Airport chaos: is the Stuttgart – Frankfurt route over? That says Lufthansa – region & country
From Stuttgart Airport to Frankfurt in about 45 minutes: Lufthansa is currently canceling this flight regularly. The airline explains how to proceed.
No improvement in sight: Lufthansa, which wants to cancel around 3,100 flights between July and September, only serves the Stuttgart – Frankfurt and back route very irregularly.
Lufthansa is canceling flights in July and August at Stuttgart Airport
Numerous flights have already been cancelled, especially the morning feeder LH127 from Stuttgart to Frankfurt. In the period from June 20th to 29th, the Airbus A319, A320 or even the “big” A321 only took off two out of ten times. Lufthansa flight LH131, which leaves Stuttgart at 8:25 a.m. in the direction of the Main metropolis, still flies 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. “This connection is partially canceled because there are alternatives,” Jachnow explained.
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 reach a holiday destination from there.
The Lufthansa spokesman cannot even quantify how many flights will be canceled on the Stuttgart – Frankfurt route. In view of the flight cancellations and turbulent scenes, especially at airports in North Rhine-Westphalia, the number of press inquiries is too high, nationwide, Europe-wide. However, the numbers are understandable, since only a maximum of five flights, some of which are heavily delayed, take off from Stuttgart to Frankfurt every day. A collection about the falls in late June.
STR – FRA | 20.6. | 21.6. | 22.6. | 23.6. | 24.6. | 25.6. | 26.6. | 27.6. | 28.6. | 29.6. |
LH127 | X | X | X | OK | X | OK | X | X | X | X |
LH131 | OK | OK | OK | OK | X | OK | OK | OK | OK | X |
LH133 | – | OK | OK | X | – | – | OK | – | X | X |
LH135 | OK | OK | OK | OK | OK | OK | X | X | OK | X |
LH137 | X | OK | OK | X | OK | OK | OK | X | OK | OK |
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 being made to give airport operators more air, which is necessary for 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 will be levels 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. The company’s fastest connection by train from Stuttgart to Frankfurt takes 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 also recently canceled the domestic connection between Friedrichshafen and Frankfurt. “Things don’t look so good here,” confirmed Jachnow, adding that the journey to Frankfurt Airport from Friedrichshafen was much more complicated than from Stuttgart. “Sometimes we can detour 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 faster improvements. Despite thousands of new hires, he is only waiting for a 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.