Tag: lufthansa View All Tags

Lufthansa CEO: The West Is Out, The East Is In

November 24, 2008 at 9:35 AM | 0 Comments

Though it has a perplexing business plan of always overcharging for its flights in Europe and simultaneously investing in a carrier that undercuts its competitors in the US (JetBlue), Lufthansa is offering another insight into its seemingly-obtuse thinking, this time talking up the future of Asia.

Seems investing in eastern markets is the new goal of the carrier--at least that's what the CEO of Lufthansa told his fellow executives at a meeting last week. The boss, Wolfgang Mayhruber, explained that the US and Europe currently hold 70 percent of the global air market but only 15 percent of the world's population. Talk about saturation.

He added that everything is going to change within the next 20 years and said that Lufthansa plans to invest in Asian markets, especially China and India. We already think cheap and reliable AirAsia is the best budget carrier we've flown in ages. Look for it to become the Southwest of the 21st century--unless Lufthansa comes up with some competition soon.

Related Stories:
· Lufthansa CEO Sees Long-Term Prospects In Asia [CNN Money]
· Lufthansa coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: nasebaer]

Lufthansa Getting in the Facebook Game. Without Facebook.

September 16, 2008 at 3:15 PM | 0 Comments

Between buying up one airline and looking at another, Lufthansa apparently also had time to make a social networking site for college kids. Just what the world needs!

GenFlyLounge promises everything you already do on, you know, real social networking sites:

Now you can get travel recommendations from fellow students, connect with like-minded travelers, share your travel experiences, photos and videos and have the trip of a lifetime!

Do we even have to mention that there's also a Twitter account?

The only thing that might make this totally unnecessary site useful is the fact that it promises to deliver student-only deals to members. Worth it? Meh.

Related Stories:
· GenFlyLounge [Official Site, via]
· Lufthansa coverage [Jaunted]

Lufthansa Strike Not Noticed Yet

July 28, 2008 at 9:00 AM | 0 Comments

When is an airline strike not an airline strike? When nearly 100 percent of your flights take off on time despite it.

Germany's national carrier Lufthansa apparently has some 52,000 union members who've agreed to strike over a pay rise. Since 10 pm last night strike action has been in place at Frankfurt and Hamburg airports, but according to reports, so far nearly all flights have left on time.

But the strike doesn't actually have an endpoint yet so some are predicting that things will get worse. Fears that Olympic athletes might have their flights to Beijing disrupted have, of course, really tugged at the heartstrings of German sports fans. Double-check your flights if you're booked on Lufthansa in the next few days or you might be bumped for a German volleyballer.

Related Stories:
· Lufthansa Votes for 1st Strike in 13 Years [Reuters]
· Lufthansa Says Flights Not Hit By Strike [Reuters]
· Lufthansa coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: nasebaer]

Lufthansa Thrills JetBlue, Confounds Us

December 14, 2007 at 11:35 AM | 0 Comments

Do you own an airline that's worth about half of what it was at the beginning of the year? Lufthansa may want to talk to you, too! The German carrier is dropping $300 million on a share of JetBlue, but no one's quite sure what's going to happen next.

Lufthansa is only picking up 19 percent of the low cost carrier, but it will get to put a representative on JetBlue's board of directors. The American airline will of course get a big infusion of (much needed!) cash from the deal, and the German company could be trying to lock down takeoff and landing slots at JFK.

While ideas about transatlantic code sharing and a full Lufthansa takeover have been floated, none of them seem too plausible. In fact, one Morgan Stanley analyst can't figure out why the deal was done at all:

It's not clear to us what Lufthansa gains from such a transaction.

Related Stories:
· As Lufthansa Flies JetBlue, Analysts Wonder Why [NYT]
· JetBlue coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of JBLU stock price: Google Finance]

European Airlines Play Santa

December 7, 2007 at 9:15 AM | 0 Comments

'Tis the season to do tacky Christmas marketing, and European budget airlines are not immune. Many of them are advertising special deals and calling them Christmas presents, whether you buy 'em for yourself or a loved one, the airlines don't care.

