Flying back to the U.S. from Germany via Canada

You can. However, you will need extra time in Vancouver.

You will go through U.S. Immigration and Customs in Vancouver. It's a Pre-clearance airport. That means, when you arrive in Seattle, you just walk off the plane and get on your way.

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/preclearance

That is interesting. I thought I had read that Lufthansa had retired all of their 747 a couple of years ago. We used to have them out of Denver but not recently. I thought only freight haulers were still using 747. Good luck. It is a great airplane especially if you can ride on the second floor.

Thanks. I just didn't know if it was allowed to enter Canada with a U.S. Passport from another country other than the United States. I'm new to international travel and trying to plan my first trip. Yes, Lufthansa, as of 2023, is flying a total of 27 Boeing 747s to various destinations from Germany, including a few U.S. airports, plus Vancouver in B.C. (not sure if it flies to any others in Canada). I definitely want to see if I can get a seat on the upper deck!!

I just didn't know if it was allowed to enter Canada with a U.S. Passport from another country other than the United States.

FYI, if you can travel to a country with a US Passport from the US, you can travel to it from any other country.

It's the passport that allows you in and not where you departed

Yay! See...I just got my very first passport and haven't used it yet, so I'm glad for the answers I'm getting in this forum. (I'd tried a Google search previously but couldn't get a clear answer....) Thanks again!!

Just make sure it is a single ticket FRA-YVR-SEA, and the airline will take care of the timing.

Presumably this i what you are looking at?

13:20Frankfurt
Frankfurt International (FRA)
Terminal 1
14:20Vancouver
Vancouver International (YVR)
Terminal M
Flight duration 10 hours and 0 minutes
LH 492 operated by Lufthansa
BOEING 747-400
1 stop in Vancouver International
3h 05m
Duration 3 hours and 5 minutes
1h 2m
17:25Vancouver
Vancouver International (YVR)
Terminal M
18:27Seattle

The upper deck looks to be biz class only seats.
The upper deck is really nice.

I was at Frankfurt airport last summer and while I waited for my flight I watched a nearby gate board a 747. Until then I had also thought all 747s had been retired. Have a fun trip!

Thanks for the flight schedule! It will be very exciting to fly on a 747...since I never had the chance in the past. I'm glad they're back in the air. (Lufthansa did park a lot of aircraft, including 747s, at Frankfurt in 2020 when travel virtually shut down. But...demand came back...yay!)

British Airways used to fly a 747 on its morning flight from JFK to LHR. It was the only flight I took and I would only take it if I could get a seat in the upper deck.

Twenty business class seats, our own galley, two flight attendants, and two toilets. (People from "downstairs" would sometimes come up to use the upper deck toilets because there was never a queue. I once noticed Brooke Shields doing just that.)

They never sat kids up there so it was quiet and calm. I loved it.

And then the pandemic happened and the 747 disappeared on the route.

Shirley,
You might want to carefully look at this too.
It’s a bit confusing, but you want to do everything right for your big trip.

https://ircc.canada.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=420&top=16

If you have a US passport, I think that’s all you need.

If it's one booking, it isn't a problem. It's a transit.

Incidentally, I recently got rerouted through Canada (Toronto) on my way to the US from Europe. I hadn't planned to fly through Canada--that's just where Air France sent me after my first flight was delayed by four hours and I missed my connection in Paris. I had to clear immigration in Canada, and due to a medical on my flight, my connection ended up quite tight. When they asked how long I was staying in Canada, I simply said, "If I'm lucky only 45 minutes," and he just wished me good luck and I took off across the airport. I had no idea where my luggage was, but some nice lady at customs in Canada said it wasn't there. I made it to my terminal, where I had to pre-clear immigration to the US, with 20 minutes to departure, drenched in sweat, in tears, and at the end of a passport line at least 100 people deep. The lady in front of me asked if I was okay, heard my departure time, and yelled out for everyone to let me pass--and EVERYONE did. Showed my passport, yelled a thanks, ran to my gate, and boarded my US bound flight (which was promptly delayed by a birdstrike on the plane in front of us and the need to sweep the runway). My suitcase spent a night in Paris.

Anyway, my point is that when you travel, you often pass THROUGH countries that you aren't visiting. In Canada you may end up needing to clear immigration as many airports have a special deal with US travel, meaning you land in the domestic terminals in the US and vice versa. But if you have enough time, that isn't a problem--and when you book on one ticket, they will know that and book you with a "legal connection." That said, make sure YOU are comfortable with the connection time. A legal connection is one thing, a comfortable connection (especially for a less experienced traveler) is another thing entirely. And if you do get stuck, you can probably have some options for how to get back to Seattle, not all of which have to involve a flight.

So no big deal at all. You can enjoy that 747 and that extra "I've passed through Canada" to fully get use out of that new passport. Congrats and enjoy your big trip!

Also, Lufthansa names its planes for German cities or states, so be sure to look for the name of the plane painted on the fuselage. I think most of the 747s now are named for the Bundesländer (states). Generally the size of the aircraft corresponds with the size of the city. I think the A380s are named for international cities, though.

Thanks for sharing.... I can hardly wait to visit Frankfurt, but I'm hoping to enjoy the journey, too. I'll probably take as many photos of the airplane--especially that Boeing 747--as I take of scenes in Germany!

You may want to call your airline, as I believe you will need to recheck all bags in Canada for your next flight.
That might not be true for international transit, but I would call just so I am not caught with my checked bags being left behind in Canada.

In November of 2023, my wife and I flew from Frankfurt to San Francisco on a Lufthansa Boeing 747 in their premium economy cabin. It was a very pleasant flight. The aircraft was new, with updated entertainment and a luxurious cabin. Boeing stopped manufacturing the 747 recently (I think in the past year), but they will continue to be a part of the fleet for years to come.