Lufthansa has launched a new holiday brochure, HolidayEurope, that offers tailor made holiday packages from the UAE to several popular European destinations.
“Lufthansa is basically a corporate airline, but there has been an increasing demand for leisure travel, particularly with more expatriates looking for short breaks,” said Uwe Wriedt, the airline’s general manager, passenger sales UAE and director, Gulf and Pakistan. “And since we do not have a holidays’ arm, it made sense to launch this initiative.”
Whether travellers – expatriates or UAE nationals – are looking for a short stay in one of Europe’s historical cities or an enchanting journey to the picturesque countryside of this diverse continent, the airline’s new outbound holidays division will tailor make products accordingly. The airline has partnered with three-, four- and five-star hotels in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and the UK, to offer competitively priced deals. In addition, the car rental partners offer a wide choice of cars in all locations.
“Packages are priced very competitively – and are in fact lower than existing comparable offers in the market,” said Wriedt. A holiday in Germany, including flight and three nights’ hotel accommodation with breakfast, is priced between Dh3840 ($1045) and Dh7000, subject to choice of city and hotel. This is inclusive of taxes and service charge and is priced per person on a twin-sharing basis.
Until September 30, the airline offers members of its frequent flyer programme, Miles & More, 5,000 bonus miles on booking a holiday package – which, Wriedt said, turns into one free ticket for a family of four.
Lufthansa will look at rolling out the promotion across the GCC should the promotion be successful in the UAE, Wriedt added.
DOHA
In related news, the airline has begun non-stop flights to Frankfurt out of Doha. Early arrivals into Frankfurt from Doha also ensure connections to all USA and European gateways with Lufthansa and its partner airlines. The Doha routes are operated using the Airbus A340-300 with the new business class two-metre sleeper seat.
Waseem Shaikh, manager passenger sales, Qatar and Bahrain commented, “We are very glad to soon start non-stop operations to and from Doha, and trust this gives our market and Doha based passengers more flexibility and better connections worldwide. It also offers greater value for our business travellers.”