Lufthansa Is First European Airline To Offer TSA Pre✓®

Eligible passengers flying Lufthansa now able to have expedited screening at security checkpoints of participating U.S. airports / Trusted-traveler program participation adds to air carrier’s quality promise to its customers

On August 31, 2016, Lufthansa German Airlines became the first European air carrier to participate in the U.S. Transportation Security Administration’s TSA Pre✓® program. As a result of this initiative, Lufthansa customers that are eligible will experience an expedited and efficient screening process at the security checkpoint of participating U.S. airports.

The safety of Lufthansa German Airlines’ customers is of utmost importance and is of paramount priority. Following this, the airline’s main focus is on a premium customer experience and quality promise. With TSA Pre✓®, both initiatives are addressed in that all program participants are closely vetted and held to high security standards, and once they are part of the program, will undergo an optimized travel experience with faster and more convenient passenger security facilitation at more than 180 airports nationwide.

“Lufthansa strives to maintain its role as one of the leading airlines in the aviation industry, and in doing so, continually aims for improvement and innovation advancements,” said Juergen Siebenrock, Vice President, The Americas, Lufthansa Group. “Together, we are pleased in advancing this important U.S. government trusted-traveler initiative, the TSA Pre✓® program. This is one of several new initiatives that adds to our commitment towards constantly enhancing the quality level of the customer experience on the overall journey with Lufthansa.”

If TSA determines a passenger is eligible for expedited screening, information is embedded in the barcode and the TSA Pre✓® imprint will appear on the passenger’s boarding pass. When TSA scans the barcode at the security checkpoint, the passenger may be referred to a TSA Pre✓® lane. Expedited screening may allow passengers to keep on shoes, belts and light outwear, as well as leave laptops and 3-1-1 compliant bags in carry-on baggage.

Currently, U.S. citizens, dual citizens, and lawful permanent residents are eligible to apply to the TSA Pre✓® Application Program, as well as members of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Trusted Traveler programs such as NEXUS for Canadian Citizens, as well as Global Entry which is currently available for eight nationalities including Germany.

TSA Pre✓® is also available for U.S. Armed Forces service members, including those serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, Reserves and National Guard.

Lufthansa Reintroduces Denver-Munich Flights

• Route resumed to meet increased demand
• Nonstop service from Denver to Germany expands to 12 flights

 Lufthansa German Airlines has re-launched its Denver to Munich route  With five flights per week to Munich (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday), as well as daily service between Denver and Frankfurt, the route expands Lufthansa’s nonstop service from the Mile High City to Germany to 12 flights weekly. 

“Denver has been an important market for Lufthansa since 2001. The reintroduction of our Denver-Munich route increases capacity by nearly 50 percent, demonstrating the boost in demand we’re receiving from leisure and business travelers to both Munich and Frankfurt,” said Juergen Siebenrock, Vice President The Americas at Lufthansa German Airlines. “With all classes now offering the newest onboard product, our passengers traveling to Munich will experience the highest level of quality, as well as the premium customer service that Lufthansa is known for.”

During the beginning of the summer season, the Denver-Munich route is operated by an Airbus A330-300 with 236 seats in a four-class configuration that ensures a variety of booking options for travelers. From July 17 until, at least, the end of September, the route will - due to the high demand - be operated by an even larger aircraft, the Airbus A340-600, with a total of 297 seats. The First Class product, which received a five-star rating from Skytrax, features eight seats. Each of the 44 Business Class seats transform into a comfortable bed with a horizontal reclining area of nearly six and half feet. Located between Business and Economy Class, Lufthansa’s new Premium Economy Class has 32 seats and offers enhanced services that include 50 percent more space, a greater seat pitch, adjustable head and foot rests, and dedicated armrests. The A340-600’s Economy Class, which accommodates 213 passengers, features an in-seat video screen and an optimized ergonomic seat design with a slimmer seat back that adds to more personal space per passenger. All passengers have access to FlyNet, Lufthansa’s broadband internet product.

“This new nonstop service will provide access to Munich International Airport, one of the fastest and most convenient hubs, with just 40-minute connection times to 150 destinations including one-stop access to nearly 30 new cities,” Denver Airport CEO Kim Day said. “And while the Mile High City offers many synergies with the Bavarian capital that will attract visitors, passengers on the arriving flight to Denver will also have convenient connections to over 170 nonstop destinations around the world through Denver International Airport’s growing network of airlines and destinations.”

