Lufthansa Group airlines and Sabre Corporation announced a new, mutually flexible distribution agreement that enables modern airline retailing as well as technology innovation. Under the agreement, which covers the carriers Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, SWISS, Air Dolomiti and Brussels Airlines, Sabre will continue to distribute Lufthansa Group airlines’ content through traditional connectivity to hundreds of thousands of travel agents and thousands of corporations through its global distribution system (GDS). In addition, the agreement enables the distribution of Lufthansa Group airlines’ content via the New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard in the Sabre travel marketplace. “Our agreement with Sabre is a landmark deal for airline distribution. I am very excited to shape our joint path towards modern airline retailing and innovate by introducing a diversified NDC program with associated commercial models, – enabling agencies to agree bilaterally on NDC with Lufthansa Group airlines”, says Tamur Goudarzi Pour, Senior Vice President Revenue Management and Distribution Lufthansa Group Network Airlines and Chief Commercial Officer SWISS. “Sabre and Lufthansa Group airlines share an ambition to innovate at the forefront of our industry. Through this new level of flexibility, we jointly enable a diverse distribution ecosystem, extend the reach of NDC and allow for differentiated commercial models. With this customer-oriented agreement, Sabre and the Lufthansa Group airlines team up to put the interests of our travel agency partners and our joint clients at center stage.” “Today maybe more than ever, we are looking to engage creatively with our airline and agency partners to deliver outcomes that provide added value to all players in the travel ecosystem,” says Dave Shirk, President, Sabre Travel Solutions. “Sabre is committed to finding flexible, sustainable solutions that address traveler expectations, deliver against …
Read More »Lufthansa to increase weekly flights on Frankfurt-Dubai route starting September
Lufthansa has announced that it will ramp up flight operations on its Frankfurt-Dubai route in September by 30 per cent, an increase of eight flights compared to the month of August. The addition of new flights follows the airline’s resumption of scheduled services from the UAE in early July in view of the steady growth in demand for intercontinental travel. There will be a total of five flights a week from 3 to 13 September and four weekly services as of September 14, 2020. Heinrich Lange, Senior Director Sales, Gulf, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Lufthansa Group, commented, “As an unparalleled mode of transportation that provides speedy connections between people, places and goods, aviation has become an integral part of modern life. The suspension of air travel due to border closures and mobility restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic had caused significant inconvenience to people around the world. At Lufthansa Group, we are working towards resuming regular operations to all our destinations to meet the needs of our customers.” “We are pleased with increasing weekly flight operations on our Frankfurt-Dubai route. Our decision to increase services is in response to strong demand for flights between the two major cities and to the growing number of destinations offered via our hub. The recent revelation by the authorities in Dubai that the emirate’s main airport has been witnessing a massive increase in passenger numbers, with more than 20,000 travellers daily, is truly encouraging and underscores the need and importance of our flight services for the UAE,” Lange added.
Read More »Lufthansa to resume flights from Dubai to Frankfurt from June 1
Lufthansa will be offering a resumed flight service from Dubai to Frankfurt, starting from the beginning of June. The flight offer from the United Arab Emirates will thus resume with three weekly departures. These new connections are part of the overall restart of schedules containing at the end of June 180 destinations. The Lufthansa Group connections for the United Arab Emirates will commence (Subject to government approval) on June 7, when the Lufthansa flight LH 630 from FRA to DXB will take off from Frankfurt at 2:10 pm and arrive in Dubai at 10:35 pm (local time). Flights will continue between the destinations every second day, with the LH 631 from DXB to FRA commencing on June 9. LH 631 leaves Dubai at 1:00 am, and arrives in Frankfurt at 5:55am (local time). The airlines in the Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa, SWISS, Eurowings) expand substantially their schedule in June, offering numerous leisure destinations, as well as more intercontinental connections. With more than 106 destinations in Germany and Europe and over 20 intercontinental destinations, the range of flights on offer by the end of June will expand noticeably for all travellers. By the end of June, the Lufthansa Group airlines plan to offer around 1,800 weekly roundtrips to more than 130 destinations worldwide. “With the June flight schedule, we are making an important contribution to the revitalisation of the aviation infrastructure. It is an essential part of the German and European economic power. People want to and can travel again, whether on holiday or for business reasons. That is why we will continue to expand our offer step by step in the coming months and connect Europe with each other and Europe …
Read More »Lufthansa Group announces flight cancellations in EAME for April 2020
Lufthansa reduced flight schedules of its passenger airlines for the period from March 29 to April 24, to curtail the spread of the coronavirus. For all passenger airlines in the Group, a total of 23,000 flights will be cancelled. The flight cancellations will be implemented successively in the booking systems, and affected passengers will be informed of the changes and rebooking options. Further cancellations are expected in the coming weeks. Flight schedule adjustments for the period after April 25 will be made at a later date. The capacity adjustments mainly affect Europe, Asia and the Middle East. In the cancellations, care will be taken to ensure that all destinations on all continents can be reached with a Lufthansa Group airline via the hubs of Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna and Brussels.
