Lufthansa says that it will look at new business class only routes ahead of potential competition to Germany by Virgin Atlantic and British Airways (BA)
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The German carrier has the chance to expand its dedicated premier class offering as it is to replace the existing business-class only service from D”sseldorf to Newark and Chicago using two PrivatAir Airbus A319s, with three A340-300s from May next year and adding Toronto.
Both Virgin and BA have said they will launch transatlantic business class only services, although only the former has so far committed to Frankfurt, with the latter saying it will operate into ”European hubs.”
Lufthansa refutes the idea that its decision is as a result of BA and Virgin potentially moving into the German market ahead of the Open Skies liberalisation in 2008. ”Absolutely not ” we are growing very strongly in D”sseldorf,” a Lufthansa spokesman told ABTN.
”Demand in the last couple of months has been so high [from D”sseldorf] that we needed larger aircraft next year.”
The spokesman remained tightlipped as to any new business class destinations using PrivatAir”s A319s, except to note: ”We have a couple of very good ideas ” everything is possible.”
The two 48-seat business class A319s will be replaced with the three A340s ” also configured in exactly the same business ratio - but with the addition of eight first class seats. The Munich-Newark business class only jet will now operate an additional early New York service from Frankfurt.
Part of the problem stems from slot-constrained D”sseldorf ” despite it operating two runways. At present, the North-Rhine-Westphalia government limits aircraft movements to 45 per hour, but with ten out of Germany”s 30 DAX Index companies situated in the D”sseldorf region, business travel demand is clearly high.
”Most of the day we are only allowed to use one runway in D”sseldorf,” said the Lufthansa spokesman, ”and there are around 90 slots per hour in Frankfurt and [eventually] 120 in Munich. Plans for new runways in Frankfurt [four by 2011] and Munich [three by 2011] are well under way ” we urgently need new capacity there.”
Fellow German carrier, LTU, has long regarded D”sseldorf as its fiefdom, although for the moment it serves New York JFK rather than Newark, as well as a host of other US destinations.
And the airline, recently purchased by Air Berlin, might also be interested to note that Lufthansa describes itself as ”the only airline in D”sseldorf,” despite LTU offering a raft of international services from the north-west German airport.
Lufthansa also says it will renovate and extend its D”sseldorf check-in area, as well as open a new business class lounge in October this year in addition to its existing first class Senator Lounge.