Lufthansa Sends Letter of Apology to Customers

[In The News]

DALLAS – As passengers in Europe prepare for what could be billed as a summer of discontent, Lufthansa (LH) has addressed a letter to all passengers scheduled to travel on one of the five carriers, that comprise the Lufthansa Group of airlines.

The letter, signed by all six members of the executive board of management, serves as a stark warning to its customers, indicating that the current disruption to schedules is unlikely to ease anytime soon.

The letter, which was posted on the LH website, carries a very conciliatory tone, with the letter ending with a plea for customers to “Stay with us.”

With the full swing of the peak summer travel season yet to arrive, the document states, “We want to be completely honest: in the coming weeks as passenger numbers continue to rise, be it for leisure or business travel, the situation is unlikely to improve in the short term.”

With airports and airlines rushing to boost staffing levels to pre-pandemic numbers, the board of management highlighted that the current recruitment drive will only have the, “desired stabilizing effect by the time the winter comes.” With the letter outlining that passenger demand is outpacing the available infrastructure, the management team declares that “we can only apologize to you for this.”

While many passengers and enthusiasts are pleased that LH has announced that some of its A380 fleet will be redeployed in 2023, the letter also emphasizes the ongoing fleet investment, which will see 50 new wide-bodies and 60 new Airbus narrow-bodies join in the next three years.

Lufthansa D-AIXN Airbus A350-900. Photo: Julian Schöpfer/Airways

A Further 2,200 Summer Flights Canceled

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In an attempt to reassure customers, the board of management stated, “We promise you that over 100,000 Lufthansa Group employees will do everything humanly possible to provide you with the best possible air travel experience in the coming weeks.”

The German carrier also announced that it intends to cancel a further 2,200 flights this summer, which is in addition to the cuts that were previously announced earlier this month.

As reported in Business Traveller, the schedule adjustments will be focused on short-haul routes but popular vacation spots are reported to be largely unaffected. In another interesting development, multiple German media sources also report that LH CEO Carsten Spohr has sent a letter to his employees in which he makes the humble admission that cost-cutting during the pandemic may have been overly aggressive, which has exacerbated the airline’s woes.

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Featured image: D-AIRK, Lufthansa Airbus A321. Photo: Fabrizio Spicuglia/Airways

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