Eurowings Discover inaugurates US service at TPA

With a water salute welcome for the American flag-waving crew, Eurowings Discover landed its first U.S. flight at Tampa International Airport during sundown Thursday evening, December 16, introducing Lufthansa Group's new leisure airline to the United States. TPA officials and representatives from Lufthansa Group and Eurowings Discover gathered at TPA to celebrate the region’s first nonstop service to the European Union since the pandemic began.

Eurowings Discover CEO and Lufthansa Group senior captain Wolfgang Raebiger was there to not only join in the celebration but to actually fly the airline's outbound passengers from Tampa to Frankfurt.

“Eurowings Discover provides quality, reliable service to the most beautiful destinations in the world,” Raebiger said. “In addition to the Tampa flight, we will launch six additional destinations in the U.S. and Canada during 2022, including round-trip service from Fort Myers, FL to Frankfurt.”

Florida is Lufthansa Group’s most prolific U.S. market, with gateways including Miami and Orlando, and Fort Myers planned for 2022.

"Germans love Florida," said Silke Wobken, Lufthansa Group Senior Director Sales for USA East, who was also at TPA to celebrate.

Lufthansa Group’s Eurowings Discover (4Y065 / LH4401) will depart Tampa at 7:20 p.m. and arrive in Frankfurt at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays on an Airbus A330-200. Flight 4Y064 / LH4400 departs Frankfurt, Germany at 12:40 p.m. and arrives at Tampa International Airport at 5:35 p.m.

Customers will benefit from the direct link to Lufthansa Group’s Frankfurt hub, as well as a vast, worldwide network, including connections through Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and SWISS, as well as code share flights with United Airlines and Air Canada. Furthermore, beginning on March 2, 2022, SWISS, operated by Edelweiss, will resume teice-weekly nonstop flights from Tampa to Zurich.

“The United States remains the most important market for the Lufthansa Group outside of our European bases, and we remain committed to the region as we map our recovery from the impacts of the pandemic,” said Frank Naeve, Vice President of Passenger Airline Sales, The Americas, Lufthansa Group. “Tampa is now our 18th gateway in the U.S., and Florida has our largest footprint, with more Lufthansa Group gateways than any other state in the country. Florida’s travelers benefit from the extensive network we offer and we continue to see strong travel demand in the region.”

“Being the inaugural U.S. market for Eurowings Discover is a huge honor for us,” says Tampa International Airport CEO Joe Lopano. “The resumption of nonstop flights to Frankfurt offers our travelers countless adventures in Europe and beyond, while infusing millions of tourism dollars into our region. We’re thankful for our strong partnership with the Lufthansa Group and remain committed to supporting their growth in Tampa Bay.” Lopano said.

The travel experience

Eurowings Discover will operate an Airbus A330-200 on the Tampa route. The aircraft features 22 Business Class seats, 17 Premium Economy seats and 231 Economy Class seats, of which 44 offer extra legroom. Key perks and features of the travel experience with Eurowings Discover include:

• Advanced boarding privileges for all families with young children
• Lie-flat seats in Business Class with 6.5 feet of reclining space and a personal 15-inch entertainment system
• Comfortable 115-cm-wide seats, foot and leg rests, generously adjustable backrests, large HD monitors and USB port and 110V power socket in Premium Economy
• In economy class, seats with a 76 cm pitch, up to 87 cm for seats offering extra legroom
• A free entertainment program, which passengers in all classes can use on their own device via the Onboard Cloud
• Complimentary meals and non-alcoholic beverages for all travelers, including beer and wine in Premium Economy and a wider selection of drinks in Business Class, courtesy of the airline. Economy Class passengers may purchase additional snacks and alcoholic beverages.
• Sustainable materials in lieu of plastics and disposable products. There is also an onboard option for passengers to compensate for the CO2 emissions inevitably caused by their flight thanks to Lufthansa Group’s Compensaid platform.
• Checked-through baggage to travelers’ final destination due to hub-integrated ground services
   

About Eurowings Discover: Eurowings Discover is the Lufthansa Group's new leisure airline that flies travelers from the Frankfurt hub – and from summer 2022 also from Munich – to the world's most beautiful local and long-haul destinations. The mission of Eurowings Discover is to tailor the travel experience to the individual needs of its guests and to make the flight a special experience. Through integration into the Lufthansa network, travelers benefit from direct connections to all German and European Lufthansa departure points, as well as an end-to-end booking process and seamless transfers. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, the airline draws on the expertise and experience of one of the world's leading aviation companies. Flights can be booked on lufthansa.com and eurowings.com.