Time to grab your dirndls and lederhosen! Lufthansa has announced the launch of 11 special flights from London Stansted to Munich International Airport for passengers planning to visit Oktoberfest, the world-famous Bavarian folk festival. Those eager to visit the festival are being encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment.
Lufthansa Launches Exclusive London–Munich Flights For Oktoberfest 2023 – Los geht’s!
Germany’s flag carrier Lufthansa has announced the launch of exclusive flights for passengers hoping to visit the country’s famous annual folk festival, Oktoberfest, and get a taste of all things Bavarian.
The 188th Oktoberfest will run from 16th September to 3rd October, and visitors (or, perhaps more suitably, revellers) will have the chance to enjoy delicious local cuisine, listen to live music and, of course, lift a beer stein or two.
To help get travellers on their way, Lufthansa will operate 11 special flights between London Stansted Airport (STN) and Munich International Airport (MUC) from 15th September to 1st October, with fares starting from £124 return.
The outbound and return legs of the special route will run as evening flights and will take roughly two hours. The planned flight schedule will commence as follows:
- Outbound (LH2495): Departing STN at 19:55 and arriving at MUC at 22:45
- Return (LH 2494): Departing MUC at 18:05 and arriving at STN at 19:05
Demand for the special series of flights is expected to be high, with London Stansted’s Aviation Director, Simon Gorrighan, advising passengers to book early to avoid disappointment.
On the launch of the exclusive flights, Heinrich Lange, Senior Director Sales Northern Europe Lufthansa Airlines, said:
“Oktoberfest in Munich enjoys popularity worldwide, especially in Great Britain. Visitors from the United Kingdom are among the top nationalities at this festival“.
“Lufthansa is responding to this local demand by offering special non-stop flights to reach the Bavarian capital quickly and easily“.
“The departure from London Stansted is particularly interesting for all Oktoberfest fans travelling from the East of England and North London”.
Oktoberfest – The World’s Most Famous Folk Festival
Oktoberfest finds its origins in the year 1810 when citizens of the city of Munich were invited to take part in festivities to mark the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
The festival, known locally as d’Wiesn, is held annually in Bavaria’s state capital and holds the titles of being the world’s biggest folk festival and the world’s oldest beer festival. More than six million national and international visitors take part in the festivities every year, and comparable volumes of beer are also consumed. At this year’s festival, the average price of a litre of beer will top a whopping €12.60 to €14.90.
The festival last for around two weeks from mid- to late-September to around the first Sunday in October, and visitors are given the chance to drink Germany’s world-famous beer, indulge in traditional Bavarian delicacies and enjoy exciting attractions, including amusement rides and stalls, live music and dance performances.
Most visitors opt for traditional apparel including lederhosen, dirndls and eye-catching Tyrolean hats bedecked with pins and/or “brush” (known as gamsbart), a decorative tuft of hair made from the fur of a chamois.
The final date of this year’s festival, 3rd October, coincides with the Day of German Reunification (Tag der Deutschen Einheit), a public holiday that commemorates the day on which East Germany was reunified with West Germany in 1990, following the fall of the Berlin Wall two years earlier.
Celebrating Oktoberfest In Style
Whilst Lufthansa is gearing up to take passengers to and from this year’s Oktoberfest festivities, another prominent flag carrier celebrated last year’s folk festival direct on board by offering passengers a unique gastronomic experience.
In September 2022, Emirates launched an exclusive Oktoberfest-themed menu comprising traditional Bavarian delicacies for passengers travelling to Germany’s major cities including Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich.
The exclusive menu, available on board and additionally in airport lounges, comprised Käsespätzle (egg noodles topped with hot cheese and onions) and potato salad, Obatzda (Bavarian cheese spread) with pretzels, Weißwurst (traditional Bavarian sausage) served with sweet mustard and many other mouth-watering dishes.
Have you ever flown to Munich to celebrate Oktoberfest? Will you be booking any of Lufthansa’s flights for Oktoberfest 2023? Let us know in the comments!
