
|
||||
| Commenced operations | 1955 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | ||||
| Focus cities | ||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Miles & More | |||
| Airport lounge | HON / Senator Lounge | |||
| Alliance | Star Alliance | |||
| Subsidiaries | ||||
| Fleet size | 284 | |||
| Destinations | 215 | |||
| Company slogan |
You see the world the way you fly (old slogan) |
|||
| Headquarters | Cologne, Germany | |||
| Key people |
|
|||
| Revenue | 30.14 billion (2012)[2] | |||
| Operating income | 524 million (2012)[2] | |||
| Net income | 990 million (2012)[2] | |||
| Total assets | 28.42 billion (2012)[2] | |||
| Total equity | 8.298 billion (2012)[2] | |||
| Employees | 116,957 (2012)[2] | |||
| Website | www.lufthansa.com | |||
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (FWB: LHA, OTCQX: DLAKY) (German pronunciation: [dt lfthanza], commonly known as just Lufthansa and sometimes internationally as Lufthansa German Airlines) is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe, both in terms of overall passengers carried and fleet size. The German government had a 35.68% stake in Lufthansa until 1997, but the company is now owned by private investors (88.52%), MGL Gesellschaft für Luftverkehrswerte (10.05%), Deutsche Postbank (1.03%), and Deutsche Bank (0.4%) and has 119,084 employees (as of 2011).[3] The name of the company is derived from Luft (the German word for "air"), and Hansa (after the Hanseatic League).
The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating services to 18 domestic destinations and 197 international destinations in 78 countries across Africa, Americas, Asia and Europe. Together with its partners, Lufthansa services around 410 destinations.[4] With over 870 aircraft[5] it has the largest passenger airline fleet in the world when combined with its subsidiaries.
Lufthansa's registered office and corporate headquarters are in Cologne, Germany. The main operations base, called Lufthansa Aviation Center (LAC), is located at Lufthansa's primary traffic hub at Frankfurt Airport.[4][6][7][8] The majority of Lufthansa's pilots, ground staff, and flight attendants are based in Frankfurt.[9]
Lufthansa is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's largest airline alliance, formed in 1997. The Lufthansa Group employs 117,000 people worldwide of 146 nationalities. In 2010, over 90 million passengers flew with Lufthansa (not including Germanwings and Brussels Airlines).
Contents |
Lufthansa traces its history back to 1926 when the Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G. (from 1933 styled as Deutsche Lufthansa) was formed in Berlin,[10] an airline that served as flag carrier of the country until 1945 when all services were suspended following the defeat of Germany in World War II. In an effort to create a new German national airline, a company called Aktiengesellschaft für Luftverkehrsbedarf (Luftag),[11] was founded in Cologne on 6 January 1953, with a large number of its staff once having worked for the now liquidated Lufthansa. At that time, the West Germany had not been granted with the souvereignty over its airspace yet, so that it was unknown when the new airline could become operational. Nevertheless, in 1953 Luftag placed orders for four Convair CV-340 and four Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation airliners and set up a maintenance base at Hamburg Airport.[11][12] On 6 August 1954, Luftag acquired the name and logo from the liquidated Deutsche Lufthansa for DM 30,000,[12] thus continuing the tradition of a German flag carrier of that name.
On April 1, 1955 Lufthansa was granted approval to launche domestic scheduled service.[12] International operations started on May 15, 1955, with flights to points in Europe,[13] followed by services to New York City from June 8 of that year using Super Constellation aircraft, and on South Atlantic routes from August 1956.
East Germany attempted to establish its own airline in 1955 using the Lufthansa name, but this resulted in a dispute with West Germany, where the airline was already in operation. East Germany created its national airline Interflug in 1958, and the East German Lufthansa ceased to exist and merged into Interflug in 1963.[14] Lufthansa (and all other West German airlines) were banned from flying into West Berlin until the demise of the GDR regime.
