Travelore Update: United Airlines, Brussels Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Air Canada and Jet Airfly Have Resumed Flights To Brussels Airport #ToBrusselsTogether

Brussels Airport has spent the last few weeks working around the clock to welcome its passengers back to the comfortable, convenient and, most importantly, safe travel hub they've come to rely on.   As tourism boards and airlines flying non-stop to Brussels, we know that it is paramount that we stand strong, determined and united after the attack of March 22. Rest assured that we will do everything in our power to once again deliver the smooth and seamless travel experience that all of our passengers deserve and expect of us. We are proud to announce that Brussels Airport reopened on April 3rd and has been gradually adding more and more flights to its schedule. Today, more than 460 flights will take off and land at Brussels Airport, with plans underway to bring the airport back to full capacity in the coming weeks.   Some practical information for our travelers to, from and via Brussels Airport: 1.      For departing passengers, a temporary departure area has been set up with advanced security screening and check-in areas. Once past the temporary setup, passengers will return to the familiar surroundings. Within a few weeks the departure area of the airports should be open again with advanced security screening. 2.      Arriving passengers will not experience any change as they proceed through the regular baggage claim and arrival hall to meet their friends and relatives.  3.      Passengers transferring via Brussels Airport will not notice any difference from before. Brussels Airlines, and all North American carriers, have gradually returned to Belgium to resume their flights to Brussels, the capital of Europe. Please connect with your preferred carriers for updated information on flights and schedules. For more detailed questions, feel free to check: www.visit.brussels/en/article/info-brussels-attacks www.brusselsairport2203.be The events of March 22 were tragic and will never be forgotten. However, we will all continue to move forward and restore, rebuild and, once again, redefine the gold standard of air travel.  #ToBrusselsTogether To Brussels, together.

Lufthansa Publishes Special Flight Timetable For Strike

Despite the third day of strike action in a row, the Lufthansa Group will once again operate three quarters of its 3,000 daily flights on March 20, 2015.

Long-haul flights will depart as scheduled again on Friday.

The Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ union (VC) has called another strike on Lufthansa’s short and medium-haul flights for tomorrow, 20 March 2015 – the third strike in three days. Lufthansa will have to cancel 700 flights as a result of the VC strike, which is only 50 per cent of its total number of 1,400 flights scheduled for tomorrow. Nevertheless, 84,000 passengers in total will be affected by the strike-related flight cancellations. The company sincerely apologizes to its passengers for the inconvenience caused.

Unrelated to the VC strike, a further 90 flights with around 10,000 passengers will unfortunately have to be cancelled too, due to the strike by Italian air traffic controllers which will also take place tomorrow.

Lufthansa’s long-haul flights will not be affected by the strike on Friday. They will therefore operate largely as normal tomorrow. All Germanwings, Eurowings, Air Dolomiti, Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines flights will also depart as scheduled. In spite of the strike action announced, the Lufthansa Group will operate around three quarters of its 3,000 daily flights on 20 March 2015.

Lufthansa is doing everything it can to minimize the impact of the VC strike. The other airlines in the Lufthansa Group will once again use bigger aircraft for their flights to and from Germany wherever possible.

Lufthansa flights will operate largely as scheduled again on Saturday when the strike is over.

Passengers whose flights had to be cancelled due to the strike can rebook or cancel their flights at no charge. In addition, all passengers in possession of a ticket from Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines or Brussels Airlines for flights on 20 March 2015 to, from or via Frankfurt and Munich can rebook their flights on a one-off basis at no charge online under “My Bookings” with certain conditions. Tickets for domestic German flights can be exchanged for rail tickets.

Travelore News: Lufthansa Premium Economy Debuts Earlier Than Expected

New Premium Economy seats on board all Lufthansa B747-8 aircraft beginning November 22 / Optional upgrades possible on short notice

The Lufthansa Premium Economy Class is taking off nine days earlier than planned. Already, on November 22, the new travel class will be available for the first time on all routes flown by a Boeing 747-8 (including Bangalore, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Peking, Sao Paolo, Seoul, Tokyo-Haneda and Washington D.C.). Its take-off on the newest and most modern Lufthansa long-haul fleet was earmarked for December 1, but the new cabin was completed ahead of schedule.

From the end of November, all of the benefits and comfort of the Premium Economy Class can be enjoyed by passengers on the Boeing 747-8. Some advantages that come with this new class include double the free baggage allowance compared to Economy Class. Furthermore, for a fee of 25 EUR, passengers in the new class can access and relax in comfort in Lufthansa Business lounges prior to take-off. On board, each passenger in Premium Economy will be greeted with a welcome drink. At their seat is an enhanced amenity kit with useful accessories, a water bottle and a power socket. Meals will be presented in menus and served on china tableware. Available, too, is an extensive Inflight Entertainment program for passengers to view on a large monitor fitted on the backrest of the seat in front.

As an inaugural offer, the Premium Economy Class can be booked at a 15 per-cent discount until December 9, 2014. For a fee and prior to their flight, passengers booked in Economy Class can upgrade to Premium Economy Class at a Lufthansa travel agency partner or by phoning the Lufthansa Service Center on + 1 800 645 3880. Miles & More members can now use their mile credits or eVouchers for an upgrade. Passengers can even upgrade last-minute to available Premium Economy seats at check-in at the airport.

