Category Archives: Lufthansa

German team takes off for the World Cup in Russia with the Fanhansa “Mannschaftsflieger”

Lufthansa has made this announcement:

The German National team took off for the World Cup aboard Lufthansa special flight LH2018 on June 12.The “Mannschaftsflieger”, which is christened with the city name “Lindau”, took off from Frankfurt Airport at 1 p.m. heading for the World Cup in Russia. On board were 122 passengers and nine crew members, including the national players, trainers and team coaches. The flight time from Frankfurt (FRA) to Vnukovo Airport (VKO), some 2,000 kilometres away, is three hours and five minutes.

Lufthansa Technik was responsible for attaching the “Mannschatsflieger” livery on the Airbus A321 with the identification D-AISQ (above and below) for this special occasion. In addition, the, well-known Fanhansa logo from the World Cup in 2014 is also on the fuselage of the aircraft. The welcome panels next to the first two doors on the left side are signed by the players of the German National team. Spiriant, a LSG subsidiary has embroidered the headrest of the seats with the names of the players, which will remain on board during the duration of the World Cup. So those who fly with the “Sierra Quebec” in the coming weeks will have the chance to sit in the seats of players like Neuer, Hummels, Kroos, Müller und Co.

Above Copyright Photo: Lufthansa – Fanhansa Airbus A321-231 D-AISQ (msn 3936) FRA (Bernhard Ross). Image: 942398.

Culinary delights include meals and snacks specially prepared to meet the athletes’ dietary preferences. For this flight, LSG Sky Chefs, the catering specialist of the Lufthansa Group, created a four-course menu especially for the German Team: Spiced salmon topped with Frankfurt’s “7 herb pesto”, celery salad and Oyster mushrooms awaits the team as an appetizer. For the main course, they can choose between a Poulard breast with grilled vegetables, a cod fillet with curry-mustard crust or an Asian, vegetarian vegetable curry with basmati rice. Finally, a selection of cheese and white chocolate mousse with mango puree will be served. As healthy snack alternatives, cranberry almond, cocoa or vanilla bars will be available on this flight.

Lufthansa Group offers additional flights to Russia for the World Cup
The Lufthansa Group is offering 85 additional flights to and from Russia for the World Cup. This means that football fans have 18,000 more seats than usual to travel to the tournament and support their team. Lufthansa is increasing its range of flights from Frankfurt from four to up to six, in Munich from two to up to four daily connections to Moscow (Domodedovo). Between Frankfurt and Moscow, an Airbus A330 will also operate once a day except Fridays from June 1 to July 31.

Follow the World Cup on board of Lufthansa
During the tournament, passengers on Lufthansa long-haul flights will be able to watch World Cup matches via the live TV channels on the screen in their seats as well as on their personal device (via FlyNet connection).

Photo: Lufthansa.

Lufthansa’s Airbus A340-313 D-AIFA is damaged at FRA

Lufthansa Airbus A340-313 D-AIFA was being repositioned at the Frankfort hub on June 11 by a tug when a fire broke out in the tug. The airliner is probably damaged beyond economic repair and will probably be an insurance write off. It is not expected to fly again.

Twitter report and photo:

Video:

Lufthansa receives 10th Airbus A350-900: The eye catcher at the Family & Music Days at Munich Airport

Lufthansa is expecting the arrival of its tenth Airbus A350-900 today, June 4, 2018. The aircraft bearing the registration D-AIXJ is named after the town of Erfurt, and is expected to land at its future home base in Munich around noon. A few days later, the A350-900 featuring the new Lufthansa livery will be one of the main attractions at the Family & Music Days at Munich Airport: On the 9th and 10th of June, the world’s most modern long-haul aircraft can be experienced close up. Aircraft fans should not miss the opportunity on Saturday, the 9th of June, when all visitors – young and old – can view the multi-award-winning cabin. The aircraft is open for viewing between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on that day only.

