Category Archives: Lufthansa

Lufthansa reactivates five Airbus A340-600s for the Munich hub

Lufthansa has made this announcement for the MUC Hub:

Munich Airport is Europe’s only 5-star hub for years and is popular among Lufthansa passengers, globally, not only as the gateway to Bavaria, but as a leading, premium airport offering an inspiring travel journey.

Now as the global travel industry is returning to prior levels of activity, Lufthansa is strengthening its premium services from Munich Airport and will again offer First Class on selected routes. This means, Lufthansa is temporarily reactivating five Airbus long haul A340-600 aircraft with four flight classes, including the award winning First Class with eight seats.

Commencing in summer 2022, the A340-600 will fly from Munich primarily to in North American and Asian destinations. The decision to reactivate these aircraft is due to growing premium demand, for business as well as leisure travel.

In late summer 2023, the first Airbus A350-900, offering First Class, will join the fleet and take off from Munich, bolstering the premium offering at Lufthansa’s 5-star hub.

Before the pandemic began, the Lufthansa Airbus A340-600 fleet consisted of 17 aircraft, 12 of which are in the process of being sold.

A further five aircraft are currently not for sale and will be temporarily reactivated and sold at a later date.

Lufthansa continues to invest in the modernization of its fleet. This past May, the Group purchased 10 additional state-of-the-art long-haul aircraft: five Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and five A350-900s. The first ones will be operating this winter. In this year alone, Lufthansa is taking delivery every month of a new, fuel-efficient Airbus aircraft from the A320neo family. Delivery of 107 additional aircraft Airbus A320neo aircraft is planned up to 2027.

Lufthansa deploys the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental and Airbus A350 to Mallorca due to high summer vacation demand

Lufthansa is taking extraordinary measures in order to respond to a significant increase in booking demand for flights to Palma de Mallorca from both Frankfurt and Munich. The booking figures for the destination “PMI” have increased 25 times between April and the beginning of June 2021: The airline will be operating a Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental from Frankfurt to Palma de Mallorca four Saturdays in a row during the upcoming summer vacation in Hesse. Additionally, the airline also plans to operate an Airbus A350 from Munich to the Balearic Island at the start of the summer vacation in Bavaria. Although these routes are normally operated by an Airbus A321, on 31 July, two wide-body Lufthansa aircraft will be arriving on Palma de Mallorca.

Departing Frankfurt with the “Jumbo”

The Boeing 747-8 is the largest aircraft that Lufthansa is currently operating, offering up to 364 seats instead of the usual 215, which are normally available on this route. This wide-body aircraft offers passengers 88 Business Class seats (including First Class) as well as 276 seats in Economy Class (including Premium Economy).

The first “Jumbo” flight, LH1152, will be departing the Rhine Main metropolis on Saturday 17July at 10:20 a.m., just in time for the start of the Hessian summer vacation, and arrive at Palma de Mallorca airport at 12:25 p.m. The return flight, LH1153 will take place the same day at 14:25 p.m., arriving in Frankfurt at 16:45 p.m.

The modern and kerosene-efficient Boeing 747-8, also known as the “Queen of the Skies”, will operate for an addition three weekends, specifically on 24 July, 31 July and 7 August.

Departing Munich with the Airbus A350

The Airbus A350 is the most sustainable long-haul aircraft in the Lufthansa fleet. It consumes 20 percent less kerosene and is 50 percent quieter than previous models. Those who want to experience the Lufthansa Airbus A350 along with its multi-award-winning cabin now have the chance to do so now. The aircraft offers 293 seats, including 48 in Business Class and 245 in Economy Class (including Premium Economy).

The A350 flight to Palma de Mallorca will take place at the start of the Bavarian summer vacations on Saturday 31 July. Departure from Munich is planned for 9:50 a.m. under flight number LH2658, arriving in Palma de Mallorca at 12:00 a.m. The return flight, LH2659, will take place the same day at 13:30 a.m. arriving in Munich at 15:35 p.m.

