Guide to Airlines in Germany
Fly on German Carriers Lufthansa, LTU International, and Condor
Germany airlines Lufthansa, LTU, and Condor have flights from Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf, and Berlin to German airports, European cities, and world destinations.
Germany has several airlines but only Lufthansa has a worldwide network and instant international name recognition. Condor and LTU have their roots in the charter business but now also have regular flights to medium and long-distance destinations.
- German low-cost airlines Air Berlin, TUIfly, and Germanwings have a growing presence in Europe but still strongly focus on the German market.
German airlines have good records with customer service and satisfaction. Even low-cost airlines generally still serve free dinks, occasionally free meals and magazines, and none charge separately for checked luggage. All airlines have frequent-flyer programs of some sort but only Lufthansa is part of a global alliance.
- German airlines have excellent safety records and are amongst the safest airlines in the world. LTU (over 50 years in business) never had a fatal accident.
Lufthansa – Germany’s Largest Airline
Lufthansa is Europe’s second largest airline and the sixth largest in the world in terms of passenger numbers. It was a founding member of Star Alliance with its frequent flyer program Miles & More offering exchange possibilities with a huge number of other programs.
Lufthansa generally has reliably good service although its slogan “there is no better way to fly” is probably pushing the envelope a bit. Personal television screens in economy class are still very rare even on Lufthansa’s many intercontinental flights.
Lufthansa’s main base is Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) with major secondary hubs at Munich (MUC), Düsseldorf (DUS), and Hamburg (HAM). Lufthansa flies to around 200 destinations in 100 countries.
Lufthansa main fleet of 266 aircraft is on average 12.7 years old. If its subsidiaries Lufthansa CityLine, Air Dolomiti, Eurowings, Germanwings, Augsburg Airways, Contact Air, and Swiss are included, the Lufthansa group operates well over 500 aircraft.
- Lufthansa frequently has internet-only specials with prices competitive with low-cost airlines on flights to German domestic and European destinations.
LTU International Airlines
LTU has been flying since 1955. Originally, a charter airline, it now operates as a regular airline serving mostly medium to long-distance destinations (including US cities) from Germany.
In 2007, LTU was acquired by German low-cost airline Air Berlin but it is expected that the LTU brand, with its excellent reputation for good customer service and excellent safety, will be continued on long-distance flights. In terms of on board service, LTU often rates equal or even higher than Lufthansa.
LTU is based at Düsseldorf (DUS) in the Ruhr area with secondary hubs at Berlin-Tegel (TXL) and Munich (MUC). LTU has 26 aircraft, mostly Airbus A320 and A330 planes, with an average fleet age of 6.6 years.
- LTU never had a fatal accident in over 50 years of flying making it statistically one of the safest airlines in the world.
Condor – Thomas Cook (Germany)
Condor has been flying since 1955 as a charter airline. Through the years, it has maintained close ties to Lufthansa, which currently owns 24.9% of Condor. The rest belong to Thomas Cook, which removed its own name from planes due to Condor’s respected name in Germany and Thomas Cook’s lack of brand recognition in the German market. (Air Berlin intends acquiring Lufthansa’s shares in a complicated deal, which is opposed by Lufthansa.)
Condor flies to medium and long-distance holiday destinations from almost 20 airports in Germany but its main base is at Frankfurt International (FRA). Its 35 planes are on average 9.8 years old.
- In recent years, low-cost airlines have become very popular in Germany with Air Berlin, TUIfly, and Germanwings the largest and best known. These low-cost airlines often fly from lesser-known German airports shunned by the established airlines.
Sources
Fleet numbers and average age: Airfleets
Safety records: Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Center (JACDEC)
Customer satisfaction: ServiceRating GmbH, Stiftung Warentest
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