The Lufthansa A350-900 is the world’s first passenger aircraft to model its cabin light on the course of daylight. The extraordinarily lighting concept, which makes travel even more relaxed and comfortable, recently received the award of the German Lighting Design Prize 2018. This is the second time the Lufthansa A350-900 has won an outstanding award: Prior to that, the Lufthansa A350 Economy Class received the German Design Award 2018 in the category “Excellent product design”.

The A350-900 is the most modern and environmentally friendly long-haul aircraft in the world. It consumes 25 percent less jet fuel, generates 25 percent less emissions and is significantly quieter on take-off and landing than comparable aircraft types. The first of 15 aircraft entered service from its Munich base in February last year. The A350-900 can seat 293 passengers: 48 in Business Class, 21 in Premium Economy Class and 224 in Economy Class.

Photo: Lufthansa.

Lufthansa Group airlines introduce new economy “Light” fare on North American routes

As of summer 2018, Lufthansa Group passengers will be able to book a so-called Economy “Light” fare on routes to North America served by Lufthansa, Swiss, Brussels Airlines and Austrian Airlines.

As the basic rate, the new fare is the least expensive option for price-conscious passengers only travelling with carry-on luggage and who do not require any ticket flexibility. For an additional fee, passengers will be allowed to add one piece of luggage or request a seat reservation on an individual basis. Meals and drinks will continue to be served to passengers on board free of charge.

Lufthansa has been testing a Light fare since October 2017 on selected routes between Scandinavia and North America. Passengers can buy a basic rate with carry-on luggage on flights between Sweden, Denmark, Norway and selected North American destinations.

In 2015, the Lufthansa Group Airlines introduced a Light fare on their European routes. The various air fare options mainly differ with respect to the free baggage allowance, seat reservations as well as the possibilities to cancel or rebook flights. Standard features of all fares include the flight, carry-on luggage weighing up to 8 kg, a snack and drinks on board, a fixed seat assignment at check-in as well as bonus and status miles.

Lufthansa aircraft slide show:

Lufthansa Group presents new seats for its Airbus A320 Family aircraft

Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines introduce standarized seats for the first time across airlines
Innovative slim backrest and full foam seat cushions ensure a comfortable travel experience
Italian manufacturer Geven to supply seats for all Airbus A320 Family aircraft to be delivered starting in 2019

Lufthansa version:

With the start of the planned Airbus A320 Family aircraft deliveries starting in 2019, Lufthansa Group customers will be offered new seats on short- and medium-haul routes.

The new, ergonomic pressure distribution and fully-structured seat upholstery will allow customers to have an ever more comfortable feeling on board. The newly, innovated literature pocket has been horizontally designed, leaving a slimmer backrest, which allows guests to enjoy more personal freedom. In addition, travel becomes more comfortable not only during the flight, but also while the aircraft is taxiing, during take-off and landing: Previously, guests were seated at a 12 degree inclination during the three phases mentioned above, whereas now they will be able to rest comfortably with their backrest at 20 degrees during the whole flight. Business Class guests can also set the backrest to 26 degrees during cruising altitude. Paul Estoppey, Head of Product Cabin Lufthansa Group Hub Airlines says: “A lot of customer feedback went into designing the seat and we are pleased to have already received a lot of positive feedback on the implemented features over the course of the project.”

Swiss version:

For the first time, the network airlines Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines are jointly introducing standardized seats for a harmonised, comfortable travel experience. In addition to the advantages for customers, the focus of development was also aimed at reducing weight and maintenance costs. After several preliminary talks, customer tests and quality audits, the Italian manufacturer Geven clearly won the contract for the production of the seats.

Austrian version:

“Geven has an excellent reputation in the industry, which we can fully confirm,” Estoppey emphasizes. “The cooperation has been excellent from day one and we, as the Lufthansa Group, have always benefited from Geven’s great expertise and creative support for the further development of the seat.”

