Lufthansa to Operate Private Jet Fleet
| Lufthansa has announced they intend to set up a private jet fleet which will integrate into their scheduled premium services. They become the first airline to set up a dedicated business jet division and this should be running by the end of 2008. |
Lufthansa plan to acquire a fleet of 9 aircraft using the following aircraft:
Cessna
Citation CJ1 (4 passengers)
Cessna Citation CJ3 (6 pax)
Cessna Citation
XLS (7 pax)
Bombardier CRJ200 (re-fitted to 12 pax)
Due to increasing demand passengers will be able to combine first class long-haul flights into Germany with a segment on the private jet. Over 1,000 local airports are available for use throughout Europe and Russia which gives the passenger greater flexibility.
Prices will be all-inclusive with no hidden charges. The combination of using a major airline for premium long-haul with the benefits of alliance points and a private jet leg looks like it will be an elegant solution for some higher-end passengers.
Lufthansa have also partnered with some local jet operators in the case that they need extra aircraft at a particular time.
This is a bold and significant move from Lufthansa who already had a partnership with fractional player Netjets Europe which ended in 2007. They were also the first airline to introduce all-business flights to USA in conjunction with Privatair.One question is can the business jet sector can remain as buoyant in light of the financial credit crisis and high oil prices? Time will tell... Should Lufthansa be successful we could see other major airlines tempted to get involved in the private aviation market - this could squeeze some smaller operators but the competition should force down prices.
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