Port of Seattle and Lufthansa Airlines Announce New Non-Stop International Service to Frankfurt, Germany

Third New International Service Added This Year

The Port of Seattle and Lufthansa Airlines today announced the start of new daily international non-stop service between Seattle and Frankfurt, Germany, beginning March 30, 2008. Lufthansa is the largest carrier of international passengers in the world and Frankfurt is the eighth largest airport in the world.

"We have been courting Lufthansa for many years," said John Creighton, Port of Seattle Commission president. "We are very pleased to make this announcement as part of a united partnership with the Port of Seattle, the Seattle Convention & Visitors Bureau, and the State of Washington, who have all worked hard to bring about this important new service from Lufthansa."

"We're thrilled to soon welcome Seattle as our 18th U.S., and 22nd North American gateway to Europe and the world," said Jens Bischof, Vice President of the Americas for Lufthansa. "This expansion is proof of Lufthansa's ever-growing strength and market leadership - especially in the premium sectors and among North American travelers to Europe and beyond. We look forward to a long and successful partnership," Bischof added.

The announcement was made at a press conference today at Sea-Tac Airport.

Lufthansa's service not only will connect Seattle to Germany, but also will allow their passengers to make connections to Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and India.

Lufthansa's flight service between Seattle and Frankfurt will be a daily service aboard a 221-seat Airbus A330-300 aircraft.

This is the third new international route announcement for Sea-Tac Airport this year. Earlier new service began by AeroMexico to Mexico City and by Air France to Paris.The addition of Lufthansa brings the total number of European service routes at Sea-Tac to five: British Airways to London, Northwest Airlines to Amsterdam, SAS to Copenhagen, Air France to Paris, and Lufthansa to Frankfurt. Other international service from Sea-Tac includes six airlines serving Asia, two serving Mexico, and four airlines providing service to Canada.