Top Copyright Photo: Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 D-ABYA (msn 37827) FRA (Marcelo F. De Biasi). Image: 944222.

Lufthansa aircraft slide show:

Lufthansa resumes flights to Atlanta, Orlando and Detroit

Lufthansa resumed its flights to Atlanta.

As of today, Lufthansa offers three weekly flights to Atlanta and Orlando with an Airbus A330. LH plans on a gradual increase to five flights a week. And tomorrow LH will resume flying to Detroit.

Lufthansa offers even more flights to the sun

Lufthansa has made this announcement:

From June 3 to 6, 2021 the airline is increasing its flight offerings to vacation destinations in Spain, Portugal and Greece. Additional flights will take off from both Munich and Frankfurt to dream destinations such as Crete, the Algarve and the Balearic Islands. Lufthansa is adding more flights at short notice to Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Ibiza, Faro, Lisbon and Heraklion, for example. In total, beginning of June, passengers can choose from 20 additional flights. Travel enthusiasts can book conveniently, comfortably and quickly on the lufthansa.com website, among others. The flights are available for booking now, combined with attractive and flexible rebooking options.

With more than 100 vacation destinations, Lufthansa and Eurowings are offering more vacation destinations this summer than ever before. For example, Lufthansa is flying non-stop from Germany to twelve dream destinations in Greece for the first time. Passengers can also choose from attractive long-haul offers to top vacation destinations such as Male (Maldives), Cancún (Mexico) or Punta Cana (Dominican Republic).

Lufthansa orders five Airbus A350-900s and five Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners

Lufthansa Group is accelerating the modernization of its fleet. New, highly cost and fuel-efficient aircraft are replacing older types on short, medium and long-haul routes. As a result, the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG decided to buy ten long-haul aircraft: five Airbus A350-900s and five Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The Supervisory Board approved the purchase today. These aircraft will be operated by Lufthansa Airlines and strengthen the 5-star premium offer of the Group’s core brand.

As part of the long-standing fleet renewal program, a total of 175 new aircraft will be delivered to Lufthansa Group airlines this decade.

Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, said:
“Even in these challenging times, we are continuing to invest in a more modern, more efficient and a lower emission Lufthansa Group fleet. At the same time, we are pushing ahead with the modernization of our long-haul fleet even faster than planned prior to the coronavirus pandemic due to anticyclical opportunities. The new aircraft are the most modern of their kind. We want to further expand our global leadership role, among other things, with cutting-edge premium products and a state-of-the-art fleet – especially because we have a responsibility to the environment.”

Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

The first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is scheduled to fly for Lufthansa as early as next winter, with others to follow in the first half of 2022. Today’s decision brings the total number of firm orders for Boeing 787-9s and Boeing 777-9s to 45 aircraft.

Due to the dramatic impact of the coronavirus pandemic on global aviation, aircraft that had been ordered by some airlines could not be delivered in the past twelve months. Lufthansa held talks with Boeing and found a way to buy five 787-9 that were already manufactured. At the same time, the Group reached an agreement with Boeing on a restructured delivery plan.

Airbus A350-900
The five newly ordered Airbus A350-900s will be delivered in 2027 and 2028. This brings the total number of firm orders for the A350-900 to 45 aircraft. The Lufthansa Group also agreed with Airbus on a restructuring of planned deliveries.

In addition to renewing its long-haul fleet, Lufthansa is also focusing on the latest technology, maximum efficiency and the highest level of customer comfort on short-haul routes. In the current year alone, Lufthansa will take delivery of a new, fuel-efficient Airbus A320 family aircraft for short- and medium-haul routes on average every month. Delivery of a further 107 Airbus A320 Family aircraft is planned until 2027.

