Passengers with Lufthansa can now select their seat when checking in online. The
German carrier is also testing a service at its Frankfurt hub, allowing
passengers to have their luggage collected from their home address and
automatically checked in.
Lufthansa passengers have been able to print out online boarding passes at lufthansa.com for a while, but only now can they pre-select their seat at the same time. The online check-in option is available 23 hours prior to departure.
Of course with most airlines checking in online still means travellers will need to visit the fast bag-drop if they have checked luggage. But Lufthansa is testing a new service, called "Baggage Home Service", in the hope of eliminating this. Passengers can have their luggage collected by an airline representative, who will also check travel documents and issue a boarding pass, allowing the traveller to proceed straight to security when they arrive at the airport.
The cost of the service is €45 for the first three pieces of luggage, with any additional items charged at €5 each. The service can be booked between three days and 24 hours before departure, and excess baggage charges can also be paid for at the time of collection.
At present the trial is running until December 31, for passengers within a 50km radius of Frankfurt airport, but Lufthansa says that if it proves a success it intends to increase the service to the whole of Germany.
For more information visit lufthansa.com.
Report by Mark Caswell
