Sustainable travel and addressing accessibility will be key drivers of development from the airline industry, Lufthansa revealed at a client briefing on how airline partnerships can help drive business travel forward.
Lufthansa Group General Manager UK, Ireland and Iceland Frank Wagner shared insights on how the airline aims to address these factors. Wagner also highlighted how it’s delivering innovative initiatives that will impact the future of business travel.
Sustainable business travel: meeting industry targets
With sustainable business travel a priority for the briefing’s participants, hearing that setting standards in terms of sustainability and social responsibility is a key focus for the Lufthansa Group – which comprises Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, SWISS, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings – was welcomed. “We believe we – as airlines – are part of the solution to decarbonise travel,” Wagner explains. “The aviation industry has embraced a global target of Fly Net Zero by 2050 and we all have a joint ambition to reach it.”
In addition, Wagner explained Lufthansa Group’s strategy towards CO2 neutrality. As the first airline group in Europe to sign up to the Science Based Targets initiative, its goal is to halve emissions by 2030, compared to 2019, and be CO2 neutral by 2050.
“There are multiple ways we have been working, and continue to work, towards this goal,” Wagner adds. “We’re one of largest purchasers of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in the world – the largest in Europe – and have committed with suppliers to buy more.
“Furthermore, we’re investing in modern and fuel-efficient aircraft and technology. Part of this will be the purchase of 80 aircraft for short- and medium-haul flights, taking delivery from 2026 to 2032. These will have a major effect on decarbonisation because they’ll be built with new generation engines, consuming 30% less fuel.”
Decarbonisation initiatives
Encouragingly, Lufthansa Group also works with intermodal partners and has a long history of partnering with rail companies in its markets. Together they offer connections by rail for travellers who fly with Lufthansa Group. It’s recently started a co-operation with London’s Heathrow Express.
Additional priorities include improving operational efficiency and compensating CO2 through certified and sustainable climate protection projects. It also includes technological innovations like AeroSHARK. This is an ultra-thin surface film that imitates the riblets of sharkskin, designed to reduce the drag (making the plane more streamlined), saving up to 1.1% of fuel consumption. “Every measure contributes. When you add them together, they hopefully make a larger impact on decarbonisation,” Wagner adds.
Clients at the briefing asked whether being part of an airline group was useful to business travel customers from a sustainability perspective. “It means you have a lot more options and can fly with more than one airline – you can fly out on Lufthansa, come back on SWISS, for example. So you can choose the most sustainable route,” Wagner says. “Companies can also purchase SAF with their Partner Plus Benefit points. Or buy it as part of our contracted Sustainable Corporate Value Fares or published Green Fares.”
Accessible travel
The World Health Organisation reports that one in six people live with a disability. And the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Scheme estimates 80% of people with disabilities have a non-visible disability.
Building a better travel experience for people with disabilities – across the whole booking flow – is fundamental for Lufthansa Group. “Being fully accessible is a learning curve for all of us. Everyone who manages travel will come across this at some point,” Wagner says.
“We work with disabled and neuro-divergent travellers to find out what we’re doing right and where we need to improve. For example, ensuring the traveller has access to an aisle seat, or notifying crews they don’t want the trolley to stop next to them during the flight. The industry needs to come together to educate and deliver the best experience for every traveller.”
Business travel booking trends
Ahead of Lufthansa Group’s new route launches this year to both North America (Minneapolis and Raleigh-Durham from Frankfurt, Seattle from Munich and Toronto and Washington from Zurich) and the UK (London Gatwick to Zurich, Manchester to Stuttgart and Hamburg and Edinburgh to Stuttgart) Wagner reveals the airline is developing initiatives building on the trends seen in the last year across business travel bookings.
“We’ve noticed corporates are spending longer on business trips than before,” he says. “Pre-COVID, people would take frequent business trips, travelling to a city for just one day for a meeting. Now, trips now tend to be fewer but longer, with as many meetings arranged as possible in that one trip.
“That, in turn, has led to calls for more personalisation. This is why we’re overhauling the individual traveller experience. One area we’ve invested in is helping to reduce jet lag, recently introducing Human Centric Lighting on flights. And our biggest investment in personalisation is with our new cabin product on our long-haul fleet. ‘Allegris’ and ‘Swiss Senses’ will see industry-unique multiple seat configurations in the premium cabins when rolled out later this year.”
Reed & Mackay Senior Director, Air Partnerships, Richard Lindsay adds that having long-standing partnerships with airlines is just one way a travel management company can deliver exceptional service to clients.
“Partnerships with forward-thinking carriers, such as the Lufthansa Group, means our clients have access to the best travel experience,” he says. “Working together means we can share what’s important to our clients – whether that’s sustainable travel, personalised experiences or better accessibility – with our partners. And, in reverse, share key industry initiatives with our clients, ensuring airline partnerships help drive business travel forward.”
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