the above patterns, tickets aren't sold on the Strasbourg to Frankfurt flight on Mondays, and tickets aren't sold on the Frankfurt to Strasbourg flight on Thursdays. So the plane operates with passengers in one direction, and empty in the other direction. What's the logic for this route? Well, Strasbourg is the official seat of the European Parliament, and the European Parliament meets for 12 sessions each year (so once per month). In order to transport people there, Lufthansa sells tickets on this route that coincide with that schedule. By the way, while it's claimed that the European Parliament meets for around four days per month, in reality they're only "working" two full days, as they arrive in the afternoon on Monday, and leave around the same time on Thursday. There are a couple of things that make this even more interesting: * Nearly two-thirds of the plane is business class, as the business class cabin goes all the way back to row 16 (there are just 25 rows on the Airbus A319) * The fares on this route are exorbitant; if you just want to fly from Frankfurt to Strasbourg roundtrip, you'll pay over $1,000 per person in economy, which comes out to over $5 per flown mile (admittedly if you're connecting to other destinations, fares will be different, and in some cases may be lower) [lufthansa-sxb-shuttle]The seatmap for Lufthansa's Strasbourg flight Is this flight reasonable, wasteful, or both? Lufthansa offers several daily services between Frankfurt and Strasbourg, though only by bus... except when government officials want to travel, and then suddenly a plane is operated. Also keep in mind the issue isn't just that a plane is being used for a 111-mile flight, but also that it flies empty in one direction. [fra-xeb]Lufthansa ordinarily uses a bus for the route We've seen several European Union countries start to add bans and restrictions on short haul flying on environmental grounds, but that same logic obviously isn't applying here. Now, in fairness to this service: * Many people on this flight are presumably connecting beyond Frankfurt, heading to other European Union countries; at the same time, "regular" passengers traveling from Strasbourg to other destinations on Lufthansa need to first take a bus, and what makes this flight even worse is that it's totally empty in one direction * In many cases these are high ranking government officials, and presumably if this flight didn't exist, they might travel on private jets, which would be even worse; in order words, these people probably wouldn't otherwise take a bus * Regardless of political affiliation or beliefs, it's just generally accepted that high ranking government officials travel via wasteful means that are discouraged for others; I mean, the US President (regardless of political party) travels almost everywhere on a 747 I'm tempted to book this flight some time, because I imagine it must be a very interesting crowd on board... [Lufthansa-Business-Class-A321-19]This "shuttle" has a huge business class cabin Bottom line As an avgeek I love discovering seemingly random routes, and I'd consider Lufthansa's Frankfurt to Strasbourg flight to be one of those. While Lufthansa usually operates a bus between Frankfurt and Strasbourg, twice a month the airline flies between the two cities. That coincides with when the European Parliament meets. So twice a month the airline flies between Frankfurt and Strasbourg with an A319 that has a huge business class cabin, and the flight is empty one-way on each of the journeys. What do you make of Lufthansa's Strasbourg shuttle? Share Tweet Conversations (32) The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered. Write a comment * Most Recent * Oldest First * Most Helpful Cancel reply [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Add a Comment[ ] Type your response here. If you'd like to participate in the discussion, please adhere to our commenting guidelines. Anyone can comment, and your email address will not be published. Register to save your unique username and earn special OMAAT reputation perks! [ ] [ ] [Post] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] D[ ] 1. [ava] Samo Guest May 7, 2022, 6:27 pm So... How's the award availability? :) Helpful Reply 2. [ava] Michael Guest May 7, 2022, 5:32 pm The rotation is weird. The flight from Strasbourg departing before the arrival of the incoming flight? That costs 2 aircraft. Helpful Reply 3. [ava] Henry LAX Guest May 7, 2022, 4:06 pm they might as well offer it as a same seat through flight BER-FRA-XER, southwest style, instead of making the domestic politicians find their connecting gate at the Goblet of Fire Maze that is FRA T-1 Helpful Reply 4. [4C0] Creditcrunch Gold May 7, 2022, 3:11 pm It's not just people and their luggage that needs shipping but a huge