Lufthansa Group has announced a series of new benefits designed to encourage customers to book with member carriers over the coming months.
A “return flight guarantee” means all customers (regardless of fare booked) on European flights with Lufthansa, Swiss or Austrian, can rest assured they be taken back to either Germany, Austria or Switzerland with Lufthansa Group airlines, if necessary by repatriation flights.
In addition those booking Economy Classic or Business Saver fares will now benefit from an “all-round carefree package” of insurance from AXA Partners, covering the costs of quarantine or medical return transport, where travellers are not allowed to enter the country of destination “due to high temperatures for example, or if a quarantine at the destination becomes necessary after a coronavirus test”.
The above fare also includes a video medical consultation with a German-speaking doctor, and the covering of additional hotel or transport costs due to possible quarantine, “for example if the return flight departs from another airport in the holiday country”. Cancellation costs for unused hotel stays and excursions will also be reimbursed.
Finally customers booking Economy Flex and Business Flex fares can avail of a “Bring me Home Now” option, where “Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines customers will be guaranteed to be flown home as quickly as possible with the airlines of the Lufthansa Group”, with no rebooking fees or fare differences.
These new benefits are available on direct bookings made from June 25 until the end of August, for flights up until the end of January 2021.
Commenting on the news Christina Foerster, member of the board customer and corporate responsibility said:
“We have been talking to many customers in recent weeks in order to better understand the needs but also concerns surrounding travel in times of Corona. With this new and so far unique offer, we want to help ensure that our guests can spend their summer holidays in Europe as carefree as possible”.
Meanwhile uncertainty remains over the implementation of Lufthansa’s €9 billion bailout package.
An Extraordinary General Meeting is due to be held on June 25, and with attendance expected to be under 50 per cent, a two-thirds majority of votes cast is required for the deal to pass (should over 50 per cent attend, only a simple majority would be required).
In a statement Lufthansa Group said that in an interview published this week in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the group’s largest single shareholder Heinz-Hermann Thiele “was critical of the conditions of the stabilization package negotiated with the Economic Stabilization Fund of the Federal Republic of Germany and left his approval open”.
The group added that in the interview Thiele “states that he has increased his stake in Deutsche Lufthansa AG to over 15 per cent of the share capital and will officially inform the company of this”.
