Lufthansa : LH : DLH

A German court on Wednesday ruled in favour of a night flight ban at Frankfurt airport, Europe's third busiest, dealing a blow to German flagship airline Lufthansa and airport operator Fraport.

Lufthansa, which says night flights are crucial for its cargo operations and to compete with fast-growing Gulf airports, said the decision would have serious consequences for Germany as a place to do business.

"This is a good day for our rivals in Paris, London, Amsterdam and Dubai," chief executive Christoph Franz told journalists.

He added the decision by a judge at a federal court in Leipzig to ban flights at Frankfurt between 11 pm and 5 am in response to complaints about the noise from residents would affect decisions on where Lufthansa makes future investments.

Lufthansa Cargo said it would make a decision on future investment plans of up to EUR€1 billion (USD$1.3 billion) late in the third quarter.

"We have to wait and see how customers react to the summer flight plan," Cargo chief executive Karl-Ulrich Garnadt said, confirming that the ban would cost it EUR€40 million in lost earnings a year.

Lufthansa's cargo arm, which had a 2011 operating profit of EUR€249 million, had switched flights to Cologne during the winter but Garnadt said this was a "flop", as it was impossible to relocate from its Frankfurt hub, where it also uses the belly space in Lufthansa passenger aircraft.

The judge said the state of Hesse, where Frankfurt is located, made mistakes in deciding to allow 17 flights during the night without proper consultation with stakeholders when approving expansion of the airport.

The judge said the state could now make a new decision on night flights, but warned there was little room for manoeuvre. Local transport minister Dieter Posch said Hesse would implement the ban "100 percent".

Along with a total ban from 11 pm to 5 am, the Leipzig court also reduced the number of flights permitted in the period covering the so-called shoulder hours from 10 pm to 6 am to 133 from 150.

Political parties in the neighbouring state of Rhineland-Palatinate praised the efforts of the residents in making their case heard. A rising tide of people power in Germany also forced a rare referendum on plans to build a huge rail station in the southwestern city of Stuttgart.

The judge did however rule that the expansion of the airport was legitimate, disappointing those who had hoped for the new fourth runway that opened in October to be shut down.

One of the plaintiffs, Thomas Rapp, welcomed the fact he could now sleep for six hours at night. "But the planes fly 50 metres above my house every minute at peak times. You can't hear a thing," he said.

Industry groups said the decision puts Frankfurt at a distinct disadvantage to rival airports, such as London's Heathrow where 17 flights are allowed between 11 pm and 6 am, with restrictions on the type of aircraft permitted.

German tourism association DRV and airline Condor, owned by tour operator Thomas Cook, said the decision would also hit tourism hard. Many tour operators use the shoulder hours for flights to fly Germans to sunny destinations.

The Wednesday ruling on night flights confirmed one made by a court of lower instance in October, which came just as Frankfurt's new fourth runway was opened.

Since then, thousands of people have attended regular Monday protests at the airport calling for the ban to be extended by two hours each night and for the new runway to be shut down.

Airport operator Fraport welcomed the fact that the judge had approved the airport expansion and said it would implement the ruling as quickly as possible.

(Reuters)

Lufthansa will halt fleet expansion over the next three years as part of plans to improve annual profits by over EUR€1.5 billion (USD$2 billion), according to a letter sent by a board member.
Chief executive Christoph Franz has said the three-year cost-cutting programme is necessary to improve margins and finance investment in planes in the face of a weakening economy, high fuel costs and increased competition from low-cost carriers.

Lufthansa German Airlines, which does not include Swiss or Austrian Airlines, would account for EUR€900 million of the targeted EUR€1.5 billion improvements, board member Carsten Spohr said, with plans to cut staff costs and negotiate lower charges at airports.

"We will not go to the Supervisory Board with the proposal of selecting and ordering a modern intercontinental fleet until the above mentioned measures begin to bear fruit," Spohr wrote in the letter to staff.

Spohr said in the letter that Lufthansa German Airlines would not increase the amount of seats available in 2012 and would restrict capacity growth to a maximum of 4 percent in 2013 and 2014.

