JEDDAH, 30 June 2005 — Lufthansa Private Jet (LPJ), described as a fully-fledged product of Lufthansa German Airlines, was introduced to Saudi travel agents at a presentation at Jeddah Hilton yesterday.
“Lufthansa Private Jet combines the advantages of Lufthansa’s scheduled flights with those of a private aircraft,” Thomas Preini, Lufthansa’s head of corporate communications for Southeast Europe, Africa, Middle East and Pakistan, said.
The LPJ, which is offered for travel within the EU, Switzerland and Norway, operates “on call” individual and exclusive flights with a private jet, and offers a hub-service with transfer between private jet and long-haul flights in Frankfurt and Munich, and point-to-point service. Booking, ticketing and billing are done through the German carrier.
Preini and Uwe Wilck, Lufthansa’s general manager for Saudi Arabia and director for Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, said the new product offered a high service level.
Exclusively operated by NetJets, a worldwide private jet operator, LPJ allows passengers to fly by private jet to more than 1,000 airports around Europe from Lufthansa’s hubs in Frankfurt and Munich in a seamless service. On the return journey, passengers arrive by the private jet to Lufthansa’s hubs in Frankfurt and Munich and connect with a Lufthansa long haul flight to their destination.
“The new private jet service, a further enhancement in the top-end market, can also be used for flights between European airports,” Wilck said, adding that LPJ will undergo six months of market tests in operating flights targeting a select group of first and business class passengers.
Saudi passengers arriving in Frankfurt from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam will be met by a personal assistant at the aircraft to a limousine to the Lufthansa first class terminal or lounge.
After going through personalized immigration and customs check, a limousine will bring them directly to the private jet at Eggelsbach airport. The whole transfer process on ground in Frankfurt between the Lufthansa flight and the LPJ takes less than 45 minutes, he said.
“The luxury and prestige of this one-stop service between a Lufthansa flight and a private jet will appeal to our discerning Saudi customers who value quality and privacy. With this product, Lufthansa has made it possible to combine the convenience of a scheduled flight with a private jet into one journey in a seamless manner,” Wilck added.
LPJ will be offered at an “attractive” all-in price, depending on the fare zone and including the exclusive use of the whole aircraft. An LPJ flight from Munich to Lugano will cost 4,550 to 5,650 euros depending on the aircraft type, the price for a flight from Dublin to Billund will be 9,530 euros.
