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Lufthansa passengers face widespread flight disruption from Friday after cabin crew representatives said they would start a series of strikes over pay and cost-cutting measures at Germany’s largest airline.

The UFO union, which represents around two-thirds of Lufthansa’s 19,000 cabin crew, late on Thursday called on its members to strike from 0300 GMT to 1100 GMT on Friday in Frankfurt.

Lufthansa plans to cancel 64 flights, or 25 percent of the flights during the duration of the strike, a spokesman said.

source: Reuters

The first Boeing Co. 747-8 jumbo jet to carry paying passengers completed its maiden commercial flight Friday.

The German carrier last month celebrated the delivery of Boeing’s new 747-8 at a ceremony at Paine Field in Everett, where Boeing has assembled 747s for more than 45 years.

This latest version is the jet maker’s largest. The Intercontinental was stretched 18.3 feet over its predecessor, the 747-400, to allow for another 51 passengers, or a total of 362 in Lufthansa’s three-class configuration. With new engines and updated technology, the 747-8 saves operators roughly 13 percent in fuel costs over the 747-400, Boeing says.

source: heraldnet.com

German airline Deutsche Lufthansa said a project to bring together its Germanwings unit and point-to-point services in Europe was one option being considered under plans to cope better with low-cost competition.

“‘It is just a business case at the moment,'” a spokesman for Germany’s largest airline said Lufthansa was planning a new low-cost airline called Direct 4 You.

While Lufthansa is strong in intercontinental and hub traffic, it has suffered in Europe from the rise of low-cost carriers such as easyJet and Ryanair.

source: Reuters

Lufthansa AG is considering shutting down its loss-making British Midland Ltd. – known as BMI – if its sale to International Consolidated Airlines Group is held up by anti-trust authorities in Brussels.

The German airline agreed in December to sell BMI to IAG, the parent company of British Airways and Iberia, for a maximum GBP172.5 million. But the deal could be held up following Brussels’ rejection last week of concessions offered by IAG, which the competition regulator said were inadequate.

source: marketwatch.com

Lufthansa is introducing a new strapline and rolling out a European advertising campaign to help capture a greater slice of the leisure market.

The German airline will now use the strapline “‘Nonstop you’” and is retiring its long-standing “‘There’s no better way to fly’” strapline.

Head of marketing Hubert Frach says that the old line, introduced in 2000, is more “‘service-focused and very corporate-driven.’”

source: marketingweek.co.uk

Deutsche Lufthansa on Thursday said it would consider selling its Austrian Airlines unit if it can’t turn the struggling carrier around amid a wide-ranging plan to cut costs to combat high fuel prices and sluggish growth in Europe.

“‘It isn’t possible to say when Austrian Airlines will break even,'” Chief Executive Christoph Franz said. “‘We will stick with Austrian Airlines until we no longer see prospect for profit,'” Mr. Franz said. “‘We still see this prospect,'” he said, though the business is in a critical condition and needs drastic restructuring.

Lufthansa has agreed to sell loss-making U.K. unit British Midland Ltd.”known as bmi“to British Airways and Iberia parent International Consolidated Airlines Group. It said Thursday it has signed a letter of intent to dispose of its 25% stake small Chinese unit Jade Cargo to China’s Unitop.

source: wsj.com

German carrier Lufthansa is ending the trial use of a biofuel mix for its planes because it has used up stocks of certified biofuel and no other reliable supplies are available.

The trial, which ran on flights between Frankfurt and Hamburg, will end January 12 on a flight from Frankfurt to Washington.

“‘Lufthansa will only continue the practical trial if we are able to secure the volume of sustainable, certified raw materials required in order to maintain routine operations,'” project manager Joachim Buse said on Monday.

The race to cut carbon dioxide emissions has heated up with the introduction this month of the European Union emissions trading scheme under which airlines must pay for the CO2 they emit.

source: Reuters

German carrier Deutsche Lufthansa plans to hire temporary staff as flight attendants for routes to and from Berlin’s new airport to cut costs.

A spokesman for Lufthansa told Reuters on Wednesday about 200 flight attendants will be employed by a Lufthansa-owned temp agency rather than by the airline itself.

While entry-level salaries will be on a par with those at Lufthansa — 1,700 euros ($2,200) gross salary per month plus benefits — contracts will end after two years. The temporary crew can then apply for a new job with Lufthansa.

source: Reuters

Deutsche Lufthansa will launch a new advertising campaign aimed at filling more seats with holidaymakers as companies spend less on business trips.

Germany’s biggest airline said last week  it has named Hamburg-based Kolle Rebbe to help it build an image of more than just a solid business carrier.

“‘We already have many routes to popular holiday destinations in our schedule and want to emphasise this more strongly in our communication in the future,'” a spokesman for Lufthansa said.

Legacy carriers such as Lufthansa traditionally make a large chunk of their profits through sales of business class tickets.

source: Reuters.com

German airline Deutsche Lufthansa said it would initiate further cost-cutting in 2012 with details it will reveal in the first quarter of the year.

“‘In the new and constantly changing environment in which we operate, it takes an enormous effort simply to aim to grow with the market,'” Lufthansa Chief Executive Officer Christoph Franz said in a company newsletter.

Franz said the company would post a profit in 2011, but the numbers were “‘well below'” what it needed to maintain the current operation strategy.

source: upi.com