LUFTHANSA Finally Allowed To Bring The A380 To India……

LUFTHANSA Finally Allowed To Bring The A380 To India……

An apparent  ‘bureaucratic’ hiccup by the India’s Government that had prevented the A380 from operating between Frankfurt and Delhi has finally been resolved.    Originally LH was set to begin flying the A380 on a daily basis beginning with their Winter Timetable but a delay in the approval of LH’s timetable application grounded the A380’s introduction to India.

Now that the issue has been resolved and the timetable finally approved, Lufthansa will at last be able to introduce the A380 to India  beginning on November 7.   Flight number LH760 will operate from Frankfurt to Delhi and flight LH761 will operate from Delhi to Frankfurt.

According to LH, it took a team effort including the German Embassy in Delhi, German Transport Ministry and the Foreign Ministry to finally get the Indian Government to approve the application.

 


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The Night Time Is The Right Time…..For Lufthansa Plane Spotting in Frankfurt!

The Night Time Is The Right Time…..For Lufthansa Plane Spotting in Frankfurt!

Two weeks ago,  I was flying from Michigan to Johannesburg via Chicago and Frankfurt which created a very nice and lengthy layover in Frankfurt between my inbound flight from the US and connecting flight to JNB.   This routing gave me a unique opportunity take in plane spotting at night when Lufthansa sends a few of their long haulers to Asia and Africa.

On typical trips, I arrive in FRA during early morning hours and my departures for the States typically take place by early afternoon.  Having a 10:00p departure from FRA gave me an opportunity to see LH aircraft in a different light, or lack thereof….

While waiting for 10p to roll around, I ‘abandoned’ my wife to the capable hands of the Senator Lounge and set out to walk the length of Concourse Z which is typically where you’ll find most of LH’s long haul activity, especially at night.    Fortunately the glass was clean enough and glare was manageable so that the pictures actually turned out quite well.

 

Enjoy!

 

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747-8i, D-ABYL, ahead of her flight to Hong Kong

 

an airplane at an airport

Another look at ‘Yankee Lima’

 

an airplane at an airport

D-AISL, an Airbus A321, would head to Amman, Jordan

 

a plane at an airport

D-AISR, an Airbus A321, would head off to Bucharest, Romania.

 

an airplane at an airport

D-AIGO, an Airbus A343, would head off to Qingdao-Shenyang

 

an airplane at an airport

This would be our ride to Johannesburg. ‘D-AIMB’ aka Munchen is an Airbus A380, and is outfitted with the fantastic new Business cabin…..

 

an airplane at an airport

Another look at ‘Michael Bravo’

 

an airplane at an airport

D-AIMF, or ‘Zurich’ would head to Singapore.

 

 

 

 

 

LUFTHANSA Long Haul Changes Part II:  A380 Premium Economy Rollout & Service Update

LUFTHANSA Long Haul Changes Part II: A380 Premium Economy Rollout & Service Update

Following up on Part I of Lufthansa’s Long Haul changes for 2015 that dealt with the 747-400 and removal of First Class cabins, Part II looks specifically at A380 operations. This includes the timing of Premium Economy rollout as well as an update on the A380 taking over a few 747-8i routes.

 

Here is an update to the A380 route ‘map’. Beginning in late march, the A380 will replace the 747-8i on the following routes:

March 29: Frankfurt – Los Angeles (LH456 & LH 457). This is the mid-afternoon LAX departure.
April 16: Frankfurt – Beijing.
April 26: Frankfurt – Seoul (ICN).

Here is the most recent schedule for Premium Economy rollout for the A380.  The seating configuration will be 8 First Class / 78 Business Class / 52 Premium Economy / 371 Economy.  (Click here for my earlier post showing the Premium Economy seating maps):

March 29:  Frankfurt – Los Angeles (LH456 & LH457).

March 29:  Frankfurt – Seoul (ICN).

April 16:  Frankfurt – Beijing.

April 22: Frankfurt – Delhi.

April 22:  Frankfurt – Houston.

April 22:  Frankfurt – Johannesburg.

April 22:  Frankfurt – Miami.

April 22:  Frankfurt – New York JFK (LH400 and LH401).

April 22:  Frankfurt – San Francisco.

April 22:  Frankfurt – Shanghai.

April 22:  Frankfurt – Singapore.

You may be wondering how 8 A380 aircraft will all debut Premium Economy exactly on the same day.   In fact, the Premium Economy seats will be gradually phased in a few days / weeks prior to the official launch date.   In the event that Premium Economy seats will be on an aircraft/flight prior to the official launch date, LH will provide passengers with complimentary upgrades and offers to upgrade to Y+ on a flight by flight basis.   The firm dates listed above are the dates loaded into LH’s reservation system for purposes of booking Premium Economy.

 

 


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LUFTHANSA Finally Brings The A380 To India

LUFTHANSA Finally Brings The A380 To India

After what was basically a ban on all airlines by the Indian Government/Civil Aviation Ministry restricting the use of large capacity airlines by foreign carriers,  Lufthansa has receive permission to bring their A380s to India, specifically Delhi and Mumbai.

The ban on ultra large capacity airliners was put in place several years ago by India in an attempt to protect Indian airlines from losing passengers to foreign carriers who had the capability to bring large capacity aircraft to India.

Several months ago Lufthansa started to bring their 747-8i aircraft to India and now the A380 will start appearing in India as well.   Beginning October 26, the A380 will begin flying from Frankfurt to Delhi and Mumbai on a daily basis.

 

Here is the specific flight info:

 

Frankfurt-Delhi:

Lufthansa LH760 will depart Frankfurt at 1:40p (CEST), arriving in Delhi the next morning at 1:30a.

Lufthansa LH761 will depart Delhi at 3:30a, arriving in Frankfurt at 7:20a (CEST).

 

Frankfurt-Mumbai:

Lufthansa LH756 will depart Frankfurt at 12:45p (CEST), arriving in Mumbai the next morning at 1:10a.

Lufthansa LH757 will depart Mumbai at 3:05a, arriving in Frankfurt at 7:20a (CEST).

 

 

 


a close-up of a plane

LUFTHANSA Long Haul Changes Part II:  A380 Premium Economy Rollout & Service Update

LUFTHANSA’s A380 Set To Fly To India

Just a quick post here…

Lufthansa has announced today that it will introduce the A380 to India as part of it’s Winter Timetable for 2014/15. Specific details have not yet been announced other than the target date of late October for service to begin. Exact route information is not available at this point.

The timing for this announcement is great, since many of the A380s will have the new Business Class installed in time for flights to India!

This comes after years of discussions with India’s government and airport authorities. Earlier this month Singapore Airlines also announced the beginning of A380 service to India.


a close-up of a plane