Lufthansa and the conquest of Italy (pending Ita). Interview with Gabriella Galantis
The Lufthansa Group's affinity for Italy is not only a matter of strategic interest (see the 41% purchase deal [...]
Swiss
Lufthansa
ITA Airways
Eurowings
Brussels Airlines
Austrian Airlines
Star Alliance
The affinity of the Lufthansa Group for Italy is not only a matter of strategic interest (see the purchase of the 41% of Ita Airways), but it seems to be increasingly a real need to respond to a market that search and choose the product of the German giant: both routes and services. Especially of a high standard.
In this article:
On the occasion of the preview presentation in Milan of the new long-haul cabins, part of the Allegris concept, we asked Gabriella Galantis, senior sales director South Europe of the Lufthansa Group, plans for the Italian market, the role of Air Dolomiti, and what LH's news is for the Italian passenger.
The Allegris project in Italy
The Allegris project Tir arrives in Italy before other international markets. Does this demonstrate the importance of our country to Lufthansa?
"Absolutely. The special Tir that allows people to view and try out the new First, Business, Premium and Economy cabins toured Germany, then stopped in Vienna, and has now arrived in Milan. If we count that Germany and Austria are mother markets for us, it is clear that the choice of Italy is now significant. We want to give our customers a first-hand experience of what the new long-haul in-flight experience will be."
Did you get your flight cancelled, miss your connection, land late?
You could get up to 600€ compensation per person
A huge leap into the future for Lufthansa...
"Certainly, with A never-before-seen investment of 2.5 billion euros. All current needs of the modern traveler have been taken into consideration. From Bluetooth connectivity to seat comfort, from ease of charging smartphones to improving passenger sleeping habits. For example, there is the mattress effect in Business, which allows you to sleep comfortably even on your side; but also rigid head supports in Economy. These are just some of the new features."
On a general level, the Premium Economy cabin has been a big hit with many carriers in the post-Covid era. What are your findings?
"To tell the truth, even before 2020 and since it was launched, it has always done very well, but now we are seeing a significant increase."
Gabriella Galantis, senior sales director South Europe
What about Business in the meantime?
"It was a real surprise. Business class is a safety for corporate traffic, but now we notice that leisure travelers, the leisure segment, also choose it with greater conviction. On the one hand, it is the result of wanting to travel better and more comfortable, especially for those who saved more money during the pandemic and now want to fully enjoy the trip. On the other we notice that there is a greater demand for privacy on board. On Italian tour operating, for example, Business has grown by 68% annually."
The importance of Italy for Lufthansa
Let's come right to Italy. How important is the market for LH?
"This year in April we have Celebrated 65 years in Rome and then to Italy-an important milestone. THE first flight was operated in 1958 to Rome Ciampino. Today we serve 21 airports in Italy-more than in Germany-for a total of 162 daily departures. To return an image: every 4 minutes there is a Group flight flying over the Alps."
Numbers to meet a growing demand, then?
"Italy is our second largest market as incoming, after Germany. This means that, in summer, a lot of tourists from all over the world want to come to Italy with our carriers. We have already increased capacity this year by 12% more than in 2022, but compared to pre Covid we are still a bit behind around -14%. The load factor on aircraft departing from Italy, on the other hand, is above 80% on all brands."
The new booths also respond to a very demanding Italian market...
Corporate in Italy had a significant increase. The U.S. reopening effect was instrumental. When the States only announced the reopening for November 2022, after Covid, sales in the segment spiked. Same goes for Singapore and Japan. China is going a little slow, but it is catching up as well. In Italy we have many top customers, the ones who live almost more on the plane than at home, to be clear. Italian Hon Circle members are third overall, behind their home markets (Germany, Switzerland and Austria) and the U.S."
Where in the world do Italians travel with Lufthansa?
"They go mainly to the U.S., Japan and Canada, followed by Thailand, Brazil, China and India as outbound flights. On the return we have the same destinations, joined by South Korea, Mexico and Argentina."
Plans for Ita Airways and Air Dolomiti.
How is the integration of Ita Airways proceeding?
"The tail (of Ita, ed.) is currently not in our official presentations. As you know there is a long way to go yet and the first step is the green light for the purchase of 41% from the EU Commission. In the meantime, in technical terms, Ita still remains our competitor commercially."
And meanwhile Air Dolomiti continues to grow, and not just in Italy...
"Air Dolomiti has 32 years of service in the country and has been increasing its operations in an important and positive way in the last period. It is already 100% integrated into the Group and we work very well together. It is key for feeder to Frankfurt and Munich and today has 17 Embraer aircraft in its fleet operating to our hubs with several Italian origins, mainly in northern Italy. Meanwhile, to optimize, it also operates from abroad: for example on Zurich-Frankfurt."
In these early weeks across Europe we are seeing some regularity in services, which belies predictions of a second wave of chaos in the skies (and airports) as happened in 2022...
"It is true. This is thanks to the great work done in recent months. We also invested a lot in processes, with a working group that analyzed what went wrong in the past and how to avoid it. So we have automated some of the processes and the reprotection systems, which are now smoother and simpler, and have allowed us to solve a lot of the problems. In addition, we have invested in human resources: every month Lufthansa hires about 1,200 people worldwide."
