Archive for the 'Lufthansa' Category

Lufthansa’s New iPhone App Helps Travelers Find Their Way

Published
by
Dan Webb
on February 9, 2010
in Lufthansa
. 1 Comment

Iphone apps are all the rage these days, and a short while ago I blogged about Southwest’s latest offering. Well, last week Lufthansa unveiled Lufthansa Navigator, and to be honest, it looks incredibly helpful!

As the name implies, the free app takes on the role of a navigation system that one might find in a car, except at the airport level – the app determines your location and can provide directions to a gate, lounge, ATM, restroom, etc. Pictures of the terminal interior are provided as well to make getting around easier.

Currently, the app is only in a test phase in Frankfurt that will last for a few months. Users will be surveyed by Lufthansa to evaluate how helpful that app is for its passengers and to see what changes should be made. The app is free through Apple’s App Store, and is available in both German and English.

I think this program is very innovative, and a great move by Lufthansa. Personally, I see this especially helpful to passengers who are transferring through Frankfurt and have never been there before. Hopefully it is successful and they can expand it to other airports.

Of course, one thing that could hurt the app’s success is the expense one will incur by using it – especially iPhone users that don’t have international data plans, for example.

Lufthansa To Launch Iraq Service This Summer

Published
by
Dan Webb
on January 14, 2010
in Lufthansa
. 1 Comment

After dropping service to Iraq twenty years ago due to the Gulf War, Lufthansa has announced that it is “examining the possibility of launching several new services,” citing an increase in demand. No specific flight information has been released, though the carrier says it intends to launch service to Baghdad and Erbil from its Frankfurt and Munich hubs this summer.

jan14

The service would, of course, provide plenty of connecting opportunities thanks to Lufthansa’s vast network. The Star Alliance already has a presence in Iraq, however, with thrice-weekly service to Erbil from Vienna from Lufthansa-owned Austrian Airlines. Fellow Star carrier Turkish Airlines has daily service to Baghdad from Istanbul.

Lufthana’s announcement is also a competitive one. Starting next month Air Berlin will be launching very limited (twice a month) service to Munich from Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, providing connections to Hamburg, Berlin, and Düsseldorf. Blue Wings and Iraqi Airways had formed a partnership in 2009, with the former’s aircraft being used to serve Europe for the latter, though I’m not too optimistic on that partnership at the moment, considering that Blue Wings grounded its aircraft yesterday due to financial issues (for the second time in a year). Viking Airlines also has some European service to Iraq, and subsidiary Viking Hellas is launching service to Iraq from Athens soon.

The foreign carrier with the most most Iraqi destinations, however, remains to be oneworld carrier Royal Jordanian. The airline serves Baghdad, Basra, Erbil, and Sulaymaniyah. It appears, however, that service to Mosul has already been scrapped as it is now absent from the airline’s timetable.

Anyway, a major European carrier coming in is certainly a positive sign for Iraq in general, especially with Lufthansa saying they will serve Baghdad, considering other carriers have focused on serving the northern part of the country.

Photo credit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/loop_oh/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Lufthansa’s Delicious Christmas Menu

Published
by
Dan Webb
on December 4, 2009
in Lufthansa
. 2 Comments

A couple of evenings ago, I was sitting in my college library, and noticed that Lufthansa had sent out a press release detailing its special menu for flights during the Christmas season, and that made me hungry. It also made the Subway sandwich I was eating appear to be very meager. :D Check it out:

An established tradition on board is roast goose with red cabbage and potato dumplings and herb crumble, which will be served on long-haul flights to First and Business-Class passengers….New this year is a culinary Christmas market: First-Class passengers on selected flights from Germany to the US East Coast will savour typical specialities sold in abundance at Christmas fairs, like potato pancakes or fritters with salmon rolls or apple sauce, Nuremberg bratwurst, cucumber potato salad, veal rissoles or Christmas Stollen, a traditional German fruitcake.

Check out all of the delicious details here.

More Thoughts on the JetBLue/Lufthansa Codeshare

Published
by
Dan Webb
on September 1, 2009
in JetBlue, Lufthansa and Star Alliance
. 1 Comment

The proposed codeshare agreement between JetBlue and Lufthansa, while not entirely surprising, is certainly a very interesting story, and after looking to it more there are a few things to look at. The airlines, according to a DOT filing, “plan to initiate the proposed code-share services on the routes listed in Exhibit 1 on or about October 8, 2009.”

First, the routes. There will be transfers going on at both Boston and New York (JFK).

From Boston:

  • Tampa (TPA)
  • Ft. Myers (RSW)
  • San Juan (SJU)
  • West Palm Beach, (PBI)
  • Buffalo (BUF)

From New York:

  • Ft. Lauderdale (FLL)
  • Tampa (TPA)
  • New Orleans (MSY)
  • Austin (AUS)
  • Raleigh/Durham (RDU)
  • San Juan (SJU)
  • Pittsburgh (PIT)
  • Buffalo (BUF)
  • Syracuse (SYR)
  • Rochester (ROC)

It should be noted that Continental has service to all of these cities, and United serves all of them except West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale.

Next, as I mentioned earlier, what do Lufthansa’s Star partners think? Surely Continental and United aren’t exactly pleased at the loss of potential passengers going to their domestic routes from Lufthansa flights. This issue certainly gets messier as Continental, Lufthansa, and United are part of the “Atlantic Plus-Plus” venture, part of which includes revenue sharing on transatlantic routes. (Air Canada is a member as well, and US Airways does not have anti-trust immunity with its fellow Star carriers.)

Continental and United did not respond to requests for comment on this issue.