Lufthansa had cut its expansion plans in March, saying it now expected to add only 2 percent more seats at its airlines, including Austrian Airlines, Swiss and Brussels Airlines. It already cut its original 9 percent plan in October.

Lufthansa's Roland Busch, responsible for finance and HR at the Passenger division, said on Thursday night at an event in Frankfurt that increasing fuels costs and airport fees meant Lufthansa had to keep introducing cost-cutting programmes.

"Despite all our efforts, it feels like we end up only reducing losses, instead of improving profits," he said.

(Reuters)

Lufthansa économise, Swiss touchée

Le groupe allemand LHA est bien décidé à réduire ses coûts. Il va notamment supprimer la première classe sur de nombreux vols longs courriers et ne plus accroître sa flotte durant trois ans.

C'est ce qu'a révélé samedi la Süddeutsche Zeitung, qui se base sur une lettre adressée par la compagnie aux collaborateurs. Lufthansa va aussi supprimer des lignes déficitaires. Ces mesures, qui ne sont pas encore formellement décidées, devraient améliorer de près d'un milliard d'euros par année le résultat du secteur des passagers.

En février, Lufthansa avait déjà annoncé son intention d'améliorer ses résultats d'au moins 1,5 milliard d'euros (1,8 milliard de francs) d'ici à 2014. La compagnie allemande a essuyé un perte de 13 millions d'euros l'année passée.

Swiss aussi touchée

Ce programme ne sera pas sans conséquences pour Swiss. Ses coûts seront passés à la loupe, car la compagnie suisse est relativement chère en matière d'exploitation, et «nous devrons réfléchir dans quelle mesure et où nous pouvons encore nous permettre d'offrir des prestations exigeant beaucoup de personnel», avait dit en mars Christoph Franz, patron du groupe allemand.

En Allemagne, des emplois vont disparaître. En Suisse, il appartient à Swiss de proposer des mesures, avait-il ajouté. Une voie évoquée par Christoph Franz serait d'identifier des fonctions de services qui pourraient être externalisées à l'échelle de tout le groupe.

La compagnie helvétique planche sur des mesures, mais elles n'auront pas la même ampleur que pour Lufthansa, a précisé sa porte- parole Susanne Mühlemann, interrogée par l'ats. En mars, le patron de Swiss Harry Hohmeister avait évoqué le chiffre de 100 millions de francs d'économies par année.

Star Alliance carrier Lufthansa today took possession of its inaugural 747-8 Intercontinental, marking the first delivery of the type to a passenger airline.

Certified in December, the GEnx-2B-powered aircraft, list priced at $333 million, features an 8,000nm (14,816km) range and capacity for 467 passengers in a three-class cabin.

Lufthansa will launch services with the 747-8I later this year between Frankfurt and Washington-Dulles, Los Angeles and Chicago-O'Hare. The aircraft will be configured with 362 seats, including 262 in economy class, 92 in business and eight in first class. The carrier was the launch customer for the type, and has 20 aircraft on order.

"After working together for many years, we are very pleased to have the newest generation of four-engine aircraft join our fleet," says Christoph Franz, chief executive officer of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.

Boeing says Lufthansa employees are conducting "airline-specific preparations" to get the airplane ready for a 1 May flight from Seattle to its permanent home base in Frankfurt.

The airframer in February delivered the first 747-8I to an unnamed VIP customer.

Compared to the 747-400, Boeing says the 747-8I will provide double-digit improvements in fuel burn

....and emissions.... and 30% less noise.

Boeing plans to deliver approximately 35 to 43 total Boeing 747-8I and 747-8F freighter aircraft this year. The company certified the 747-8F in August and made first delivery to Cargolux in October.

Suppression de milliers de postes à l'étude, tentation d'imiter le modèle "low-cost" en Europe, abandon envisagé de la classe affaires sur certains vols: en panne de rentabilité, Lufthansa essaie de s'inventer un nouveau modèle d'activité.
© 2012 AFP

Les licenciements s’annoncent comme un volet inévitable du plan de redressement que prépare la direction de Lufthansa. Selon un rapport remis en mars dernier au comité d’entreprise et publié par la presse allemande, le groupe s’apprêterait à supprimer 3 000 postes au sein de ses emplois administratifs dont la moitié à Francfort. « Il est trop tôt pour donner un chiffre mais les suppressions d’emplois sont inévitables pour rester compétitif », a indiqué un porte-parole de Lufthansa.

