As Antonio Cuoco, CEO of Lufthansa in Ukraine, noted, over nine months the airline carried 87,982 passengers, which is almost 20% more than in the corresponding period of the previous year. The seat load factor between Ukraine and Germany remained at a fairly high level of 74.67%. And in October 2003, the airline carried its hundred-thousandth passenger of the year.
The airline's performance during the so-called high season is also impressive. From June to September of this year, the number of Lufthansa passengers grew by 34% and reached 49,206 people. “Since we started flying to Kyiv 12 years ago, we have constantly strived to improve our product and its compliance with customer requirements. The growing demand for the airline's services in Ukraine proves that the company chose the right strategy on the local market. And we will certainly adhere to it in the future,” says Antonio Cuoco.
Lufthansa is currently working on a project to introduce passenger check-in via mobile phone using WAP and the Internet at Boryspil airport. This type of check-in is planned to begin with the introduction of the summer schedule.
Today the airline offers a convenient morning flight to Munich, which allows you to return to Kyiv the same evening. In addition, the airline operates daily flights to Frankfurt on narrow-body A320 and A321 aircraft with 150 and 182 seats, respectively.
Compared with last year's winter schedule, Lufthansa is increasing the number of flights on European and intercontinental routes. “The serious crisis experienced by the global airline industry has almost been overcome. Air traffic volumes are slowly but surely resuming growth. Lufthansa will use this trend to further strengthen its leading position in the global aviation business,” said Ralf Tekentrap, executive vice president for route network management, information technology and procurement.
The priority for Lufthansa, as the executives noted, is the further development of close partnerships with representatives of the Ukrainian tourism and transport industries. The airline has commercial agreements with the companies Ukraine International Airlines, Tavria, and Dniproavia. The number of Ukrainian air travel sales agents cooperating with the company reaches 100. In addition, the airline is actively developing a network of travel agencies operating under the Lufthansa logo under a franchise agreement. There are currently six such Lufthansa City Centers in Ukraine - in Kyiv, Odesa, Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk, Simferopol, and Zaporizhzhia.
On long-haul flights, Lufthansa offers a new business class - a long lie-flat seat, an improved seat concept, and a unique in-flight information and entertainment program. The surface of the ergonomic seat, two meters long, is absolutely flat; the angle of inclination relative to the floor is only nine degrees. A special partition between seats creates a private atmosphere. There is a special compartment for storing hand luggage. The seat is more like a massage chair, having a built-in function. The airline's aircraft have an extensive film library. A passenger can choose any film they like and watch it at a convenient time. The airline also offers its passengers the Internet.
In addition to the high-class interior, passengers in the new business class are offered the Connoisseeurs on Board program, which provides numerous exclusive dishes and drinks. Leading international chefs - Paul Bocuse, Harald Wohlfahrt, and Nadia Santini - are involved in creating the in-flight menu. Markus del Monego, holder of the title “Best Sommelier in the World,” composes an exquisite wine list.
It should be noted that this year Lufthansa's frequent flyer program Miles & More celebrates its tenth anniversary. Any passenger over two years old can become a member. The essence of the program is the accumulation of miles on the participant's personal card, which are credited for every trip on Lufthansa aircraft or other airlines that have a partnership with it under the Miles & More program. The more miles, the more numerous the additional privileges. The most prestigious - the gold bonus card - can be obtained by a holder of 100,000 status miles, or a passenger who has completed 120 flights in a calendar year.