With the Airbus A350-900, the Boeing 777-9 and the Boeing 787-9, the Lufthansa Group will operate the most fuel-efficient long-haul aircraft in terms of kerosene consumption per passenger and 100 kilometers flown. On average, the new aircraft will only consume approximately 2.5 liters of kerosene per passenger and 100 kilometers flown. This is about 30 percent less than many current as well as previously operated long-haul aircraft models and will have an equally positive impact on the Group’s carbon footprint

The investment in new aircraft is in line with the framework agreement between the Economic Stabilization Fund of the Federal Republic of Germany (WSF) and Deutsche Lufthansa AG. The investments are also in line with the Group’s policy of limiting annual capital expenditures to the level of depreciation and amortization and strictly focusing on increasing company value

Current plans call for an initial fleet reduction, while at the same time extensively modernizing it in the future. The Boeing 787-9 and Airbus A350-900 will essentially replace the four-engine A340 long-haul aircraft as part of this process. Plans call for reducing the number of four-engine aircraft in the Lufthansa Group long-haul fleet to less than 15 percent by the middle of this decade; before the crisis, the share was around 50 percent. The aircraft purchases are accelerating the reduction of fleet complexity for more efficiency. The new, fuel-efficient aircraft will reduce operating costs by around 15 percent compared with the models they replace.

Top Copyright Photo: Lufthansa Airbus A350-941 D-AIXN (msn 292) IAD (Brian McDonough). Image: 946359.

Lufthansa aircraft slide show:

Lufthansa’s Airbus A350-900 “Erfurt” will become a climate research aircraft

Lufthansa has made this announcement:

Predicting the weather even more accurately, analyzing climate changes even more precisely, researching even better how the world is developing. This is the goal of a globally unique cooperation between Lufthansa and several research institutes.

Converting an aircraft into a climate research plane poses major challenges. Lufthansa has chosen the most modern and economical long-haul jet in its fleet – an Airbus A350-900 named “Erfurt” (registration D-AIXJ). In three stages, the “Erfurt” will now become a flying research laboratory.

In Lufthansa Technik’s hangar in Malta, the first and most extensive conversion work was carried out. Preparations were made for a complex air intake system below the belly. This was followed by a series of test insertions, at the end of which came the certification of a climate research laboratory weighing around 1.6 tons, the so-called CARIBIC measurement laboratory. The acronym CARIBIC stands for “Civil Aircraft for the Regular Investigation of the atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container” is part of a comprehensive European research consortium.

The “Erfurt” is expected to take off from Munich at the end of 2021 for its first flight in the service of climate research, measuring around 100 different trace gases, aerosol and cloud parameters in the tropopause region (at an altitude of nine to twelve kilometers). Lufthansa is thus making a valuable contribution to climate research, which can use these unique data to assess the performance of current atmospheric and climate models and thus their predictive power for the Earth’s future climate. The special feature: Climate-relevant parameters can be recorded at this altitude with much greater accuracy and temporal resolution on board the aircraft than with satellite-based or ground-based systems.

“The conversion of our A350-900 ‘D-AIXJ’ into a climate research aircraft is some-thing very special for us. We were immediately enthusiastic about the plan to continue CARIBIC on our most fuel-efficient aircraft type. In this way, we can continue to support climate and atmospheric research in its important task on long-haul routes. We are helping to ensure that particularly important climate-relevant parameters are collected just on that altitude where the atmospheric greenhouse effects is largely generated”, says Annette Mann, Head of Corporate Responsibility at the Lufthansa Group. “I am pleased that we can implement this ambitious project together with our partners in record time and thus contribute to improving today’s climate models.”

The A350 conversion, which has now been launched, was preceded by an ex-tremely elaborate planning and development phase of about four years involving more than ten companies (in particular Lufthansa, Lufthansa Technik, Airbus, Saf-ran, enviscope, and Dynatec) as well as the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) as representative of a larger scientific consortium.