La compagnie prépare depuis plusieurs mois un plan de rigueur aussi drastique que celui qui se négocie actuellement dans les bureaux du groupe Air France/KLM (cf. A &C n° 2295). L’objectif est de dégager 1,5 MdE d’économies supplémentaires d’ici à la fin 2014. Un calendrier et un montant qui rappellent furieusement ceux que s’est fixé Air France/KLM. Il y a quelques jours, la direction de Lufthansa, dans une lettre adressée aux employés, avait dévoilé un certain nombre de pistes.

D’abord le gel des investissements, notamment en matière d’achats d’avions. Lufthansa réceptionnera moins d’avions que prévu en 2013 et 2014 afin de maintenir le parc du groupe à 700 appareils et ce, jusqu’à la fin 2014. De même, la commande en gestation d’Airbus A350 et de Boeing 787 pour remplacer les A340-300/600 est repoussée « jusqu’à ce que les mesures du plan d’économies portent leurs fruits ».

Ensuite, l’abandon de la première classe sur un certain nombre de lignes long-courrierourriers, et l’installation d’une classe économique supérieure. Deux mesures qui rappellent là aussi celles déjà prises par Air France en 2011. Tout comme celle que s’apprête à prendre aussi Air France dans les prochains mois : bâtir un « pôle à bas coûts », aux côtés de la compagnie traditionnelle, chaque entité ciblant son segment de marché tout en optimisant son exploitation.

Si Air France en est encore à définir la bonne formule, Lufthansa dispose d’un outil avec sa filiale à bas coûts Germanwings. Les deux marques resteront distinctes mais les avions opèreront de concert sur le réseau court et moyen-courrier et les économies seront réalisées dans la mutualisation d’un certain nombre de moyens : gestion des réservations, billetterie et planification des vols.

A German court on Wednesday ruled in favour of a night flight ban at Frankfurt airport, Europe's third busiest, dealing a blow to German flagship airline Lufthansa and airport operator Fraport.

Lufthansa, which says night flights are crucial for its cargo operations and to compete with fast-growing Gulf airports, said the decision would have serious consequences for Germany as a place to do business.

"This is a good day for our rivals in Paris, London, Amsterdam and Dubai," chief executive Christoph Franz told journalists.

He added the decision by a judge at a federal court in Leipzig to ban flights at Frankfurt between 11 pm and 5 am in response to complaints about the noise from residents would affect decisions on where Lufthansa makes future investments........

Lufthansa has warned that its Boeing 747-8 ramp-up could be slowed if the airline cannot achieve its efficiency and cash-flow improvements over the next two years, which may prompt it to defer deliveries.

The German airline has 20 747-8Is on order, which are due to be delivered at a rate of five a year through to 2015. However Lufthansa has launched its €1.5 billion "Score" efficiency programme, with the target of raising sales by €300 million and cutting costs by €600 million. The success of this effort will determine the fortunes of the airline's delivery schedules, including that of the 747-8I, says chief executive of Lufthansa's passenger division, Carsten Spohr.

"We have 160 aircraft on order which we will receive and the way we control our growth is by retiring more old aircraft than planned," he said, speaking at the delivery ceremony for the first 747-8I in Frankfurt on 2 May. "The number of aircraft in Lufthansa will not grow - it's 404 now and that will not increase over the next two-and-a-half years."

The airline's General Electric GEnx-powered 747-8Is are slated to replace its 30 747-400s, the first of which has already been retired.

But Spohr warns that if the required efficiency improvements and cash-flow increases cannot be achieved, it may be forced to defer new deliveries. "If we find out with the fuel prices where they are and the current [business] environment we're getting short (of target), we might have to delay some deliveries - it's not our plan though."

Lufthansa is hopeful that it will begin to receive an improved version of the Boeing 747-8I with performance closer to original expectations by the time its 11th aircraft arrives in around two years' time.