Italian budget airline MyAir, for example, has decided on a two-for-one offer as its seasonal gift to consumers. If you book before December 10 for flights between January 8 and January 31, you'll be able to buy two tickets for the price of one, though you'll both have to pay the airport taxes.

But it's not just the real low cost carriers that are serving up some good deals at the moment. Huge German airline Lufthansa has surprised us in the past with impressively cheap deals, and they're doing it again at the moment. They're offering flights between Germany cities and places like Paris, Milan or Prague for €99 ($145)--and this price is for a round-trip flight, and includes all taxes and charges. Of course there are not many seats available at that price (and by the time you read this, they might be all gone), but it does pay to remind us that even "normal" airlines in Europe have good deals sometimes. The spirit of giving, perhaps?

Related Stories:
· MyAir [Official Site]
· Lufthansa [Official Site]
· MyAir coverage [Jaunted]
· Lufthansa coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: clemente]

The Kiddies' Taste at Lufthansa

March 30, 2007 at 10:00 AM | 1 Comment


Granted, not everyone can afford to fly first class with Qantas to get a go at their super-delicious tasting menu, just released. Our next suggestion is to borrow a child (or if you have your own, they'll do too) and hit a Lufthansa flight to anywhere. Because this German airline has just got fun and original with its kids' menu (and we reckon we should be able to eat this way too). You can, for example, eat aliens that sound pretty tasty:

The martians have a face made of mousse and strawberry purée. Chocolate buttons form the eyes, two liquorice sticks the aerials.

Yum! The interesting behind-the-scenes story is that six trained children helped prepare and test the new menu items, and then they used a focus group system of children from varying nationalities to vote for the foods that should end up on the final menu.

Lufthansa says you have to be under 12 to get these foods, but surely they're not going to check your ID if you really want to eat their snake noodles in a tomato jungle?

[Photo: albspotter]

Related Stories:
· New dishes sweeten the flight for young passengers [e-Travel Blackboard]
· Got A Taste For Qantas? [Jaunted]

Airbus A380 Flight To Nowhere: Peter Greenberg Addicted To Hot Tail Cam Action

March 20, 2007 at 10:35 AM | 0 Comments

As for the entertainment, you don't need a movie, I quickly became addicted to the tail camera.

Turns out Lufthansa has its own version of JenniCam, with no Jenni, but lots of live jumbo jet ass.

The tail camera shows a live continuous, wide angle shot of the plane in flight.

Peter Greenberg continued his Today Show review of the Airbus A380 this morning, with plenty of live shots from his Frankfurt to JFK "proving flight" yesterday.

A380 Tour Highlights:
·    Greenberg got frisked in Germany.
·    A grand staircase connects upper and lower decks.
·    Multiple "mock boardings" took place.
·    The plane had access to three jetways as it took off.
·    First class is super comfortable, coach is as crowded as ever.
·    The lavatory is huge and sports a window.
·    Sharkey was on board.

Today Show Rides The Big Plane

March 19, 2007 at 10:06 AM | 0 Comments

Today Show travel Editor, and friend of Jaunted, Peter Greenberg is on board a Lufthansa A380 promo flight from Frankfurt Germany to JFK this morning.

Matt Lauer spoke with him via plane phone while Peter was somewhere over the Atlantic, the short conversation went something like this:

Matt: Does it feel different to be flying on something so big?
Peter: The thing that feels different is the quiet. It is about 50% quieter than a 747. Our take off this morning was remarkably quiet.

Matt: And is it on time Peter?
Peter: Exactly on time.

Um, did you really think a promo flight would be late? C'mon Matt dig a little deeper buddy.

The Today show notes that the A380 is facing an uphill battle. Most air customers looking for cheap airfares, frequency, and point to point. Furthermore, most US airport runways are not exactly ready to accommodate the A380.

However, JFK is ready to roll out the red carpet for the A380 this week and let folks take a closer look at the big plane.

