New fares can be booked now – Firm transition dates for routes ex Hamburg, Berlin and Dusseldorf – New codeshare agreement between SWISS and Germanwings
Frankfurt/Cologne, 2013-04-11 — /travelprnews.com/ — The “new Germanwings” is evolving very much faster than planned: It´s new “Best” and “Smart” fares will be available for booking at travel agencies for flights from early July from tomorrow (Friday), 12 April 2013. The lowest “Basic” fare is available in the online booking channels at Germanwings.
Flights with the “new Germanwings” will be on offer with diverse service packages at the three Economy-Class fares from 33 EUR (“Basic”), 53 EUR (“Smart”) and 199 EUR (“Best”).
All passengers booking the “Best” fare in this class will enjoy the use of lounges. Miles & More status customers will acquire even more advantages: Frequent travellers will have access to Lufthansa and Lufthansa partner lounges in Europe with the “Best” as well as the “Smart” fare. This corresponds to the previous rule in the Lufthansa Economy Class. Senators and HON Circle Members will even have lounge access regardless of the fare they book – be it “Best”, “Smart” or “Basic”.
The Lufthansa subsidiary is also ahead of schedule with the re-equipping of its fleet: Already 21 of the aircraft in the Germanwings fleet have been painted in the new livery. The new and modern brand identity is also reflected in the newly styled cabin, which is setting new standards and not only in the low cost carrier segment with generous legroom of 32 inches (81.3 cm) in the front rows. All 36 aircraft in the fleet will be refurbished inside and out by the time the “new Germanwings” takes to the air on 1 July.
In order to provide passengers with advance information and planning security for their air travel needs, all the dates for the takeover of Lufthansa routes by Germanwings have already been penned firmly into the timeplan. This will allow the timetable for the “new Germanwings” to be worked out earlier than was originally envisaged. Following last year’s transfer from Lufthansa to Germanwings of connections out of Stuttgart, the first routes to and from Hamburg were handed over at the end of March. From the Hanseatic City, Germanwings is now serving the previous Lufthansa destinations of Vienna, Palma de Mallorca, Stuttgart and Nuremberg. It will be taking over connections to Cologne on 29 June 2013 and all other Lufthansa destinations by the end of January 2014, except for flights to Lufthansa’s Frankfurt and Munich hubs.
The transfer to Germanwings of Lufthansa routes out of Berlin commences on 27 October 2013: By 30 March 2014, all destinations ex Berlin (apart from FRA and MUC) will be handed over to the Lufthansa subsidiary. Subsequently, from the end of March 2014 to year-end, the “new Germanwings” will be successively operating flights in the Dusseldorf timetable, except for those on long-haul routes which will still be flown by Lufthansa.
Moves to intensify cooperation between Germanwings and airlines in the Lufthansa Group are also in full swing. A codeshare accord was concluded with Austrian Airlines last year, another is to follow with Swiss International Air Lines. The four daily flights operated by Germanwings, with the SWISS LX code alongside the 4U flight number in future, will greatly improve the quality of flight connections from Cologne through Zurich for passengers of the Lufthansa Group.
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Photos and other information are available for download from www.germanwings.com/presse
Germanwings
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Deutsche Lufthansa AG
Communications Lufthansa German Airlines