After being grounded for over three years, Lufthansa started to bring back some of its Airbus A380s in the summer of 2023. Since then, the airline has progressively brought back more of these planes, and at this point, all eight remaining Airbus A380s are flying again (initially there were 14, but six were permanently retired).
In this post, I want to take a look at Lufthansa’s current and future A380 routes, especially as the airline has just announced plans to start A380 service to an airport that has never seen service from the jet before.
In this post:
Lufthansa Airbus A380 routes & flights
As you’d expect, Lufthansa schedules its Airbus A380s on the highest demand routes out of Munich. So, on which routes will you find the Lufthansa A380 in 2025?
- Munich (MUC) to Bangkok (BKK) on LH772/773 — on an ongoing basis through April 27, 2025
- Munich (MUC) to Boston (BOS) on LH424/425 — between March 29 and October 27, 2025
- Munich (MUC) to Delhi (DEL) on LH762/763 — on an ongoing basis through October 27, 2025
- Munich (MUC) to Denver (DEN) on LH480/481 — between April 30 and September 30, 2025
- Munich (MUC) to Los Angeles (LAX) on LH452/453 — between March 1 and October 27, 2025
- Munich (MUC) to New York (JFK) on LH410/411 — between April 28 and October 27, 2025
- Munich (MUC) to Washington (IAD) on LH414/415 — between April 28 and October 27, 2025
Most of these routes are exactly what you’d expect, based on where Lufthansa operated the aircraft in the past. It’s not surprising to see a heavy focus on Bangkok, Delhi, and Los Angeles in winter, and a focus on major US destinations in summer.
The only addition here that’s interesting or perhaps surprising is Denver. Not only is this the first time that Lufthansa has ever flown the A380 to Denver, but it’s the first time that the airport has seen regularly scheduled A380 service. This clearly reflects how Denver is an increasingly major connecting hub for United.
What the Lufthansa A380 means for passengers
Why would passengers care if their flight is operated by the Airbus A380? The plane isn’t necessarily cutting edge in terms of passenger experience, though there are some implications. The Airbus A380 is of course the world’s largest passenger jet, and Lufthansa’s Airbus A380s feature a total of 509 seats. This includes:
- Eight first class seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration
- 78 business class seats, in a 2-2-2 configuration
- 52 premium economy seats, in a 2-4-2 configuration
- 371 economy class seats, in a 3-4-3 configuration
Lufthansa’s Airbus A380s aren’t all that remarkable, at least compared to the jets flown by some other airlines, like Emirates and Singapore Airlines. However, I’d say there are a few noteworthy things:
- This represents a significant capacity increase compared to the A340-600s and A350-900s that were otherwise scheduled to operate most of these routes; for example, if a flight swaps from an A340-600 to an A380, business class is going from 44 seats to 78 seats, which should be great for award availability
- Lufthansa’s A380 first class lavatories have urinals, making them the only urinals on commercial aircraft (I know, this is a real key reason to fly the jet) 😉
- Many appreciate economy on the A380, since the 3-4-3 layout offers passengers more space than you’d find on other jets
- Regardless of which cabin you’re traveling in, the A380 is a quiet and smooth ride
Lufthansa’s A380s don’t feature the new Allegris cabins. However, Lufthansa does plan to introduce a new business class on its A380s within the next year or so. Interestingly, the airline doesn’t plan on installing its new Allegris cabins, but instead intends to introduce a different, generic business class product.
Bottom line
Lufthansa has a fleet of eight Airbus A380s, which are based at Munich Airport. In 2025, the airline plans to fly these jets to seven destinations, with Denver being a newly announced airport for the jet. This is a pretty exciting development, as it’s the first time that an A380 has offered regularly scheduled service to Denver.
While Lufthansa’s A380 passenger experience isn’t necessarily anything to get too excited about, I do love flying on the whale jet…
What do you make of Lufthansa’s Airbus A380 routes?
Does this mean the remaining a380s will feature a new business class cabin when they enter service this summer as per your previous article or will they simply be pulled for the refresh down the road?
I hope this inspires emirates to fly the A380 to SEA as they’ve indicated wanting to do in the past. SEA can accommodate the A380, it just lacks multiple jetways. They have a four hour turn time anyways, so the biggest bottleneck will be the SEA lounges and S satellites small size.
Although with added competition from QR and TK maybe the demand is gone
Lufthansa has those handy window storage slots on the upper deck like other A380s, right? That is very cool. Often you can put what ever was going under the seat there and have more footroom.
