Lufthansa’s Social Media team has just announced a new marketing campaigned called #inspiredby which focuses on the ‘why’behind travel and the experiences and fulfillment that traveling brings.
Over the course of the next several weeks, the campaign will feature video vignettes of travelers who share their motivation behind their passion for travel. Each week between now and the end of January, Lufthansa will publish one of these videos on their YouTube channel as well as provide additional insights via their Facebook and Instagram pages.
I was given a chance to preview the campaign ahead of its launch and I think that the campaign certainly will accomplish its objective of challenging you to consider your own travel experiences, passions and places you have yet to visit. The idea behind the campaign is to help you realize that most adventures, memories, the meeting of new friends and truly special moments do not happen at home but instead take place during one’s travels.
Lufthansa’s Motivation Behind #inspiredby
The campaign will feature 10 unique travelers telling us why they travel, what it is that creates passion for their travel and how it helps sculpt them as an individual. I think this kind of approach, watching someone telling you what is their “WHY” will help you begin to discover your own passion for travel and perhaps create the motivation necessary to pursue that passion. Maybe it’s that once-in-a-lifetime trip to Machu Picchu or perhaps a pilgrimage to the land of your ancestors. Maybe it’s something as simple as visiting a place that you enjoyed as a child or simply picking a random place on the globe and going there with eyes wide open. #inspiredby is designed to challenge and inspire you to find your motivation and passion for travel.
I know from personal experience that the fondest memories that my wife and I always recall have been as a result of our travels. Whether it was crossing the Charles Bridge in Prague, seeing the Queen of England arrive to open Parliament, strolling through the alleys of Venice or taking a tour of the Necropolis beneath St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City or a myriad of other places we have visited, we find that reliving those moments inspires us to find our next memories and adventures. Because of these memories, our future travels are built upon the foundation laid by our past trips.
To start off the campaign, Lufthansa published it’s first #inspiredby video taken in Oregon featuring Moritz, a 17 year-old German whose passion is photography and travel. He shares with us how his love of photography and travel have combined to form the person that he is today and how it also helped him to discover himself:
Among the destinations that will be featured during the #inspiredby campaign are Hamburg, Sao Paolo, Madrid, Hawaii, Orlando, Berlin and a few other surprises along the way. For Twitter users, you’ll be able to keep track of these various feature videos by simply using a # (hashtag) in front of each destination listed above as well as using #inspiredby in a Twitter search.
Each year Lufthansa creates a fantastic ‘Special Edition’ of it’s Magazin App that focuses on their entire fleet of aircraft. The 2013 edition is the best one yet, full of behind the scenes videos, insights, interviews, photos and details around every aircraft type that you’ll find in the Lufthansa fleet…..even the Junkers JU-52!
I spent quite a bit of time looking through most of the features this weekend and think it will be a favorite among Avgeeks. Each aircraft type in the fleet is represented with a wide variety of information, video and photos. Among my favorites in this version:
An interview with A380 Senior Officer Katharina Peter who takes you through an in-depth tour of the A380 cockpit.
A video of 2 Lufthansa Pilots/Instructors giving us a behind the scene look at a 747-8i Simulator in Frankfurt.
An in-depth look into the cabin and cockpit of the Junkers JU-52 that Lufthansa maintains and shows off throughout Germany and the rest of Europe.
Photo galleries showing the assembly process of most of the aircraft types in the fleet.
360-degree panorama photos of flight decks and passenger cabins.
The Magazin app, which is published monthly and available in Apple’s iTunes Store typically features celebrity information and in depth articles and information on Lufthansa destinations worldwide. For those of you who do not have access to the print version that you find on board or in lounge, the App serves as a great alternative. In fact, it’s probably even better than the print version because of the videos and extra photography that is available in the app!
Once you install the base software that comes with the app, you’ll be able to download recent issues separately as well as the Special Fleet Edition.
If you haven’t heard, LUFTHANSA has launched a great marketing blitz in Chicago to celebrate the beginning of 747-8i service.
With this major upgrade in aircraft serving ORD, Lufthansa decided to expand on the “UPGRADE” concept by randomly awarding upgrades on products, services and events throughout Chicago between November 11 and 17.
This week-long blitz will target everyone in Chicago and will award upgrades to what people are already doing. For example, if you go to a Blackhawk or Bears game, you may be chosen to receive an upgrade to a better seat. If you are hailing a cab, you might get upgraded to a limo to take you to your destination. You might check into your favorite hotel only to find yourself receiving an upgrade to a suite courtesy of LH. You may show up at your favorite restaurant, only to be upgraded to a Chef’s table…..You might even win an upgrade to a bigger cup of coffee while you stand in line at your favorite coffee shop.
