It’s unfortunate that it has taken this long, but better late than never, right?
Lufthansa City Airlines has frustrated passengers
In June 2024, we saw the launch of Lufthansa City Airlines, Lufthansa Group’s latest cost-saving subsidiary. If there’s one thing Lufthansa is good at, it’s setting up new subsidiaries in order to save on labor costs, and get around existing union contracts.
Lufthansa City operates flights in many of Lufthansa’s core regional markets, and from the perspective of customers, it’s not supposed to be any different than flying on a mainline Lufthansa flight. Let me emphasize that Lufthansa City isn’t like Eurowings, which is marketed as a low cost carrier, is supposed to have lower fares, and operates in distinct markets.
Instead, you’ll find plenty of routes where flights are operated by both Lufthansa and Lufthansa City, and pricing is identical. It’s purely about internal cost savings, with Lufthansa flights having the “LH” code, and Lufthansa City flights having the “VL” code.
However, there has been one major headache for passengers, which is that Lufthansa City hasn’t been a Star Alliance member. So while Miles & More members have received typical perks on Lufthansa City, that hasn’t been extended to those belonging to partner frequent flyer programs.
This meant that Star Alliance Gold members weren’t able to get lounge access or other priority services when flying with the carrier. That’s just plain ridiculous, because as mentioned above, the intent is that passengers don’t even know if they’re on a Lufthansa or Lufthansa City flight. So along those lines, there’s finally a positive development…
Lufthansa City Airlines will finally join Star Alliance
aeroTELEGRAPH reports that Lufthansa City Airlines will finally be joining the Star Alliance. Specifically, as of September 9, 2025, the Lufthansa subsidiary will fully be integrated into Star Alliance.
That means that Star Alliance customers with programs other than Miles & More will finally be able to take advantage of priority services, and can earn and redeem points across the network.
I understand that joining alliances can take some time, though you’d think this would be straightforward, given that this is a direct Lufthansa subsidiary. This is a huge step in the right direction, though it’s disappointing that it took more than 14 months after launch for this to happen.
Bottom line
As of September 9, 2025, Lufthansa City Airlines is finally joining the Star Alliance. This is great news, since there wasn’t supposed to be a difference for customers between flying on Lufthansa vs. Lufthansa City. Despite that, Star Alliance customers have found themselves frustrated by the lack of reciprocity due to a technicality.
What do you make of Lufthansa City finally joining Star Alliance?
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