amount of cargo too. There was a documentary on the EU and it's operations which showed office staff literally packing the contents of filing cabinets into huge secure boxes. Helpful Reply 5. [ava] jcil Guest May 7, 2022, 12:56 pm The idea that some think of these self-serving bureaucrats as public servants is amusing. The reality is they view the public as their servants, and our duty is to OBEY, keep our mouths shut, and of course pay for all of their extravagance. Obscene is the right description. Helpful (1) Reply 6. [ava] Bagoly Guest May 7, 2022, 12:42 pm Everybody except the French wants to end the Strasbourg farce by having the Parliament stay in Brussels all the time. Mainly because the inefficiency of moving, but also because Strasburg is not well conected transportwise. While it's there, I agree that 'buses aren't very pleasant, so they could arrange for one or two of the trains to loop out to stop at FRA (currently one has to change in Frankfurt City). But that would... Everybody except the French wants to end the Strasbourg farce by having the Parliament stay in Brussels all the time. Mainly because the inefficiency of moving, but also because Strasburg is not well conected transportwise. While it's there, I agree that 'buses aren't very pleasant, so they could arrange for one or two of the trains to loop out to stop at FRA (currently one has to change in Frankfurt City). But that would require joined up thinking between rail companies and airlines.... Read more Helpful (1) Reply 1. [ava] Bill Guest May 7, 2022, 12:58 pm Buses stop at both terminals right outside. And stop a few yards from the parliament. Not sure why eurocrats would accept to trek all the way to FRA train station. Wait for a constantly delayed Deutsch Bahn train then trek by taxi from Strasbourg's railway station to the parliament. Helpful Reply 2. [ava] Max Guest May 7, 2022, 4:19 pm French SCNF TGV could operate the service instead of Deutsche Bahn ICE. They already serve Frankfurt Central station anyway, no issue extending that to FRA. Helpful Reply 3. [ava] Hudute Guest May 7, 2022, 3:52 pm funnily enough Lufthansa already cooperate with DB extensively, so even less of a reason for this to not happen. Helpful (1) Reply 7. [ava] derek Guest May 7, 2022, 12:30 pm Many airlines in Europe, including Lufthansa, has 3+3 seating but block off the middle seats for business class. Wouldn't it be a laugh if they used an all economy plane and not only blocked the middle seat but occasionally blocking an entire row? ha ha an illusion of more space! Helpful Reply 8. [ava] Stefan Guest May 7, 2022, 12:07 pm Something similar existed in the old days between Berlin and Cologne-Bonn. Our tax money at work! Obscene. Helpful (1) Reply 1. [ava] Hudute Guest May 7, 2022, 3:50 pm it. still. does. Its just now open to the public as well, but there is often still half the plane used as "business class" for commuting bureaucrats. Oh and on occasion, they use the government fleet for this shuttle as well. Helpful Reply 9. [ava] Corrado Guest May 7, 2022, 11:17 am Europeans are trash hypocrites. Helpful Reply 10. [ava] Andrus Guest May 7, 2022, 11:12 am I've been on this flight several times while working at the EU Commission. Not only is the flight used by MEPs but also by EU Commissioners and their staff. Due to very busy schedules and often also security concerns, they would otherwise have to take non commercial flights at a much higher expense. Helpful (1) Reply 1. [ava] Max Guest May 7, 2022, 4:21 pm If they actually did politics for their own people, there wouldn't be any ,security concerns'. Helpful Reply 11. [ava] David Guest May 7, 2022, 11:12 am So when I see stories like this, it confirms that all this climate change nonsense is just that - nonsense. If it was really an issue, these flights wouldn't exist. Another case of the global elites having "rules for thee but not for me." Helpful (2) Reply 1. [ava] TravelinWilly Guest May 7, 2022, 11:17 am Did this comment sound better in your head? Helpful (3) Reply 2. [ava] DCAWABN Guest May 7, 2022, 12:42 pm I don't think anything happens in their head. Helpful (1) Reply 3. [ava] Watson Member May 7, 2022, 2:22 pm Or the more plausible scenario: the climate crisis is very real and those in power dgaf because they'll be dead in 20 years and would rather preserve their power and lifestyle at the expense of future generations. Helpful Reply 4. [ava] Steve Guest May 7, 2022, 4:06 pm I completely agree. The flight exists for the EU parliament that meets in Strasbourg...they supposedly are concerned about climate change, but won't take an easy train ride which is far more green than a round trip short airplane ride? Hypocritical? I think yes. I've gone between the FRA airport and S'bourg by train...very easy and pleasant. Helpful