October 31, 2026 — Lufthansa Group leisure carrier Discover Airlines will add 13 Airbus A350-900s, beginning with four aircraft transferred from Lufthansa from June 2027.
What happened
One Mile at a Time reports Discover will take the A350s in two steps: four used A350-900s from Lufthansa (originally built for Philippine Airlines) in 2027–2028, then nine new-build A350-900s from 2029 out of a larger Lufthansa Group order.
| Aircraft | Expected | First uses |
|---|---|---|
| A350 #1 (ex-Lufthansa) | June 2027 | Short-haul familiarisation, then Frankfurt–Calgary and Frankfurt–Orlando |
| A350 #2 | December 2027 | Adds San José (Costa Rica) and Belize City |
| A350 #3 and #4 | Summer 2028 | TBA |
| Nine new A350-900s | From 2029 | TBA |
Discover’s long-haul fleet today is 13 Airbus A330-300s, having just retired its A330-200s, and is expected to reach 20 aircraft by mid-2028. The ex-Lufthansa A350s are expected to keep their existing business class seats; the cabin for the new-build jets has not been revealed (TBA).
What it means for non-revs
- Nothing changes for 2026 travel. The extra widebodies from mid-2027 mean more long-haul seats out of Frankfurt on leisure routes such as Calgary and Orlando, which should help standby chances on those routes once they arrive.
- Lufthansa Group staff who use Discover for leisure trips should watch the 2027–2028 schedules for which routes get the bigger A350.
Sources
- One Mile at a Time: Discover Airlines Adding 13 Airbus A350s, Starting With Four Ex-Lufthansa Jets
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