In 1958 Lufthansa ordered four Boeing 707s and started jet flights from Frankfurt to New York City in March 1960. Boeing 720Bs were later bought to back up the 707 fleet. In February 1961 Far East routes were extended beyond Bangkok, Thailand, to Hong Kong and Tokyo. Lagos, Nigeria and Johannesburg, South Africa were added in 1962.
Lufthansa introduced the Boeing 727 in 1964 and that May began the Polar route from Frankfurt to Tokyo. In February 1965 the company ordered twenty-one Boeing 737 medium-haul jets which went into service in 1968.
Lufthansa was the first customer for the Boeing 737 and was one of only four buyers of the 737-100s (the others were NASA, Malaysia-Singapore Airlines and Avianca while the NASA airframe was the first constructed, it was the last delivered and originally intended for delivery to Lufthansa). Lufthansa was the first foreign launch customer for a Boeing airliner.
The wide-body era for Lufthansa started with a Boeing 747 flight on April 26, 1970. In 1979 Lufthansa and Swissair were launch customers for the Airbus A310 with an order for twenty-five aircraft.
The company's fleet modernisation programme for the 1990s began on June 29, 1985 with an order for fifteen Airbus A320s and seven Airbus A300-600s. Ten Boeing 737-300s were ordered a few days later. All were delivered between 1987 and 1992. Lufthansa also bought Airbus A321, Airbus A340 and the Boeing 747-400.
In 1987 Lufthansa, together with Air France, Iberia and SAS founded Amadeus, an IT company (also known as a GDS) that would enable travel agencies to sell the founders and other airlines' products from a single system.
Lufthansa adopted a new corporate identity in 1988. The fleet was given a new livery while cabins, city offices and airport lounges were redesigned.
On October 28, 1990, 25 days after reunification, Berlin became a Lufthansa destination again. On May 18, 1997, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways and United Airlines formed the Star Alliance, the world's first multilateral airline alliance.
In 2000, Air One became a partner airline of Lufthansa and nearly all Air One flights were code-shared with Lufthansa until the purchase of Air One by Alitalia. Lufthansa has a good track record for posting profits, even in 2001, after 9/11, the airline suffered a significant loss in profits but still managed to stay 'in the black'. While many other airlines announced layoffs (typically 20% of their workforce), Lufthansa retained its current workforce.[15]
On December 6, 2001, Lufthansa announced an order for 15 Airbus A380 superjumbos with 10 more options, which was confirmed on December 20. The A380 fleet will be used for long-haul flights from Frankfurt exclusively.
In June 2003, Lufthansa opened Terminal 2 at Munich's Franz Josef Strauß Airport to relieve its main hub, Frankfurt, which was suffering from capacity constraints. It is one of the first terminals in Europe partially owned by an airline.
On May 17, 2004, Lufthansa became the launch customer for the Connexion by Boeing in-flight online connectivity service.
On March 22, 2005, SWISS was purchased by Lufthansa Airlines. The acquisition included the provision that the majority shareholders (the Swiss government and large Swiss companies) be offered payment if Lufthansa's share price outperforms an airline index during the years following the merger. The two companies will continue to be run separately.
