Early this week we told you about Frankfurt International’s new runway, a 2,800-meter piece of pavement that significantly increases flight capacity at the planet’s ninth-busiest airport. Now the results of that expansion: new routes, and new flight frequencies. All this means more options for you – not just getting to the German metropolis, but in terms of connections to other destinations.

Now, FRA will be able to fling 715,000 seats per week to destinations far and wide, a 7.1 percent increase over previous figures.

We’ll focus on flights to and from North America, as well as onward connections. Remember, Frankfurt is Lufthansa’s prime hub, and the German flag carrier is a member of the globe-girdling Star Alliance. That means some interesting new connections via partner airlines. Here are some of the more notable developments:

• ANA launches nonstop Frankfurt flights to Tokyo Hamada Jan. 21, 2012. ANA is a Star Alliance member.
• Condor Airways intends to offer nonstop San Juan flights to Frankfurt this winter.
• Star Alliance player United will loft a pair of daily New York/Newark flights to Frankfurt beginning Jan. 3. The move makes for a total of eight daily nonstops between the Big Apple and Frankfurt
• Singapore Airlines, another Star Alliance member, replaces its Boeing 747-400 with a newer, larger A380 on its New York Kennedy flights to Frankfurt. The change clicks in Jan. 15, 2012.
• More A380 action? Lufthansa begins operating the super-jumbo on Frankfurt flights to Singapore in a couple of days, Oct. 30 to be precise.
• Looking for connect to southern Germany out of Frankfurt? Lufthansa will add six weekly Frankfurt flights to Munich. That means 96 weekly trips on the heavily-traveled route.

So, does Frankfurt’s extra flight capacity change your European travel plans?

Story by Jerry Chandler

(Image: Jurgen Stemper)