The entire Lufthansa long-haul fleet is to be equipped with Premium Economy by late summer 2015 when the retrofit is successfully completed on all the long-haul aircraft. Following its installation on the B747-8 fleet, the new class will be fitted on the airline’s Airbus A380’s. Premium Economy can be booked now on many of the routes.

About Lufthansa

One of the world's largest and most prestigious airlines, Lufthansa currently flies to 253 destinations in 103 countries, with hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, and with the Lufthansa Group acquisition of Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and SWISS – Vienna, Brussels and Zurich.  From its 20 North American gateways, Lufthansa— recently voted by Fortune as one of the five most admired airlines in the world— and its partners serve over 450 destinations in more than 120 countries.  An industry innovator, Lufthansa has long been committed to environmental care and sustainability, operating the most technologically-advanced and fuel-efficient fleet in the world.  Its long-haul fleet to and from North America includes the Boeing 747-400 and the 747-8, as well as the Airbus A330, A340 and A380.  Currently, Lufthansa has over 220 new aircraft worth about $36 billion on order.  Lufthansa is the largest European operator of the A380 and was the launch customer for the new Boeing 747-8, the industries’ two most fuel-efficient passenger aircraft.  Known for its premium services, Lufthansa continues its $105 million program earmarked for building new or upgrading existing lounge facilities across its worldwide network and will spend more than $3.6 billion in new onboard products and services by 2015.  In 2010, Lufthansa re-launched its broadband wireless Internet service onboard, FlyNet.  For more information or reservations, visit www.lh.com.

Travelore News: Lufthansa Publishes Flight Timetables For Vereinigung Strike For October 20th & 21st

·         Around half the flights planned from Munich during the strike period will take off as normal

·         A large number of short and medium-haul flights and nearly all long-haul flights from Frankfurt will have to be canceled on Tuesday

·         Special flight timetables should enable flight operations to return to plan once the strike is over

Following the announcement by the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ union that a strike will take place from October 20, 1.00 p.m. CEST until October 21, 11.59 p.m. CEST, Lufthansa has published a second special flight timetable on www.LH.com this morning. This supplements the first special flight plan published yesterday and includes other flights to and from Munich that will be operating in spite of the strike. Around half of all Lufthansa’s planned short, medium and long-haul flights from Munich are expected to take place during the strike period. The short and medium-haul flights will predominately be operated by Lufthansa’s regional subsidiary, CityLine, which is not affected by the strike. The special flight plan for Munich was also published this morning.

The Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ union announced early this morning its intention to extend the strikes to long-haul connections on Tuesday and flight traffic will see much more severe disruption tomorrow as a result. On Tuesday, Lufthansa will have to cancel the majority of short and medium-haul flights to and from Frankfurt and suspend almost all long-haul traffic. The airline published a third special flight plan with information on flights to and from Frankfurt on its website this afternoon. Long-haul flights to and from Düsseldorf should operate on schedule despite the strike.

Lufthansa published a special flight plan for the first 24 hours of the strike yesterday. Its intention was to operate around 700 of the 2,150 flights planned for the strike period. The union’s surprising announcement this morning that the strike would be expanded,made it necessary to cancel other flights and update the flight timetables once again. By drawing up special flight plans, Lufthansa intends to ensure that scheduled operations can be resumed at all sites as soon as the strike comes to an end.

Simone Menne, Chief Officer Finances and Aviation Services at Deutsche Lufthansa AG, criticized the actions of the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ union and said, “The strikes not only cause severe economic damage to Lufthansa, but they also harm its reputation, with considerable consequences for our company and employees that remain unforeseeable even today. Why the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ union is blocking a solution to the collective bargaining conflict without compromise, is no longer comprehensible. This is despite the fact that all the other groups of employees have made a constructive contribution to Lufthansa’s success in the future. Our investors expect sustainable and competitive structures across all areas. This also applies to retirement and transitional benefits.”

Lufthansa will be concentrating today and tomorrow on informing and assisting the passengers affected by the strike. Passengers whose flights are canceled due to the strike have the option of rebooking or canceling the flight free of charge. Passengers who have booked a flight for October 20 or 21 that will not be canceled, can also rebook their ticket for free. Tickets for domestic German flights can also be exchanged for a train ticket at www.LH.com or at a Lufthansa Quick Check-In machine. Some 60,000 text messages and 30,000 emails have been sent to passengers who have provided their contact details, notifying them of changes to the flight timetable. The airline has already reserved 3,800 hotel rooms for passengers stranded because of the strike. Call center capacities have been maximized. Snacks, drinks and additional staff members will also be on hand to help passengers with re-bookings at the airports in Frankfurt and Munich.

Lufthansa employees are continuing to work around-the-clock, primarily to reroute transfer passengers via the hubs in Zurich, Vienna or Brussels, in order to get them to their destination on schedule despite the strike. Flights operated by the Lufthansa Group airlines Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Germanwings, SWISS and Air Dolomiti (operated by OS, SN, 4U, LX, EN) will take place as planned during the strike. Lufthansa Cargo is also largely unaffected by the strike.