Lufthansa has cancelled plans to grow its operations out of Munich to several markets in the former Yugoslavia for the entire summer season, affecting its services to Ljubljana, Zagreb, and Belgrade. The airline had initially postponed its growth until July but has now shelved it entirely. Furthermore, it has also delayed growth on its Frankfurt to Ljubljana and Belgrade routes until late April and mid-May respectively. The cuts will impact the airline’s network beyond the region, with over 34.000 flights cancelled. “The reason for the changes is to avoid major operational problems witnessed during the summer of 2022 and to allow our guests and employees to rely on a stable schedule. With the experience of the past summer, it was already decided last year to constantly review the overall performance of the system together with all partners”, the airline said in a statement.
Lufthansa has cancelled plans to introduce a second daily service from Munich to Ljubljana. Flights from Frankfurt will operate three times per day as planned, although the third daily service will begin on April 24 instead of March 26. Similarly, Lufthansa has cancelled plans to add a second daily rotation between Munich and Zagreb, running a single daily service instead. Its planned capacity increase to the Croatian capital, from the CRJ900s to the A320-family jets remains unchanged, as well as the double daily service from Frankfurt. The German national carrier will maintain services between Munich and Belgrade twice per day, instead of the planned three daily rotations. It will have a morning and afternoon departure from the Bavarian city with its A320-familly fleet. Plans to increase its Frankfurt - Belgrade service to triple daily from March 26 have been postponed until May 14. The introduction of flights from Frankfurt to Skopje in late April and the frequency growth from the German city to Sarajevo from daily to ten weekly remains unchanged
Lufthansa has cancelled a planned 14.000 flights during the peak travel season between June 1 and August 31 compared to its initially published schedule in January. “At present, the personnel bottlenecks in the industry throughout Europe have not yet been completely overcome, and in many cases, training of newly hired colleagues is still underway. For this reason, flights for the summer months have already been cancelled – well in advance. This will enable our passengers to adjust their travel plans in line with the alternatives offered by the Lufthansa Group”, the German carrier explained. Lufthansa has not ruled out further cancellations to its network in the coming months, with further changes possible.
And once again they are just showing why national carriers are important
ReplyDeleteHow exactly?
DeleteWhat would a fully state owned LH do about staff shortages?
Force people to work for Lufthansa? Or the German airports?
I think the comment was more related to the fact that you can't rely on foreign airlines to cover the needs of your domestic market in this day and age.
DeleteAnd yet Albania and Macedonia manage just fine. They never have been better connected to the rest of Europe and the middle East.
DeleteMacedonia doesn't have a single flight to the Middle East and lacks nonstop flights to major European hubs including Amsterdam, Rome, Paris Charles de Gaulle, London Heathrow, Madrid, Barcelona...In fact, according to ACI it has one of the worst connectivity rates in Europe.
DeleteI don't see the problem a frequency less per day people just will be rebooked to the other available flight that day.
Delete@10,46
DeleteAlbania have 2 domestic carriers - Air Albania and Albawings.
Macedonia continuously ranks amongst the worst connected countries in Europe despite a decent sized Wizz base. Slovenia took the title of the worst connected country in Europe.
@JATBEGMEL
DeleteAlbania doesn't rely on those two jokes of airlines (Air Albania and Albawings) for its connectivity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirana_International_Airport_N%C3%ABn%C3%AB_Tereza#Airlines_and_destinations
Oh taj strašni kartel o kom svi ovise u podaničkom odnosu. Oh oh, kako se tlapnje urušavaju!
DeleteNe svi, samo pokojna JP i umiruca OU.
DeleteMacedonia has flights to Rome and London! I think that there is a flight from Ohrid to London too... I don't know what you mean by non stop, do you mean every day? Which countries have flights every day to Amsterdam? I usually see Eindhoven :). Flights to Spain would be very useful. It's such a pity that they are not being brought back.
Delete21:24 You have missed the news regarding Ohrid to London, sweetheart. Thinking is not knowing.
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2023/02/wizz-air-discontinues-longest-running.html
Why would flights to Spain be "useful" when both SKP and OHD are gasto airports serving mainly German, Swedish and Swiss villages especially for the large Albanian diaspora.
Zagreb and Belgrade currently have a lot of potential for Spain and the Iberian market as a whole. Also Podgorica-Barcelona seems to be a quite successful route.
Great, so not only have they cancelled Munich expansion, they have now started delaying Frankfurt growth.
ReplyDeleteNot enough personnel to handle the desired flight schedule.
Deletethis was expected and I think it's a good decision to cut in advance, not a few days ahead. I think we'll still see a new summer storm go through the carriers at different stages of summer season, but it shouldn't be as bad as last year, due to these kinds of precautions. I as a consumer applaud this decision as it's meant for the benefit of me later on in summer.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteMoral of the story - avoid LH this summer.
ReplyDeleteYes !! Prefer Air Serbia with 2 hours delays minimoum this summer !
DeleteAll airlines have trouble finding enough staff to correctly execute their flight schedule.
Delete@09,46
DeleteThis myth was busted last year. JU did have some issues with on time performance last summer, however those were almost exclusively due to problems across Europe.
https://www.eurocontrol.int/publication/all-causes-delays-air-transport-europe-quarter-3-2022
https://www.radarbox.com/blog/current-worst-10-airports-in-europe-for-delays
https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/world-airports-most-summer-2022-delays-cancellations/index.html
Tonnes of articles about this to read online.
@JATBEGMEL , the summer season is soon to begin ,we will then see about Air Serbia delays .
Delete@JATBEGMEL
DeleteAnyone who used JU last summer knows that what you are saying is simply untrue.
Still don't understand why JU has not considered flying to Munich
ReplyDeleteFear of LH response?
DeleteLack of enough aircraft and staff?
They didn't start it when there were no issues with either aircraft or staff either.
DeleteWhy would they take on LH on a route that LH rules and can not loose considering the hub they have in Munich? Better send aircraft and resources on a route you can make more money on.
DeleteLH and JU do not cater to the same number of passengers on this line. When LH flies it, a considerable number of passengers are transfer passengers. When JU flies it, those are only P2P passengers, as JU does not code-share with LH, and that is way less passengers. For a number of JU passengers, it would be like in that Spiderman on Beogradjanka joke - now what?!
DeleteHave you ever thought that JU could carry to MUC transfer passengers from their own network?
DeleteI frankly can't accept that JU can fight LH in FRA but not in MUC. JU is flying to every top European airport except MUC (and Gatwick but they fly to Heathrow). There's more to this story obviously.
DeleteAgreed.
DeleteI think now, as in this summer, would be a good opportunity for JU to give it a go.
Oh, they’re also calling pax “guests”. Guess JU was the pioneer in Europe.
ReplyDeleteDane Kondić is finally vindicated! :D
DeleteGuests pay nothing. Clients do.
DeleteAnon 14:40
Delete+1000
Knew nothing would happen from the increases when they delayed it until July.
ReplyDeleteGood to know to avoid this summer.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunate
ReplyDeleteMore to come
ReplyDeleteWhat equipment will they use on the daily MUC-LJU route?
ReplyDeleteCRJ900
DeleteRight now they are using a mix of CRJ900 and A319 but I am pretty sure that they will switch entirely to the A319 in the summer season as the flights are already extremely full in the winter.
DeleteSkopje keeps winning, I think its their strongest route in exYu...
ReplyDeleteHaha are you serious? It's their strongest route in ex-Yu and yet they haven't started it yet and have not been flying it for 20 years? They are not modifying it because it's a new route and would be a bad look if they cancelled it, plus they are probably getting good incentives from TAV.
DeleteThey are switching the flights to A321 because of the high demand
DeleteThe only problem is that they are not switching and that A319 is scheduled on all flights. At least that is what GDS shows.
DeleteThey sure want those subsidies to fly for free to SKP.
DeleteSKP should be welcomed to the new world and XXI century of being able to be connected to FRA lol
DeleteLH is a complete mess. Avoid at all cost.