“The CARIBIC aircraft is indeed unique in the world. It is equipped with high-end instrumentation comparable to that on a large research aircraft and it allows their deployment cost-efficiently, regularly and over decades. We can thus understand which processes are changing, to what extent and how they will influence Earth’s climate in the future”, says Dr Andreas Zahn of the Karlsruhe Institute of Tech-nology and coordinator of IAGOS-CARIBIC. “No other observation system world-wide, neither on ground nor on satellite, can provide such high-resolution multi-parameter data from the free atmosphere.”

The Lufthansa Group has been a reliable partner of climate research since 1994 and has since equipped several aircraft with special instruments. This is now the first time worldwide on an Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

Carbon neutral flying – Lufthansa Compensaid now available to corporate customers

Lufthansa has made this announcement:

Thanks to Compensaid, the innovative digital CO₂ compensation platform of the Lufthansa Group, flying carbon neutral is possible for individual travelers. Now companies can also use this option, simply and easily, for their employees’ business trips.

With the “Compensaid Corporate Program” corporate customers have the possibility to use, for instance, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for their air travel. With SAF they can compensate the CO₂ emissions produced when flying. This program allows companies to offset all their flights – whether they’re with the Lufthansa Group or other airlines.

The first customer is insurance provider AXA Deutschland. The company will offset its business-related air travel for an initial period of three years.

“CO₂-neutral flying is already possible today. With Compensaid, we have a powerful tool for providing attractive and innovative offers to our customers. Offsetting is part of our strategy to cut our CO₂ emissions in half by 2030 and achieve a neutral carbon footprint by 2050. We are delighted that with AXA Deutschland we have gained a partner that shares our vision of sustainable mobility,” explains Christina Foerster, Lufthansa Group Executive Board Member for Customer, IT & Corporate Responsibility.

Air travel compensation with Compensaid is done either through the use of SAF, the sponsorship of certified climate protection projects, or a combination of both options. AXA Deutschland’s offsetting starts with 15 percent via SAF and 85 percent through selected climate protection projects. This results in the complete CO₂ neutrality of all the flights.

“Sustainability in general and combating climate change are essential aspects of our AXA strategy. Our dedicated sustainability team and the AXA Innovation Campus are always on the lookout for innovative concepts and Lufthansa’s Compensaid offer came exactly at the right time for us. The future offsetting of carbon emissions generated by our flights is another definitive step towards reducing our carbon footprint and another string to our bow in our determination to achieve carbon-neutral business travel”, explains Sirka Laudon, Head of People Experience and responsible for AXA Germany’s Sustainability Project.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel refers to sustainable, non-fossil-based kerosene. Currently, it is primarily derived from biomass, such as used cooking oils. SAF is therefore a genuine alternative to carbon-based aviation fuels and, in the long term, can allow for virtually CO₂-neutral aviation.

Besides the use of SAF, Compensaid also allows offsetting through certified climate protection projects. These include, for instance, the promotion of photovoltaic systems, the use of efficient stoves that require less firewood and therefore emit less CO₂ into the atmosphere, or the replacement of diesel generators with systems that produce electricity from biomass. Companies participating in the “Compensaid Corporate Program” can choose the project that suits them best.

Compensaid as the central compensation offer of the Lufthansa Group
The Lufthansa Innovation Hub launched the digital compensation platform Compensaid in 2019. Since then, it has been gradually expanded to include additional products. No matter what airline they choose, private travelers can calculate the exact CO₂ emissions of their flight and offset them using the alternatives mentioned above. Lufthansa Group airlines have integrated Compensaid directly into the booking process. Frequent flyers will also find this option in the Miles & More app. Lufthansa Cargo also employs a compensation solution for CO₂-neutral airfreight. In November 2020, Lufthansa Cargo operated the world’s first CO₂-neutral cargo flight to Shanghai.

