Is Delta or Lufthansa better to Europe?

Lufthansa scores 8.8/10 against Delta at 7.5/10 on seat, screens, lounge and fare. On the four dimensions we can verify, Delta wins 1 and Lufthansa wins 1. Service and food are not scored here because they cannot be read off a spec sheet.

Which is cheaper, Delta or Lufthansa?

On the 98 routes where both were priced for the same week (November 8–14, 2026), Delta was cheaper on 18 and Lufthansa on 80. Every pair of fares is the same departure and return date in the same cabin, so the difference is the airline rather than the dates or the cabin.

Does the aircraft change the answer?

Yes. Delta scores 10/10 on the A350 / A330-900 (Delta One Suite) and 8/10 on the 767-300ER. Lufthansa scores 10/10 on the A350-900 / 787-9 (Allegris) and 5/10 on the 747-8 / A330-300 (legacy). Check the equipment on your date before deciding.

Has Jon flown either of these?

Both. Delta and Lufthansa are on the flown roster in business on a Europe route, so a full seven-dimension review of either can carry the Flown label.

Head to head

Delta vs Lufthansa

Lufthansa scores 8.8/10 against Delta at 7.5/10 on seat, screens, lounge and fare.

By Jon Miksis · cabin data verified August 30, 2026 · fares for travel November 8–14, 2026

Best product each one flies

Scored on what can be verified. Service, food and ground recovery are absent deliberately: they need someone in the seat, and they live in the reviews rather than here.

One caveat on the Value line, stated rather than buried: Value is computed from business fares, and a carrier with too few of them does not get a Value score at all. Where you see a dash, we have fewer than three priced business routes for that airline and did not want to invent a figure from one or two — so its product score is the mean of three dimensions rather than four, and it is not directly comparable to a score built on hundreds of fares. The airlines with the most fares behind them are named on the business-class ranking, and where each of these two sits among every carrier we price, on seat and on fare, is on The Best Airlines to Fly to Europe.

Delta

A350 / A330-900 (Delta One Suite) · flown by Jon

Seat: 10/10
IFE: 10/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 0/10
Product score: 7.5/10

Lufthansa

A350-900 / 787-9 (Allegris) · flown by Jon

Seat: 10/10
IFE: 8/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 7/10
Product score: 8.8/10

Where they actually differ

IFE: Delta
Screens, connectivity and power: 10/10 against 8/10.
Value: Lufthansa
Median premium over the cheapest carrier on the same route: 0/10 against 7/10.

Level on seat and lounge & bags

As almost every pair is. Of the 31 business cabins we have verified, 28 score 8 on screens and power and 29 score 10 on lounge and bags — because those two dimensions describe what a business fare includes rather than which airline sold it to you. Lounge access, two checked bags and a carry-on are close to the definition of the cabin.

The one genuine differentiator on screens is free wifi, and only Delta and JetBlue offer it. Seat and Value are where carriers separate, which is why they lead this page.

Where both were priced on the same dates

Every fare is November 8–14, 2026, so a difference between two rows is a difference between two airlines and nothing else. These are economy fares, while the cabin scores above describe the business product — read them as how each airline prices against its competitors, not as what its business seat costs.