The German airline has just taken delivery of the first of 20 General Electric GEnx-powered 747-8Is it has on order and is due to receive them at a rate of five a year through to 2015.

Speaking on 2 May at the delivery ceremony in Frankfurt, Carsten Spohr, chief executive of Lufthansa's passenger division, said while the 747-8's fuel burn had been lower than expected during the 1 May ferry flight from Seattle, performance is still below expectations. "It's within the limits which we took into our calculation, but it's not quite as good as Boeing and we were hoping," he said.

"This is due to weight - resulting in higher fuel burn - and the engine, which can be further improved."

Spohr says that fuel flow on the 747-8 is "more than 10%" (******) lower than the 747-400 at the same weight, and its efficiency is close to the much larger A380 in Lufthansa's fleet, in seat/mile cost terms: "We believe we will get very close - not quite (equal) - to the A380."

Lufthansa's "second batch" of 747-8s will be an improved version, he adds. "I expect from aircraft 11 to have improvements. This delivery depends on whether we stretch delivery times, but we're talking 2014 on today's schedule."

Spohr has warned that a rescheduling of orders could happen if Lufthansa cannot achieve its cost-saving and efficiency targets over the next two years.

Meanwhile the airline is relaxed about the 747-8I's sluggish sales performance, but would like to see the customer base expand in the longer term. "I love the exclusivity I can give my passengers now, but in the end, bigger fleets have advantages in terms of spare parts and residual value," Spohr says. "When people see this entry into service being successful, there will be more demand for the 747-8."

• Le prix d'acquisition, d'abord, avec un "discount" sur prix catalogue réputé avoisiner le chiffre de 60%.
  
• Le moment venu, un prix pour les conversions en "freighter" laissant une marge brute plus que faible pour Boeing.
  
• Des promesses de performances-moteurs extraordinaires en terme d'économies de consommation (et de fiabilité, ... par rapport aux CF-6, des B747-400 de LH ; pas difficile), ..... engagements qui, à l'arrivée, s'avèrent tenables à hauteur de 40%, seulement, de tout ce "huffing & puffing" sur le volet 'consommation'.
  
• Les arguments d'une transition facile entre les B747-400 et le B747-8I (là, à l'époque, pour cet aspect d'intégration "seamless" dans la flotte de LH, on mettait l'accent sur les 'points de similitude améliorés' entre les 2 types de B747, ..... et non pas sur le fait que '70% des pièces de "l'aiframe" soient entièrement nouvelles', .... comme cela se dit aujourd'hui, dans les divers discours d'éloge ; quel faux-culisme, pour 'faire ce qu'on peut avec ce qu'on a').
  
• La 'commonality' des moteurs (technologie GE), ... ce qui est faux, d'abord, dans le cas des CF-6 et GEnx-2B, ... et un point qui fait rire, ... puisque rendu caduc par la quasi omni-présence des accords du genre "TotalCare" proposé par les motoristes.
  
• L'insertion facile de l'appareil dans la flotte de LH, qui se glisserait confortablement et rationnellement entre les A340-6000 et les A380-800 de LH.
  

• les Cadres Supérieurs, qui voyageaient en Classe Affaires ou en Première Classe, quand l'Employeur & / ou le Client professionnel payaient les frais de voyages, ....
  
• ... voyageaient en famille en Classe Eco pour les vacances, mais affichaient vite des insatisfactions, si le niveau de service s'avérait trop en-deçà de celui des classes 'supérieures' que lesdits Cadres fréquentaient dans leur vie professionnelle !
  

Lufthansa will use its new Boeing 747-8Is to tackle long-haul markets where demand is weak for economy class seats. This is because the stretched jumbo slots into the German carrier's fleet beneath the Airbus A380, offering around 160 fewer economy seats but a comparable level of premium capacity.

The airline will put its newly delivered 747-8I into service on 1 June between Frankfurt and Washington Dulles, replacing a 747-400 on the route. Other 747-400 routes due to be upgraded to the 362-seater this year are Frankfurt to Chicago and Los Angeles in the USA and New Delhi and Bangalore in India.

"We believe the 747-8 is a nice fit between the Airbus A340-600 and the A380," says Carsten Spohr, chief executive of Lufthansa's airline division speaking at the aircraft's roll-in ceremony on 2 May.