On December 6, 2006, Lufthansa placed an order for 20 Boeing 747-8I airliners, becoming the launch customer of the type. The airline is also the second European airline to operate the Airbus A380 (after Air France). Their first A380 was delivered on May 19, 2010.[16]
On June 11, 2010, the Airbus A380 service was operated between Frankfurt and Tokyo.[17]
After Q1 2012 loss of 381 million euro and 13 million euro loss in year 2011 due to economies slowed and the cost of restructuring and fuel weighed on earnings, Deutsche Lufthansa AG will cut 3,500 administrative positions or around 20 percent of the clerical total of 16,800.[18]
Lufthansa's corporate headquarters are located in Cologne, Germany.[19]
In 1971, Lawrence Fellows of The New York Times described the then-new headquarters building that Lufthansa occupied in Cologne as "gleaming".[20] In 1986, terrorists bombed the headquarters of Lufthansa.[21] No people received injuries as a result of the bombing.[22]
In 2006, the builders laid the first stone to the new Lufthansa headquarters in Deutz, Cologne. By the end of 2007 Lufthansa planned to move 800 employees, including the company's finance department, to the new building.[23]
Several Lufthansa departments are not located in the headquarters; instead they are located in the Lufthansa Aviation Center at Frankfurt Airport. The departments include Corporate Communications,[24] Investor Relations,[25] and Media Relations.[26]
In addition to its main operation, Lufthansa has several subsidiaries, including:[1]
Airline subsidiaries:
Other operations:
The Lufthansa logo, an encircled stylized crane in flight, was created in 1918 by Otto Firle. It was part of the livery of the first German airline, Deutsche Luft-Reederei (abbreviated DLR), which began air service on February 5, 1919. In 1926, Deutsche Luft Hansa adopted this symbol, and in 1954, Lufthansa expressed continuity by adopting it, too.
The original creator of the name Lufthansa is believed to be F.A. Fischer von Puturzyn. In 1925, he published a book entitled "Luft-Hansa" which examined the options open to aviation policymakers at the time. Luft Hansa was the name given to the new airline which resulted from the merger of Junkers' airline (Luftverkehr AG) and Deutscher Aero Lloyd.[27]
Lufthansa is owned by private investors (88.52%), MGL Gesellschaft für Luftverkehrswerte (10.05%), Deutsche Postbank (1.03%) and Deutsche Bank (0.4%) and has 37,042 employees (at March 2007).[4]
On December 13, 2007, Lufthansa and U.S.-based low-cost airline Jetblue announced the beginning of a partnership initiated through the 19% stake purchase in Jetblue shares by Lufthansa. This is the first major ownership investment by a European carrier in an American carrier since the EUU.S. Open Skies Agreement became effective in 2008.
In late 2007, the Lufthansa cargo hub dispute was started by Russia. Lufthansa was forced to relocate its cargo hub from Kazakhstan to Russia.
On August 28, 2008, Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines announced that they were negotiating joining together.[28]
On September 15, 2008, it was jointly announced by both airlines that Lufthansa will acquire a 45% stake in Brussels Airlines with an option to acquire the remaining 55% from 2011. As a part of this deal Brussels Airlines will join Star Alliance. Brussels entered into the Star Alliance in December 2009.[29][30][31]
On October 28, 2008, Lufthansa exercised its option to purchase a further 60% share in BMI (additionally to the 20% Lufthansa already owned), this resulted in a dispute with former owner Sir Michael Bishop, though. Both parties reached an agreement at the end of June 2009, so the acquisition could take place with effect from July 1, 2009.[32] By acquiring the remaining 20% from Scandinavian Airlines Lufthansa has full control over BMI since November 1, 2009.[33]
In November 2008, Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines announced a deal in which Lufthansa will buy the majority stock from the Austrian government. The deal was completed in January 2009. At the same time, Lufthansa announced that they are in serious talks with Scandinavian Airlines System about a merger between the two airlines but Lufthansa would have to make great changes to SAS before this is viable because of the financial state of Scandinavian Airlines System over the last few years. In May 2009, it announced that talks are occurring between about a "closer commercial co-operation" between the two companies, but that a takeover is not in Lufthansa's plans.[34] Additionally, it announced that if British Airways was unable to complete its merger with Iberia, it would attempt to begin talks with the Spanish airline itself.[35]
In 2010, Lufthansa was named in a European Commission investigation into price-fixing, but was not fined due to acting as a whistleblower.[36]
In November 2011, Lufthansa agreed to sell its subsidiary, BMI Airlines to the IAG group (Owner of British Airways and Iberia), pending approvals, for 172.5 million pounds
In July 2012, a QantasLufthansa Technik maintenance deal for Tullamarine airport fell through due to having insufficient engine maintenance work to support the partnership. This resulted in 164 engineers becoming redundant. This follows just months after the closing of heavy maintenance operations, which resulted in 400 additional job losses. It was announced that the Lufthansa TechnikQantas partnership would end in September.[37]
Until April 2009 Lufthansa inventory and departure control systems, based on Unisys were managed by LH Systems. Lufthansa reservations systems were outsourced to Amadeus in the early 1990s. Following a decision to outsource all components of the Passenger Service System, the functions were outsourced to the Altéa platform managed by Amadeus.
