Improvements in every travel class and on the ground – amenity kits from Samsonite.
BERLIN – ITB BERLIN – REPORT: Lufthansa’s new First Class is enjoying strong recognition worldwide. Not only has there been excellent feedback from top customers in the few months since it was introduced, it has also received major awards. Lufthansa’s First Class and its range of services were awarded five stars in the Skytrax star ranking, while the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (AAHS) presented its International 5 Star Diamond Award to Europe’s leading airline. These awards promise passengers an outstanding travel experience, since five stars are synonymous with top quality, first-class comfort and personal service. And this will soon be the case not just in First Class, but throughout the Lufthansa range.
“We have set ourselves a number of objectives for 2014 – it will be Lufthansa’s biggest service initiative in recent years. As well as installing the latest cabins in all classes of our aircraft, which is already proceeding apace, we will also be demonstrating to an even greater degree our qualities as a dedicated host with a keen understanding of service and hospitality,” said Jens Bischof, the member of the Lufthansa German Airlines Board in charge of Sales, Product and Marketing, at the ITB in Berlin.
Business Class with a more individualised restaurant service
Key improvements in 2014 will focus on Business Class in particular. A more personal touch in the service provided and greater flexibility in terms of processes as a whole should make passengers feel even more pampered than before. The current in-flight service on long-haul routes will be enhanced, with the introduction of a signature service. The aim is to provide a service that reminds passengers of being in a top restaurant. The new aspects will be tested this summer and, if successful, will be implemented on the entire long-haul network from 2015. The process of refitting the long-haul fleet with the new Business Class will also be complete by summer 2015. A total of 7,000 full-flat seats are being installed on the 106 long-haul aircraft.
From as early as August 2014, the amenity kits provided in Business Class will also be upgraded. A new kit has been developed with Samsonite and will include high-quality personal care products from the Greek premium brand Korres. The new personal care products are made exclusively from active plant ingredients of the highest quality – Korres’ roots lie in the oldest homoeopathic pharmacy in Athens. The items already introduced in the aircraft toilets will also be upgraded.
New Premium Economy Class means greater travel choice and more comfort
For its new Premium Economy Class, Lufthansa has designed a high-quality seat that offers much greater comfort and up to 50 per cent more room in this class. The quality of food on offer will also be higher than in Economy Class. The use of porcelain tableware in particular will make a noticeable difference. Passengers in Premium Economy will also be able to take a second item of luggage with them at no extra charge. Tickets will be available for sale in May, and the first flight is planned for October. The first aircraft to feature the new travel class will be the Boeing 747-8. The installation of Premium Economy should be complete by the end of 2015, at which point there will be a total of 3,600 seats in the cabins of the long-haul fleet.
Fast lane for status and premium customers – greater variety in the lounges
From this summer, HON Circle members, Senators and First and Business Class passengers will always have access to the fast lane at all intercontinental destinations and at selected destinations in Europe. This means that premium passengers will always be able to pass through security control more quickly.
By the end of this quarter, Lufthansa will be providing visitors to its Business Lounges with higher quality and greater diversity as regards the food and beverages on offer. The new range of food and drinks will include more fresh choices and healthy options, and there will always be a vegetarian alternative available. The breakfast menu will also be expanded, while ready-to-eat options, such as filled sandwiches, will be available at peak times to ensure that the buffet is less crowded. Food will also be labelled more clearly in the future to assist guests who have food allergies and intolerances.
‘Meet and assist’ service in Frankfurt and Munich to be expanded
Improvements will be made to the passenger transfer services at the Frankfurt and Munich hubs. In order to make the travel experience more relaxed, staff will meet and assist passengers when arriving by bus and entering the arrival areas, while special arrival services will also be provided for premium passengers. Visual enhancements will also be made to the arrival areas to make it easier for passengers to find their way when transferring to another flight.
Top-quality in-flight entertainment on long-haul flights
From 1 April 2014, passengers in every travel class will have a much greater choice of entertainment. There will be twice as many films to choose from. As well as offering even more of the latest blockbusters and popular classics, there will be a wider range of modern classics – the cinema hits of recent years. This is all thanks to the installation of a new in-flight entertainment system, which is setting standards in terms of performance and reliability. More than 100 films in eight languages, more regional films for passengers from Arabic-speaking countries, and from India, China and Japan – these are just some of the highlights of the new in-flight entertainment system.
In terms of television content, Lufthansa now has a range of more than 200 programmes, offering the most exciting cinema documentaries and even more international television box set series. The expanded music collection consists of more than 300 CDs and focuses on the most popular categories of rock/pop, greatest hits and classical, as requested by passengers.
Medium-haul routes to have new communications and entertainment offering
Lufthansa will soon be offering its guests on medium-haul flights a wide range of films, TV series, music, games and information. Products from the Lufthansa WorldShop can also be ordered via the free portal right from the seat for home delivery. Typical destinations in the Lufthansa route network for the new offering include the CIS states, the Middle East and North Africa. To use the services, passengers simply connect to the in-flight infotainment server via Wi-Fi using their own laptop, tablet or smartphone. From summer, the airline will be fitting 20 Airbus A321s with the BoardConnect in-flight entertainment solution developed by Lufthansa Systems.
“As well as the service enhancements and the improvements in how our product is actually experienced, our staff members will clearly play a key role in the quality of our passengers’ travel experience. To further improve the quality of our service and hospitality, we are building on the skill, creativity and good ideas of all our staff members. This will ensure that our passengers have an even more enjoyable travel experience,” concludes Bischof.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