Route	Cabin	Delta	Lufthansa	Cheaper
MIA → OPO	economy	$1292	$751	Lufthansa by $541
SFO → MAD	economy	$761	$812	Delta by $51
ATL → LIS	economy	$763	$831	Delta by $68
DTW → OPO	economy	$1222	$764	Lufthansa by $458
DEN → OPO	economy	$963	$764	Lufthansa by $199
ATL → OPO	economy	$1222	$764	Lufthansa by $458
DTW → BCN	economy	$901	$767	Lufthansa by $134
DTW → MXP	economy	$1236	$771	Lufthansa by $465
JFK → ATH	economy	$983	$778	Lufthansa by $205
AUS → DUB	economy	$1117	$778	Lufthansa by $339
AUS → OPO	economy	$778	$783	Delta by $5
SFO → LIS	economy	$806	$781	Lufthansa by $25
SEA → OPO	economy	$1028	$783	Lufthansa by $245
SFO → OPO	economy	$821	$784	Lufthansa by $37
AUS → BCN	economy	$1125	$786	Lufthansa by $339
DTW → ZRH	economy	$1247	$787	Lufthansa by $460
IAH → MAD	economy	$1165	$787	Lufthansa by $378
AUS → MAD	economy	$1126	$787	Lufthansa by $339
LAX → OPO	economy	$788	$859	Delta by $71
AUS → FCO	economy	$1141	$801	Lufthansa by $340
JFK → FRA	economy	$1112	$802	Lufthansa by $310
SEA → LIS	economy	$1036	$805	Lufthansa by $231
AUS → ZRH	economy	$1147	$806	Lufthansa by $341
SEA → DUB	economy	$813	$818	Delta by $5
DTW → LIS	economy	$1015	$821	Lufthansa by $194
DFW → AMS	economy	$827	$926	Delta by $99
IAH → DUB	economy	$1172	$841	Lufthansa by $331
IAD → CDG	economy	$1248	$847	Lufthansa by $401
AUS → CDG	economy	$1193	$849	Lufthansa by $344
DEN → MAD	economy	$1150	$852	Lufthansa by $298
DTW → ATH	economy	$858	$868	Delta by $10
DFW → MUC	economy	$1631	$872	Lufthansa by $759
AUS → MUC	economy	$1217	$872	Lufthansa by $345
LAX → ATH	economy	$915	$903	Lufthansa by $12
SEA → FCO	economy	$1036	$904	Lufthansa by $132
SFO → ATH	economy	$915	$904	Lufthansa by $11
AUS → ATH	economy	$920	$917	Lufthansa by $3
ATL → ATH	economy	$2010	$917	Lufthansa by $1093
DEN → AMS	economy	$1423	$920	Lufthansa by $503
AUS → LIS	economy	$1130	$922	Lufthansa by $208
DEN → LIS	economy	$1299	$936	Lufthansa by $363
SFO → FRA	economy	$943	$2038	Delta by $1095
IAH → AMS	economy	$1296	$950	Lufthansa by $346
MIA → EDI	economy	$972	$1491	Delta by $519
SEA → ATH	economy	$1235	$1004	Lufthansa by $231
AUS → FRA	economy	$1007	$1968	Delta by $961
DTW → EDI	economy	$1009	$1023	Delta by $14
DTW → DUB	economy	$1391	$1015	Lufthansa by $376
AUS → EDI	economy	$1144	$1023	Lufthansa by $121
ATL → BCN	economy	$1168	$1023	Lufthansa by $145
AUS → AMS	economy	$1296	$1043	Lufthansa by $253
DTW → FRA	economy	$1627	$1076	Lufthansa by $551
ATL → FRA	economy	$1622	$1076	Lufthansa by $546
IAH → BCN	economy	$1265	$1080	Lufthansa by $185
MIA → CDG	economy	$1262	$1263	Delta by $1
DEN → CDG	economy	$1328	$1319	Lufthansa by $9
ATL → OPO	business	$6549	$3914	Lufthansa by $2635
ATL → DUB	business	$12530	$4307	Lufthansa by $8223
JFK → FRA	business	$4626	$5458	Delta by $832
LAX → FCO	business	$7238	$4808	Lufthansa by $2430
DTW → MAD	business	$10443	$4887	Lufthansa by $5556
SFO → LIS	business	$5619	$5038	Lufthansa by $581
ATL → BCN	business	$12657	$5326	Lufthansa by $7331
ATL → MAD	business	$12635	$5327	Lufthansa by $7308
DTW → LIS	business	$6569	$5385	Lufthansa by $1184
DTW → AMS	business	$12501	$5391	Lufthansa by $7110
DTW → ATH	business	$5972	$5444	Lufthansa by $528
ATL → ATH	business	$11852	$5444	Lufthansa by $6408
DTW → EDI	business	$6331	$5662	Lufthansa by $669
SEA → EDI	business	$6331	$5662	Lufthansa by $669
DTW → FRA	business	$12344	$5726	Lufthansa by $6618
ATL → FRA	business	$12440	$5726	Lufthansa by $6714
DFW → MUC	business	$13259	$5829	Lufthansa by $7430
SEA → OPO	business	$6499	$5923	Lufthansa by $576
DEN → MAD	business	$10830	$5996	Lufthansa by $4834
IAH → BCN	business	$7767	$6034	Lufthansa by $1733
DEN → AMS	business	$10395	$6060	Lufthansa by $4335
SEA → AMS	business	$12451	$6077	Lufthansa by $6374
AUS → MUC	business	$17510	$6118	Lufthansa by $11392
AUS → OPO	business	$7954	$6136	Lufthansa by $1818
DEN → OPO	business	$7369	$6153	Lufthansa by $1216
SFO → OPO	business	$8230	$6164	Lufthansa by $2066
SEA → LIS	business	$6782	$6230	Lufthansa by $552
LAX → ATH	business	$8358	$6259	Lufthansa by $2099
DFW → AMS	business	$12845	$6517	Lufthansa by $6328
DFW → EDI	business	$10611	$6524	Lufthansa by $4087
AUS → DUB	business	$10125	$6529	Lufthansa by $3596
DEN → LIS	business	$11046	$6790	Lufthansa by $4256
DFW → LIS	business	$11746	$6813	Lufthansa by $4933
IAH → MAD	business	$10830	$6826	Lufthansa by $4004
SEA → DUB	business	$7033	$7079	Delta by $46
IAD → EDI	business	$7733	$7211	Lufthansa by $522
MIA → EDI	business	$7239	$11231	Delta by $3992
ORD → OPO	business	$10033	$7424	Lufthansa by $2609
IAH → EDI	business	$7726	$10631	Delta by $2905
SFO → FCO	business	$8756	$8775	Delta by $19
AUS → ATH	business	$10553	$9100	Lufthansa by $1453
JFK → ATH	business	$10448	$10461	Delta by $13