Lufthansa Group Airlines standardize A320 fleet

The Airbus A320 of the Lufthansa Group is to be configured and standardized moving forward in such a way that aircraft can be converted with little effort within a short time should the aircraft be transferred between the airlines of the Lufthansa Group. This will enable the Lufthansa Group to react more quickly and flexibly to current developments and easily and efficiently move around aircraft and capacity across the airlines and hubs of the Group. Costs for conversion and downtime can also be significantly reduced. In addition, the standardization will result in further synergies in the procurement of aircraft and components. The airline brands are protected by a different brand image.

Above Copyright Photo (all others by Lufthansa): Lufthansa Airbus A320-214 WL D-AIZY (msn 5769) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 941880.

Lufthansa aircraft slide show:

Lufthansa increases sleeping comfort in Business Class

Lufthansa made this announcement:

From now on, Lufthansa Business Class passengers on long-haul flights to and from South Africa, Latin and South America and the West Coast of the USA can enjoy an even more relaxed night’s sleep. The Lufthansa Dream Collection makes it possible! In addition to a new pillowcase and a large, warm blanket, a comfortable mattress topper makes for beautiful dreams. In addition, our passengers can make themselves comfortable on night flights with the new sleep shirt from Van Laack.

The soft and padded mattress topper was developed especially for Lufthansa in cooperation with the renowned German bed manufacturer “Paradies”. While the upper side is made of 100 percent cotton, the underside is made of non-slip terry cloth. This enables an ideal air exchange, which prevents strong heat accumulation. A similarly soft filling is provided by the new blanket and pillow, which provide pleasant warmth and comfort. Both the blanket and the pillowcase are designed in Lufthansa’s new brand design. Since Lufthansa is also setting standards in terms of environmental friendliness, the plastic packaging of the blanket was replaced by a paper banderole.

The increase in sleeping comfort in Business Class is symbolic of Lufthansa’s premium standard. Last December, the airline was the first western airline to receive the five-star seal from Skytrax, the British management consultancy specialized in aviation.

The Dream Collection will be successively introduced on all other long-haul flights. From June the Dream Collection from Germany will also be available on selected Asian flights. The other long-haul flights will receive the new blankets and pillowcases from autumn 2018.

Photos: Lufthansa.

Lufthansa Group airlines welcomed around 12.2 million passengers on board in April 2018

In April 2018, the airlines of the Lufthansa Group welcomed around 12.2 million passengers. This shows an increase of 9.1% compared to the previous year’s month, although last year’s German Easter holidays fell in April. The available seat kilometers were up 7.4% over the previous year, at the same time, sales increased by six percent. The seat load factor decreased by 1.1 percentage points compared to April 2017 to 81.2%. In the first four months of 2018, the Group continues to record levels of capacity, capacity utilization and passenger numbers.

The currency-adjusted sales environment developed positively in April compared to the previous year.

Cargo capacity increased 6.9% year-on-year, while cargo sales were up 3.4% in revenue tonne-kilometer terms. As a result, the Cargo load factor showed a corresponding reduction, decreasing 2.3 percentage points in the month to 67.2%.

Above Copyright Photo: Lufthansa tweets the shade of blue for the new livery. Lufthansa Boeing 747-430 D-ABVM (msn 29101) DUB (Greenwing). Image: 941854.

Network Airlines
The Network Airlines Lufthansa German Airlines, Swiss and Austrian Airlines carried 8.9 million passengers in April, 6.1% more than in the prior-year period. Compared to the previous year, the available seat kilometers increased by 5.4% in April. The sales volume was up 3.8% over the same period, decreasing seat load factor by 1.2 percentage points to 81.2%.

Lufthansa German Airlines transported 5.9 million passengers in April, a 4.7% increase compared to the same month last year. A 3.8% increase in seat kilometers in April corresponds to a 1.7% increase in sales. Furthermore, the seat load factor was 80.7%, therefore 1.7 percentage points below the prior-year’s level.

Above Copyright Photo: Eurowings Airbus A320-214 WL D-AIZR (msn 5525) (BVB 09 – Mannschaftsairbus) LHR (SPA). Image: 941520.

