Lufthansa Adds Columbus and Phoenix in Summer 2027 U.S. Expansion

Lufthansa is expanding its market in the United States. The Lufthansa Group Airlines Summer 2027 expansion announced nonstop flights from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) to John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) and from Munich Airport (MUC) to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). Both are growing markets with zero nonstop flights, and Lufthansa saw the opportunity to offer something. 

The Routes at a Glance

Why These Two Cities

Columbus is an economically strong region, which also attracts a lot of business travelers, Lufthansa says. It characterizes the Phoenix area as "one of the fastest-growing areas in the country." Both cities have never been served by a direct flight to Lufthansa's hubs, meaning that users have been required to transfer from other hubs first. Lufthansa is taking a chance on them being willing to pay for a direct flight!

This follows a trend that the airline set in 2024, adding Minneapolis–St. Paul from Frankfurt and Raleigh–Durham from Munich. Every time, Lufthansa has attacked fast-growing and medium-sized markets rather than taking on the humdrum of the busiest networks. The U.S. is the airline's most vital market outside its home markets, and these routes are just its latest example.

When Booking Will Start

The booking for the new routes of Lufthansa, including the Frankfurt to Columbus, Ohio (CMH), and Munich to Phoenix, Arizona (PHX) is scheduled to open October 20, 2026. 

What to Watch

Changes in frequency will indicate the performance of the routes. Lufthansa has already increased capacity for Summer 2027 in other parts of North America, such as more flights from Chicago to Munich and from Montreal to Frankfurt. If the flights at Columbus or Phoenix are filled well, the airline might bring them back in another season. If they do, then a three-weekly schedule makes it easy to scale back.