Tag Archives: D-ABYI

Lufthansa will continue to be an official partner of Germany’s football association DFB

Lufthansa has made this announcement:

Lufthansa is continuing its commitment to football and has extended its partnership with the German football association Deutscher Fußball-Bund (DFB) until 2022. Lufthansa therefore remains an official partner of DFB. As the “official airline”, Lufthansa flies the players, coaches, staff and delegation members of the DFB team to international matches and tournaments. “We are delighted to continue our long-standing and good partnership with DFB. For many years now, it has been a special honor for us to fly the German national team to their major tournaments around the world,” said Markus Binkert, CCO of the Lufthansa Hub Munich and Senior Vice President Marketing. So far, the highlight of the long-standing partnership has been the flight of the Lufthansa “Fanhansa Siegerflieger” returning the national team to Germany from Brazil with the World Cup trophy after their 2014 win.

The contract guarantees Lufthansa extensive rights and marketing services from DFB, especially in the years featuring the European Football Championship and the World Cup, among other things.

Lufthansa has been cooperating with DFB for many years now and also has long-standing partnerships with the German sports aid foundation Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe as well as the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB). The company is also a co-sponsor of Germany’s National Paralympic Committee (DBS).

On the financial side, Lufthansa Group issued this statement:

The Lufthansa Group enjoyed a continuing strong performance in its long-haul business in the first half of 2019, particularly on its key North American and Asian routes. On short-haul routes in Europe, the price war in Germany and Austria in particular had a negative impact on earnings.

“Our earnings are feeling the effects of tough competition in Europe and sizeable overcapacities, especially on our short-haul routes out of Germany and Austria,” says Ulrik Svensson, Chief Financial Officer of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. “We are responding to this by further reducing our costs and increasing our flexibility. And with the turnaround plan which we recently presented, we also intend to make Eurowings a sustainably profitable airline.”

In the second quarter, Group revenues rose by 4 percent to EUR 9.6 billion (prior-year period: EUR 9.3 billion). Adjusted EBIT amounted to EUR 754 million (prior-year period: EUR 1 billion). The adjusted EBIT margin for the second quarter was thus 7.8 percent (prior-year period: 10.8 percent). Fuel costs alone were EUR 255 million higher in the second quarter of 2019 than in the previous year.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by Lufthansa): Lufthansa – Fanhansa Boeing 747-830 D-ABYI (msn 37833) (Fanhansa – Siegerflieger – “Winnersflyer”) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 926823.

Lufthansa aircraft slide show:

Lufthansa today unveils its new Premium Economy Class on D-ABYQ

Lufthansa (Frankfurt) has converted its first aircraft with the new Premium Economy Class. The company issued this statement:

At 11.00 a.m. today, LH 9880, a special flight took off from Frankfurt Airport. On board the Boeing 747-830 was the new Premium Economy Class. The aircraft, with the registration number D-ABYQ (msn 37839(, is the first in the Lufthansa fleet to offer the new class of travel on board. Experts from Lufthansa Technik have fitted the Boeing 747-8 with the 32 new Premium Economy Class seats and performed all the necessary quality checks.

The aircraft, which is called the “Schleswig-Holstein”, flew over the German region of the same name in a two-hour special flight.

“Today, we are seeing a genuine première”, said Karl Ulrich Garnadt, Member of the Executive Board of Lufthansa AG and CEO of Lufthansa German Airlines. “We are launching a new travel class for the first time in 35 years.” Garnadt stressed that Premium Economy was an important part of the “biggest product upgrade in Lufthansa’s history”. By late summer of next year, Lufthansa will have modified First, Business and Premium Economy Class on its entire long-haul fleet according to schedule and as part of its quality campaign. “With Premium Economy Class alone, we will be able to offer some 1.5 million passengers per year the opportunity to choose extra comfort and quality at affordable prices,” said the German Airlines CEO.

From as early as December 1 – nine days earlier than scheduled – Lufthansa customers will be able to enjoy Premium Economy Class on all flights on the Boeing 747-8 fleet. The “dash-8 fleet” will then offer by far the most cutting-edge and exclusive travelling experience available at Lufthansa.