Information on the new “Compensaid Corporate Program” is available at https://compensaid.com/partnering

Lufthansa integrates health data app into digital travel chain

Lufthansa has introduced a new offer for travel to the U.S.: Passengers who have had a Covid19 test done at Lufthansa partner Centogene before departure can now conveniently receive their test results in the internationally recognized app CommonPass. This applies to all Lufthansa flights from Frankfurt to the United States as well as the corresponding feeder flights via Frankfurt from Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin and Düsseldorf.

Lufthansa is thus realizes another step in the digitization of test certificates, making travel easier in times of pandemic. In addition to the new digital certificate, the airline recommends that its guests continue to carry their original printed certificates with them when traveling until further notice.

Customers can conveniently download the app from the Android or IOS App Store and then upload their test results to the app – after receiving an access code from Lufthansa by e-mail 72 hours before their departure. The app then automatically compares the test certificates with the relevant current entry restrictions of the destination country and creates a travel certificate on this basis, provided it is a valid test document for the relevant destination. The certificate shows only the really relevant information, such as the test result, the test method, validity period and an hour counter since the time of testing, and thus does not reveal any other personal health information. In addition, Lufthansa passengers who use the CommonPass app before their flights to the U.S. will receive free access to the Senator Lounge at Frankfurt Airport between 8 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. in the morning.

CommonPass can be used not only at boarding, but also takes a cross-industry approach. The added value for travelers will be further enhanced by the fact that in future other establishments can also be able to integrate the test results, such as concert halls or cinemas. Proof of vaccination can also be saved in the app in future.

Pre-check of digital test certificates

Since February, Lufthansa travelers have the option before certain flights to send their Covid-19 test certificates and confirmations of digital entry applications to a specially set-up Lufthansa Group Health Entry Support Center via a contact form 72 hours before departure. Now, this offer is also available to all passengers flying with Lufthansa from Palma de Mallorca to Germany.

Passengers booked on the relevant flights receive a notification in advance and a link to a portal where the relevant contact details and certificates can be stored. The documents are checked at the service center. After the check, travelers receive confirmation by e-mail whether the certificates meet the entry requirements, or feedback if the supporting documents are not sufficient. Regardless of this, the original certificates must continue to be carried on the trip. On the one hand, this provides additional planning security and also speeds up the check-in and boarding process.

Lufthansa hygiene concept

On Lufthansa Group flights to and from Germany, passengers are still required to wear a protective medical mask. Passengers are required to wear either a surgical mask or an FFP2 mask or mask with the KN95/N95 standard during boarding, the flight and when leaving the aircraft. An exemption from the obligation to wear a mouth-nose mask during the flight is only possible for medical reasons if the medical certificate is issued on a form provided by Lufthansa Group and a negative Covid19 test is available which is not older than 48 hours at the scheduled start of the journey.

In principle, infection on board is very unlikely. All Lufthansa Group aircraft are equipped with the highest quality air filters, which ensure an air quality similar to that in an operating theater; in addition, the air circulates vertically instead of being dispersed throughout the cabin.

Lufthansa doubles number of flights for Easter travel season

Lufthansa has made this announcement:

Lufthansa is reporting an increase in bookings for the upcoming Easter travel season. For the last two weeks, up to 80 percent more bookings were received for Mallorca, 20 percent more bookings for the Canary Islands, as well as 50 percent for Mexico. The lifting of travel restrictions to Mallorca by the Federal Government of Germany will further strengthen this trend. The airline is responding to the increased demand and has almost doubled the number of offered flights.

In total, Lufthansa will be offering around 1,200 European flights from March to April. That is around 200 percent more connections from Munich and around 50 percent more from Frankfurt compared with the current week.

Destinations in Spain are particularly in demand. That is why the airline is flying to almost every Canary Island for the first time. Capacities from Munich to Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura will even be doubled for Easter, and from Frankfurt, capacities to Gran Canaria and Tenerife will be increased by 50 percent.

