Liverpool John Lennon Airport is bringing the world closer to the five million-plus people who fly from the airport annually with the launch of direct flights to Frankfurt in May.
The four-times-a-week service, which will be operated by Lufthansa, will enable customers to easily connect to destinations all around the world at the German airline’s biggest hub.
It’s the first time Liverpool Airport has been able to offer global connections in 10 years.
From 2 May, travellers from Liverpool will be able to fly one-stop with Lufthansa to places such as Dubai, New York, Johannesburg, Orlando, Singapore and Delhi.
“This is big news, both for business and leisure traffic,” said the airport’s Aviation Development Manager Jonathan Ford, pictured below, right. ”Lufthansa is named as Europe’s only 5-star airline, considered the best in its class, and it has been a target of ours for a number of years.”
Germany is the third-largest business market from Liverpool and the city region will benefit hugely from direct flights to Frankfurt, he added.
Not just Frankfurt, but the rest of the world
But even more exciting is the fact that year-round service will allow those living in Liverpool Airport’s catchment area to connect to the rest of the world, and the rest of the world can connect to Liverpool.
“Within 90 minutes of arrival in Frankfurt you can connect to destinations including Lyon, Naples, Florence, Verona, Berlin and Munich,” said Jonathan.
Lufthansa’s flights on Mondays, Wednesdays Fridays and Sundays will also allow for easy connections at Frankfurt to long-haul destinations. The airline will offer a split schedule, with Wednesday and Sunday morning departures being optimal for west-bound transatlantic traffic and European destinations, while the afternoon departures on Mondays and Fridays are perfect for city breaks in Germany, Europe and the Far East, while also great for inbound visitors wanting a city break in Liverpool.
Lufthansa means business
The launch of Lufthansa’s Frankfurt service will also bring a business class product to the airport for the first time in over 10 years, which will be a real benefit for travel agents with corporate clients. “We have not had anything like this for a long time,” said Jonathan.
The airline has committed to providing a year-round service, with three flights a week operating throughout the winter, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
It has also come out with some attractive fares, such as one way to Prague for £68, not bad for a full-service product which includes a snack and a drink onboard plus a generous 8kg hand-luggage allowance.
Faster, Easier, Friendlier
It means that people living in and around Liverpool will no longer need to schlep to another, less convenient UK airport, or travel via Dublin, which have been their most convenient options until now.
“We know this service will be popular because when there are direct flights from Liverpool, people do use them,” added Jonathan.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport’s motto is ‘Faster, Easier, Friendlier’ because it’s still small enough for passengers to pass through without any of the hassle usually associated with travelling from larger airports.
“People prefer to fly from Liverpool because it really is so much easier to get through compared to other larger airports,” added Jonathan. “They can pull up right outside the airport, whiz straight through security and relax in the departure lounge – on average in under 10 minutes.
“We also have more flights on time than any other airport, with 90.23% of all flights departing within 15 minutes of their scheduled departure time.” This is based on statistics recently published by the aviation analytics company Cirium.
During the post-pandemic travel phase, Liverpool has avoided many of the hold-ups and queues that have plagued bigger airports, which makes flying from Liverpool even more appealing.
Working with agents
Liverpool John Lennon Airport is keen to work in partnership with agents to sell Lufthansa’s new service to their customers and make sure the flights from Liverpool are a success. “We have been engaging with agents in recent weeks to promote the convenience and benefit of using Lufthansa, and the feedback from those in the region has been outstanding,” adds Jonathan.
If agents would like to speak with him about the service and more details about the airport itself, they are free to contact him at [email protected].
