If you had to qualify Lufthansa's long-haul leisure strategyerratic' would certainly be the more appropriate term. For almost a decade, the German carrier has been trying to capture a long-haul market, either point-to-point or described as "leisure". But the routes are not premium enough for the brand to operate. Lufthansa.
Eurowingsthe low-cost subsidiary, appeared to be the ideal candidate. Present on regional routes, it was entrusted with the takeover or development of Lufthansa's long-haul network on point-to-point routes. In other words, excluding the Frankfurt hubs...
If you had to qualify Lufthansa's long-haul leisure strategyerratic' would certainly be the more appropriate term. For almost a decade, the German carrier has been trying to capture a long-haul market, either point-to-point or described as "leisure". But the routes are not premium enough for the brand to operate. Lufthansa.
Eurowingsthe low-cost subsidiary, appeared to be the ideal candidate. Present on regional routes, it was entrusted with the takeover or development of Lufthansa's long-haul network on point-to-point routes. In other words, excluding the Frankfurt and Munich hubs. First there was Cologne, then Düsseldorf and finally leisure routes from Munich. The expected success was not forthcoming, Eurowings finally to abandon its long-haul network in 2020.
So here's Lufthansa's new attempt. It is called Eurowings Discovera name that can lead to confusion with the other Eurowings.
In concrete terms, the two companies operate completely independently. "We only included the name Eurowings because this brand is already highly visible," says a Lufthansa communications manager.
Eurowings Discover and Eurowings completely independent of each other
The new entity will be based in Frankfurt. For the moment, its network only includes long-haul destinations that are more leisure-oriented.
From the end of July, the carrier will be launching on Las Vegas; Mauritius; Zanzibar (Tanzania) via Mombasa (Kenya); Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and Windhoek (Namibia). The following will be added in winter Bridgetown (Barbados) and Montego Bay (Jamaica) and Varadero (Cuba). But also medium-haul flights to Marsa Alam (Egypt), the Canary Islands and Morocco.
The airline could also expand its network in Asia - once health restrictions have been lifted. In 2022, it also plans to start operations in Munich.
The fact that 100% is part of the Lufthansa group will make it possible tooffer total flexibility in flight reservation systems. "Passengers can book an end-to-end ticket with a connection in Frankfurt. Eurowings Discover does not have its own booking site. Tickets can be purchased on Lufthansa.com or Eurowings.com*.the communications department stresses.
La The fleet will consist of three A330 aircraft with a Business and an Economy class. A Premium Economy class will be launched in 2022.
"This launch comes at just the right time. People can travel again. And we're ready to fly them to the world's most beautiful destinations," explains Wolfgang Raebiger, CEO of Eurowings Discover. " We built an airline in just one year - an ambitious goal achieved with the massive support of the Lufthansa Group, a motivated team and in close collaboration with the German Federal Aviation Authority".
*However, the sale was not yet open at the time of publication on 22/06/21.
