Airline Industry: Germany's Lufthansa to slash half of flights over coronavirus

German airline giant Lufthansa said Friday it would slash capacity by half in the coming weeks, as the group battles "drastic declines in bookings and numerous flight cancellations" prompted by the novel coronavirus.

Read more at;
https://www.thelocal.de/20200306/german-airline-lufthansa-to-slash-flights-by-50-over-coronavirus

EU Airline industry - Germany:Lufthansa Promotes European Elections and unity

 German flag-carrier Lufthansa is sending a special message to voters in the lead-up to this year’s European elections. It has rebranded one of its Airbus A320s, D-AIZG (c/n 4324) with the slogan “Say yes to Europe” in large letters across the upper fuselage in place of the usual Lufthansa branding. The slogan will see across the carrier’s network in the four weeks leading up to the elections, which are taking place between May 23-26. Through the initiative, Lufthansa says it’s actively promoting a higher voter turnout.

The custom-designed aircraft is part of a larger initiative to persuade Germans to take part. Research has shown that more than half of eligible people in Germany have not exercised their right to vote in previous elections for the European Parliament. For this reason, the airline, other companies and public figures are joining forces to motivate the population to vote again.

Carsten Spohr, the airline’s CEO, remarked: “With their vote in May, the citizens of Europe will decide the future of the European community. Now more than ever, it is a question of taking a stand, taking responsibility and strengthening the idea of a united and free continent.

As a genuine European company with roots in several countries in the heart of Europe, our airlines connect the continent’s nations with each other as well as connecting Europe with the world. For this reason, Europe is very close to our hearts.”

Lufthansa has also announced the standard livery of all its aircraft will also be changing with the addition of the European flag placed next to the German flag as part of the aeroplane’s registration on the rear fuselage.

 Read more at: Lufthansa Promotes European Elections | Airliner World

Iraq Airspace:: Lufthansa temporarily reroutes flights away from Iraq

Lufthansa admitted on Friday that it had no concrete evidence of a threat to civilian airlines flying over Iraq, but decided to reroute its flights anyways in order to assuage the concerns of its passengers and crews.

"With this step, the company is taking into consideration the growing uneasiness of its customers and crews as well as the inconsistent assessments of individual aviation authorities," Lufthansa said in a news release.

In addition to diverting flights away from Iraqi airspace, Lufthansa also stopped all flights to the city of Erbil in the northern Kurdistan region. The precautionary measures will remain in effect until Sunday.

The decision applies to several of Lufthansa's subsidiaries: Austrian Airlines, Swiss, and Lufthansa Cargo. Until now, Lufthansa has flown to Erbil once a week, while Austrian Airlines has daily flights to the Kurdish city.

Read  more - Lufthansa temporarily reroutes flights away from Iraq | News | DW.DE | 02.08.2014

Lufthansa splits $19 billion order between Boeing, Airbus

German airline Lufthansa is ordering 34 new jets from Boeing and 25 from European rival Airbus as it updates its long-haul fleet to make it more fuel efficient and lower costs.

Lufthansa said the orders were worth 14 billion euros ($19 billion) at list prices, though it is likely that the airline negotiated significant discounts.

The 777-9X jets made by Chicago-headquartered Boeing and the Airbus A350-900 models will begin being delivered in 2016. They will replace older aircraft such as Boeing 747-400s and Airbus A340-300s.
And Lufthansa said it was taking options to buy more planes if its business needs demanded it. Airbus, based in Toulouse, France, said Lufthansa had options to buy 30 more of the planes.

The company said the new planes will make its fleet more fuel-efficient and quieter as well as improve passenger comfort with wider cabins. CEO Christoph Franz said that the order "enabled a quantum leap in efficiency."

Read more: Lufthansa splits $19 billion order between Boeing, Airbus

European Airline Industry: Lufthansa to fly A380 into Shanghai

Shanghai, China

Carsten Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa German Airlines, has revealed that the airline is aiming to start flying the A380 to Shanghai by this summer, as part of an ongoing expansion plan to increase coverage of China.

“We just took up two destinations two years ago – Shenyang and Qingdao – and we are expanding capacity with bigger aircraft,” he said. The airline has begun flying the B747-8 to Hong Kong this month (see review).

“We will put the A380 into Shanghai, hopefully in the summer as we are still working with the authorities.” Currently, the daily Frankfurt-Shanghai LH728/729 flights use a B747-400, and the aircraft change can result in almost 200 extra seats on each leg. Lufthansa also uses the superjumbo for Beijing.