Lufthansa built up a worldwide partner network, offering coordinated connections, common frequent-flyer programmes and code sharing. After the liquidation of Team Lufthansa, some of the former Team Lufthansa members were integrated into the partner programme. All airlines remain independent and keep their own corporate identity. Lufthansa partners around the world are:
Lufthansa sponsors Bundesliga club Bayern Munich.[38]
| This section does not cite any references or sources. (February 2013) |
Besides fellow Star Alliance members, Lufthansa has codeshare agreements with the following airlines (as of November 2012):[40]
As of April 2013, the Lufthansa fleet consists of the following aircraft with an average age of 12.6 years:
| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Options | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | C | Y | Total | |||||
| Airbus A319-100 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 138 | 138 | |
| Airbus A320-200 | 53 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 168 | 168 | |
| Airbus A320neo | 0 | 60 | 0 | TBA | ||||
| Airbus A321-100 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 200 | 200 | |
| Airbus A321-200 | 42 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 200 | 200 | |
| Airbus A321neo | 0 | 40 | 0 | TBA | ||||
| Airbus A330-300 | 18 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| 8 | 48 | 161 | 217 | |||||
| 8 | 48 | 165 | 221 | |||||
| Airbus A340-300 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 48 | 165 | 221 | |
| 8 | 36 | 197 | 241 | |||||
| 0 | 44 | 222 | 266 | |||||
| Airbus A340-600 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 60 | 238 | 306 | |
| Airbus A380-800 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 98 | 420 | 526 | |
| Boeing 737300 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 140 | 140 | Phasing out by 2016.[46] |
| Boeing 737500 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 120 | Phasing out by 2016.[46] |
| Boeing 747-400[47] | 19 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 8 | 80 | 242 | 330 | |||||
| 8 | 66 | 278 | 352 | |||||
| Boeing 747-8I | 6 | 13 | 0 | |||||
| 8 | 92 | 262 | 362 | |||||
| 8 | 80 | 298 | 386 | |||||
| Total | 290 | 176 | 8 | |||||
Over the years, Lufthansa has operated the following aircraft types:[48][49]
| Aircraft | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A300 | 1976 | 1984 | Originally had the A300B2 and A300B4 version. Later added the A300 back to the fleet with the 600 series[50] |
| 1987 | 2009 | ||
| Airbus A310 | 1984 | 2005 | |
| Airbus A319 | 1996 | ||
| Airbus A320 | 1989 | ||
| Airbus A321 | 1994 | ||
| Airbus A330-200 | 2002 | 2006 | |
| Airbus A330-300 | 2004 | ||
| Airbus A340-200 | 1993 | 2006 | |
| Airbus A340-300 | 1993 | ||
| Airbus A340-600 | 2003 | ||
| Airbus A380 | 2010 | ||
| Boeing 707 | 1960 | 1984 | Also used in cargo configuration |
| Boeing 720 | 1961 | 1965 | |
| Boeing 727 | 1964 | 1993 | |
| Boeing 737-100 | 1968 | 1982 | Launch customer, dubbed City Jet |
| Boeing 737200 | 1981 | 1997 | |
| Boeing 737300 | 1986 | ||
| Boeing 737400 | 1992 | 1998 | |
| Boeing 737500 | 1990 | ||
| Boeing 747100 | 1970 | 1979 | Also used in cargo configuration |
| Boeing 747200 | 1971 | 2004 | Also used in cargo-configuration |
| Boeing 747-400 | 1989 | ||
| Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental | 2012 | Launch customer | |
| Boeing 767300 | 1994 2003 |
1995 2004 |
Leased from Condor[51][52] leased from Lauda Air |
| Convair CV-340/440 | 1955 | 1968 | Also used in cargo configuration |
| Lockheed Super Constellation/Starliner | 1955 | 1967 | |
| Douglas DC-3 | 1955 | 1960 | |
| Douglas DC-4 | 1958 | 1959 | One single leased cargo aircraft |
| Douglas DC-8 | 1965 | 1966 | One single leased cargo aircraft |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10 | 1974 | 1994 | |
| Vickers Viscount | 1958 | 1971 | Also used in cargo configuration |