"The 747-8 and the A380 both offer 100 premium seats. But we have [160] more economy seats on the A380," he adds. "So we use the 747-8 into premium markets where the economy demand is somewhat limited - for example Washington DC and Chicago."

Spohr says that the A380 is deployed to destinations where there is strong premium demand and a larger economy-class market: "San Francisco is a good example, as well as Singapore, Miami or New York."

Spohr cites Lufthansa's strong premium market as the key to it being one of a handful of airlines that have ordered both the A380 and the 747-8I. "The big premium share we have means it made sense for us to decide to operate both before others did," he says.

Lufthansa's 747-8Is are the first to feature the airline's new lie-flat business class seat, which is expected to eventually be rolled out across the entire long-haul fleet. This move may prompt the airline to offer premium economy seating, which Spohr says was previously ruled out due to concerns that it could cannibalise its business-class market. "We had been afraid that we'd lose people from business class into premium economy. Now with the lie-flat business class that risk is less so we're looking at it again," he says. "We'll need to decide that in the next nine months."

Eh bien ! On a patienté. Nous sommes là, au rendez-vous, maintenant ! Il s'est planté !

• si la Justice allemande le permet (c'était / c'est une obligation, en Australie, pour la partie lésée, de déposer plainte et affirmer l'intention "pro forma" d'intenter une action en justice, afin de pouvoir obtenir des réparations / indemnisations plus importantes, au cas où les tentatives d'un règlement à l'amiable n'aboutiraient pas, .....
  
• LH se prépare pour 'le prire', de manière à exercerles pressions légitimes pour obtenir une indemnisation raisonnable.
  

Lufthansa said it may yet demand compensation from Airbus for wing-component cracks on the A380 superjumbo, while denying a report that it had already done so.

"We are of course in talks with Airbus over the whole issue of hairline cracks. But so far it is not even clear when and how we will handle the modifications," a spokesman for Lufthansa said.

"But we told Airbus that if additional costs arise we will have to talk about everything further."

German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung earlier reported Lufthansa and Dubai-based Emirates were seeking compensation from Airbus for the cracks.

Ne pas prendre tout ce que racontent les media pour de l'argen comptant !

European air safety regulators this year ordered checks on the entire A380 fleet after engineers found cracks in almost all planes inspected.

Affected A380s could be out of service for several weeks when they undergo permanent repairs to address the cracks, according to Airbus, and Emirates has said it plans to seek compensation.

Airbus has said repairs will be made under warranty without further adjustments for disruption or the idling of A380s.

(Reuters)

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, would not say on Thursday which locations will be targeted or give the exact timing of strikes, saying only it would give six hours' notice.

The strikes come as Lufthansa cuts jobs and implements a three-year cost-cutting initiative to boost margins and finance investment in planes in the face of a weakening economy, high fuel costs and increased competition from low-cost carriers.

Lufthansa, which operates around 1,850 flights daily mostly from Frankfurt and Munich, needs to generate more profit to pay for EUR€17 billion (USD$21 billion) of more fuel-efficient aircraft on order.

Lufthansa and the UFO union have been negotiating for 13 months, with the union demanding a 5 percent pay rise and guarantees that Lufthansa will not outsource jobs and use more temporary workers, as it already has done in Berlin.

Talks broke down on Tuesday, and while Lufthansa has called for further negotiations, it maintains that cabin crew must contribute to the cost-cutting.

"It may well be that this industrial action could continue for a very long time," UFO said on its website.

UFO said the first wave of strikes would cover certain airports, rather than nationwide action. It has previously mentioned Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich as likely candidates.

"We do not want to give Lufthansa the opportunity to prepare for the strike by getting replacement crews ready," UFO head Nicoley Baublies told reporters.

Lufthansa has previously said it would seek to keep disruptions to a minimum by using cabin crew who were not part of the union and by drafting staff from other units.

A spokesman for the airline said it had several strategies to mitigate the impact of striking staff and would prioritise long-haul flights.