Eurowings Group
The Eurowings Group with the airlines Eurowings (including Germanwings) and Brussels Airlines carried around 3.3 million passengers in April. Among this total, three million passengers were on short-haul flights and 250,000 flew long-haul. This amounts to an increase of 18.3% in comparison to the previous year. April capacity was 17.9% above its prior-year level, while its sales volume was up 17.0%, resulting in a decreased seat load factor by 0.7 percentage points of 81.2%.

On short-haul services the Airlines raised capacity 20.9% and increased sales volume by 20.3%, resulting in a 0.4 percentage points decrease in seat load factor of 80.3%, compared to April 2017. The seat load factor for the long-haul services decreased by 0.9 percentage points to 83.2% during the same period, following a 12.0% increase in capacity and a 10.8% rise in sales volume, compared to the previous year.

Lufthansa Group to offer 85 additional flights to Russia for the World Cup

Increase in daily flights to Moscow: departing up to six times a day from Frankfurt and up to four daily departures from Munich
Additional daily flight between Frankfurt and Moscow, from 1 June until 31 July served with Airbus A330
Lufthansa to fly the German national team to the World Cup on June 12

The Lufthansa Group is offering 85 additional flights to Russia on occasion of the 2018 World Cup. This means that football fans have up to 18,000 additional seats than usual to travel to the tournament and support their teams.

Lufthansa will be increasing its offering to Moscow (Domodedovo), namely flights from Frankfurt will be increased from four to up to six times a day, and from Munich from two daily flights to up to four flights a day.

Starting June 1 until July 31, an Airbus A330, with flight numbers LH1440 and LH1441 will be operating between Frankfurt and Moscow once a day, except on Fridays. Depending on the aircraft configuration, passengers will have up to 255 seats to choose from, including 42 Business Class seats for more comfort. Furthermore, passengers will have a great in-flight entertainment program to choose from: more than 160 feature films, over 250 TV options, more than 200 music albums and highlights from the world of football to get in the mood for the tournament. During the flight you can even watch live World Cup matches broadcasted via the Live TV Channels on your in-seat screen and via your personal electronic device (via FlyNet connection).

As a partner of the German Football Association (DFB), Lufthansa will by flying the German national team from Frankfurt to Moscow Vnukovo Airport on 12 June.

Photo: Lufthansa.

Lufthansa cancels more than 800 flights today due to Verdi strike

The Verdi trade union called for a strike at Frankfurt, Munich, Cologne and Bremen airports on Tuesday, April 10, 2018. The ground handling services, the support services and also part of the airport fire brigade will be on strike between 5:00h and 18:00h. Due to this Verdi strike, Lufthansa is canceling 800 out of the 1,600 scheduled flights, including 58 long-haul flights on April 10. The cancellations will affect about 90,000 passengers. Flight operations are scheduled to resume normal services on Wednesday, April 11, 2018.

On inner-German routes, passengers can use the train, regardless of whether their flight has been cancelled. To do so, passengers can convert their ticket into a Deutsche Bahn ticket at “My Bookings” on Lufthansa.com. It is not necessary to travel to the airport.

The airline continued;

Lufthansa cannot comprehend Verdi’s threat to carry out such a massive strike. “It is completely unacceptable for the union to impose this conflict on uninvolved passengers. Lufthansa is not a part of this collective bargaining conflict, but unfortunately our customers and our company are being affected by the consequences of this dispute,” says Bettina Volkens, Member of the Executive Board for Human Resources and Legal Affairs of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

The nature and extent of the widespread and full-day strike is inappropriate and unreasonable at this time. Strikes must be the last resort in a wage dispute. “Politicians and legislators must define clear rules for strikes and industrial actions,” demands Volkens. “We regret that the travel plans of so many customers are being affected by this Verdi strike and we are working on minimizing the impact as much as possible”.

Lufthansa aircraft slide show: