Lufthansa is a leading, global carrier and the flag carrier of Germany. They are one of the largest airlines and fly all around the world, so chances are you have seen one of their planes or heard about them. Find out more who they are and what to expect!
Who are they? Deutsche Lufthansa (LH) (or Lufthansa German Airlines) is the name of the group of airlines and the German flag carrier. This post is about Lufthansa, the airline – I will post about the subsidiaries Austrian Airlines, Swiss Air and Eurowings some other time. The main hubs are Frankfurt/Main and Munich. They serve 19 domestic and 193 international destinations in 81 countries around the world, making it one of the few truly global airlines:Lufthansa operates a fleet of 265 narrow- and wide-body jets from both Airbus and Boeing, including subsidiaries there are more than 600 planes!
Lufthansa is one of the few airlines offering 4 classes of service, regular Economy, recently introduced Premium Economy, Business Class and First Class. You can expect great service in premium classes, on the ground and in the air. Their First Class is fantastic, including one of the best lounges, the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt!
SkyTrax rates Lufthansa as a 4-star airline (out of 5) and put them in the Top 10 airlines last in 2014, way ahead of the big US carriers.
AirlineRatings gives them a perfect 7 of 7 safety rating, so you will be in good hands.
Lufthansa is a founding member of StarAlliance, the largest airline alliance, giving you access to plenty of opportunities to earn and redeem miles!
Why should I care? Lufthansa has such an extensive network, with destinations all-over the world, they are likely to get you where you need to go – or have a subsidiary or partner that can. And while Lufthansa doesn’t offer the glamour of the Middle Eastern airlines, they offer solid products and service, reliability and safety and are helpful even when things go wrong – something you can’t always rely on with the US or Middle Eastern carriers.
Together with Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa is one of the top carriers in StarAlliance and it’s worth saving your miles for travel with them. Long-distance Business and First Class seats are hard to come by, but very popular and worth the effort! I have enjoyed a number of Business Class flights over the years and hope to snatch a first-class ticket one of these days!
What else should I know? Keep in mind that Lufthansa’s short-haul domestic and European Business Class hardly deserves the name, similar to competing European carriers. You get an Economy seat in a row of three, with the middle seat kept empty – a far cry from the Business Class seats you find in Asia on flights of similar length.
Service on Lufthansa is professional and polite, but don’t expect too many smiles. Ground service can be downright harsh when your carry-on luggage is a few grams over the limit – so, “pleaz folloh ze rules!”
If you are connecting through Frankfurt or Munich, bring your walking shoes – they are huge airports with long ways to walk. Or buy a First Class ticket and enjoy the ride in a Porsche to your lounge or next plane!
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