JEDDAH, 26 April 2008 — The partnership of Lufthansa German Airlines and Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has proved to be “very successful” in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
“Our offer of 21 weekly flights to Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Bahrain perfectly suits the local travel needs, according to Rolf Koller, general manager of Lufthansa-SWISS.
“There is a huge demand for premium products in the travel industry mainly due to a number of major investment projects all over Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and the market growth is predicted to continue,” Koller told Arab News in an interview.
As of summer 2008, Dammam flights operate nonstop to Frankfurt.
The strategic partnership between Lufthansa and SWISS remains “very effective and successful.”
During 2007, the Lufthansa Group’s traffic revenue increased by 13 percent to 22.4 billion euros.
As of the third quarter of 2007, the figures also include the first time consolidation in the group accounts of SWISS for the July to December period. The operating result has exceeded the profit targets, he said.
Lufthansa is one of the world’s” biggest and most prestigious airlines.”
The German carrier is among the world’s top 10 airlines, which successfully owns a fleet of 390 aircraft and flies to 204 destinations in 81 countries.
“Existent now for over 75 years and emerged as one of Germany’s biggest public companies with over 400,000 shareholders, Lufthansa is known worldwide for its aura of sophistication, environment friendly attitude and efficient customer service, thereby making it safe, secure and comfortable around the world,” he said.
The Lufthansa Group’s investment in the future is a high priority.
Its current order for more than 170 new aircraft will not only secure the sustainable modernization of the fleet and profitable growth, but also constitute a major contribution to environmental protection, he added.
Lufthansa will build up its own private jet fleet in the course of this year. In all, nine new private jets will be entering service in the coming months.
Lufthansa is creating its own private jet fleet in order to accommodate a surge in demand for premium products.
The nine aircraft set to operate in the new fleet have been chosen from the Cessna and Bombardier plane makers, he added.
All Middle Eastern passengers can fly to Frankfurt, Munich or Zurich to avail the services of the Lufthansa Private Jet flights point-to-point in Europe as well as in combination with a Lufthansa or SWISS long-haul flight.
The Airbus A380 is going to be the future backbone of Lufthansa’s long-haul fleet for routes with high passenger traffic. In order to fill the gap in capacity caused by delivery delays, five Airbus A330s and seven Airbus A340-600s were ordered at the end of 2006, which will be put into service successively from summer 2008. To provide support for profitable growth at SWISS, its A330 fleet is also to be modernized and extended from 2009 onwards. With the order for the Boeing 747-800 Lufthansa will replace existing aircraft from 2010 onwards, and create additional capacities for planned growth in intercontinental traffic.
“Aside from the three destinations in Saudi Arabia, our schedule includes eight in the Gulf and totals to more than 200 destinations worldwide,” Koller said.
Lufthansa’s ‘Miles & More’ story began in 1993 when it launched its customer loyalty program with seven partners from the hotel industry and car rental business. Fifteen years later, Miles & More is Europe’s largest frequent flyer program with a membership base of 15 million and over 200 diverse partners.
To mark the program’s anniversary, Miles & More members can expect even more opportunities for collecting and utilizing miles. With effect from May 2008 they can settle the airport taxes and charges as well as the fuel surcharge on German domestic and European flight awards with a simple flat rate payment of 10,000 miles. Miles & More members booking a flexible Economy-Class fare will earn 500 additional miles per round-trip. Moreover, members will receive double mileage for traveling via numerous new connections in the summer months, such as from Frankfurt to Nanjing, Seattle and Calgary, Dusseldorf to Toronto and Chicago, as well as along many European routes, he said.
Lufthansa also offers a PartnerPlusBenefit program, which offers additional miles to the benefit of the small and medium businesses.
Lufthansa has just launched two new routes to the African continent, which is in line with its strategy to connecting the oil producing countries to Germany, Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific.