British Airways vs Lufthansa

British Airways and Lufthansa are the two largest airlines in Europe, and on most long-haul routes you can fly either one. British Airways flies from four London airports, Lufthansa from Frankfurt and Munich, and each of them reaches more than 200 destinations.

They sit in different alliances, though, and for most travelers that is what decides which one to book. Let’s look at how the two compare on the things that change your trip, so you can pick the one that fits yours.

Highlights: British Airways vs. Lufthansa

Here is where the two airlines differ most:

• Alliances — British Airways is a founding member of oneworld. Lufthansa is a founding member of Star Alliance, which is the larger of the two.
• Home airports — British Airways flies from Heathrow, Gatwick, London City, and Stansted. Lufthansa flies from Frankfurt and Munich.
• Loyalty — Avios in The British Airways Club, miles in Miles & More. Both now hand out their currency on what you spend rather than how far you fly, but they count status differently.
• Food on short European flights — British Airways gives every economy passenger a snack and water. Lufthansa gives chocolate and a bottle of water. Anything beyond that is paid on both.
• Outside opinion — Skytrax rates both four stars, and placed British Airways 13th and Lufthansa 15th in its 2025 World Airline Awards.

British Airways

Baggage

Every fare includes a handbag or laptop bag up to 40 x 30 x 15 cm and a cabin bag up to 56 x 45 x 25 cm. British Airways sets no weight limit on either, but you have to lift the cabin bag into the locker yourself. What you get in the hold depends on the cabin:

• Basic — no checked bag. This is the hand-baggage-only fare on selected Heathrow to Europe routes.
• Economy — 1 bag up to 23 kg
• Premium economy — 2 bags up to 23 kg each on most routes
• Business — 2 bags up to 32 kg each
• First — 3 bags up to 32 kg each

Food and Drink

On European flights, economy is the only cabin where you pay for your food. Water and a snack are free, and anything past that comes off the High Life Café menu, which you buy on board or order before you fly. Business, which British Airways calls Club Europe, has the meal included in the fare.

Long-haul is the other way around. Meals are included in every cabin, economy as well, and you get a starter, a main, and a dessert, plus a second meal on longer flights. In First you order from a Dine Anytime menu whenever it suits.

Loyalty: The British Airways Club

The Executive Club was renamed The British Airways Club on April 1, 2025. Members still collect Avios, which pay for flights, upgrades, and seats, and status still runs Blue, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. What changed is how you climb it. You earn one Tier Point for every pound of eligible spend, with extra points depending on the cabin, the fare, and how far you fly, so a short expensive ticket can count for more than a long cheap one.

Entertainment and Wi-Fi

Long-haul aircraft have seatback screens carrying the High Life library. Short-haul aircraft have none, so bring something of your own. Wi-Fi depends on the aircraft. British Airways began fitting Starlink in March 2026 and says it will be free in every cabin once the work is done, a job it puts at about two years. Aircraft that have not had it sell Wi-Fi by the hour.

Cabins

British Airways gives its cabins its own names, and they change between short-haul and long-haul.

European routes have two. Euro Traveller is economy: a seat, free water and a snack, and a menu you pay from. Club Europe is business, with the middle seat blocked, a meal included, lounge access, and priority boarding.

Long-haul has four. World Traveller is economy, with a seatback screen and free meals. World Traveller Plus is premium economy, with more legroom, a wider seat, and a second checked bag on most routes. Club World is business, and on most aircraft it is the Club Suite seat, which has a door and its own path to the aisle so you never climb over anyone. First is a private suite with a flat bed, and it is not on every plane. The A350-1000 has three cabins and no first class at all, so check the aircraft type before you book it.