Does anyone know if these will have the new redesign for Business Class yet? Super excited to see this!
Is it possible to upgrade a business class award to first class? If so, which currency is best to use and how would I do it? Is it possible to book with miles/points and pay to upgrade at the time of booking or shortly after? Or can I call LH and ask if there is a paid upgrade option that can be utilized in advanced? Appreciate the help.
The economy on the back of the upper deck is a great hidden gem 2-4-2. You need to pay to assign these seats but it is worth the money. I think it’s the only economy on any upper deck!
Many other A380 operators also have economy seating on the upper deck (Asiana, Qatar, etc.)
I think it speaks volumes to how big Denver is a hub for UA and can offer many connections.
UA offers a daily flight to both FRA & MUC and will continue to offer a daily 789 flight to MUC. Meanwhile LH will also be using an A350 from FRA daily. That’s a lot of capacity.
I think it speaks volumes to how big Denver is a hub for UA and can offer many connections.
UA offers a daily flight to both FRA & MUC and will continue to offer a daily 789 flight to MUC. Meanwhile LH will also be using an A350 from FRA daily. That’s a lot of capacity.
@Ben - A380 First or 747-8 First on Lufthansa?
The rose makes the “first class” cabin look so cheap and trashy.
since when did fresh flowers make places look trashy? are you just trying for a troll take or something
I know ! Right ? I remember the nice carnations that USAir used to place on F Class trays ans it was so nice !
Very exciting for me as a former Colorado resident now living in Europe
I wish Lufthansa would bring there A380 to Atlanta. It’s been a while since we last had A380 service.
Ironic that this was published mere moments after I finalized a MUC-DEN booking for this September. I'm currently seated in the Allegris bulkhead so the A380 feels like a downgrade. C'est la vie -- maybe F will open up on my dates!
I think the bigger issue is the gates at DEN. From my understanding none of them are setup for an a380. At this point, I can't imagine DEN would invest in that either, nor could it be done by April unless it has already started.
There are some gates with two jet bridges but none, I think that can do two levels. Makes me wonder how long boarding and disembarking will take.
DEN has x1 380 gate
DEN has two gates that can physically accommodate an A380. A41W (which this flight will use) and A37W; both have A380 stop bar markings. Neither have dual-level jet bridges.
I suppose they could use the front jet bridge to board the upper deck through the stairs, and the rear to board the lower deck. Plenty of A380s board with just two jetways, one lower one upper.
Ngl I kinda wanna do this flight just to experience the grand staircase lol I know most airlines block them off
You're making this far more complicated than it actually is. Denver has multiple category-F gates, any of which would be capable of handling the A380 and 747-8 without obstructing other gates.
Even if it didn't, the other solution, is to simply park at a corner and block the adjacent gate. Not optimal, but airports everywhere do it every day, to accommodate a large arrival when needed. Even some of the busiest international gateways out there do it.
Denver based:
oof. I really do look forward to being in the international baggage hall after a 380 arrival. That place is overwhelmed as it is. (Hasn't been expanded since the airport was built).
How do you rate the United lounges being ready (or not) to handle that extra capacity?
I don't know. I fly AA/BA not United, so I'm not in the United Clubs often enough to get a sense of how full they are.
Denver Monthly Visitor.
Although I have passed through DEN every month for just over two years now, I have not had the pleasure of transiting through the commercial passenger terminal.
I will have to join the masses when I retire later this year …. is it really so bad?
I would be pleased to know if you are minded to ‘spill the beans’ Bob?
Is altitude one of the considerations for deploying A380s to Denver? How much extra fuel would be required for a fully laden A380 to take off vs a lighter jet?
I don't think so. It's just a little longer takeoff roll, right? Denver's runways can certainly handle it even in summer.
I don't think altitude an issue. As DANDAVE said, the planbe just needs a longer takeoff roll, which is no nog deal in DEN due to the long runways.
Air France used to operate the A380 to MEX without any issues. MEX is about 2100-ft higher than DEN and has shorter runways. Add to that, MEX-CDG is 500-mi longer and I do not think I ever saw any reports of the A380 having poor...
I don't think altitude an issue. As DANDAVE said, the planbe just needs a longer takeoff roll, which is no nog deal in DEN due to the long runways.
Air France used to operate the A380 to MEX without any issues. MEX is about 2100-ft higher than DEN and has shorter runways. Add to that, MEX-CDG is 500-mi longer and I do not think I ever saw any reports of the A380 having poor performance. With 4 engines, I'm sure AF just loaded up more fuel and used more engine power to get off the ground.