Lufthansa estimates a nationwide strike on a busy day would cost it millions of euros. Analysts have said costs could be kept to around EUR€5 million a day if flight cancellations were kept to a few hundred.

(Reuters)

Lufthansa (LH) will make Chicago its third destination airport for the Boeing 747-8I, for which the carrier was the launch customer and which entered service in June.

Helmuth Schabel, LH regional director operations and airport services, Washington Dulles, told reporters Friday that as the 747-8I approached its 100th day of service since its launch flight between Frankfurt (FRA) and Washington Dulles, its performance had been excellent ([Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]).

LH, which ordered 20 748-8Is, will use the aircraft on its FRA-Los Angeles route from the end of October, and then begin FRA-Chicago service in the first quarter of 2013, LH director corporate communications-the Americas Nils Haupt said..............

Cabin staff at German airline Lufthansa will hold a fresh strike from 5:00 am (0300 GMT) until 1:00 pm (1100 GMT) on Tuesday, the UFO labour union said Monday.
© 2012 AFP

Updating reporters on the situation regarding the carrier’s flight attendants’ strike, Haupt said it was “very possible” that more strikes would follow this week. Friday’s eight-hour strike forced the cancellation of 190 flights in and out of FRA, Haupt said ([Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]). Some 26,000 passengers were affected. Most canceled flights were short-haul services, but some long-haul flights were also canceled, including services to the US cities of Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, New York JFK and Seattle.

UFO, which represents about half of 18,000 LH flight attendants, including 3,500 pursers, rejected the carrier’s latest pay offer earlier this week and announced it would strike at six-hour notice at selected airports. Non-UFO member flight attendants also took part in the strike action.

Un seul commentaire. LH semble aussi efficace dans le montage et la réalisation de ses grèves, qu'il est dans la réalisation de son travail, ... quand il travaille normalement !

Bref, il manifeste autant de discipline pour semer le désordre, que pour respecter l'ordre. C'est une compétence, ... . ; c'est du métier, ... tout ça !

• posts récents sous topic 'NTSB. FAA. Rapports et AD', rubrique '[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]' ;
  
• et article de Flight International : "NTSB urges grounding for certain GEnx-powered 787 and 747-8s".
  By: [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Washington DC
  
• 4 hours ago : 15 / 09 / 2012 ; Source: [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]
  

Lufthansa CEO: Cooperation with Gulf carriers ‘not profitable enough’

Lufthansa (LH) chairman and CEO Christoph Franz told journalists recently the carrier will continue to play an active part in airline consolidation. “We will, where it is purposeful and possible, actively participate [in terms of consolidation], but only if it is possible at eye level, and it must offer advantages for Lufthansa and our customers,” Franz said during LH’s third-quarter press conference in Frankfurt.

Asked if LH could team up with one of the Gulf carriers as they begin to join alliances for the first time, Franz said the industry is in a state of upheaval and growth is shifting toward Asia and the Middle East. “Now Gulf carriers [are] increasingly acting as an engine of consolidation ... we offer a strong network today to Asia. From this perspective, future cooperation with Gulf carriers do not seem profitable enough for us or for our customers.”

“We are not under pressure, and we can and will assess any potential partnerships very carefully,” he said.

However, LH feels competition heating up from Gulf carriers. LH passenger airline CEO Carsten Spohr recently told ATW that LH is evaluating whether to cut Bangkok from its network, saying the destination has become unprofitable.

Turkish Airlines, l'arme de Lufthansa contre les alliances d'Air France et de British Airways avec les compagnies du Golfe

Mardi, le ministre turc des Finances Mehmet Simsek a confirmé l'existence de discussions entre Lufthansa et Turkish Airlines pour un approfondissement de leur coopération commerciale. Une manière de répondre aux alliances récemment conclues par Air France-KLM et British Airways avec des transporteurs du Golfe.