“Die Maus” (The Mouse) on D-AIRY”:

Mallorca is currently in particularly high demand among vacationers. Lufthansa has responded by significantly increasing the number of flights to Mallorca: instead of two weekly flights from Munich, there will now be up to eleven weekly connections, and from Frankfurt, instead of six weekly flights, there will now be up to 20 weekly connections during the Easter travel season.

In addition, Eurowings is currently successively expanding its frequencies to Mallorca: The airline is planning up to 325 weekly flights from 24 airports in Germany and the UK to Palma de Mallorca.

In addition, in Spain, the cities of Valencia and Málaga are usually heavily booked by all sun-seekers over Easter.

In the case of overseas flights, Cancun in Mexico and San José in Costa Rica from Frankfurt are particularly in demand. Cancun can now be reached daily, San José five times a week.

Lufthansa aircraft photo gallery:

Lufthansa aircraft slide show:

Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn unveil joint product initiative

Lufthansa made this announcement:

New Lufthansa Express Rail connections to Frankfurt Airport from Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Münster and Munich
Extra-fast high speed trains : Shorter travel times between urban centers
More service and flexible booking options.

Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn are focusing on the rapid expansion of joint train-to-flight services. In Frankfurt today, the two companies presented their plans for a joint product initiative. The Lufthansa Express Rail network will be expanded by five additional cities. Starting in December, so-called “Sprinter”, which are extra-fast high speed trains, will also travel to Frankfurt Airport for the first time. By expanding their cooperation, Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn are setting a new standard in the environmentally friendly networking modes of transportation.

Harry Hohmeister, Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, says: “With this joint initiative, we are strengthening the offer of mobility in Germany, thus bolstering the local economy. By intelligently linking rail and air transport, we offer our customers a seamless and convenient travel network, benefiting consumers and the environment.”

DB Board Member Berthold Huber: “A good cooperation is now turning into a comprehensive partnership, the likes of which have never been seen before between Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn. At the end of the year, DB will expanding the links between Germany’s largest hub and the new Sprinter connections. Travel by rail will be faster and more comfortable.”

Larger network and new extra-fast “Sprinters”

Deutsche Bahn and Lufthansa already offer 134 daily feeder trains to Frankfurt Airport from 17 German cities. In the second half of 2021, another five cities will be added. Starting in July, for the first time, it will be possible to travel to Frankfurt Airport with Lufthansa Express Rail from Hamburg and Munich, and commencing in December from Berlin, Bremen and Münster.

In addition, new Sprinter connections will make their debut from December. The rail journey between Munich and Cologne will be shortened to less than four hours. From and to Munich and Nuremberg, there will be direct trains to Frankfurt Airport twice a day in three and two hours respectively, with no additional stops in between – half an hour faster than today and precisely timed with the departure and arrival times of flights at Lufthansa’s hub.

Enhanced comfort and more flexible booking

All the tried-and-tested features of the Lufthansa Express Rail program, such as reserved seats on-board trains, connection guarantee, mileage accrual for the train journey as well as 1st class travel and access to the DB lounges for Business as well First Class customers, will of course continue to be available. Additional services will be added in the future. Express Rail trains will be easier to identify thanks to joint DB-LH branding on many railcars. LH information can also be accessed on the train via the free WLAN. Passengers booking Business or Frist first class, enjoy DB Premium service in 1st class and free on-board catering.

Luggage transport and storage will also be easier: Deutsche Bahn prefers to use the latest generation of trains with large luggage compartments. As soon as traffic at the airports picks up again, Lufthansa Express Rail customers will be given access to the fast lane at the security checkpoint. Furthermore, when landing at Frankfurt Airport, Express Rail customers’ suitcases will be prioritized.

Booking Lufthansa Express Rail tickets will become even more flexible. From April 2021, feeder trains will be bookable as long as the associated connecting flight is bookable. At the same time, it pays to book early, which means tickets can be cheaper. A special highlight this year: Miles & More customers will receive double status miles on all Lufthansa Express Rail journeys, as they do on all flights.