Lufthansa Unveils Low-Cost Air Service to City

By Irina Titova

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: March 6, 2013 (Issue # 1749)

Lufthansa, the largest foreign airline company serving St. Petersburg, is to introduce changes to its service both to the city and around the world beginning July 1 this year.

According to the new operational structure the company’s budget airline, Germanwings, will take over all Lufthansa flights to non-hub German cities such as Berlin, Dusseldorf and Hamburg, while Lufthansa-branded flights will continue to serve Munich and Frankfurt.

Lufthansa’s flights from St. Petersburg to Dusseldorf will also be taken over by Germanwings later this year, said Ronald Schulz, regional director of Lufthansa in Russia and the CIS, at a news conference in St. Petersburg on Feb 28.

“The date of the changeover has not yet been specified,” Schulz said.

The new Germanwings flights will offer three classes of economy service.

The lowest available tariff will see ticket prices starting at 33 euros. Similar to other low-cost carriers the price will not include a meal or luggage allowance. Passengers travelling on this tariff will be able to choose seats from the 11th row to the back of the plane, and will be offered paid supplementary services.

The other economy class tarrifs will offer a range of upgrades on the basic service including seats at the front of the plane, free luggage allowances and meals.

Christoff Franz, CEO Deutsche Lufthansa AG, said the launch of the new modernized Germanwings brand will be “a move forward” on the local German market.

“Having extensive experience both in the low-cost and premium segments, we have developed a wide range of products and services. With the new Germanwings we intend to unite both of those elements, while setting new standards of service in Europe and on our domestic market,” Franz said.

Concurrent with Lufthansa’a changes, Austrian Airlines, which is part of Lufthansa Group, will expand its service to St. Petersburg by adding seven more flights a week between St. Petersburg and Vienna to its summer schedule. Currently Austrian Airlines offers a single daily flight from the city to Vienna.

In 2012 Lufthansa carried 463,000 passengers between Germany and St. Petersburg, which represented a growth of two percent over passenger numbers for 2011, according to Lufthansa representatives.