Read more: Lufthansa to fly A380 into Shanghai - Business Traveller

Germany: Lufthansa to buy 102 Airbus planes

German airline Lufthansa is planning to buy 102 new aircraft from European plane-maker Airbus to improve fuel efficiency and meet future demand.

Chief executive Christoph Franz said in a statement today that the board had approved the purchase of two Airbus A380 superjumbo jets and 30 Airbus A320s.

The board also authorised management to complete negotiations for a further 70 Airbus A320 and A321 planes.

Mr Franz said the purchase focused on making the company’s fleet more modern and fuel-efficient, rather than expanding it. The company is trying to cut costs and improve profits.

Read more: Lufthansa to buy 102 Airbus planes - Tourism News | Travel & Tourism Industry News | The Irish Times - Thu, Mar 14, 2013

Airline Industry - cost control: Lufthansa strips A340 in weight-saving experiment

Lufthansa A340 Airbus

Lufthansa Group has stripped down an Airbus A340-300 to identify ways to reduce or eliminate unnecessary weight and save fuel.

In its experiment, shortly after a 12 hour flight from Rio de Janeiro to Frankfurt, Lufthansa employees participated in the special inventory, which included removing items in the A340 cockpit, cabin and cargo hold that were not screwed down. Each item was photographed, weighed and documented in detail.  “The lighter our aircraft, the less fuel they burn and the lower their impact on the environment,” said Jens Ritter, an A340 senior first officer, who was part of the inventory team and oversees fuel efficiency measures at Lufthansa Group.

Lufthansa’s strict quality- and safety-aspects were essential when considering what items should be placed back on board. “Besides passenger comfort, we have to adhere to Lufthansa’s stringent safety norms and the safety regulations decreed by aviation authorities,” Ritter said. “Life vests, oxygen masks, and medical kits are weighed, but will remain on board the A340 unless there’s a lighter variant of the same quality.”

 “A hundred kilos less on each plane in the Lufthansa passenger fleet would trim the fuel by a yearly €2.6 million ($3.5 million) and reduce CO2 emissions by a good margin,” Ritter said.

Read more: Lufthansa strips A340 in weight-saving experiment | Eco-Aviation content from ATWOnline

European Airline Industry: Lufthansa embarks on path to increase operating profit

Germany's biggest airline, Lufthansa, has announced it's aiming to steadily increase its operating profit this year and beyond. The carrier has been struggling with fierce competition from low-budget airlines. 

Lufthansa reported Thursday it would aim to slightly raise its operating profit throughout 2013, after booking 524 million euros ($678.6 million) in the previous year.

The company added that operating earnings would build up steadily over the next couple of years to reach 2.3 billion euros in 2015. CEO Christoph Franz admitted, though, that 2013 bottom-line profit would not match that of last year when the sale of its stake in travel booking firm Amadeus helped it to net earnings totaling 990 million euros.

"2013 will be a very demanding year for the company and its employees," Franz said in a statement. He explained the carrier's ambitious cost-cutting program, called "Score," was picking up speed.
 
Read more: Lufthansa embarks on path to increase operating profit | Business | DW.DE | 14.03.2013

Tourism and Smartphones: One year after its launch: the JustBook App is European leader in spontaneous hotel bookings

A year after launching its free app, JustBook maintains a leading position in Europe for mobile hotel bookings at the last minute.

Currently, JustBook enjoys a record level of bookings thanks to the collaboration with Miles & More. Effective as of January 10, 2013, JustBook users collect award miles with Miles & More, the prestigious frequent miles program of Lufthansa and associated airlines. This offer is available for all hotel bookings with JustBook at over 1,000 hotels in 46 cities across Europe, independent of specific hotel chain brands.

This latest initiative makes JustBook the first hotel network enabling its members to earn miles "while they sleep". Already one week after the launch of the partnership, every second JustBook user is collecting award miles with each mobile hotel booking. The offer adds to existing collaborations, including the latest strategic media partnership with the Swiss Federal Railway (SBB). No wonder the JustBook App enjoys strong support among its fans: 92 percent of all users would recommend JustBook to friends.

Read more: One year after its launch: the JustBook App is a European leader in spontaneous hotel bookings

European Airline Industry -Germany: Lufthansa profits beat estimates despite strike

A Lufthansa Airbus 380 escorted by Eurofighters

German airline Lufthansa said profits jumped 30 percent in the third quarter despite a strike and higher fuel prices. The company's CEO said it wasn't enough, however, and vowed to intensify cost cutting.

The airline credited cost reductions it has already made for the profit, as well as better earnings from its services businesses such as repairing and catering other companies' planes.