Read More »dnata expands operations in the United States
dnata has launched operations at Los Angeles International Airport and now provides quality and reliable ground handling and cargo services at 20 airports in the country. To establish operations in Los Angeles, dnata has invested $8 million in infrastructure and resources, creating more than 350 local jobs. Serving six airlines, including Austrian Airlines, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines and Qantas, dnata will initially handle 4,600 flights a year. The company commenced ground handling and cargo operations in the United States by the acquisition of industry players in 2016. Since then, it has invested more than $35 million in facilities, equipment, training and technology. Having won over 45 new contracts in the past 12 months, dnata now serves over 60 airlines in the United States. David Barker, Chief Executive Officer, dnata USA, said, “We are thrilled to be launching operations at one of the world’s leading international airports. Adding Los Angeles International Airport to our growing network underlines our strong commitment to the US market, where we have significantly expanded our operations through massive investments in our facilities and resources in the past two years. We see an opportunity to create a step change in service excellence for our customer airlines at this important gateway.” Joerg Mnich, Vice President, Commercial Airport Infrastructure, Lufthansa Group, said, “As a premium airline, the Lufthansa Group is excited to grow the North American relationship with dnata into other major hubs like Los Angeles. With our positive service experience from destinations like Boston, New York-JFK, San Diego and Tampa, we are looking forward to providing first-class service to our customers with our handling partner at Los Angeles International Airport.”
Read More »Oman Air extends codeshare agreement with Lufthansa
Under the expanded codeshare agreement, passengers can now travel on Oman Air flights from Muscat International Airport and connect to Madrid, Brussels, Vienna and Prague from Lufthansa’s Frankfurt and Munich hubs. The agreement offers travellers even better connectivity and an extended range of services between Muscat and Europe. Guests of both airlines will benefit from the greater convenience and the agreement is the latest step in developing closer links between Oman Air and Lufthansa, both of which share a commitment to deliver excellence in customer service. Lufthansa will continue to codeshare with Oman Air on Oman Air-operated services from both Frankfurt and Munich to Muscat vice versa, allowing their guests to experience the hospitality and service of Oman Air. Oman Air guests will be spoilt for choice as they will be able to fly onwards to Brussels Airport (BRU), Vienna International Airport (VIE), Vaclav Havel Airport Prague (PRG) and Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) and Barcelona (BCN) in Europe. Both Oman Air and Lufthansa offer outstanding choice for customers and the new codeshare between the two airlines will maximise the travel opportunities offered to passengers through their extensive networks. Engineer Abdulaziz Al Raisi, CEO, Oman Air said, “Strategic codeshares are a crucial way for us to broaden customer choice. Our continued relationship with Lufthansa is very important for Oman Air, and we are delighted to offer our valued guests even better connectivity in Europe.”
Read More »250 airlines benefit from Travelport’s branding solution
Having achieved the milestone of 250 carriers, Travelport has now extended its leading position in airline merchandising by offering richer content to five times as many airlines as its nearest competitor. Travelport announced that over 250 airlines now benefit from its Rich Content and Branding merchandising tool which gives agencies and travel bookers a graphically rich experience when booking branded fares and ancillaries. Launched in 2014, Rich Content and Branding allows network airlines and low-cost carriers to differentiate themselves through ls and detailed descriptions of their products and services. Airlines benefiting from branded fares and ancillaries include IndiGo, Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France/KLM, Iberia and low-cost airlines such as Mango Airlines, Aegean, Ryanair and Loganair. Major airlines currently or soon offering access to their branded fares through Rich Content and Branding include China Southern Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways, Emirates, Norwegian, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) and Avianca. In addition, Etihad Airways and Jetstar are introducing no-bag fares on long-haul routes, a development fully supported by Travelport’s new tool.
Read More »Etihad partners with Lufthansa for aircraft maintenance
Etihad Aviation Group and Lufthansa German Airlines, part of Europe’s largest aviation group unveiled details of a new commercial partnership. The two airline groups have concluded a $100 million global catering agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate in aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul. Addressing a press conference in Abu Dhabi, the chief executives of both airline groups spelled out plans to broaden their commercial partnership. James Hogan, Etihad Aviation Group President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “Partnerships are at the heart of our strategy and remain fundamental for us to compete effectively and efficiently in a complex and competitive global market. Our collaboration with one of the aviation industry’s most established and recognised brands is undoubtedly the most significant non-equity partnership with an airline we have ever announced. This partnership is the platform for a much wider strategic collaboration between our two organisations. It demonstrates the commitment of the Etihad Aviation Group Board and Abu Dhabi to our European growth strategy.” Carsten Spohr, Lufthansa Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said: “We welcome the opportunity to strengthen our cooperation with the Etihad Aviation Group. Together we can create added value for our customers and shareholders. Partnering with the Etihad Aviation Group fits perfectly the Lufthansa Group’s global strategy for our passenger airlines and service companies.” The four-year catering contract will see Lufthansa’s LSG Sky Chefs provide catering services to Etihad Airways in 16 cities in Europe, Asia and the Americas. This makes LSG the largest provider of catering services to the UAE’s national airline, outside its Abu Dhabi home base. Etihad Aviation Group and Lufthansa Technik (LHT) also signed an MoU to explore cooperation in maintenance, repair …
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