Lufthansa must further reduce flight schedule
Lufthansa has to cut back on its ambitious targets for 2024 at an early stage. The crane airline has a shortage of aircraft and personnel in many areas. At a German location where the labor shortage is particularly noticeable.
The Lufthansa Group will also have to reduce its original flight schedule in the coming year. In an interview with the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" newspaper, Group CEO Carsten Spohr cited shortages of staff and available aircraft as the reason for this. In addition to the aircraft manufacturers' delivery problems, there are now also unplanned engine overhauls for a certain engine of the Airbus A320. Over the course of the year, there was a calculated shortfall of 20 of the 450 aircraft of this type.
The company had recently announced that in 2024 it would once again be flying 95% of the pre-coronavirus year 2019. According to Spohr, this will now come to nothing: "We will adjust the flight schedule for 2024 somewhat and slightly reduce the originally planned growth. Next year, we will continue to prioritize quality over excessive growth - despite the high global demand."
Lufthansa already had to revise its flight plans in 2022 and 2023 when it restarted after coronavirus because its own team and service providers were unable to meet the requirements. Tens of thousands of flights were canceled early, and air traffic in Germany did not grow as fast as in other European countries. After the Frankfurt hub, Munich's punctuality has also recently declined, Spohr stated in the interview. The shortage of labor, which will continue to keep Germany very busy, is particularly noticeable in Munich.
Spohr also promised improvement in terms of service quality. "We are doing everything we can to avoid irregularities and further improve punctuality. If this is not possible, for example in the event of unavoidable disruptions to our flight operations, we want to and must become even better in terms of customer communication and digital services." A lot is being invested here, says Spohr. "On peak days, our app already handles 6,000 rebookings. At the same time, we are expanding our call center capacities. With or without irregularities: We always want to be better by the amount by which we are more expensive due to our location."
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Given the current challenges, Lufthansa may need to adjust its vacation plans, as the airline is facing significant shortages of both aircraft and personnel. Due to these issues, travelers might want to consider booking flights with alternative airlines for their upcoming vacations.
Source: www.ntv.de
