Lufthansa

Airline Profile

The German flag carrier has become one of the most prominent and trusted names in the airline industry, yet the derivation of that name holds a particular fascination in itself. The luft parts easy enough, as the German for air, but the hansa comes from the Hanseatic League, a medieval alliance of North European trading hotspots from which the East German football team (and Fairs Cup veterans) Hansa Rostock also took their name.

The business world, of course, has changed rapidly since that period: Lufthansa has grown to become the worlds fifth largest airline in terms of passenger numbers, and when you add its 500 jets to the 200-plus operated by its subsidiaries the third largest in terms of fleet. Inadvertently, it even became one of the few airlines to have breached the UK Top 40, thanks to a melodic namecheck in The Aeroplane Song, solitary hit for indie popstrels Straw back in 1999.

The companys history is very nearly as turbulent as that of the German nation itself. Founded in 1926, and pioneering routes across the Atlantic swiftly thereafter, Lufthansa suffered as Germany went to war, permitted only to fly to neutral countries. With all services suspended in the wake of the 1945 defeat, the company was refounded in the West during 1954 only for an East German rival to almost immediately start trading under the exact same name. (This airline later became the East German flag carrier Interflug.) Since then, Lufthansa has expanded steadily, becoming the largest purchasers of Boeing 737s, and the first to purchase the Boeing 737-100, just pipping NASA to the post, while the past ten years have seen mergers and alliances struck with the likes of Air One, BMI, Jet Blue and SWISS.

Presently operating from bases in Frankfurt and Munich, the airlines flights truly span the globe: the old Atlantic routes are much in evidence, covering everywhere from Montreal to Los Angeles across North America, and Bogota to Buenos Aires across the South; it also offers an impressive network of flights to Asia and Africa, stopping off at the cosmopolitan likes of Ashgabat, Bengaluru and Sanaa en route. On the move, theres a menu of typically Teutonic treats prepared by some of the worlds finest chefs: a steak and onions main with semolina pudding for dessert is just one of the options available for travellers wishing to ground their stomachs while in the air.

Online passenger feedback suggests the majority are happy with the service being provided, especially on the European business network, where a mobile and web-accessed check-in service has proved popular. Theres greater cause for concern on long-haul routes, though, particularly with regard to in-flight entertainment and (a recurring gripe) legroom. The lack of a dedicated customer complaints number has also, understandably, provoked ire in certain quarters: as one frustrated poster writes, Remember that Metallica song One, with the guy in the hospital who cant move any part of his body and cant communicate with anyone and basically wants to die? Well, multiply that experience by 1000 and you have Lufthansa. Thats somewhat harsh, maybe: while the company struggles to live up to its blithe motto Theres no better way to fly, it does appear to please most travellers most of the time.