747400sp From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 3301 posts, RR: 2 Posted (5 years 8 months 2 weeks 21 hours ago) and read 3869 times:
This past weekend I was in Charlotte N.C. and I saw a Lufthansa A330 climbing out of Charlotte Airport. Was this a charter flight, or do Lufthansa have flights to and from Charlotte Airport using Airbus A330?
CIDflyer From United States of America, joined Apr 2005, 2008 posts, RR: 3 Reply 2, posted (5 years 8 months 2 weeks 21 hours ago) and read 3870 times:
yes, the LH CLT-MUC flights connect the two Star Alliance hubs
GBan From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 5, posted (5 years 8 months 2 weeks 20 hours ago) and read 3870 times:
Quoting Doug_Or (Reply 4): Up until last year I tihnk it was conducted by A340
According to the LH flight plan (http://www.lhtimetable.com/LH.pdf) CLT-MUC is a 343 during winter (Wednesday through Sunday daily) and a 333 in summer (daily except Tuesday).
DeltaDAWG From United States of America, joined May 2006, 621 posts, RR: 1 Reply 6, posted (5 years 8 months 2 weeks 20 hours ago) and read 3870 times:
Quoting Bicoastal (Reply 3): It's affectionately known as the BMW Express.
It's not just BMW, it's also Siemens & ABB in Charlotte, Greenville and many other smaller companies such as Treutzler (textile machinery - Gastonia, NC). I used to think it was a dumb route for LH but it has been around much longer than the BMW plant and the 2 times I flew it it was about 90%+ full. The winter ski season is just a great by-product but the real meat is as you say, the German corporate pipeline.
RDUDDJI From Lesotho, joined Jun 2004, 1319 posts, RR: 3 Reply 7, posted (5 years 8 months 2 weeks 19 hours ago) and read 3870 times:
Quoting DeltaDAWG (Reply 6): I used to think it was a dumb route for LH but it has been around much longer than the BMW plant and the 2 times I flew it it was about 90%+ full.
False, the BMW plant has been there (GSP) at least 10 years. The LH flight has only been around 2-3 years. As mentioned above, the flight is to connect the two *A hubs.
Sometimes we don't realize the good times when we're in them
Cubsrule From United States of America, joined May 2004, 21293 posts, RR: 19 Reply 9, posted (5 years 8 months 2 weeks 4 hours ago) and read 2980 times:
Quoting GBan (Reply 5): According to the LH flight plan (http://www.lhtimetable.com/LH.pdf) CLT-MUC is a 343 during winter (Wednesday through Sunday daily) and a 333 in summer (daily except Tuesday).
I wonder if they were having performance issues with the 343 in the summer. 10,000 feet should be plenty of runway, but CVG-CDG on an AF 343 routinely takes (took?) 8000 or 9000 feet in the summer even when it wasn't particularly hot.
I can't decide whether I miss the tulip or the bowling shoe more
EarlyNFF From Germany, joined Sep 2007, 205 posts, RR: 0 Reply 10, posted (5 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 hours ago) and read 2891 times:
I had put a post here couple of hours ago, were did it go, to the wastebox??
Quoting RDUDDJI (Reply 7): The LH flight has only been around 2-3 years.
Not quite true: LH had the first non stop service to CLT many years ago, from FRA. They discontinued that service when US discovered this segment. All that was long before *A-times, IIRC
MSYtristar From United States of America, joined Aug 2005, 6251 posts, RR: 51 Reply 12, posted (5 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 hours ago) and read 2891 times:
Quoting EarlyNFF (Reply 9): LH had the first non stop service to CLT many years ago, from FRA
I'm pretty sure they flew either DFW-CLT-FRA or IAH-CLT-FRA with the 74M...can't remember which one.
MSYtristar From United States of America, joined Aug 2005, 6251 posts, RR: 51 Reply 14, posted (5 years 8 months 2 weeks 2 hours ago) and read 2891 times:
Yes it was the B742. I remember seeing those flights in the OAG's. I think they used the 74M code...pretty sure of that. This was in the early 90's.
N1120A From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 25869 posts, RR: 79 Reply 16, posted (5 years 8 months 2 weeks 1 hour ago) and read 2709 times:
Quoting Bicoastal (Reply 3): It's affectionately known as the BMW Express. Large BMW facilities in the American south need a lifeline to HQ in Munich.
Not just the South, but specifically in Spartanburg, SC. Further, you add other German interests, a major banking center and the only true STAR hub in the South Eastern US and you have good reason for the flights.
Quoting Cubsrule (Reply 9):
I wonder if they were having performance issues with the 343 in the summer.
Absolutely not. That route is not even at half of the A343's range band. The A333 is used likely because it is more fuel efficient and because the A343 is wasting tons of range.
Quoting MSYtristar (Reply 14): I think they used the 74M code...pretty sure of that. This was in the early 90's.
Initially, about half of LH's 744s ordered were combi aircraft. All were eventually converted to full PAX.
Mangeons les French fries, mais surtout pratiquons avec fierte le French kiss
Cubsrule From United States of America, joined May 2004, 21293 posts, RR: 19 Reply 17, posted (5 years 8 months 2 weeks 1 hour ago) and read 2709 times:
Quoting N1120A (Reply 15): Absolutely not. That route is not even at half of the A343's range band.
