Bucking the downward trend, Lufthansa announced today in a press conference that it is increasing the capacity on its routes from Saudi Arabia to Germany by almost double as per March 29. The additional frequencies will allow Lufthansa to fly daily from Riyadh and Jeddah to its hub in Frankfurt with the beginning of the summer schedule.
Together with Swiss International Air Lines, the total frequency per week servicing passengers from Riyadh and Jeddah is upped to 11 for each destination with seven from Lufthansa and four from SWISS. This augurs well for customers from the Kingdom as the airlines offer more flexibility and choices of flights to its hub in Frankfurt and Zurich to onward destinations in Europe and Intercontinental.
Both Lufthansa and SWISS, operating a total of 29 flights from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, are the only European carriers which jointly connect all major gateways in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam in KSA and in Bahrain. All flights operate with a three-class onboard service. In addition to this growth, Lufthansa will be operating three extra weekly flights from Dammam to Frankfurt during July and August.
Rolf Koller, General Manager Lufthansa/ SWISS, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain said: “Our confidence in the Saudi Arabian market is in an all-time high as evidenced by the increase in our operations, taking into account that there is a global economic slowdown. We are anticipating a healthy growth in air traffic demand between KSA, Germany and Switzerland. There is no better way to reiterate our strong market position in the Saudi market but now.”
The uniqueness of travelling via Lufthansa/SWISS is that passengers of either airline from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can benefit from a combinable price structure. Apart from the price, passengers are assured of a wide network which translates to more choices, good products, trusted brand, fleet of modern aircraft and an exceptional frequent flyer programme.
Travellers from the Kingdom can also avail of the new offer from Lufthansa - "Buy 1 Get 1 Free" return ticket travel offer in Economy Class from Jeddah or Riyadh to select destinations in Europe. Starting from SAR 2390, individuals can fly to Germany, London, Manchester, Paris and Vienna and for SAR 2590 to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, Geneva, Innsbruck, Linz, Madrid, Milan, Nice, Paris, Prague, Salzburg, Venice and Zurich, prices exclude taxes and surcharges. Booking and sales period is effective from now till 15 April 2009 and valid for travel from 29 March to 30 May. Passengers can book their tickets through travel agents or online.
Apart from the Economy Class, Lufthansa offers an exclusive product catering to the needs of its premium passengers for First and Business Class. In Business Class, passengers can conveniently relax in comfortable sleeper seats, indulge in menus designed by renowned star chefs and choose from a wide array of in-flight entertainment. Lufthansa passengers can also choose to book a Private Jet, a unique offer connecting to more than 1.000 destinations in Europe.
Lufthansa passengers who also want to take advantage of its integration with Swiss International Air Lines find comfort and luxury with SWISS's products be it First, Business or Economy class. SWISS recently held the world premier for its new First Class seats with exclusive design, top inflight comfort and extensive privacy and can be individually adjusted to travellers’ specific wishes and needs. Swissness and stylish simplicity are some of the remarkable traits of SWISS.
Lufthansa and SWISS are also members of Star Alliance, the world’s biggest airline network. As a customer of both airlines, passengers can enjoy access to a vast network of flights, routes and coordinated connections, as well as access to airport lounges worldwide. Lufthansa also has its own Miles & More programme which is Europe’s largest frequent flyer programme with a base of 15 million and 200 diverse partners.
Lufthansa German Airlines connects all the major gateways in the Gulf and Middle East to its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich and onwards to 206 destinations in 78 countries.
