Lufthansa Offering Attractive Premium Economy Fares Ex-Germany!

Lufthansa Offering Attractive Premium Economy Fares Ex-Germany!

To promote the introduction of Lufthansa’s new Premium Economy cabin, they’re offering a ‘farely’ attractive sale from Germany to destinations worldwide.   The destinations are limited to those that will feature the new seat but the fare sale is good for travel well into 2015 and 2016.

These fares are only a bit higher that typical economy fares but with the new Premium Economy seat you’ll have far more leg room, a more comfortable seat, enhanced catering, special luggage allowance and even an amenity kit!  To learn more about the features and benefits, please visit this excellent interactive tool that Lufthansa has launched that provides all the details that you’ll need.

The fare covers flights from most German originating cities to Bangkok, Beijing, Bengaluru, Bogota, Boston, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Delhi, Denver, Detroit, Hong Kong and Houston and several others.  You’ll notice that not every Premium Economy destination is included in this sale.  This is due to the fact that some routes will not see the new seat until well into 2015 and there could be adjustments to that timeline.

Fares range from as low as €999 (Frankfurt – Delhi) to as much as €1499 (Frankurt – Nagoya or Osaka).

 

The fare sale continues until December 9, 2014, however there are unique terms and conditions based on your destination:

North America:  This fare is NOT AVAILABLE for travel between June 27 and August 30, 2015.

Africa, Asia, South America:  Minimum stay is 6 days.

Middle East:  Minimum stay is 6 days OR a Saturday or Sunday.

Otherwise, departures must take place between November 22, 2014 and October 31, 2015 while return travel must take place between November 23, 2014 and January 31, 2016.

Additionally, you must purchase your ticket at least 1 day prior to departure (No last minute surcharge apparently).  The maximum stay for this fare is 90 days.

LH does not usually provide such an open ended fare sale where travel can be planned out all the way to 2016 and I think it is a safe bet that these kind of fares sales for Premium Economy will be few and far between based on the occupancy projections that Lufthansa is forecasting for the product.


a close-up of a plane

Scenes From A Dulini Lodge Safari Part I:  Cheetah vs. Wild Dogs vs. Wart Hog

Scenes From A Dulini Lodge Safari Part I: Cheetah vs. Wild Dogs vs. Wart Hog

 

 

It has been a few weeks since returning from a fantastic Safari trip to South Africa and in that time I’ve been trying to get through the 8000 photos that came back with me, hence the delay with any trip reports.

We stayed with the ‘Dulini Lodge’ within the Sabi Sands Game Area and I have nothing but wonderful things to say about our hosts.    This intimate Lodge, with only 6 ‘Chalets’ and a limit of 12 guests was brilliant in  every aspect of our stay.  From wonderful staff (4:1 Staff to Guest Ratio) to fantastic culinary delights along with unbelievable access to the region’s wildlife, we simply had a brilliant time.   Another big advantage over other Lodges in the area is the fact that they limit the amount of people in a Safari vehicle to only 6, while other lodges pack in 9 or 12 guests.

I’ll go into far more detail about the Lodge and our hosts in upcoming posts since I’m not quite done with the Lodge photos.   In the mean time I’ll share with you what we saw on our game drives and walks.   Seeing these beautiful animals in their natural environment was quite a transformative experience and certainly created another perspective for us to appreciate.  In fact, we’ve already reserved our dates for a return visit in 2015.

Throughout these reports, you’ll notice my pictures will have 2 unique watermarks.  One is my ‘Aeroshots’ version which I use for my plane spotting efforts while the other will be a ‘Dulini’ watermark.  The reason for this is that I have given some of my photos to the Lodge so that they can use it for their marketing efforts and I had put their watermark on the photo instead of an ‘AeroShots’ watermark.  However, all the photos that you’ll see came through my lenses.

To learn more about the Lodge and the Dulini experience, you can visit them on www.Dulini.com, follow them on twitter, @DuliniLodge, or on Facebook:  Dulini Private Game Reserve.  You’ll see a lot more of my photos on their Twitter timeline and under the hashtag of #DuliniMoments.

The first set of photos involve a fantastic exchange between a Cheetah and a pack of Wild Dogs.   The Cheetah and Dogs are not typically prey for each other however they are both territorial and in this rare sighting the Dogs were driving the Cheetah out of an area where the Dogs had discovered a Wart Hog den.   At the end of this first set of photos, you’ll see the Wart Hog get flushed out of his Den by the Dogs.  The Hog would survive the challenge.

 

a cheetah running through a field

 

a group of hyenas running in a field

 

a group of people in a jeep with hyenas running around

Guests from another Lodge had a fantastic front row seat to the exchange.

 

a cheetah chasing a group of hyenas

You’ll notice the fence in the background. This was captured at the very boundary of the reserve and the fence is there to protect the cattle that belongs to a nearby village. The Sabi-Sands reserve itself is well over 250 square miles in size.

a group of wild animals running in a field

Cats and Dogs being Cats and Dogs.

 

a cheetah running in a field

 

a group of wild dogs running in a field

The Cheetah and her speed were no match for the challenge from the Dogs.

 

 

After chasing the Cheetah out of the area, the Dogs would focus on the Wart Hog that they discovered in a nearby Den.   In watching the dogs, you can actually see their strategy of surrounding the Den play out.   Fortunately  for the Hog he would live to fight another day….I think!

 

a wild boar in a dirt mound

Wart Hog is discovered in an abandoned Termite Hill

 

a warthog lying in the dirt

I didn’t think Pigs can move this fast! Apologies for the blurred shot….A lot was going on and this caught us by surprise.

 

a baby buffalo running in a field

Running for his life at this point…..

a wild boar running through dry grass

You wonder what is going through is mind at this moment…..

 

Coming Next:  A Leopard guards his dinner…….

 

 

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LUFTHANSA To Retrofit An A340 Into An ‘Ebola Emergency Response’ Aircraft

LUFTHANSA To Retrofit An A340 Into An ‘Ebola Emergency Response’ Aircraft

Lufthansa and the German government have partnered to retrofit one of the fleet’s A340-300s into an aircraft that will be able to safely transport Ebola patients.

Lufthansa Technik will take D-AIGZ or ‘Villingen-Schwenningen’, remove several rows of seats and in their place install 4 Isolation Chambers for patient transport.  The set up will allow easy access by medical professionals to their patients.   Additionally, these Isolation Units will have dedicated air filtration systems that will be separate from the the rest of the aircraft’s ventilation systems.

According to Lufthansa, volunteer pilots and flight attendants will operate these flights and the aircraft will be available for any country that would have a need to transport Ebola patients.

The retrofit is expected to be completed by the end of November and the aircraft will be maintained for immediate deployment.  The aircraft will obviously be removed from normal passenger service and WILL NOT be retrofitted with the new Premium Economy cabin as originally planned.

 

a close-up of a plane