Lufthansa continues to present itself as a multi-brand, multi-hub, multi-product carrier which can satisfy any of our passengers' varied needs,” said Thierry Antinori, head of all operations related to passenger service, speaking at ITB. The customer profile is very hybrid, he explained: “In a short space of time, a person could fly first class for business purposes and then fly on the cheapest available flight at the weekend. We must therefore offer a choice for every segment of travel,” he said.

“Over the last five years, the airline has introduced a private jet service, a low cost airline (Germanwings), a second world-class airline with the acquisition of Swiss, and regional services.

Lufthansa has also renovated its products on board and on the ground, Antinori told ITB delegates. The new first class service has been further improved with the opening last year of a first class terminal, and the construction of a new lounge, in Frankfurt.

“We will also dedicate our best staff to the first class services, selecting them according to their skills rather than because of their seniority,” said Antinori. An even better first class product will be unveiled in winter 2008, he promised, while in business class, Lufthansa will start renovating all the passenger lounges. In economy, the German carrier will equip all its long-haul aircraft with individual videos.

For the summer of 2007, Lufthansa will offer its largest network of flights ever, flying to 192 destinations. “We are growing by 3% in Europe and 4.5% on long-haul routes,” said Antinori. The airline will be the first to fly directly to Pusan in South Korea from Europe - it is launching a Munich-Pusan service with three flights a week. It will also launch a Munich-Denver flight. Hamburg and Düsseldorf will have new connections to Valencia, and Stuttgart will have new links to Prague and Marseille. During winter 2007/08, Lufthansa wants to reinforce its position in Asia with a second daily flight to Mumbai and will most probably start a service to a seventh destination in India. “China remains one of the key markets that we are continuing to watch closely,” added Antinori.

Lufthansa had a highly successful 2006, with a record 53.4 million passengers, a 10.4% increase in traffic revenue to €15.4 billion and an operating profit of €845 million. “And the first indications for 2007 give us hope for another excellent financial year,” said Antinori.