The Best Airlines To Fly Into Frankfurt, Germany

Frankfurt is the financial center of Germany and is one of the largest airline hubs in Europe.

The city is primed mostly for business travelers but those that like a modern skyline will also have plenty to do when visiting. It is also home to plenty contemporary architecture, historic landmarks, and a thriving cultural scene.

Frankfurt has a huge airline presence even beyond its flagship carrier Lufthansa. There are plenty of options for nonstop travel from major US cities and they are also some of the best airplane seats money can buy.

If you are planning a trip to Frankfurt or just laying over, we will break down the best airlines to fly.

Airports Near Frankfurt

Frankfurt is primary served by one international airport, welcoming more than 61 million travelers a year making it one of Europes busiest.

The airport is located about 12km from the city center and has plenty of transport options by both car and public transit. Given the airports size, there are also many restaurants, lounges, duty free shops that you can visit on arrival or layover.

Note if you are flying into Frankfurt during rush hour there will be a good amount of traffic. We recommend taking the train to the city center that is cheaper and faster.

Airlines Flying To Frankfurt

If you are departing from the US, there are a lot of options if you want to fly direct to Frankfurt. The airlines that offer service include the flag carrier Lufthansa but also Delta, United, American, and Singapore Airlines also offer service. The good thing about so many partners is it makes it easier to do codeshares when booking with their partner airlines.

The airlines is one of the most well connected to US cities with nonstop service from New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Austin, Los Angeles, Portland, Houston, Phoenix, Denver, Salt Lake City and many more. This gives you plenty of options and if you are connecting your ticket may even be cheaper than flying direct.

Airfare to Frankfurt

Ticket prices to Frankfurt can vary depending on season but given the amount of airlines offering service you can expect $450 – $600 roundtrip in economy. During peak season of summer this can go up pretty significantly to around $700 – $1,200. We like using Skyscanner to find the best deal and their compare page makes it easy.

Here is a breakdown of average round trip prices by month. Note we pulled the data towards the end of February, which is why that appears so high.

There is also a tool that can run a compare of various cities if you have set dates or months in mind. All you need to do is enter a timeframe for departure and Skyscanner does the rest.

You can find all Skyscanner tools on this page here and utilize this info to find the best flight deal.

Best First Class

It feels like barely any airlines offer First Class anymore but on this route there are still two carriers that are going strong. Both Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines still offer first class to cross the pond, and they are some of the best airplane seats money can buy.

We will tell you what to expect in each and also what airline we prefer to fly.

1. Singapore A380 First Class

Singapore A380 First Class is clearly in a league of its own, offering apartment style seating that can be combined with the seat next door. This is truly an unprecedented amount of space and its hard find a better commercial airplane seat. In addition to the sheer space, Singapore Airlines has some of the best airline food and service is top notch. Cash rates don’t come cheap on this route at $7,000 one way and the only way to book via points is via Singapore Airlines directly. In our minds this is still the clear winner if you want to travel to Frankfurt in style.

2. Lufthansa First Class

Lufthansa First Class product may feel a bit dated but its still a leg up on business class. In first class you can expect a much larger seat, personalized service, and of course plenty of champagne and caviar. The only downside to Lufthansa seats are the lack of privacy, with no door or suite like other airlines. However, this seat is generally very bookable on points at the last minute and should only run you about 100,000 via Air Canada Aeroplan. If you are able to snag a seat on this flight you will certainly notice the jump in experience from business class.

Best Business Class

Not all business class are made equal so if you are willing to pay a premium for comfort (or shell out some points) we’ll tell you what option would be best. Given the premium that comes with first class, business class cabins on this route can be almost as luxurious as first and easily stand above many other business class offerings around the world.

1. Singapore A380 Business Class

It’s hard not to select Singapore Airlines as the best seat almost anywhere they fly. This is definitely the case in business class on any of their aircrafts since Singapore is known for a much larger seat than most. We’ve flown Singapore business a few times including from Singapore to Newark on the longest flight in the world. A plus is this seat can be booked via Star Alliance partners and is one of the best redemptions you can make with Air Canada Aeroplan. Not only will you enjoy the comfort of the seat but Singapore high level of service will really treat you like royalty.

2. Lufthansa Business Class

Lufthansa business class can certainly use an update as the 2-2-2 seat configuration with no privacy is dated. While the airline announced a retrofit, it has been notoriously delayed many times over. For now, Lufthansa planes will still give you a comfortable bed but is better when you are traveling with a companion. We’ve flown with them many times including from Frankfurt to Newark and at least always ended up enjoying the food. The reason we select it as the 2nd best business class is the vast amount of availability to many cities making it easier to book this route with cash or points.

3. United Airlines 767 Polaris Business Class

United Polaris Business Class is one of the most comfortable hard product of the major US airlines to fly to Frankufrt. We’ve flown it multiple times from Newark to Frankfurt and indulged in the amazing Polaris lounge prior to takeoff. United flyings the 767 nonstop to Frankfurt from a few different cities and has plenty of premium space aboard these aircrafts. You can expect a 1-2-1 layout but still giving each seat its own aisle access but don’t count on much when it comes to United food.