In September 1960, the Lufthansa Boeing 707 (D-ABOC), which would serve the Frankfurt-New York intercontinental route, was christened Berlin after the divided city of Berlin by then-mayor Willy Brandt. Following the Berlin, other Lufthansa 707 planes were named "Hamburg", "Frankfurt", "München" and "Bonn." With these names, the company established a tradition of naming the planes in its fleet after German cities and towns or federal states, with a general rule of thumb that the airplane make, size, or route would correspond roughly to the relative size or importance of the city or town it was named after.
This tradition has continued to this day, with two notable exceptions until 2010. The Airbus A340-300 (D-AIFC Gander/Halifax) was named after Gander and Halifax, two Canadian cities along the standard flight path from Europe to North America. It became the first Lufthansa airplane named after a non-German city. The name is meant to commemorate the hospitality of the communities of Gander and Halifax, which served as improvised safe havens for the passengers and crew of the multitude of international aircraft unable to return to their originating airports after the closing of the North American airspace in the days following the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.
The other aircraft not named after a German city was the Airbus A321-100 (D-AIRA), which was designated Finkenwerder in honour of the collaborative Airbus facility in the borough of Hamburg-Finkenwerder, where about 40% of Airbus narrowbody models are manufactured.
In February 2010, Lufthansa announced that the first two Airbus A380 in its fleet would be named Frankfurt am Main and München, following its naming tradition. However, the subsequent A380 aircraft are named after Star Alliance hub cities like Tokyo, Beijing and Brussels.
Lufthansa Technik, the airline's maintenance arm, restored a Junkers Ju 52/3m built in 1936 to airworthiness; this aircraft was in use on the 10-hour Berlin to Rome route, across the Alps, in the 1930s. Lufthansa is now restoring a Lockheed Super Constellation, using parts from three such aircraft bought at auction. Lufthansa's Super Constellations and L1649 "Starliners" served routes such as Hamburg-Madrid-Dakar-Caracas-Santiago. Lufthansa Technik recruits retired employees and volunteers for skilled labour.[53][54] Lufthansa sells aviation enthusiasts rides on the restored aircraft.
Lufthansa First Class is offered on most long-haul aircraft (Airbus A330-300, A340-300, A340-600, A380-800, Boeing 747400 and Boeing 7478). Each seat converts to a two-metre bed, includes laptop power outlets, as well as entertainment facilities. Meals are available on demand. Lufthansa offers dedicated First Class check-in counters at most airports, and offers dedicated First Class lounges in Frankfurt and Munich, as well as a dedicated First Class Terminal in Frankfurt. Arriving passengers have the option of using Lufthansa's First Class arrival facilities, as well as the new Welcome Lounge. Lufthansa has introduced a new First Class product aboard the Airbus A380 and plans to gradually introduce it on all of its long-haul aircraft. With the new programme SCORE, introduced to boost profits by 1.5 billion over the following years, LH will stop route expansion and extensively decrease its First Class offerings on most routes.[55]
Lufthansa's long-haul Business Class is offered on all long-haul aircraft. Each seat converts to a two-metre angled lie-flat bed, includes laptop power outlets and entertainment facilities. Lufthansa offers dedicated Business Class check-in counters at all airports, as well as dedicated Business Class lounges at most airports, or contract lounges at other airports, as well as the Lufthansa Welcome Lounge upon arrival in Frankfurt. A new Business Class was introduced in 2012 in the Boeing 747-8.[56] It has fully flat seats, instead of the former angled lie-flat seats, and a larger seat-back entertainment screen.[56] The seats will be introduced across Lufthansa's wide-body fleet.