CEO Christoph Franz called the results "respectable" but warned the company would need to be even leaner to deal with multiple challenges to its profitability. Those include higher fuel prices as well as competition from no-frills airlines and state-backed carriers in the Middle East. It must also pay costs imposed by governments, such as a German air traffic tax levied on every departure and the purchase of emissions trading certificates under a European Union program aimed at reducing global warming.
"We are making progress on the costs within our control. However that is not enough to earn adequate margins," he said, referring to profit margins, or the amount by which revenues exceed costs.

Net income rose to (EURO)642 million ($832 million) from (EURO)494 million in the year-ago quarter, beating analyst estimates for (EURO)225 million. Revenue rose 6.2 percent to (EURO)8.31 billion. Strikes by flight attendants between Aug. 31 and Sept. 7 cost the company (EURO)33 million.

Read more: FRANKFURT, Germany: Lufthansa profits beat estimates despite strike | National Business News | The Bellingham Herald

Airbus: Lufthansa snaps up 2 new Airbus superjumbos

Germany's largest airline, Lufthansa (LHAG.DE), will be flying two more Airbus (EAD.PA) A380 superjumbos on long-haul routes sooner than expected after snapping them up as part of an order worth about 1 billion euros at list prices.


The airline, already Europe's largest customer for the 526-seater A380, was offered the additional planes at short notice, a spokesman said Thursday.


Lufthansa has already ordered 15 A380s, eight of which have been delivered. It was due to take delivery of the next five in 2015, but the two in Thursday's order are set to be delivered in 2014, the spokesman said/

For more: Lufthansa snaps up 2 new Airbus superjumbos | Reuters

Lufthansa Adds Airbus A380 Service to Miami,

Lufthansa’s Miami-Frankfurt flight has been annoucned to go Airbus A380 beginning June 10. I’m a bit surprised, actually. While there’s surprisingly little transatlantic service out of Miami, that’s also presumably because it isn’t a market with the loads to handle an A380. But perhaps if Lufthansa was otherwise considering a second flight this is more economical.

For more: Lufthansa Adds Airbus A380 Service to Miami, No More First Class Award Seats to be Found… | Reuters

Lufthansa Halts 67% of Flights as Four-Day Pilot Strike Starts

Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Europe’s second-largest airline, scrapped 67 percent of its services today as pilots start a four-day strike over work assignments.

Lufthansa and regional divisions are dropping 1,200 flights of the 1,800 services scheduled daily during the strike, said Stefanie Stotz, a spokeswoman for the carrier in Frankfurt. The Vereinigung Cockpit labor union is staging the walkout through Feb. 25.

For more; Lufthansa Halts 67% of Flights as Four-Day Pilot Strike Starts

CheapFlights.com: Lufthansa and JetBlue Awaiting Approval for Ticket Partnership

For the complete report from Cheapflights.com click on this link

Lufthansa and JetBlue Awaiting Approval for Ticket Partnership

Pending approval from the US Department of Transportation, JetBlue and Lufthansa will enter a code share agreement that will allow passengers to fly within the two airlines routes. Both companies signed a ticketing partnership yesterday, and are waiting for approval. If all goes according to plan, Lufthansa which bought a minority stake in JetBlue a year and a half ago, will be able to sell seats on JetBlue flights starting late September or early October. JetBlue, on the other hand, won’t sell tickets directly on Lufthansa, but will redirect to the German Airline’s site for booking. Combining Lufthansa’s 180 destinations around the world with JetBlue’s 12 cities in the US will connect passengers via JFK in New York. Travelers from Europe will board a Lufthansa flight, and transfer at JFK to a JetBlue flight to their final destination.

Business Miami Herald: Lufthansa expands in Miami - by Ina Paive Cordle

For the complete report from the Business MiamiHerald.com click on this link

Lufthansa expands in Miami - by Ina Paive Cordle

Despite the global economic slowdown, Lufthansa, the German airline, is expanding its presence in Miami. The airline recently launched seasonal nonstop service between Miami International Airport and Dusseldorf, marking its second destination, after Frankfurt. Swiss International Air Lines, a Lufthansa subsidiary since March 2005, also has daily nonstop service from Miami to Zurich. And other Lufthansa Group companies operate in South Florida, including Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa Technik, Lufthansa Systems and LSG SkyChefs.

IHT: Lufthansa studying first-ever economy sleeper cabin for their Airbus 380

For the complete report from the International Herald Tribune click on this link

Lufthansa studying first-ever economy sleeper cabin for their Airbus 380

There is good news for the thrifty traveler. German carrier Lufthansa AG is considering introducing an economy sleeper cabin on its long-haul flights, which would for the first time offer economy-class passengers a bed rather than a seat for a far more comfortable ride.