Munich – For Business and Pleasure

Munich has a population of 1.52 million and is located north of the Bavarian Alps in the southern part of Germany. Second only to Berlin in terms of tourism, Munich is known for its Christmas Markets, Beer Gardens and Oktoberfest celebrations. Publishing, fashion, high-tech and automotive are among the industries that comprise the city’s bustling business community, which is the European headquarters of numerous international corporations.

Munich International Airport is Europe’s seventh busiest, and according to this year’s Skytrax rating, also Europe’s best airport. The award-winning Terminal 2, a joint venture between Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Flughafen Muenchen GmbH, is a central hub for Lufthansa and its partner airlines, and offers an industry-leading 40-minute average connection time to 150 destinations. On April 26, 2016, the new Terminal 2 Satellite Building opened. It includes five new Lufthansa lounges, as well as 27 additional gate positions that allow passengers to board aircraft directly without bus transportation. Travelers enjoy an array of shopping and dining options, as well as express and family-friendly check-in processes, and an automated underground passenger transport system connecting the Satellite Building and the original Terminal 2 in less than one minute. In line with Lufthansa’s commitment to sustainability, the new satellite facility was designed to emit 40 percent lower levels of CO2 emissions than the two original terminals. 

For further information on round-trip fares and/or bookings on Lufthansa from Denver, CO to Germany, Europe, and beyond, visit LH.com.

The new service at a glance

Denver – Munich

Airports/ Three-letter codes/ Time-zones (Summer)	Denver International Airport (DEN) ; UTC -06:00 hours Munich, Terminal 2 (MUC); UTC +02:00 hours
Flight Schedule (all times local; summer time table)	Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday LH 481: Denver  4:05 p.m. – Munich 10:05 a.m. (following day) LH 480: Munich  11:45 a.m. – Denver 2:30 p.m.
Flight duration (average)	10 hours 20 minutes
Distance	5,225 miles (4,540 nautical miles)
Aircraft type & configuration	Airbus A330-300 / Airbus A340-600 First Class 8 / 8     Business Class 30 / 44 Premium Economy 21 / 32    Economy Class 177 / 213

About Lufthansa
One of the world's largest and most prestigious airlines, Lufthansa, serving 21 North American gateways, currently flies to 205 destinations in 75 countries. The air carrier offers hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. With the Lufthansa Group acquisition of Austrian Airlines, SWISS and a stake in Brussels Airlines, additional hubs include Vienna, Brussels, and Zurich. The entire Group flew a total of 108 million passengers in 2015. In 2016’s summer schedule the Group airlines offer more than 11,500 weekly frequencies to 316 destinations in 101 countries worldwide. As an industry innovator, Lufthansa has long been committed to environmental care and sustainability, operating one of the most technologically-advanced and fuel-efficient fleets in the world. Its long-haul fleet to and from North America includes the Boeing 747-8 and the Airbus A380— the industries’ two most environmentally-friendly passenger aircraft. Lufthansa is the largest European operator of the A380 and was also the launch customer for the Boeing 747-8. The Lufthansa Group currently has 251 new aircraft on order to be delivered by 2025. This year alone the Lufthansa Group will take delivery of 52 new aircraft, including two new types – the Airbus A320neo and the A350 – for Lufthansa alone. Known for its premium services, Lufthansa continues to build new or upgrade existing lounge facilities across its worldwide network. Lufthansa’s entire long-haul fleet now features all new onboard products in each class– bringing Lufthansa one step closer to becoming the first five-star airline in the Western Hemisphere. Additionally, the entire Lufthansa long-haul fleet is equipped with its onboard broadband wireless Internet service, FlyNet. For more information or reservations, visit LH.com.

Lufthansa Publishes Special Timetable For Tuesday September 8th: More Than Half Of All Planned Long-Haul Flights To Operate

Special timetable now available online – travelers proactively informed – 84 of 1,500 planned Tuesday flights cancelled – 90 intercontinental passenger services and all cargo flights to operate thanks to volunteer pilots

Lufthansa has published a special timetable for its services tomorrow Tuesday 8 September. The action has been taken following a call by the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ union (VC) for its members at Lufthansa German Airlines and Lufthansa Cargo to take strike action.

A total of 1,500 passenger flights (including some 170 long-haul services) and seven cargo flights were scheduled to be operated during the planned strike period tomorrow.

With a relatively large number of cockpit personnel indicating their willingness to fly, the airline will be able to operate more than half of its intercontinental passenger services despite the VC’s strike call. All in all, 84 long-haul services from or to Frankfurt, Munich or Düsseldorf will have to be cancelled, while 90 such flights can be operated.   

