A380 arrives in the Big Apple

Lufthansa began regular, scheduled A380 flights from Frankfurt, Germany to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport today. The inaugural flight departed from Frankfurt at 11:05am and is scheduled to arrive in New York at 1:35pm local time.

Lufthansa plans to increase frequency to JFK next month, and will ultimately offer daily service. The arrival of the jumbo jet to the Big Apple marks the German carrier's fourth A380 destination after Beijing, Johannesburg and Tokyo. 

Commenting on the new JFK route, Vice President The Americas for Lufthansa Jens Bischof said: "In early 2007, Lufthansa and Airbus jointly landed the first Airbus A380 on U.S. soil, here in New York during a route-proving flight to North America. Now we are returning with scheduled A380 flight operation. New York is one of the most important markets for Lufthansa, so it was imperative for us to launch transatlantic flights on our flagship aircraft to this U.S. gateway."

Bischof added, "We are proud to offer New Yorkers the option to experience this amazing aircraft, combined with Lufthansa’s award-winning service, thus taking the flying experience in all three classes to a whole new level."

New York's most popular airport is very excited to welcome Lufthansa A380 service with General Manager of JFK airport for The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Jerry Spampanato stating, "John F. Kennedy International airport is excited to welcome Lufthansa’s first A380 aircraft that is flying a North American route.  We have invested a lot of resources to make JFK A380-ready, and Lufthansa’s daily flight is great news."

Lufthansa's A380 aircraft is equipped with 526 seats in a three-class configuration. Today's A380 flight also marks the introduction of the brand new First Class cabin to the North American market.  The redesigned cabin is being touted as the quietest in commercial aviation. Lufthansa plans to debut the A380 this May at San Francisco International Airport.