ST. LOUIS—Almost two years after they hatched the idea of taking a German tour, members of the Whitener family, from Jefferson City, arrived at St. Louis Lambert International Airport Wednesday to board Lufthansa flight 449, unaware that they were about to be part of what civic leaders hope is a significant step forward for the region.
“We saw the balloons and they said today’s our inaugural flight...We’ve had to lay over in lots of different places in the United States to be able to get an international flight out so now to have the opportunity two hours from home, knowing we can get a direct flight is just going to make it so much easier for us,” Emily Whitener told Spectrum News. Moments earlier, a ribbon-cutting featuring local dignitaries in Terminal 2 marked the first direct flight from St. Louis to mainland Europe in nearly 20 years.
Passengers on the first inbound flight were just as surprised as the Whiteners were to what was going on around them as they arrived, greeted first by water cannons on the tarmac.
Once inside, some of the arriving passengers had emotional reunions with family and friends, and were treated to a blues band named "Fresh Start". They also received goodie bags featuring St. Louis products and attractions.
Late last year, Lufthansa announced plans to bring three flights per week to St. Louis, the result of a public-private partnership that will net the airline $5 million in incentives if it meets performance benchmarks.
Dozens of St. Louis area civic leaders are joining the Whiteners on the trip to Frankfurt, where representatives from Explore St. Louis, Greater St. Louis, Inc., the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Bank of America, Bayer and others will meet with business leaders and the travel trade press gathered in Frankfurt to tell the St. Louis story. St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones called the flight a "major step in the right direction for economic development," saying "St. Louis is ready to seize a higher profile on the international stage."
People aren’t the only passengers on the flight. The plane is also carrying 50,000 pounds of air cargo.
“You can’t move cargo through video,” Jason Hall, CEO of Greater St. Louis, Inc. said in an interview, acknowledging that the pandemic has changed personal travel plans for some in an era where business functions online. He called the ability to get St. Louis goods into Europe and beyond “hugely important to our manufacturing and product community here as well.”
Airport Director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge credits Bayer, which calls Creve Coeur home to its Crop Sciences division, for helping push the deal over the edge, citing the need for executives to travel between the U.S. and Germany. She hopes that the relationship helps grow the interest in more flights and eventually daily service. Dublin and South America are other international markets worthy of pursuit, she said.
The high-powered delegation returns June 5, while the Whiteners will stay until June 8. The family plans for another overseas vacation next year.
“We’ve already got a trip planned for next summer where we want to go to Europe next summer and how easy is it going to be to know that we can leave right out of St. Louis,” Whitener said.
