United Airlines Marks 35 Years Of Germany-US Flights: From 440 to 4,740 Daily Seats

Just over 35 years ago, on May 16th, 1990, United Airlines operated its first flight to Europe. A Boeing 767-200 flew between Washington Dulles and Frankfurt, marking the start of flights to one of United’s top European markets. A little over 35 years later, the airline celebrated the occasion with a press conference at Frankfurt Airport earlier this week.

Thorsten Lettnin, Director Sales Continental Europe, Middle East, Africa, India & Israel,​​​​​​ and Reto Schneider, Senior Country Sales Manager Germany & Switzerland, hosted the conference, highlighting how the airline has grown in Germany.

From Humble Beginnings to A Huge Market

Credit: Tom Boon

When United Airlines first began flying to Europe 35 years ago, fewer than 440 seats were available per day in each direction across the Atlantic. The Boeing 767-200 was flying once a day on Washington-Frankfurt and Chicago-Frankfurt. According to Lettnin, the story couldn’t be more different today. Since 1990, United Airlines has carried more than 50 million passengers between the USA & Germany on over 240,000 flights.

Today, United Airlines operates 17 daily rotations to Germany alone, including ten to Frankfurt Airport, six to Munich Airport, and one to Berlin Brandenburg Airport. This equates to roughly 4,740 seats a day. On top of this, the airline has also expanded to serve other countries in Europe, including launching flights to London in 1991.

Interestingly, Lettnin explains that some of that expansion has already occurred since the COVID-19 pandemic. The United Airlines offer is now 19% higher in Germany than it was in 2019. The same cannot be said for all carriers. For example, the big three European LCCs are all operating significantly under 2019 levels in Germany.

One Of Frankfurt Airport’s Largest Carriers

Credit: Cirium

When you dial into the data, it is clear to see just how big United Airlines is at Frankfurt Airport. The US carrier is the largest airline without a base at Germany’s busiest airport when you look at ASMs or Available Seat Miles and the total number of seats. When looking at the number of flights, United Airlines is the airport’s top carrier that is not based at Frankfurt Airport or part of the Lufthansa Group. According to data from Cirium, United ranks as follows on each metric for planned flights in 2025,

When you look at Munich Airport, United Airlines is only the 10th largest airline in terms of the number of flights, and 7th in terms of the number of seats. However, when you look at ASMs from Munich for 2025, United Airlines is set to claim the number two spot behind Lufthansa. Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn feed United Airlines flights at Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin.

One thing is clear from United: Germany remains a very important market for the carrier. As a member of Star Alliance, and through its transatlantic joint venture with Lufthansa, Frankfurt and Munich will continue to remain key markets for the carrier.

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