ReplyDeleteCouldn’t agree more. Just had to spend 5 hours in FRA due to delayed inbound flight, causing me to miss my connecting flight. The worst thing was, I was unsure if the next flight would depart at all. Happened to me third time in three months. Lufthansa, one of the the worst airlines in Europe.
DeleteLufthansa is rubbish. It is incredible that such a company is the face of Germany.
DeleteThis isn't so bas considering they completely discontinued some routes during the summer.
ReplyDelete*bad
DeleteWhich ones?
DeleteFrankfurt-Trieste
DeleteMunich-Genoa
No, Trieste is not discontinued at all, according to LH plan to use Air Dolomiti for regional Northern Italian airports flights Trieste flights will be operated by Air Dolomiti (fully owned by Lufthansa). That means capacity grow from LH CRJ900 to EN E190/195.
DeleteThe same with Genoa: operated by Air Dolomiti.
DeleteAvoiding Lufthansa.
ReplyDeleteGood to see Sarajevo not impacted, for now at least.
ReplyDeleteIs there any chance that they will introduce flights from Munich to Sarajevo?
DeleteThey used to fly MUC-SJJ but replaced it with Frankfurt 2 years ago.
DeleteI know but is there a chance they bring back MUC and keep FRA?
DeleteI don't think so. They originally planned to increase frequencies from FRA to SJJ to double daily in 2021 but in the end cancelled it.
DeleteI wonder based on what they made a decision to cancel MUC and start FRA instead. Any particular reason?
DeleteDemand, traffic flow and connections.
DeleteMost airlines have managed to get their networks into shape and find the necessary staff. Why is it such a problem for Lufthansa?
ReplyDeleteLow pay related to living costs in Germany
DeleteShame about them cancelling their Ljubljana growth, especially when they got the most money from the Slovenian government to fly to Ljubljana.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteI am skeptical now those FRA increases will happen either.
ReplyDeleteThis summer will not be as bad as last year but it definitely won't be without chaos.
ReplyDeleteSo they have basically warned passengers that they are constantly reviewing their schedule and that you shouldn't feel any kind of security when booking a ticket with them. Great strategy.
ReplyDeleteWhy are you surprised? Remember last year when they were selling tickets on European sectors for 600 euros to turn people away from flying?
DeleteForgot about that gem of a strategy.
DeleteI have already had several cancellations with them this spring (not route to ex-Yu) and they made a mess of my plans. Not planning to fly them any time soon.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most unreliable airlines. Nothing surprising.
ReplyDeleteAnd despite all the cancellations and degradation of service, most in exYu will still claim it's the best airline in the world. Just because it's German.
DeleteTrue
DeleteWhat a shame
ReplyDeleteBetter that they cancel in advance than leave passengers at the airport and tell them to find their own way home like they have done in the past.
ReplyDeleteHow did Lufthansa miscalculate so badly and why is their CEO not being held accountable?
ReplyDeleteWhen has a CEO been held accountable for anything in Europe? This is not USA.
DeleteEven the USA is not the USA anymore. Commies have won
DeleteCould have been worse.
ReplyDeleteCrazy. Demand finally recovers and then they go and keep cancelling flights.
ReplyDeleteWhen will the situation stabilize? One would think things would be back to normal this year.
ReplyDeleteDoes Lufthansa feel any impact from all the LCC flights that have launched from ex-Yu to Germany?
ReplyDeleteHighly likely that their point to point passenger numbers are down, but they mostly rely on transfer passenger on their flights to/from ex-Yu cities.
DeleteFor years LH performs extremely well in SJJ. Will be interesting if Ryanair starts with VIE or MEM.
ReplyDeleteRyanAir most likely won't fly to Memphis,TN. Bit it might start flights to FMM.
DeleteI am flying on 5.5 FRA-BEG.
ReplyDeleteFirst I booked the flight via Vienna. They cancelled it.
After it they transferred me to a flight via MUC. They cancelled it.
After it they transferred me to a direct flight leaving FRA at 14.10. They cancelled it.