Not a range issue, a runway performance issue. 343s have lovely range, but they hog runway like crazy, and CLT, though it's not very high, can get plenty hot in the summer.
I can't decide whether I miss the tulip or the bowling shoe more
Vega From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 18, posted (5 years 8 months 2 weeks ago) and read 2616 times:
Quoting EarlyNFF (Reply 9): Quoting RDUDDJI (Reply 7):
The LH flight has only been around 2-3 years.
Not quite true: LH had the first non stop service to CLT many years ago, from FRA. They discontinued that service when US discovered this segment. All that was long before *A-times, IIRC
Since he's talking about CLT-MUC (the only existing LH flight), EarlyNFF is correct.
CLT-MUC service started March 26, 2004 - a little over 3 years ago.
CLT-FRA service started August 1991 and ended October 1992 (14 months) with a 747. Was advertised as discontinued due to poor revenue,
N1120A From United States of America, joined Dec 2003, 25869 posts, RR: 79 Reply 19, posted (5 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 2616 times:
Quoting Cubsrule (Reply 16):
Not a range issue, a runway performance issue. 343s have lovely range, but they hog runway like crazy, and CLT, though it's not very high, can get plenty hot in the summer.
The A343 has plenty of runway performance for their mission. The climb may not be impressive looking, but they get off the ground in a reasonable time. If the aircraft can do SXM-CDG non-stop, it can do CLT-MUC.
Mangeons les French fries, mais surtout pratiquons avec fierte le French kiss
Vega From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 20, posted (5 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 22 hours ago) and read 2616 times:
Quoting Vega (Reply 18): Quoting EarlyNFF (Reply 9):
Quoting RDUDDJI (Reply 7):
The LH flight has only been around 2-3 years.
Not quite true: LH had the first non stop service to CLT many years ago, from FRA. They discontinued that service when US discovered this segment. All that was long before *A-times, IIRC
Since he's talking about CLT-MUC (the only existing LH flight), EarlyNFF is correct.
CLT-MUC service started March 26, 2004 - a little over 3 years ago.
CLT-FRA service started August 1991 and ended October 1992 (14 months) with a 747. Was advertised as discontinued due to poor revenue,
Sorry, RDUDDJI, I disconnected the reply thread. Should read "Since he's talking about CLT-MUC (the only existing LH flight), RDUDDJI is correct".
Ryefly From United States of America, joined Jun 2000, 1383 posts, RR: 0 Reply 21, posted (5 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 21 hours ago) and read 2616 times:
The route started off as a A340-300 and now is mainly A330-300's. I do see a A340-300's fly over my house every once in a while. A couple of times I even saw the A340-600 fill in for the smaller Airbus.
Caspritz78 From Germany, joined Aug 2007, 518 posts, RR: 0 Reply 22, posted (5 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 21 hours ago) and read 2616 times:
Quoting GBan (Reply 5): According to the LH flight plan (http://www.lhtimetable.com/LH.pdf) CLT-MUC is a 343 during winter (Wednesday through Sunday daily) and a 333 in summer (daily except Tuesday).
I think it has to do with the general use of the a/c during the summer LH has for example two daily flights from FRA to BOS. In the winter only one. So I just think they need the 343 in the summer for different routes and can't spare it since US has a hub in Charlotte and can take some of the traffic with code share flights.
ILCFII From United States of America, joined Feb 2006, 39 posts, RR: 0 Reply 23, posted (5 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 21 hours ago) and read 2616 times:
yes, they have service to FRA. Not sure if its daily but atleast 5x a week from what I've seen.
Gigneil From United States of America, joined Nov 2002, 16215 posts, RR: 88 Reply 24, posted (5 years 8 months 1 week 6 days 21 hours ago) and read 2616 times:
Quoting Cubsrule (Reply 16): 343s have lovely range, but they hog runway like crazy
A340s have fairly decent runway performance - you see pilots taking advantage of whatever is available to them because its good for the engines.
NS
25 SafetyDemo: They have regularly scheduled flights to Charlotte. I think its Munich, off the top of my head, for some reason. But it could be FRA. Whichever one it
26 AlexPorter: They have flights to Munich. I don't know why they don't fly to Frankfurt (their bigger hub) instead, but the flight mostly exists because CLT is a St
27 Gigneil: US Airways serves CLT-FRA already, so this is a fairly good way for LH and US to cover the market. NS
28 EarlyNFF: as I mentioned before, LH started CLT-FRA service around early nineties, no U.S. competitor then. when US stepped in, (a rival then), market was not
29 AlexPorter: Okay, for some reason when I wrote this it seemed as if nobody had replied. As it turns out, this thread is over a day old. Bug alert! Sorry if I rep
30 Cltguy: They still run the A340-300 on the CLT-MUC route on Wednesdays. All other days it is A330-300. The A340-600 has also made an appearance as a substitut
31 Cubsrule: I'm certainly not asserting that the 343 cannot fly the route. However, given the fact that LH wants to pack as much cargo on the flight as possible
32 Vega: LH uses the 340-300X daily year round FRA-ATL, which is 200nm further, 250 higher, hotter than CLT and surely would have at least as much cargo as CL
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