Reply 5. [ava] Max Guest May 7, 2022, 4:16 pm Not just the flight itself is hypocritical, the entire EU parliament presence in Strasbourg is. Brussels is the capital of EU, just because of France's big un-European ego Strasbourg also has some EU presence. And parliament is constantly switching between Brussels and Strasbourg, every time transferring hundreds of parliamentarians and thousands of bureaucrats + servants. Additionally also transferring truckloads of papers. Helpful Reply 12. [ava] David Guest May 7, 2022, 10:55 am It is not intended for Germans who originate in Frankfurt. It's intended for people who are connecting. SXB otherwise doesn't have a lot of service, especially not on full service carriers. Anyone coming from the east would have a hard time getting there, so someone flying BUD/PRG/VIE/ZAG etc to FRA and then connect onto SXB is entirely logical, and those fares are not nearly as insane on a per mile basis as booking only FRA-SXB Helpful (1) Reply 1. [ava] Jimmy Guest May 7, 2022, 11:07 am Connections make a lot more sense, since it's just a 2 hour train from Frankfurt to Strasbourg. Helpful Reply 13. [ava] Nelson Member May 7, 2022, 10:47 am This is realy insane! Don't know today but back in time RO did it quite more economical. On those days the flight BRU-OTP just made a stop at SXB to pick up those guys. Helpful Reply 14. [den] DenB Diamond May 7, 2022, 10:46 am I'd expect there are sensible reasons for this arrangement, which could be discovered with research. The alternative probably has a problem. But obviously now the comments will fill with populist objections to public servants experiencing comfort or convenience at public expense. Race to the bottom. Helpful (3) Reply 1. [ava] Bill Bentaieb Guest May 7, 2022, 12:41 pm Ben do your research... there is a 5 star LH bus several times a day from FRA to Strasbourg. You check in once at your European point of origin or to your final destination. There is advance seat assignment, a LH ground handler and wifi. And it stops near the parliament in Strasbourg Helpful Reply 15. [ava] Beep Guest May 7, 2022, 10:45 am Think there's a typo in paragraph 2 "These flights typically operate around the middle of each month, from Frankfurt on Monday, and to Frankfurt on Thursdays". Think that second "Frankfurt" was meant to be "Strasbourg". Helpful Reply 1. [ava] Mark Guest May 7, 2022, 12:51 pm Looks correct to me. The first flight is from FRA and the flight later in the week is the return to FRA. Helpful (2) Reply 2. [ava] John smith Guest May 7, 2022, 5:52 pm Weirdly enough, there's also a LOT flight doing the opposite rotation, SCB-FRA Monday, then FRA-SXB on Thursday. Helpful Reply 16. [ava] Watson Member May 7, 2022, 10:42 am LOT seems to fly the other direction (SXB-FRA), similarly once a month (Mon-Thu). LO 1380 & 1381. There's even award space in both cabins! Book in Y on UA for a mere 11,450 miles + $77.50 RT! Helpful Reply 1. [ava] RF Diamond May 7, 2022, 2:22 pm Interesting find. Helpful Reply 2. [ava] askmrlee Guest May 7, 2022, 6:32 pm At least that flight originates in WAW. Helpful Reply Report a Comment Why are you reporting this comment? ( ) Spam ( ) Racism ( ) Harassment or violence ( ) Inappropriate Thanks for letting us know! Your feedback is important in helping us keep our community safe. Submitting... Submit Report Featured Comments View all comments (32) Write a comment Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ). The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered. [ava] TravelinWilly Guest May 7, 2022, 11:17 am Did this comment sound better in your head? 3 [ava] DenB Diamond May 7, 2022, 10:46 am I'd expect there are sensible reasons for this arrangement, which could be discovered with research. The alternative probably has a problem. But obviously now the comments will fill with populist objections to public servants experiencing comfort or convenience at public expense. Race to the bottom. 3 [ava] Mark Guest May 7, 2022, 12:51 pm Looks correct to me. The first flight is from FRA and the flight later in the week is the return to FRA. 2 Join the conversation Meet Ben Schlappig, OMAAT Founder [airplane-b] 4,523,713 Miles Traveled 25,807,500 Words Written 28,675 Posts Published Keep Exploring OMAAT [Lufthansa-First-Class-Lounge-Frankfurt-1] * June 24, 2021 * Ben Schlappig 27 Lufthansa Selling First Class Lounge Access [lufthansa-buy-on-board-5] * January 25, 2021 * Ben Schlappig 57 Lufthansa Details New Economy Buy On Board Service [Lufthansa-A350] * March 13, 2019 * Ben Schlappig 31 Wow: Lufthansa Group Orders 787-9s & A350-900s Newsletter [ ] SUBSCRIBE Subscribing... [ ] Daily [ ] Weekly [ ] Promotions Thank you! You have successfully joined our subscriber list. . 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