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From Stuttgart Airport to Frankfurt in about 45 minutes: Attractive for some, for others one of the most unnecessary flight connections in Germany.
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Lufthansa continued to fly this route up to and including July 7th. But now the crane airline has other plans, at least until the end of August. Lufthansa, which will cancel a total of around 6,000 flights in July and August, no longer serves the Stuttgart – Frankfurt route at all. At least until the end of August, no planes will take off on this connection.
Lufthansa is canceling flights in July and August at Stuttgart Airport
Numerous flights had recently been cancelled, especially the morning feeder LH127 from Stuttgart to Frankfurt was affected: in the period from June 20th to 29th, the Airbus A319, A320 or even the “big” A321 took off only two out of ten times. Lufthansa flight LH131, which leaves Stuttgart at 8:25 a.m. in the direction of the Main metropolis, flew relatively frequently with an 80 percent probability (June 20-29). Further cuts are to be expected in July and August, Lufthansa spokesman Thomas Jachnow told our editorial team in June. “This connection is partially canceled because there are alternatives,” explains Jachnow.
The last Lufthansa plane to take off from Stuttgart towards Frankfurt was CRJ9 (D-ACNC) with flight number LH137. Departure was a little late at 7:14 p.m. After 29 minutes of flight time, it ended the Stuttgart-Frankfurt short stretch for the time being.
Instead of flying: from Stuttgart to Frankfurt by train
If you want to travel from Stuttgart Airport via Frankfurt Airport into the wide world, you will sometimes have to switch to Deutsche Bahn in the coming weeks. Stuttgart has “a strong offer” to get to Frankfurt or Munich by train and to reach a holiday destination from there. Now that the route will be completely buried for the coming weeks, the reason given again is “the excellent connection by train”. Jachnow told our editorial team: “Customers have responded largely positively to this, as it ensures that the connecting flights from Frankfurt can be reached.”
What the Lufthansa spokesman does not say: Because Deutsche Bahn – like many airlines at the moment – is not one of the most reliable providers, passengers may have to start their journey much earlier by train. In addition, there is a great deal of uncertainty as to how long the waiting times for baggage check-in and security checks are at Frankfurt Airport. All travelers with a connecting flight in Frankfurt will be anything but happy with Lufthansa’s decision.
Fraport is expecting around 200,000 passengers per day on the weekend of July 22nd to 24th. There were not that many this year with a previous high of a good 180,000.
Lufthansa: Will the Stuttgart – Munich route also be suspended?
According to Jachnow, the route from Stuttgart to Munich is not affected: “Munich is still possible from Stuttgart by plane.”
Lufthansa had recently canceled several flights on the Stuttgart – Frankfurt route. Below is a list of the failures at the end of June.
Lufthansa spokesman: Nothing will change in the flight plan
The cancellations on the STR – FRA route are apparently not solely due to staff shortages at Lufthansa. With the deletions, an attempt is made to give the airport operators some breathing space, which would have to maintain operations, among other things, in terms of security and ground staff. The airport in Leinfelden-Echterdingen has not had any major problems so far (airport spokesman Walter Schoefer: “The problems in Stuttgart are small coins compared to other airports”), Jachnow nevertheless draws the following conclusion: “It went less than optimally, we hope that it’s leveling off.”
However, the Stuttgart – Frankfurt route is not (yet) completely buried, the spokesman emphasizes when asked. “There is no planning in this regard, the flight schedule will remain as it is until the end of October.” However, cancellations are still possible. The cancellation of the now shortest German domestic flight would be understandable, Nuremberg – Munich was also canceled during the pandemic. The distance between Stuttgart and Frankfurt is only 157 kilometers or 85 miles.
42 connections by train from Stuttgart to Frankfurt on weekdays
Rebooking on Deutsche Bahn should work in most cases. According to the company, the fastest connection by train from Stuttgart to Frankfurt is 1 hour and 17 minutes with around 42 connections per weekday. There are also direct connections: up to 27 per day. The earliest train from Stuttgart to Frankfurt departs at 0:12, the last train from Stuttgart to Frankfurt at 23:05. Times may change on weekends and public holidays.
The big problems: Deutsche Bahn is the more environmentally friendly means of transport, given a punctuality rate of only 62.7 (May 2022) but not a very reliable one. In addition, it is much more convenient for travelers to check in in Stuttgart than at the confusing Frankfurt Airport with its long distances.
Lufthansa cancels the connection from Friedrichshafen to Frankfurt
Lufthansa has also recently canceled the domestic German connection Friedrichshafen – Frankfurt more frequently. “Things don’t look so good here,” Jachnow confirms. The journey to Frankfurt Airport is much more complicated from Friedrichshafen than from Stuttgart. “Sometimes we can reroute here via Zurich,” says Jachnow. Worth knowing: If you are flying out of the Swiss capital, you do not need a mask on the plane – unless you are going to Germany. The mask requirement on the plane does not apply there.
Lufthansa boss Spohr: Stabilization only in winter
However, Lufthansa boss Carsten Spohr does not expect quick improvements. Despite thousands of new hires, he only expects stabilization for the coming winter. Spohr even pushed an apology afterwards: “Ramping up the complex air traffic system from almost zero to currently almost 90 percent again” did not lead to the desired reliability, punctuality and robustness.
It is also controversial whether the use of temporary workers at the airports could quickly remedy the situation. The regional council in Stuttgart, which carries out the reliability checks for Baden-Württemberg, has doubts about the plans of Volker Wissing (FDP, 52), Hubertus Heil (SPD, 49) and Nancy Faeser (SPD, 51). It could be tight before the start of the summer holidays in Baden-Württemberg.
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