Pros and Cons

Pros of British Airways:

• Four London airports to choose from, so you can easily pick based on price or nearest location
• 27 destinations in the United States
• A transatlantic joint business with American Airlines, Iberia, Finnair, and Aer Lingus, so one ticket can run across all of them and the Avios still land in your account
• Free Starlink Wi-Fi on the aircraft that have it

Cons:

• You pay for your food in economy on European flights, aside from the water and snack
• Short-haul aircraft have no screens
• Which Wi-Fi you get depends on which aircraft turns up

Flying either of them? RatePunk Flights watches fares out of your home airport and shows you the drops in the app and on your dashboard, with a weekly email rounding up the best of them.

Lufthansa

Baggage

Carry-on is one bag up to 8 kg and 55 x 40 x 23 cm, plus a personal item. Business and first get two cabin bags instead of one, and the cheapest European fare, Economy Basic, gets the personal item only. Checked allowance depends on the fare as much as the cabin:

• Economy Basic and Light — no checked bag, on European or intercontinental routes
• Economy — 1 bag up to 23 kg
• Premium economy — 2 bags up to 23 kg each, or 1 on a Light fare
• Business — 2 bags up to 32 kg each, or 1 on some fares
• First — 3 bags up to 32 kg each

Checked bags have a size limit as well as a weight limit: add up a bag’s length, width, and height, and the total has to come to 158 cm or less. Your ticket shows the allowance that applies to you, which can be more than the list above if you hold Miles & More status.

Food and Drink

On flights within Europe, economy passengers pay for their food. The menu is called Onboard Delights. You pay by card or by phone, since Lufthansa takes no cash onboard. A hot meal is sold only on flights over two hours, and it has to be ordered before you board. A chocolate and a bottle of water are free on any European flight of 35 minutes or more.

On long-haul flights, meals are included in economy as well. You get a drinks service and a three-course meal.

Loyalty: Miles & More

Award miles come from what you pay: four times the airfare, or six times if you hold status. Status is counted separately and by distance, in Points rather than miles: 650 a year for Frequent Traveller, 2,000 for Senator, and 6,000 for HON Circle, which counts only what you fly in business and first. At least half of those points have to come from flights on the group’s own airlines.

Entertainment and Wi-Fi

Lufthansa’s Wi-Fi is called FlyNet. Every long-haul aircraft has it, and so does most of the short-haul fleet. Text messages are free if you have a Miles & More or Lufthansa ID account, on apps like WhatsApp and iMessage. That connection is too slow for web pages or video, the connection that can support them costs extra: about $18 for two hours on a long-haul flight, or $27 for the whole flight.

Cabins

Lufthansa sells four cabins on long-haul routes, and all four are currently being redone.

Economy covers the basics: a seat, the entertainment system, and free meals on long-haul flights. Premium Economy adds legroom, a wider seat, and a second checked bag. Business adds a flat bed, lounge access, and priority boarding and baggage. First adds a private cabin, a personal escort through the airport, and a lounge with showers.

The rebuild is called Allegris. First class becomes a suite with a door and a bed for two, and business gets five different seat types on the same plane, so you can pick the one that suits the trip.

It is not on the whole fleet yet. As of May 2026 it was flying on 22 aircraft out of Frankfurt and Munich, so check the aircraft type before you book.

Pros and Cons

Pros of Lufthansa:

• Free chocolate and water on any European flight of 35 minutes or more
• Free text messages on board if you have a Miles & More or Lufthansa ID account
• Star Alliance, which has 26 airlines behind it and reaches more than 1,150 airports
• First class luxury most European airlines no longer sell at all

Cons:

• No single baggage rule to remember, since the allowance moves with the fare
• You pay for your food in economy on European flights, aside from the chocolate and water
• Allegris is still on a minority of the fleet, so the cabin you booked and the cabin you get can differ

Which One Should You Book?

Which one to book usually comes down to where you start and which alliance your miles sit in. British Airways gives you four London airports and a ticket that runs across American Airlines, Iberia, Finnair, and Aer Lingus. Lufthansa gives you two German hubs and the bigger alliance behind them, plus a first class that is worth the detour if you have the miles for it.

Onboard, the two are close enough that the cabin will not decide which one you book. Price and schedule will, and both change often enough to be worth checking on each airline.