After it they transferred me to a flight via ZRH. Will they cancel it?
Crazy! Hope they don't move you around more
DeleteReally crazy
DeleteAnon 11:00
DeleteOnly BRU is left to cover all their hubs! : D
I flew with them from BRU last Thursday. Just as I was boarding the train to the airport I got the message that I was rebooked to a later flight, no reason given, which completely ruined my plans for the day. I had to spend 40 minutes in their information desk in BRU but thankfully they were helpful and got me back on my original flight
DeleteJU should really consider MUC since LH is unable to grow in the whole region.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteRecession incoming
ReplyDeleteMUC is more affected than FRA. It may seem as a bad thing with the cancellations but they want to avoid the lack of personnel and summer chaos. People just do not understand it.
ReplyDeleteGermans are not stupid people. They do things quietly without much exposure. LH is also aware that it its business class is being scrutinised and hence working on that as well.
How odd. Why would they do that if there were no problems with the flight? I have lost all hope with LH.
DeleteThey are undergoing a restructure it seems and more focus on FRA. If you check their latest business and first class you will understand why. It also seems they want to acquire ITA Airways. I would not underestimate LH at the moment even though they have gone downhill a bit.
DeleteA 5 star airline according to Skytrax... What a joke!
DeleteHere in Canada, it had also brem said recently that there is a shortage of workers for this summer. Expect delays and cancelation.
ReplyDeleteThere is no shortage of staff. Because they are not hiring.
ReplyDeleteIt is new policy of limiting travel but it has to be covered with all kinds of excuses: no staff, no pilots, maintenance of planes, no baggage handlers, cap of passengers in some main hub airports (ams, lon) .. bla bla bla
It is what it is. Existence does not care. People who has strong desire will travel by plane the rest will find other ways to move around.
Boki, what does,
Delete"Existence does not care" mean?
“Existence does not care” means You, me and all 8 billion, including trees, oceans, birds, will move, travel and live according the their level of consciousness. You cant regulate these things. All these ISM’s (communism, capitalism, socialism) are just a way for societies to regulate nature, including the human nature.
DeleteSo people will find a way to move, travel, socialize. Communism was doing in crude way. Capitalism is doing in more sophistication way. In the the end they will all fail.
Sooner or later, and i am aware that scientific work is in progress, that we will allow not to depend on any Airlines constraints to limit travel. And i mean constraints being mainly through control of commoditized fossil fuels.
Thank you Boki for your explanation.
DeleteOther will follow suit soon. Watch out for Wizz.
ReplyDeleteW6 continues to receive new A321NEOs almost every week.
DeleteI hope they have the pilots and flight attendants for them.
But meanwhile they return old A320s every week therefore the fleet stays around 170-175 since last summer. They already suspend routes (EDI and WAW) from BUD for a month in March. How else can it be explained than lack of crew?
DeleteLufthansa is doing good job: they cancel on time what they can't deliver on time. We'll see about others.
ReplyDeleteTrue dat!
DeleteLH doing good job? Bad joke.... At least my10 flights canceled due different reasons in last 6 monts. All in Europe. Still waiting for refund from December mes in Fra
Delete@17:44 and @18:55:
DeleteEither you never flew with LH or you're Carsten Spohr. LH is one of the worst airlines in Europe.
Anon 17:44 Keep doing a good job by cancelling flights until there are no more flights by Lufthansa.
DeleteThey have billions of profit in 2022, guys
DeleteFor those who are interested and have a 15min break, watch this famous Swedish-American YouTuber regarding LH downfall. It hit more than 2 million views already and he says many real facts.
ReplyDeleteTitle: Lufthansa Has OFFICIALLY Lost It (business class fiasco)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqK9Ay4Jwos
Nonstop Dan is probably the most annoying travel blogger out there, always extremely negative and looking for things to put in ALL CAPS for his video captions together with extremely slappable facial expressions.
DeleteLufthansa long-haul J is mediocrity itself, but he also happened upon a particularly sour crew. I've had rather opposite experiences in recent years.