Close to 10 months into her posting in the Grand Duchy, US Ambassador Stacey Feinberg says Luxembourg has lived up to the expectations she brought with her. Her first months have focused on building relationships, strengthening commercial ties, and securing a new daily air link with the United States.
As the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approaches, she is also reflecting on national unity, remembrance, and the values she hopes to promote through diplomacy.
When Feinberg arrived, she described Luxembourg as the "jewel of Europe". Almost ten months later, she has upgraded that assessment.
"It really is a jewel. It's a crown jewel of Europe", she said, praising the warmth, international outlook, and affinity for the United States she has encountered.
She also highlighted the embassy's close cooperation with Luxembourg's ministries, saying their ability to work together quickly had helped advance shared objectives.
Feinberg has adopted some local habits, including Luxembourg's customary three kisses on the cheek – left, right, left – although she remains "naturally a hugger".
She has also become accustomed to the country's close-knit character, comparing it to a "college campus" where news of a lunch meeting may travel before those involved have even returned home.
Her diplomatic approach draws heavily on her experience as a businesswoman: "I'm strategic in everything that I do."
Feinberg said her first task was to identify decision-makers and understand which people and institutions worked well together. She then sought to establish shared goals, identify obstacles, and build the trust needed for longer-term initiatives.
That process is central to her ambition of increasing American investment in Luxembourg while helping Luxembourg companies expand into the US market. The next phase, she said, will involve closer coordination with ministers and other partners rather than pursuing separate, potentially overlapping initiatives.
Supporting female entrepreneurs has been another personal priority. Feinberg has hosted breakfasts at the ambassador's residence, giving women in business an opportunity to exchange contacts, resources, frustrations, and advice. She said many female entrepreneurs she met had felt isolated and lacked a network of peers facing similar challenges.
Throughout her posting, Feinberg said she has sought to act as the "friendly face of America" and a translator of President Donald Trump's policies.
"Because I speak Trump, which isn't always easy to understand", Feinberg joked.
Consistency, she added, has been the foundation of her relationships in Luxembourg: she avoids making promises she cannot keep and places particular importance on trust and collaboration.
"My word is my bond", Feinberg reiterated after already underlining this approach in her first interview as US ambassador to Luxembourg.
One of Feinberg's most visible achievements is the planned United Airlines service between Luxembourg and Newark, due to begin on 2 April 2027.
The ambassador made a nonstop connection a priority after learning there was no direct passenger route between the two countries. Told repeatedly that securing one would be extremely difficult, she responded by approaching Luxembourg Airport, Minister Backes, Luxair, and a range of US and international airlines.
"I was told it was impossible. So, as an American, that makes me want to do it even more... and faster", Feinberg told RTL, describing the launch as a "snowball effect" that would facilitate future cooperation.
Most carriers rejected the idea, but United asked for a business plan demonstrating that the route could be profitable. Feinberg then consulted CEOs, law firms, government officials, and other members of Luxembourg's business community.
Surveys asked potential passengers how frequently they would use the connection and whether they were sensitive to ticket prices. "The only thing that's worth more to a business person than money is time", she said.
The case was not purely commercial. Feinberg also heard from people in Luxembourg who found it difficult to visit relatives across the United States, as well as Americans who wanted easier access to the Grand Duchy.
United ultimately committed to a daily service – an essential feature for Feinberg, who argued that travellers cannot organise their lives around one or two weekly flights. The route is expected to use new Airbus A321XLR aircraft fitted with 20 lie-flat seats, 12 premium-economy seats, and a "spectacular coach section that rivals what premium economy would be on any other airline".
Its long-term success will now depend on passengers, she said, issuing a blunt challenge to the business community: "You begged me for it, now book the flights!"
Feinberg also wants Luxembourg to join the US Global Entry programme, which allows pre-approved travellers to pass through immigration more quickly. She sees the flight as the first step in a broader effort to expand tourism, investment, and bilateral cooperation.
Asked about her next big goal, Feinberg only said "stay tuned", but teased that her attention is now turning to space, vowing to make Luxembourg City the "space capital of the EU".
For Feinberg, the attacks of 11 September 2001 remain intensely personal. She was accompanying her eldest son, Robbie, on his first day of kindergarten when another parent reported that a plane had struck the World Trade Center.
At first, the group assumed it was an accident. News of the second impact made clear that the United States was under attack.
With Manhattan locked down and communications disrupted, Feinberg remained at the school to help care for children whose parents could not return from the city. She remembers the fear of that day, but also the patriotism, bravery, and solidarity that followed.
"It brought the United States together in a way that we had never seen before, not in my lifetime", she said.
As a generation grows up without direct memories of the attacks, Feinberg believes the central lesson is that communities should not need a catastrophe to care for one another. People, she said, should strive to show that same solidarity in ordinary times.
"It is a shame that it takes something, a Black Swan event like that, a horrible event like that, to bring communities together", Feinberg reflected.
The US Embassy will mark the anniversary with a flag ceremony and a moment of silence to honour the 2,977 victims while also celebrating the first responders, civilians, and private individuals whose acts of courage and generosity embodied what Feinberg calls the "American spirit".
Despite today's political divisions, the ambassador remains optimistic. Americans may disagree, she said, but freedom of speech and the exchange of different ideas are fundamental.
The task is to listen and learn from one another instead of resorting to shouting or personal attacks – a principle she hopes will also strengthen the friendship between the United States and Luxembourg.
Another date associated with personal loss for the ambassador is 10 September 2025, as it marks the date when right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk – a close friend of Stacey Feinberg – was fatally shot while giving an open-air speech at Utah Valley University.