Related Stories:
·   Airbus A380 Coverage [Jaunted]

Tour an Airbus A30 at JFK

March 12, 2007 at 1:35 PM | 0 Comments


Aviation buffs, today's your last chance to enter to win a tour of one of Lufthansa's A380 aircraft. If you cried, celebrated, or basically had any sort of reaction when the DC-10 was retired, this contest is for you. Answer a few questions and enter for the chance to tour the superjumbo jet when it lands at JFK Airport in New York City on March 19. Your prize will provide you an advance peek into the monstrosity way ahead of its schedule introduction to the public. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until scheduled commercial service begins to see just how freakin' long it's going to take to deplane from a full A380 flight.

Related Stories:
· A380 Sweepstakes Entry [Lufthansa]
· LH A380 in JFK March 17 [FlyerTalk]

OMG! An Actual Sale on Lufthansa

March 7, 2007 at 11:03 AM | 1 Comment


We can hardly contain our pride: Lufthansa has finally come through with a decent, though not dirt-cheap, deal. The German airline with a penchant for non-sales is actually throwing Denver residents a bone with its new DEN-Munich non-stop flight. Of course, you'll need to have some flexible dates to pull off that $480 all-in price.

We pulled it up for a May 7-14 (Monday-Monday) trip--not bad for spring, and obviously convenient if you live in Denver and want to head straight for Munich for...whatever reason. Some good cheapo connections are available after that. But you'll need to bring your own entertainment and/or Ambien, because Lufthansa's steerage is still lacking.

[Photo: Esthr]

Related Stories:
· New flight LH481: Denver - Munich $481* [Lufthansa]
· Cheap flights from Munich (MUC) [Which Budget]
· Lufthansa Has "'80s" Entertainment [Jaunted]

Lufthansa Has "'80s" Entertainment

February 15, 2007 at 11:46 AM | 0 Comments


Not only does Lufthansa have a penchant for non-sales (in which they taut fares that are either average or even a good deal above other easy-to-find offers), but the very coach class those sales lure you to fly on has quite the sour reputation. We've been hearing bad things about Lufthansa's transatlantic steerage for a while, and sadly, the negative reviews are still rolling in:

A flight from Chicago to Johannesburg:
ORD-FRA-JNB economy. How is Lufthansa rated a 4 star airline? Both flights on old Boeing 747's with IFE that dated back to the 80's. The TV screens in the aisles didn't even display the right colors. The seats were extremely uncomfortable and on the FRA-JNB leg I could feel the metal bars underneath me.

A flight from Munich to San Francisco:
Airbus from Munich to SFO - newer plane with the least comfortable seats we have ever encountered - thin cushions, no leg room and very narrow seats. The person in front of me had to have assistance to leave her seat because there was no way to get out of the aisle seat without climbing over the arm rest - there literally was not enough room to stand up in front of the seat.
So, there's your warning. Now that Connexion by Boeing is dead, you won't even have the internets to keep your mind off the shooting pain in your legs. Lufthansa's new business class looks nice, but it's still not rolled out across the entire fleet.

[Photo: Nicolemc99]

Related Stories:
· Lufthansa Passenger Opinions [AirlineQuality.com]
· Today Only: Lufthansa Sale [Jaunted]

Today Only: Lufthansa Sale

November 1, 2006 at 11:31 AM | 0 Comments


It's hardly a bad thing when an airline, any airline, decides to knock a few bucks off any of its fares. So we can't completely knock Lufthansa for today's one-day sale that we tipped you off to yesterday. It's not as exciting as we had hoped: You'll get 20% off base fares for winter travel on many routes, but you'll still have to deal with add-ons and taxes. Many final destinations are east of their transfer points in Germany, so it's up to you if the extra time and effort are worth the savings.

At $382 all-in, the nonstop Philadelphia-to-Frankfurt isn't bad, but Lufthansa also has no competition on that route. We also like Boston-to-London, at $502, which is about an $80 savings over Virgin Atlantic's nonstop on that route. Not to sound spoiled, but we're used to this, and sometimes much better than this, during winter. A trip over to Lufthansa's website couldn't hurt, though, to see what you might be able to make of it.

Update: A better fare on American after the jump.

Update II: Did you get a good fare from this sale? Let us know in comments or by mailing tips- a t - jaunted.com.

[Photo: captainbums]

Related Stories:
· Super Secret One Day Lufthansa Sale [Jaunted]
· JFK to Hamburg: $387.78 on Emirates [Jaunted]

more ›