Charlotte New U.S. Gateway for Lufthansa; Daily Service Between Munich and Charlotte Will Begin in Late March 2004.

Business Editors/Travel Writers

CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 2003

Extending its North American service to another new U.S. gateway, Lufthansa today announced daily flights between Charlotte, North Carolina and the airline's new hub in Munich, Germany. The new flight will begin on March 26, 2004 and will be flown with an Airbus A340 aircraft.

To celebrate the new service, Lufthansa also announced today a special introductory fare of $199 roundtrip between Charlotte and Munich.* "Since Lufthansa's new Terminal 2 at Munich Airport is one of the most modern and efficient connections in the world, many passengers might consider taking the new Charlotte flight to one of many popular European destinations beyond Munich. For those passengers, Lufthansa also has a special fare of $239,*" said Thomas Winkelmann, VP - The Americas for Lufthansa, who announced the service at a press conference in Charlotte.

Winkelmann noted that Charlotte, the "Queen City," is a national leader in high-tech employment. "Business travel is crucial to the success of all our flights and we think Charlotte has significant potential," said Winkelmann. Private-sector, high-tech firms in North Carolina employ more than 112,000 people, placing the state 14th nationwide in high-tech employment. Charlotte ranks first among the nation's cities in terms of growth in international firms. The 15-county Charlotte region is home to 617 foreign-owned firms, representing 83% of the foreign-owned firms in North Carolina.

"We are pleased that Lufthansa has decided to launch service from Munich to Charlotte, where US Airways operates our largest hub, providing connecting service to 111 cities," said Bruce Ashby, US Airways Senior Vice President of Alliances. "As we continue to grow our network of alliance partners, our customers are being given more options, and our partner airlines benefit from our strong presence along the East Coast."

For Lufthansa, the Carolinas - located in the heart of the American southeast - is also one of the most attractive areas of North America in terms of its scenery, and has corresponding tourism potential for vacationers from Germany and the whole of Europe.

With the 2003 opening of the new Terminal 2, Munich Airport continues to expand its role as an attractive gateway to Germany, Europe and beyond. As of the summer 2004 schedule, Lufthansa will offer some 1,900 flights per week from Munich, including service to 48 European and 15 German cities.

The Lufthansa flight to Charlotte, with the flight number LH 428, will operate daily from March 26, 2004 with an Airbus A340-300, equipped with 266 seats in Business and Economy classes. It will depart from Munich at 11:10 a.m. local time and arrive in Charlotte at 3:00 p.m. local time. The return flight, with flight number LH 429, will depart from Charlotte at 5:10 p.m. and arrive nine hours later, at 8:00 a.m. the next morning in Munich. Passengers on these flights will be among the first in the world to experience Lufthansa's new international Business Class service, featuring the world's most advanced flat-bed seat, inflight entertainment system and Lufthansa's pioneering on-board Internet service, FlyNet.

From its Frankfurt and Munich hubs, Lufthansa provides one of the most extensive global networks of any major airline, serving 330 destinations in nearly 90 countries worldwide. Lufthansa is also a founding member of the Star Alliance, which consists of 15 global airlines that serve nearly 700 airports in 128 countries with 11,000 daily flights - the world's leading network. Every eight seconds a Star Alliance aircraft takes off somewhere in the world, and over the course of a year, more than 300 million Star Alliance passengers will be transported.

* Introductory Fare Information: The roundtrip fare from Charlotte to Munich of $199, and the roundtrip fare to continental Europe destinations of $239, can be booked through Monday, December 15. In all cases, travel must commence by May 24, requires a Saturday night stay but no more than 30 days, and is subject to other restrictions and conditions. Please call Lufthansa reservations for full information at 1-800-645-3880.