Lufthansa's long-haul Economy Class is offered on all long-haul aircraft. All have a 31" seat pitch except the Airbus A340s, which have a 32" seat pitch. Passengers receive meals, as well as free drinks. In 2007, Lufthansa began installing personal Audio-Video-On-Demand (AVOD) screens in Economy Class. The Airbus A340s and A330s have been completely refitted with AVOD, while the 747-400s are in the process of being refitted. The Airbus A380s and Boeing 747-8s are being delivered with AVOD systems already installed.
| This section does not cite any references or sources. (February 2013) |
| Lounge | Access Class | Access Status | Notes | Number on Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Class Terminal | First Class | HON Circle | FRA only | 1 |
| First Class Lounge | First Class | HON Circle | FRA, MUC and JFK only | 3 |
| Senator Lounge | First Class | Senator (or higher) Star Alliance Gold |
30 | |
| Business Lounge | Business Class (or higher) | Frequent Traveller (or higher) | 26 | |
| Welcome Lounge | Business Class (or higher) | Frequent Traveller (or higher) | FRA only Intercontinental passengers on LH, LX, OS and UA only No Star Alliance Gold |
1 |
Lufthansa operates four types of lounges: First Class, Senator, Business, and Welcome Lounges. Each departure lounge is accessible both through travel class, or Miles and More/Star Alliance status; the Welcome Lounge is limited to arriving premium Lufthansa passengers only.
Lufthansa operates a First Class Terminal at Frankfurt Airport. The first terminal of its kind; access is limited only to departing Lufthansa First Class, and HON Circle members. Approximately 200 staff care for approximately 300 passengers per day in the terminal, which features a full-service restaurant, full bar, cigar lounge, relaxation rooms and offices, as well as bath facilities. Guests are driven directly to their departing flight by Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Cayenne, Porsche Panamera or Mercedes-Benz Viano.
| This section does not cite any references or sources. (February 2013) |
Lufthansa's frequent-flyer programme is called Miles & More, and is shared among several European airlines, including Austrian Airlines, Adria Airways, Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Luxair, Swiss International Air Lines, and Brussels Airlines. Miles & More members may earn miles on Lufthansa flights and Star Alliance partner flights, as well as through Lufthansa credit cards, and purchases made through the Lufthansa shops. Status within Miles & More is determined by miles flown during one calendar year with specific partners. Membership levels include: Basic (no minimal threshold), Frequent Traveller (Silver, 35,000-mile (56,000 km) threshold or 30 individual flights), Senator (Gold, 100,000-mile (160,000 km) threshold), and HON Circle (Black, 600,000-mile (970,000 km) threshold over two calendar years). All non-basic Miles & More status levels offer lounge access and executive bonus miles, with the higher levels offering more exclusive benefits.
This is a list of accidents and incidents involving Lufthansa mainline aircraft since 1954. For earlier occurrences, refer to Deutsche Luft Hansa. For accidents and incidents on Lufthansa-branded flights which were operated by other airlines, see the respective articles (Lufthansa CityLine, Lufthansa Cargo, Contact Air and Air Dolomiti).
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lufthansa |
Coordinates: 50°5615N 006°5811E / 50.93750°N 6.96972°E