Lufthansa starts Boeing 787 service to Newark & Detroit

In December 2022, Lufthansa began long haul service with its Boeing 787. The airline has now revealed its second long haul route to be operated by the aircraft, as noted by @IshrionA.

Lufthansa’s Boeing 787-9 destinations
Lufthansa’s Boeing 787-9s will operate service from Frankfurt (FRA) to both Newark (EWR) and Detroit (DTW).

Since December 1, 2022, Lufthansa has been flying its Boeing 787-9 daily between Frankfurt and Newark with the following schedule:

LH402 Frankfurt to Newark departing 1:30PM arriving 4:40PM
LH403 Newark to Frankfurt departing 6:20PM arriving 7:55AM (+1 day)

The 3,862-mile route is blocked at 9hr10min westbound and 7hr35min eastbound. The route was previously operated by a Boeing 747-8, so that’s quite a downgrade in terms of premium capacity.

On top of that, as of February 13, 2023, Lufthansa will fly its Boeing 787-9 daily between Frankfurt and Detroit with the following schedule:

LH442 Frankfurt to Detroit departing 11:05AM arriving 2:25PM
LH443 Detroit to Frankfurt departing 4:15PM arriving 6:20AM (+1 day)

The 4,161-mile route is blocked at 9hr20min westbound and 8hr5min eastbound. The route was previously operated by an Airbus A340-300.

Note that as of now, both routes only show the 787-9 through the end of the winter schedule, which runs through late March 2023. I imagine this has the potential to be extended, but Lufthansa likely just hasn’t made a final decision yet.

For context, Lufthansa recently took delivery of its first two Boeing 787-9. These aren’t the factory fresh 787s that the airline will start acquiring as of mid-2023, but rather Lufthansa is taking delivery of five jets that were initially intended for Hainan Airlines, but which Lufthansa opportunistically picked up.

Prior to starting long haul service with these planes, Lufthansa operated the 787-9s between Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC) for crew familiarization flights.

What the 787 means for passengers
The first five Boeing 787s that Lufthansa takes delivery of won’t feature the carrier’s new “Allegris” business class product, as that will launch in mid-2023, when Lufthansa takes delivery of the first 787 that had actually been intended for the airline.

Rather Lufthansa inherited the interiors that had been designed for Hainan Airlines, with some changes to the finishes to better reflect Lufthansa branding. So you can expect that the 787 on these routes will feature reverse herringbone seats in business class, which is a huge upgrade over the current standard Lufthansa business class product.

This is one of two interim business class products that Lufthansa is currently offering, as the airline also recently picked up four Airbus A350-900s from Philippine Airlines, featuring a staggered product in business class.

Bottom line
Lufthansa is flying its Boeing 787-9s from Frankfurt to both Newark and Detroit for the rest of the winter season. The airline currently has two of these in its fleet, with three more expected in the coming months.

These Boeing 787-9s feature reverse herringbone seats in business class, which represents a massive improvement for Lufthansa’s business class hard product. However, don’t expect Lufthansa’s new “Allegris” business class just yet, as that’s only debuting next year.

What do you make of Lufthansa’s first two long haul Boeing 787-9 routes?