Flights with Lufthansa:
An overview of Lufthansa
Lufthansa came into being in January 1926 in Berlin, Germany. The airline was formed as the result of a merger between Junkers Luftverkehr and Deutsche Aero Lloyd. The new name for this company was Deutsche Luft Hansa Aktiengesellschaft. It was shortened to Lufthansa and this name has been in use now for 75 years.
In 1927 Lufthansa signed an agreement with the Government of Spain allowing air transport between the 2 countries. This agreement included an investment for the setting up of an airline in Spain. This airline eventually became Iberia.
Before the Second World War, Lufthansa offered routes to the Far East, the South Atlantic and the North Atlantic. All this was done with the help of its large fleet that consisted mainly of Junkers, Dornier, Heinkel, Fock-Wulf and other German designed and engineered aeroplanes. Once the war broke out, Lufthansa was only allowed to service countries that were neutral. However, when Germany was defeated, all services offered by Lufthansa were suspended.
A few years after the end of the war, Lufthansa was recreated. It is to be noted though that this new Lufthansa was not the successor of the Lufthansa that existed before the war. In 1955, the ‘new’ Lufthansa resumed services in within Germany. A month after resuming services, they started international flights to Europe and in 1956, routes to the South Atlantic.
By the end of the 1950s, Lufthansa added Boeing 707s to its fleet. This started their jet service between Frankfurt and New York. By the early 1960s the Far East routes were re-opened and flights were reintroduced to Bangkok, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Soon routes to cities like Johannesburg, Nigeria and Lagos followed. Lufthansa also became one of the four buyers for the 737 – 100s the first foreign Boeing customer.
The airline embarked on a re-launch of its corporate identity in 1998. Their entire fleet, airport lounges and offices were given a new look and feel. They also partnered with Jetblue, which is a low cost airline in America. Lufthansa currently holds a 19% stake in the JetBlue airline. Lufthansa is currently looking at consolidating the aviation industry of Europe and is keeping its options open.
Lufthansa currently flies to destinations in Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Europe.
Lufthansa is the founding member of the now twelve-member strong Miles and More frequent flyer programme. The Miles and More programme enables its more than 13 million members to redeem loyalty miles for flights, upgrades and shopping experiences.
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Globe Trotting with Lufthansa :
In 1997, Lufthansa along with Scandinavian Airlines, Air Canada, United Airways and Thai Airways formed Star Alliance. Over the years, this alliance has grown and today it comprises of comprises of 20 members; Air Canada, ANA, Air China, BMI, Air New Zealand, Austrian, LOT Polish Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, Lufthansa, Shanghai Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Spanair, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, South African Airlines, Thai, Turkish Airlines, TAP Portugal, United and U. S. Airways.
In addition to the codeshare agreements held with its alliance partners, Lufthansa also has codeshare agreements in place with Adrian Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Astana, Air India, Air Malta, All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, Blue1, BMI British Midland, Cimber Air, Cirrus Airlines, Condor Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines, Jat Airways, Jet Airways, Luxair, Mexicana, Qatar Airways, Scandinavian Airlines System and TAM Airlines.
At this point in time, Lufthansa’s routes are comparatively limited as far as South Africa is concerned. While it connects Johannesburg, Cape Town, East London, Durban and Port Elizabeth to each other, it only connects Johannesburg and Cape Town to Frankfurt and Munich.