Lufthansa downsizes presence at DIA – The Denver Post

Lufthansa Airlines is looking to reduce its office space at Denver International Airport and cut two ticket counters in response to limited and canceled flights due to the pandemic.

A contract amendment the airline seeks would relinquish two of its ticket counters and 1,736 square feet of office space. The airline currently leases eight ticket counters in Jeppesen Terminal as well as office and “support space” on Concourse A, DIA officials said.

Lufthansa flew once a day to Frankfurt and Munich prior to March 2020. Flights were halted by the pandemic and didn’t return until Oct. 25. At that point, U.S. visitors were barred from entering the country unless they could demonstrate an “urgent need” for their visit as defined by the German government, The Denver Post reported at the time.

By this July, the airline was up to five flights a week to the two cities, DIA officials said. But flights to Munich were reduced to three times a week this month.

Still, DIA officials said full service from Lufthansa could return by April.

“Lufthansa is scheduled to return to pre-COVID levels of operation at DEN in the spring of 2022, and we welcome the connectivity they will provide to Frankfurt and Munich, two of Europe’s most important hub airports,” said Alex Renteria, a spokeswoman for DIA.

Restrictions are still in place for entering Germany, but they have been significantly relaxed, according to the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Germany. European citizens will be allowed to travel for non-essential business as early as November to the U.S. if they are vaccinated.

Calls and emails to Lufthansa were not returned, but recent news releases from the company stated the German airline is seeing a significant rise in flights booked to the United States.

Lufthansa first began service to Denver in 2001.

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