The willingness of many pilots to work despite the strike call will also permit all seven scheduled cargo flights for Tuesday to be performed. Lufthansa Cargo will thus be able to maintain its full flight program.

A small number of inbound intercontinental flights to Frankfurt, Munich and Düsseldorf will also have to be cancelled today, to ensure that flight operations can resume as smoothly as possible on Wednesday after the strike.

Any customers whose flight is cancelled as a result of the strike will be able to rebook or to cancel their booking free of charge or penalty.

Lufthansa is doing its utmost to minimize the impact of this strike action on its customers. All Lufthansa customers holding tickets for long-haul travel from or to Frankfurt, Munich or Düsseldorf are urged to check the latest status of their flight on LH.com well in advance of their scheduled departure.

Travelore News: New Lufthansa Premium Economy Class takes Off

First Boeing 747-8 equipped with Premium Economy Class – Exclusive preview of the largest product upgrade of all travel classes in Lufthansa’s history

At 11.00 a.m. today, LH 9880, a special flight, took off from Frankfurt Airport. On board the Boeing 747-8 was the new Premium Economy Class. The aircraft, with the registration number D-AIYQ, is the first in the Lufthansa fleet to offer the new class of travel on board. Experts from Lufthansa Technik have fitted the Boeing 747-8 with the 32 new Premium

Economy Class seats and performed all the necessary quality checks.

          

The aircraft, which is called the “Schleswig-Holstein”, flew over the German region of the same name in a two-hour special flight.

“Today, we are seeing a genuine premiere,” said Karl Ulrich Garnadt, Member of the Executive Board of Lufthansa AG and CEO of Lufthansa German Airlines. “We are launching a new travel class for the first time in 35 years.” Garnadt stressed that Premium Economy was an important component of the “biggest product upgrade in Lufthansa’s history.” By late summer of 2015, Lufthansa will have modified First, Business and Premium Economy Class on its entire long-haul fleet according to schedule and as part of its quality campaign. “With Premium Economy Class alone, we will be able to offer some 1.5 million passengers per year the opportunity to choose extra comfort and quality at affordable prices,” said the German Airlines CEO.

From as early as December 1st – nine days earlier than scheduled – Lufthansa customers will be able to enjoy Premium Economy Class on all flights on the Boeing 747-8 fleet. The “dash-8 fleet” will then offer by far the most cutting-edge and exclusive traveling experience available at Lufthansa.

Premium Economy Class seats will make up ten percent of the entire seating capacity on each wide-bodied aircraft. Over the next few months, Lufthansa will fit between 21 (Airbus A330-300) and 52 (Airbus A380-800) new seats in each of its aircraft. On board the Boeing 747-8, 32 seats will be modified in line with Premium Economy Class specifications. The airline commissioned a total of 3,600 seats from the manufacturer ZIM.

“Booking levels to date have significantly exceeded our expectations,” Garnadt added.

“This shows that we are striking a chord with customers with our new offering. As well as cost-conscious business travelers, we’re also attracting the rapidly growing target group of leisure travelers who don’t want to skimp on on-board comforts during their holidays.”

Alongside Premium Economy Class, Lufthansa is also working intently on upgrades to

First and Business Class on board its long-haul aircraft. All these quality-related measures are set to be completed by late summer 2015. Lufthansa will then be in a position to offer its guests, in all classes, the exclusive traveling experience of a prize-winning five-star First Class, as well as the new Business Class, where aircraft seats can be transformed at the touch of a button into a comfortable bed with a horizontal sleeping area of 6’6” in length (1.98 m).

“I firmly believe that, with this package of products and measures, we will undoubtedly achieve our objective of becoming the first Western five-star airline,” said Garnadt.

Lufthansa is currently offering special introductory prices for Premium Economy Class flights. For instance, return flights to Washington D.C. are available from as little as EUR

1,199, while passengers to Beijing can enjoy the new traveling experience for a mere EUR

1,249.

In addition, no rebooking fees are being charged to passengers looking to rebook from Economy to Premium Economy Class. As soon as Lufthansa Premium Economy Class becomes available on a flight route, an existing Economy Class booking can be upgraded to Premium Economy Class. Passengers will only have to pay the difference between the fares of the two tickets, provided that no changes are made to the original flights that were booked. This applies even if the original ticket was booked for a price that did not permit rebooking.

On social networks, the extras that the Premium Economy Class offers can be experienced and shared using the hashtag #premiumtime.

More information and images available at LH.com/premium-economy and

www.lufthansagroup.com