by Lufthansa Flyer | Mar 26, 2012 | Airlines, Industry News |
The German union “Verdi” has called for a warning strike by its members who are ground workers at German airports. In an ongoing battle with airport operators, the ground handlers at these airports will stage limited strikes during the day tomorrow. According to Verdi, the strike schedule is as follows:
Frankfurt – 05:00 to 14:30 local time
Munich – 06:00 to 14:00 local time
Dusseldorf – 08:00 to 14:00 local time
Cologne – 04:00 to 12:00 local time
Stuttgart – 06:00 to 11:00 local time
Lufthansa has cancelled over 400 flights and you can find specific flight status on Lufthansa’s Update Page.
For today March 26, Lufthansa has canceled most of it’s flights from the USA to Frankfurt, however it appears that only Boston is affected on March 27. Most of the March 27 cancellations affect Intra-Germany and Intra-European routes.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Mar 25, 2012 | Airlines |
Thanks to Bart A. for sending this great photo of a Lufthansa Ju-52/3m that he and his wife observed while on a trip to Washington D.C.
From Bart A.:
On Display At The Udvar-Hazy Center Aerospace Exhibit, Washington D.C.
Affectionately known in Germany as Tante Ju, or “Auntie Ju,” the Junkers Ju 52/3m was one of the most successful European airliners ever made. Designed for Deutsche Luft Hansa in 1932, the Ju 52/3m was a tri-motor version of the single-engine Ju-52. It could carry 17 passengers or 3 tons of freight and had excellent short-field performance. By the mid-1930s, airlines throughout Europe and Latin America were flying them. In World War II, they were the Luftwaffe’s primary transports, and some served as bombers. Enjoy.
Thanks again Bart!!
Lufthansa would operate 137 JU-52/3m between 1932 and 1945. This was the largest fleet of any aircraft operated by any airline prior to World War II, comprising nearly 65% of Lufthansa’s fleet at the time.
For you fans of Rimowa Luggage, look carefully at the panels of the Ju-52/3m and you will see where Rimowa found it’s inspiration for its line of luggage!
If anyone else has pictures from their travels that features a Lufthansa aircraft, please feel free to email it me with a brief description and I’d be happy to post it!
by Lufthansa Flyer | Mar 25, 2012 | Airlines, Industry News |
This past week US Airways made it clear that it has more than a passive interest in acquiring bankrupt American Airlines. They had gone so far as to meet with American’s creditors to determine the viability of submitting a proposal to the bankruptcy court to acquire the airline. A week or 2 before that, US Airways had gone as far as registering various website addresses that included various combinations of the US Airways and American Airlines name.
Today, Bloomberg is reporting that IAG (parent of British Airways and Iberia) is looking at the possibility of acquiring a stake in American in order to prevent US Air from possibly pulling American Airlines from oneworld and bringing them to Star Alliance.
I thought it was interesting enough to see US Airways and Delta speculating about an American Airlines acquisition. Now it looks like British Airways wants to keep it all the family and acquire a stake in American. It would be a blocking gambit to prevent American Airlines from going to “enemy” alliances. No matter which way this jigsaw puzzle comes together, expect a regulatory nightmare for the approval process especially if British Airways is serious about it’s intentions.
With British Airways already dealing with anti-trust issues in their acquisition of BMI from Lufthansa (a decision must be issued by regulators by March 30), I was surprised to see British Airways jump right into the fray for the battle for American. Looks like they really, really, really want to keep the Star Alliance out of the UK. From their perspective, I fully understand the need for them to do this, but from a regulatory point of view, I really don’t know how they will pull it off. But it will make for great speculation in the weeks and months ahead.
What are your thoughts? How do you see the puzzle coming together??