Pour contrer les alliances de ses principaux concurrents européens avec des compagnies du Golfe (Air France avec le transporteur d'Abu Dhabi Etihad, British Airways avec Qatar Airways qui va entrer dans Oneworld), et d'une manière générale les compagnies du Golfe avec qui la direction ne voit pas de partenariat possible aujourd'hui, Lufthansa choisit une autre voie : une alliance resserrée avec Turkish Airlines, un acteur aujourd'hui plus important qu'Etihad ou Qatar Airways, disposant d'un plan de plan de croissance tout aussi ambitieux, pas (ou peu) aidé par l'Etat en raison de son caractère privé, sûrement plus transparent en raison de sa présence en bourse et positionné sur un marché domestique fortement peuplé à l'inverse des compagnies du Golfe. Un cocktail détonant pour cette compagnie aux dents longues, rentable, considérée depuis quelques années par Air France comme un concurrent redoutable.

Pas d'échanges capitalistiques

Ce mardi, le ministre turc des Finances Mehmet Simsek a confirmé l'existence de discussions entre Lufthansa et Turkish Airlines pour le développement de coopérations entre les deux compagnies aériennes. « Il y a des travaux pour augmenter la coopération, en particulier pour développer le dialogue commercial dans certains domaines », a-t-il indiqué, avant d'ajouter : « le président du conseil supérieur d'administration de Turkish Airlines travaille avec son homologue ». Rien sur le plan capitalistique pour le moment, Ankara souhaitant conserver pour l'heure sa participation de 49% dans Turkish Airlines. Selon l'agence Bloomberg, qui cite trois sources anonymes, Unicredit Bank AG and Turkiye Sinai Kalkinma Bankasi AS ont été questionnées pour préparer ensemble un dossier en cas d'une éventuelle vente. La semaine dernière, le [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Times Deutschland rapportait que les deux compagnies menaient des pourparlers en vue de participations croisées.

Partage des coûts et des recettes, la solution

Dans la mesure où Lufthansa et Turkish Airlines sont toutes les deux membres de l'alliance aérienne Star Alliance et possèdent à ce titre plusieurs accords commerciaux, un approfondissement de ceux-ci conduirait probablement à la mise en place d'un système de partages de coûts et de recettes sur un programme de vols commun, harmonisé, et commercialisé de manière conjointe. Baptisé joint-venture dans le secteur malgré l'absence de liens capitalistiques, ce type de partenariat constitue le plus haut degré de coopération commerciale dans le transport aérien. Jean-Cyril Spinetta, le PDG d'[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], pionnier dans la matière, l'a qualifié un jour de « fusion virtuelle ». Ce type d'accord est en effet fort avantageux pour les compagnies confrontées à la concurrence féroce d'un partenaire, disposant d'une structure de couts inférieure. En effet, le partage des coûts et des recettes annihile le différentiel de coûts. Lufthansa apporterait à cette alliance une recette unitaire supérieure à celle de Turkish Airlines qui elle, lui ferait profiter de ses coûts inférieurs à ceux de la compagnie allemande.

Turkish table sur une flotte de 350 avions en 2020

De quoi écarter les risques pour Lufthansa d'une perte de parts de marché aux dépens de Turkish Airlines, en croissance continue depuis près de 7 ans. La compagnie, qui a pris livraison de son 200ème appareil mardi, entend en exploiter 350 d'ici à 2020 (+75%), a déclaré mardi le président du conseil d'administration de Turkish Airlines, Hamdi Topcu. Enfin ce type d'accords permettrait d'atténuer la concurrence de deux compagnies sur des zones de chalandise communes entre l'Allemagne et la Turquie.

Lufthansa et Turkish Airlines opèrent déjà ensemble une coentreprise, Sun Express, qui propose principalement des vols de l'Allemagne vers la Turquie ainsi que des vols intérieurs en Turquie.

Lufthansa lance le billet à 33 euros avec des options payantes pour contrer les low-cost

Lufthansa va transférer toute son activité court et moyen-courrier (hors vols vers Francfort et Munich) dit de point-à-point à Germanwings. Cette low-cost proposera une seule classe économique, avec trois niveaux de services et de prix différents, allant d'une offre assez haut de gamme à de « l'offre 100% low-cost ».
Une seule classe économique, mais trois niveaux de services et de prix différents, allant d'une offre assez haut de gamme pour les hommes d'affaires à une « offre 100% low-cost ».
C'est la réponse de Lufthansa aux compagnies à bas coûts, dévoilée ce jeudi. Le transporteur allemand va transférer toute son activité point-point intra-européenne à sa filiale à bas coûts Germanwings (à l'exception des vols à destination de ses hubs de Francfort et de Munich). La compagnie low-cost disposera notamment de 90 avions et transportera jusqu'à 20 millions de passagers par an, contre 7,5 millions en 2011.
A partir de juillet 2013, elle lancera un nouveau concept sur le moyen-courrier, qui permettra aux passagers de voyager à la carte en fonction du niveau qualité et de prix souhaités.