You’ll be able to spot potential upgrade locations by looking for Lufthansa staff dressed in cabin crew attire. If you see them, you might want to stand in line and see if they pick you! Lucky winners will receive a voucher similar to the one below that will contain the details of your upgrade:
Lufthansa has kept the event a tightly guarded secret so I can’t offer too much more info on times, locations and types of events that Lufthansa will upgrade this week. However, if you are in Chicago this week keep your head on a swivel and look around because you might be one of the lucky winners of a great upgrade!
Just a quick note to let you know that Lufthansa has added Frankfurt – Montreal to it’s 2014 Summer timetable that will operate between May 16 and October 12. It is a 5 day a week service and will be flown by 2-class cabin A340 and A330 aircraft.
Flight 478 will leave Frankfurt in the early afternoon arriving in Montreal at 3:35p. The return flight will be flight # 479 departing Montreal at 5:10p and arriving in Frankfurt at 6:25a the following morning.
This is in addition to Lufthansa’s Munich – Montreal route.
Earlier this year on a trip to Hong Kong, I transited through Frankfurt which afforded me a 17 hour layover between flights that allowed me to visit with a few friends from Lufthansa as well as to take in several hours of plane-spotting.
A few hours before my flight to Hong Kong, I made my way over to one of my favorite destinations in the world, Lufthansa’s award winning First Class Terminal (FCT),to prepare for the 12 hour flight to Hong Kong later that evening. When I arrived, I found the FCT empty since most of the late afternoon departures have taken place and passengers had yet to begin arriving for their late night departures to Asia. This became a great opportunity to capture some of the FCT’s highlights.
Before starting to take pictures, I made sure to ask for permission. Lufthansa has a fairly strict policy that does not allow photography in Lounges and the FCT, ESPECIALLY if there are other passengers present. Lufthansa does this to protect the identity and privacy of their passengers. If you are planning on taking photos in an LH Lounge, I strongly suggest you ask for permission.
Once given the “OK”, I made my way around the FCT to take my photos which are shown below. There are not too many more words that I have to describe just how fantastic this First Class amenity is, so I’ll let the pictures tell the story. However, no matter how many pictures or reviews you read about the FCT, nothing replaces actually experiencing it for yourself. It becomes another destination on your trip!
Comfortable and ample seating is the norm for the FCT
Each sitting area is appointed with a variety of nuts and dried fruit, along with a Buffet and Beverage menu. FCT staff will serve you at your seat.
The FCT offers a variety of seating options. In this area, passengers have the opportunity lay down in a chaise-style seat to catch a quick nap before a flight. No worries about oversleeping for your flight, a Personal Assistant will wake you when it’s time to go. Ask me how I know! 🙂 Unfortunately there was no “Snooze Button”……
The FCT also has private kiosks available for those needing to access the internet.
The superbly appointment bar has virtually any liquor or cocktail that you can think of. In all my travels, I have not seen any other airline’s lounge bar come close to the FCT bar. That being said, I recommend you try a Lufthansa Cocktail. It is a combination of Lufthansa’s own Orange-Apricot Liquor and a dash of Sprite. You’ll want more than one…..
Various sitting areas are designed for specific purposes – this area is centered near a TV. You’ll see their are lounge-style chairs along the window for more comfort.
The FCT has a full service kitchen that provides both a comprehensive buffet and a complete a-la-carte menu. The dining area has dedicated seating for those wishing to eat at a table. Additional seating is located to the right of the barrier for a total of 4 tables.
The outstanding self-serve buffet is stocked with a fresh variety of foods, from local favorites to ethnic themed options along with salads and cold plate options. Additionally there are dedicated carving stations that serve fresh cold cuts.
Next to the Buffet is a self-serve cocktail area stocked with popular options such as vodka, whiskies and brandies.
A closer look at the self serve options
A Bang & Olufsen Stereo is located in the dedicated “Cigar Room”. The room is equipped with a humidor along with a selection of ports and other after dinner cocktail options.
In addition to the public sitting areas, the FCT has day/sleep rooms that are available for passengers who have a long lay over and want to sleep for a few hours between flights. The room is well appointed for someone who needs to recharge.
Another of the Day Rooms available in the FCT
The private bath and shower rooms are meticulously maintained and stocked with everything you would need to refresh yourself before a flight. An attendant is available to provide you with personal care items such as toothbrushes, shaving kits, etc. and yes the Rubber Duck as well!
One of the private baths in the FCT, complete with Rubber Duck. I’ve had readers tell me they thought they could not take the duck. Please don’t make that mistake, it is a fantastic souvenir!
This is taken in a private shower room. The shower is located to the right of the sink and is equipped with a refreshing ‘rainfall’ shower head.