Premium Economy Class seats will make up some ten percent of the entire seating capacity on each wide-bodied aircraft. Over the next few months, Lufthansa will thus fit between 21 (Airbus A330-300) and 52 (Airbus A380-800) new seats in each of its aircraft. On board the Boeing 747-8, 32 seats will be modified in line with Premium Economy Class specifications. The airline commissioned a total of 3,600 seats from the manufacturer ZIM.

“Booking levels to date have significantly exceeded our expectations”, Garnadt added. “This shows that we are striking a chord with customers with our new offering. As well as cost-conscious business travellers, we’re also attracting the rapidly growing target group of leisure travellers who don’t want to skimp on on-board comforts during their holidays.”

Alongside Premium Economy Class, Lufthansa is also working intently on upgrades to First and Business Class on board its long-haul aircraft. All these quality-related measures are set to be completed by late summer 2015. Lufthansa will then be in a position to offer its guests in all classes the exclusive travelling experience of a prizewinning five-star First Class as well as the new Business Class, where aircraft seats can be transformed at the touch of a button into a comfortable bed with a horizontal sleeping area of 1.98 metres long.

“I firmly believe that, with this package of products and measures, we will undoubtedly achieve our objective of becoming the first Western five-star airline”, said Garnadt.

Lufthansa is currently offering special introductory prices for Premium Economy Class flights. For instance, return flights to Washington D.C. are available from as little as EUR 1,199, while passengers to Beijing can enjoy the new travelling experience for a mere EUR 1,249.
In addition, no rebooking fees are being charged to passengers looking to rebook from Economy to Premium Economy Class. As soon as Lufthansa Premium Economy Class becomes available on a flight route, an existing Economy Class booking can be upgraded to Premium Economy Class. Passengers will only have to pay the difference between the fares of the two tickets, provided that no changes are made to the original flights that were booked. This applies even if the original ticket was booked for a price that did not permit rebooking.

To increase global awareness of the new Premium Economy Class on the market, Lufthansa launched a broad marketing campaign already in mid-September. At the heart of this campaign is its “Recorder” TV advertisement (below). This shows the British musician Duncan Townsend experiencing the extras available in Premium Economy Class for the first time. Brandishing a sound recorder, he combines many different snippets of sound that he hears on his journey into a rhythm, which ultimately evolves into a re-interpreted version of Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell”: “More, more, more…”

Lufthansa will introduce its new Premium Economy Class on December 1 on the following routes from Frankfurt: Beijing, Buenos Aires, Chicago O’Hare, Hong Kong, Los Angles, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Seoul and Washington Dulles.

For more information: CLICK HERE

All images above by Lufthansa.

Copyright Photo Below: Bjoern Schmitt/AirlinersGallery.com. A dramatic view of Lufthansa’s Boeing 747-830 D-ABYI (msn 37833) on final approach to the runway at Los Angeles International Airport over the parking lot.

Lufthansa:

Video:

Boeing celebrates the delivery of the 50th 747-800 Intercontinental

Boeing (Chicago) yesterday (May 29) celebrated the 50th delivery of a 747-800. Lufthansa (Frankfurt), the launch customer of the passenger version, took delivery of the milestone aircraft almost one year after the first revenue flight of the 747-800 Intercontinental. It is the airline’s seventh 747-8 and its 82nd 747.

Boeing delivered the first 747-800 Intercontinental to Lufthansa in April 2012. The airplane entered service on June 1, 2012 with a flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Washington (Dulles), D.C. Cargolux Airlines took delivery of the first 747-800 Freighter in October 2011. To date, 35 Freighters and 15 Intercontinentals, including eight of the Boeing Business Jet version, have been delivered.

Top Copyright Photo: Boeing. Pictured at a soggy Paine Field, Boeing 747-830 D-ABYI (msn 37833) was handed over to the carrier on May 29.

Bottom Copyright Photo: Joe G. Walker/AirlinersGallery.com. Another view of D-ABYI arriving at Paine Field on May 18.