De 199 à 399 euros pour un service classe affaires

La compagnie proposera ainsi trois types de prix. Le premier, appelé « Best », constitue meilleur niveau de service dans l'avion. Les sièges seront réservés dans les trois premiers rangs à l'avant de l'appareil avec un espace entre les sièges de 81,2 centimètres. Il n'y aura que deux sièges qui seront utilisés, celui du milieu étant condamné pour le confort des passagers. Un service de restauration à la carte est prévu. Au sol, le passager à accès aux salons d'affaires (lounges) à un enregistrement prioritaire, à une file prioritaire pour passer les postes d'inspection filtrage, d'un poids de bagages autorisé multiplié par deux (deux valises de 23 kg chacune) d'un bonus de miles et d'une flexibilité pour modifier la réservation du billet avec la possibilité de l'annuler. Tout cela est compris dans le prix du billet qui vont de 199 euros à 399 euros TTC.

Un service classe éco classique à partir d'une cinquantaine d'euros

La compagnie proposera une offre plus allégée (appelée « Smart ») pour les sièges situés entre les rangs 4 et 10, qui correspond selon Lufthansa à une classe économique classique. L'espacement entre les sièges sera également de 81,2 centimètres mais la restauration à bord sera limitée à un snack et des boissons sans alcool. Seul des bagages n'excédant pas 2 » kg seront acceptés dans le prix du billet qui débutera autour d'une cinquantaine d'euros.

A partir du rang 11, seul le transport est inclus dans le prix

A partir du rang 11, il n'y a plus de services gratuits. C'est l'offre « Basic ». Les prix commenceront à 33 euros TTC, l'aller simple. Rien n'est gratuit sauf le transport. Boissons, enregistrement des bagages...toutes ces prestations seront proposées en options payantes. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

FRANKFURT—Lufthansa, Europe’s biggest airline, said it plans to order eight long-haul aircraft and 100 short- and medium-haul aircraft from Airbus and Boeing for a total 9.0 billion euros ($12.1 billion).

The purchases still have to be approved by Lufthansa’s supervisory board.

Delivery is scheduled between 2015 and 2025, the airline said in a statement late Tuesday.

That brings the total number of new aircraft that Lufthansa has ordered until the end of 2025 to 239 for a total price of 23 billion euros, which the carrier will pay for in cash or via loans.

Given the magnitude of the investments, Lufthansa announced it would waive a dividend payment for 2012 and fully retain its net profit.

“Our aim is to allow our shareholders to participate sustainably in the group’s future success. It is now all the more important to invest all available resources in the group in order to drive the future (investment) programme forward,” said chief executive Christoph Franz.

“The group net profit will consequently be retained in full for the purpose of strengthening equity capital,” he added.

Lufthansa said it flew back into the black last year, turning in net profit of 990 million euros compared with a loss of 13 million euros a year earlier.

But airline noted that its bottom line had been inflated by windfall gains from the sale of a number of investments.

Underlying or operating profit—which included 160 million euros in restructuring costs—fell by 36.1 percent to 524 million euros.

Revenues, on the other hand, grew by 4.9 percent to 30.1 billion euros, Lufthansa said.

“Profitability for an airline is not simply a given in the present industry environment, it is a good performance,” Franz insisted. But he insisted Lufthansa “needs to perform even better.”

In order to achieve this, Lufthansa has embarked on a massive cost-cutting and earnings improvement programme in order to sustainably lift operating profit by 1.5 billion euros by 2015.

As part of the programme, the airline is planning to shut down a number of its administrative sites, including its head office in Cologne, it said.
Lufthansa is scheduled to released full 2012 results on March 14.