Also – what does Delta think about this? A news report mentioned that Delta complained about Lufthansa’s investment in JetBlue a few months ago. I found the filing, which was concerning Continental’s application to join Star. Delta wrote:

JetBlue and Continental both have substantial operations in New York and compete on 38 nonstop routes. The potential for competitive mischief (whether intentional or unintentional) in a situation in which Lufthansa has access to the competitively sensitive information of United and Continental, as well as JetBlue, is a circumstance that was not foreseen or reviewed in connection with the previously-approved JetBlue investment transaction.

Has Delta’s opinion changed at all? Probably not. Delta did not reply to a request for comment. American and oneworld probably aren’t the most pleased, either.

Anyway, this is a big step for JetBlue, but I think if the DOT approves the codeshare application, this could provide many benefits for the airline.

JetBlue and Lufthansa Plan to Codeshare

Published
by
Dan Webb
on August 30, 2009
in Continental, JetBlue, Lufthansa, Star Alliance and United
. 0 Comments

The Financial Times reports this evening:

Lufthansa plans to seek regulatory approval to form a “code-share” agreement with JetBlue Airways, marking the German airline’s latest effort to forge closer ties to the US carrier and its coveted New York hub.

I can’t say the news is entirely shocking, especially since Lufthansa has acquired a significant portion of JetBlue shares – the carrier currently owns 19% of JetBlue, though if Lufthansa wanted to increase its stake it would be limited  by foreign ownership rules.

If this codeshare deal happens, it would be a big step for JetBlue. Currently, the airline only has an international partnership (not a codeshare) with Aer Lingus.

The biggest issue here, I think, is Continental. (I am a bit surprised that the Financial Times report didn’t mention them.) One of the reasons Continental is such a good fit for Star Alliance is that the group is very weak in New York – the best it has is US Airways’ domestic hub at LaGuardia, and if the slot swap with Delta goes through that goes away. Continental’s Newark hub gives Star a wide range of domestic, and more importantly, international flights out of the city.

Granted, Lufthansa has a greater presence at JFK than it does at EWR at the moment, but I’m sure Continental was at least hoping that it would get some connecting passengers from Lufthansa to hop on to domestic flights from EWR, not go to JetBlue’s network out of JFK.

It should also be noted, though the article rightly focuses on JFK, there would probably be some opportunities out of JetBlue’s Boston operation as well.

On another note, does this have the potential to mix up the relationship with United? Is there any chance that this could bring away some passengers who connect in IAD up to JFK? Or am I now just making random guesses? :D

And to take it even further – might we see Star Alliance stickers on JetBlue aircraft? Unlikely in the near-term, but who knows, maybe one day? (Taking it too far here? :D )

Regardless, interesting move here. Looking forward to seeing what happens.

Lufthansa and Jetblue

Published
by
Dan Webb
on July 3, 2008
in JetBlue and Lufthansa
. 2 Comments

Remember how a long time ago (Sunday) I wondered if Continental’s intent to join the Star Alliance would affect Lufthansa’s plans with JetBlue because of its Newark hub? Apparently not, according to this ATW article:

To the north, LH is looking at its investment in JetBlue Airways as a way to enhance its US profile, especially at JetBlue’s New York JFK hub, Boston and Orlando International. “Now we have to combine an LCC with a premium carrier, which of course works with different IT and sales systems than a network carrier. We will create something new that the industry had not seen before,” he [Jens Bischof, VP of the Americas] said.

I find part of this a bit funny, because when compared to other American carriers, JetBlue is essentially a premium carrier. But I do see what Bischof is saying from the IT side of things.

Anyways, in terms of market, JFK and Boston make perfect sense. Lufthansa has established service in both of these markets, and passengers can access the majority of JetBlue’s network from either market. Orlando surprised me though. Orlando is primarily a leisure market while both Boston and New York have solid demand for business travel. Lufthansa doesn’t have daily service there. Obviously that can change, but it doesn’t seem to be a very important market for them. There are only a couple of markets that JetBlue serves from Orlando that it doesn’t serve from Boston or New York. But we’ll have to see what happens.

There are certainly a few things to consider about Lufthansa’s move. I’m sure the American Star Alliance carriers (United, US Airways, and soon Continental) aren’t the happiest. Could JetBlue join the Star Alliance in the future? Finally, it has been constantly rumored the past few months that Southwest is looking for an international partner. This developing partnership between JetBlue and Lufthansa is probably accelerating that process.

Another Quick Thought on Continental And Star

Published
by
Dan Webb
on June 29, 2008
in Continental, JetBlue, Lufthansa and Star Alliance
. 1 Comment

Ok, I’m back from a great vacation, and I’m working on a trip report now. I have one more thought, though, on Continental’s intent to join the Star Alliance, and I’m not sure if anyone else has pointed it out. Last week I mentioned that Continental’s hub in Newark is good for the Star Alliance.

Remember when Lufthansa bought 19% of JetBlue? Many started to wonder what Lufthansa planned to do, and if a partnership would emerge. At that time, a partner at JFK was very attractive to the airline. I wonder if Contienental’s intention to move into Star changes any plans.

Lufthana’s Fleet Changes

Published
by
Dan Webb
on June 25, 2008
in Lufthansa
. 0 Comments

Note: This is an article that was written before I went on vacation that my good friend Jon Heckman graciously offered to post for me. I will return to normal posting on June 29.

The 737 classics are having a very rough year. United, Continental, US Airways, Southwest, and now Lufthansa are cutting back or eliminating their fleets of these aircraft. Lufthansa will be replacing its 737-300s and 737-500s the next few years with A320s.

In other news, the carrier has also started certifying its pilots for the A380, which is certainly exciting! The pilots are coming from the A330/A340 fleet. Does anyone know if there is any commonality among the aircraft?

In addition, the 747-8s, if there are no delays, are slated to move into service by 2010.