Articles tagged “Lufthansa Group”

The surcharges may be disappearing, but the pressure will be on travel agencies to keep up with the airlines, and passengers may ultimately be left picking up the tab.

Lufthansa Group has led a years-long uprising by large airlines against the tech middlemen Sabre, Amadeus, and Travelport. This new pact validates a changed commercial, technological, and marketing strategy at Sabre under CEO Sean Menke in recent years.

Lufthansa Group may have done more than any other airline group to aggravate Amadeus, Travelport, and especially Sabre in recent years. Yet a grudging truce in the distribution battle may be possible, according to this exclusive interview with a top executive.

If you think all airlines will lower their fees to encourage more bookings during the pandemic, think again.

Legacy airlines are in trouble. Many deserve bailouts. But let's not take it too far. There's no reason to penalize low-cost airlines. If they can make money with cheap fares, let them.

If the goal is efficient transportation in Europe, politicians may consider only bailing out the five biggest EU airline groups. But many other airlines are expected to receive significant government funds, partly for reasons of national pride.

What are the chances that Lufthansa ends up owning at least parts of Alitalia and Condor? It doesn't seem enthusiastic about either, but it might be better than letting a competitor get hold of them — as long as regulators agree.

Airlines know passengers care about the environment, so they're all ready with talking points to provide their sustainability bonafides. But many are changing little about their strategies.

Lufthansa Group was terrified it would repeat past mistakes, so it built an airline to compete with Norwegian Air and other low-cost, long-haul carriers. Now that airline, called Eurowings, is kaput, and Lufthansa can chalk up another mistake.

European governments once believed they could rely on the market to ensure their links to the outside world. But many are starting to become more protective of their national airlines. In many ways, it is a return to the past.