Best Economy Class

There usually isn’t a major difference in economy class hard product but there may be items some airlines do better than others. However, on long haul routes to Frankfurt, airlines like Singapore, Lufthansa, and United offer Premium Economy, which is certainly a step above a standard seat. While many premium economy seats are similar, we especially like those offering comfortable seats and reasonable food to make us pick one over the other.

1. Singapore Airlines Premium Economy

Singapore Airlines has a great premium economy experience with each seating being in a 2-3-2 format and offering extra recline. What you really get in this part of the plane is a food service similar to business without the full bed. On the plus side the upgrade from economy to premium economy is only a few $100 and in our opinion is totally worth it for overnight flights to Frankfurt.

2. United 767 Premium Economy

United also started offering Premium Economy on many of their long haul aircraft and is very similar to Delta’s. The good about United is they make it much easier to upgrade into with either points, cash, or plus points. If you are booked in Economy you can expect to pay about 20,000 points to upgrade to this seat or 20 plus points. In our mind its worth it especially for a red eye to get a more comfortable seat to cross the pond.

3. Lufthansa Premium Economy

It’s not worth it to list Lufthansa’s existing premium economy but their new refreshed one will certainly make the cut. Lufthansa announced a retrofit a few years back upgrading all their cabins but has since seen delay after delay. We don’t know exactly when they will release this new aircraft and until then their existing premium economy is probably not worth as much as the others.

4. Singapore Airlines Economy

Singapore Airlines, once again, is a standout with the plane flying to Frankfurt looking to have the most comfortable economy class. The layout is a 2-3-2 while most others offer a 2-4-2 layout. Again this won’t make a major difference, especially if you are able to snag one of the 2 seat sections on any of the other airlines. We’ve taken this flight many times including from Singapore to Bali and reviewed it 4 stars on our platform. On a full flight you will still have plenty of space and certainly better food than all the other carriers.

Award Flights to Frankfurt

Airline miles and credit card points are some of the best way to get a cheap if not entirely free ticket to Frankfurt. If you are unfamiliar with this process read our guide on credit card points and miles.

The fastest way to get airline miles and also the biggest benefit to credit card points is the ability to transfer them to airline partners. If you are looking to increase your balance for a flight to Frankfurt see the latest offers in our guide to the best credit cards for every traveler.

There are multiple airline partners that fly to Frankfurt but not all are created equal. If you are planning a trip you will want to consider booking through:

• Air Canada Aeroplan: Booking options on Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, and United. Points can be transferred from Chase, American Express, and Capital One.
• United Airlines MileagePlus: Booking options on Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, and United. Points can be transferred from Chase.
• Singapore Airlines Kris Flyer: Booking options on Singapore Airlines. Points can be transferred from Chase, American Express, Capital One and Citi.

While there are many more programs that offer points bookings to Frankfurt, here is why we recommend the above programs and how to book a flight with them.

Air Canada Aeroplan to Frankfurt

Air Canada Aeroplan provides several options to Frankfurt including on the flag carrier Lufthansa. The program is one of our most recommended for travelers because of the great award rates and the sheer amount of options.

On a nonstop route from New York to Frankfurt, you can expect to pay the following rates: 35,000 in Economy, 60,000 in Business, 90,000 in First.

The booking process with Air Canada Aeroplan is straightforward as you can transfer points from most major credit cards including AMEX, Chase, Capital One, and Citi. The points from these programs usually transfer instantly but if you just created your Air Canada Aeroplan account you may experience a 1-2 day delay.

United Airlines MileagePlus to Frankfurt

United MileagePlus is a great program for redeeming flight awards and consistently has several options for travelers to choose from. The rates United charges are not the cheapest but certainly not the most expensive either.

On a nonstop route from New York to Frankfurt, you can expect to pay the following rates: 40,000 in Economy, 50,000 in Premium Economy, 80,000 in Business, 121,000 in First (Lufthansa). Note that United does charge slightly higher award rates for partners but extremely low taxes / fees.

The booking process with United Mileageplus is straightforward but you can only transfer points from Chase. The points from Chase claims to be 1-2 days but in our experience we’ve seen the points transfer instantly.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer to Frankfurt

Singapore Airlines offers the unique ability to book a one way flight from New York to Frankfurt on this route. It is also the only program where you can book Singapore Airlines first class, one of the best seats money can buy.

On a nonstop route from New York to Frankfurt, you can expect to pay the following rates: 40,000 in Economy, 81,000 in Business, 97,000 – 143,500 in First Class. Note Singapore Airlines is notorious for having many seats waitlisted and that requires you to have the points in your account but no guarantee you will clear the seat.

We’ve had a hard time finding partner awards on Singapore Airlines and also noticed their own availability to be good 1 – 2 weeks out or when they release availability.

Finding award availability to Frankfurt

As with any award flight booking, finding availability is the hardest part of the process. Given the popularity of this route there are usually a reasonable amount of award space open, especially in the last 2 weeks before a flight departs.

If you want an easier way to search for award availability – see our recommendations for the best points and miles tools that will make the process much easier.

Summary & Takeaways

Frankfurt as a travel destination is one popular with business travelers and plenty of visitors each and every year. While we usually always prefer to fly the flag carrier, in this case Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines easily takes first place in every cabin.

Given Frankfurt Airports popularity, you have plenty of options on this route and if you go premium certainly won’t be let down.