What happens if the aircraft swaps

Both carriers are paying-the-same-fare-either-way propositions on some frames. The worst product each one flies:

Delta

767-300ER · flown by Jon

Seat: 8/10
IFE: 10/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 0/10
Product score: 7/10

Lufthansa

747-8 / A330-300 (legacy) · flown by Jon

Seat: 5/10
IFE: 8/10
Lounge & bags: 10/10
Value: 7/10
Product score: 7.5/10

Delta: Same 1-2-1 lie-flat, no privacy door.

Lufthansa: The cabin Allegris is replacing. Still widely flown on US routes into late 2026.

Common questions

Is Delta or Lufthansa better to Europe?: Lufthansa scores 8.8/10 against Delta at 7.5/10 on seat, screens, lounge and fare. On the four dimensions we can verify, Delta wins 1 and Lufthansa wins 1. Service and food are not scored here because they cannot be read off a spec sheet.
Which is cheaper, Delta or Lufthansa?: On the 98 routes where both were priced for the same week (November 8–14, 2026), Delta was cheaper on 18 and Lufthansa on 80. Every pair of fares is the same departure and return date in the same cabin, so the difference is the airline rather than the dates or the cabin.
Does the aircraft change the answer?: Yes. Delta scores 10/10 on the A350 / A330-900 (Delta One Suite) and 8/10 on the 767-300ER. Lufthansa scores 10/10 on the A350-900 / 787-9 (Allegris) and 5/10 on the 747-8 / A330-300 (legacy). Check the equipment on your date before deciding.
Has Jon flown either of these?: Both. Delta and Lufthansa are on the flown roster in business on a Europe route, so a full seven-dimension review of either can carry the Flown label.

Deal alerts on Delta and Lufthansa

Delta or Lufthansa, whichever drops first

Delta carried a $278 median premium in our grid and Lufthansa $50; the cheaper of the two changes route by route, and neither is cheapest every week. An alert from your airport catches whichever falls under the field, which is a better bet than picking one airline in advance.

I have used Going for six years, and it is how I hear about a fare below the floor before it is gone.

Go Elite for business-class deals Or start on the free plan

Alerts from your home airport on the free plan, no credit card. Premium adds mistake fares and delivers every deal first, with a 14-day free trial; code JON25 takes 25% off. Elite is the tier with business and first class deals.

Affiliate links. We earn a commission if you sign up, at no cost to you. How we handle this. Offer terms as confirmed on 2026-09-04.

Join the Club, free

One email a week: the Europe fares worth acting on, the new transatlantic routes, and first look at the tools. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.