One of the best aspects of Lufthansa first class is the ground experience, including the carrier’s first class limousine service (which is also available to HON Circle members). We’ve known that some changes would be coming to this soon, and we now have the details.
In this post:
Sixt is Lufthansa’s new first class limousine partner
Historically, Lufthansa has partnered with Porsche on its first class limousine service at its Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC) hubs, whereby select premium travelers get driven between the aircraft and the lounge (or just the terminal).
Some time back, we learned that Lufthansa and Porsche won’t be renewing their contract, so Lufthansa put out a tender for a new partner for this service. We now have a sense of what we can expect, as reported by Frankfurtflyer. Rather than partnering with a car manufacturer, Lufthansa will instead be partnering with a rental car company.
As of February 2025, Lufthansa will be collaborating with Sixt for its first class limousine service. So, what kind of cars should we expect? The expectation is that a fleet of electric cars will be used, with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW i7, Audi Q8, and Mercedes-Benz V-Class, being among the cars available.
This seems like a pretty positive change
On balance, I’d actually say that the transition from Porsche to Sixt might not necessarily be negative. A couple of things stand out:
- Currently Lufthansa uses Volkswagen vans for transfers, to those being upgraded to a Mercedes-Benz V-Class actually sounds pretty positive to me
- While the Porsche fleet is very nice, I’d say that if you’re being driven, a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW i7, Audi Q8, etc., might just be more comfortable, in terms of space in the back seat
So anyway, when it was announced that Porsche would no longer be Lufthansa’s partner, I was expecting it would be a major downgrade. However, I’m pleasantly surprised by this development.
Bottom line
Lufthansa and Porsche are cutting ties for their first class limousine service. We’ve now learned that as of February 2025, Lufthansa’s new partner will be Sixt. We can expect Lufthansa to use a variety of vehicles, including the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW i7, Audi Q8, and Mercedes-Benz V-Class.
What do you make of Lufthansa partnering with Sixt for its first class limousine service?
FWIW, I was in LH First 2.5 weeks ago and there were still some Porsches. Did they say exactly when they'll get rid of the fleet?
Mercedes V class is nothing to write home about, the sole fact that there is a star on the hood doesn't make it better or more luxurious than a VW Bus.
While I was grateful for the transfer from the FCT to my CRJ the other week, I don't really get the fascination with these cars when it comes to the big planes that actually have first class and are usually attached to the terminal.
I'm really struggling to see how people perceive value in leaving the lounge early, going up and down the stairs, loading and unloading luggage, and potentially getting exposed to the...
While I was grateful for the transfer from the FCT to my CRJ the other week, I don't really get the fascination with these cars when it comes to the big planes that actually have first class and are usually attached to the terminal.
I'm really struggling to see how people perceive value in leaving the lounge early, going up and down the stairs, loading and unloading luggage, and potentially getting exposed to the elements as opposed to just walking down the jetbridge at their leisure 15-20 minutes before departure.
@ Throwawayname -- Well, I don't disagree, but as I see it, that's not where the service is useful. In the case of the FCT, that allows you to skip the terminal entirely, so the time savings there are huge. Meanwhile I'd say the limousine service is otherwise most valuable if you're connecting to a regional flight departing from a remote stand.
You don't generally get the limo service if you're departing from a gate...
@ Throwawayname -- Well, I don't disagree, but as I see it, that's not where the service is useful. In the case of the FCT, that allows you to skip the terminal entirely, so the time savings there are huge. Meanwhile I'd say the limousine service is otherwise most valuable if you're connecting to a regional flight departing from a remote stand.
You don't generally get the limo service if you're departing from a gate near the lounge, assuming there's a jet bridge, for the reasons you state.
Ah, that's fair enough. Do they offer the car transfers to F lounge pax with flights departing from remote stands?
Both to and from remote stands
So instead of the cars coming from northern Stuttgart(Porsche Zuffenhausen) they will now come from southwest Stuttgart (Mercedes Sindelfingen). What a dramatic change. I really do not care between a Porsche and a Mercedes S class.
But aside from that fact I don‘t like the Sixt Partnership, I had a very bad experience with some unjustified extra charges renting from them in Lisboa.
They don‘t seem to get their franchise partners in order, but in Germany it should be fine.
This has nothing to do with rentals. It's just transfers. This is no different than Air France partnering with HertzU. Other than some branding, most people will have no idea the cars are from Sixt.
But this is exactly the question, although it won‘t have any material consequences for the operation as such, it still is a questionable partnership choice in my opinion as so many people tend to have negative experiences with rental car firms, therefore it might not be the smartest move to partner with one for first class transfers.
@Max , Sixt are by far the highest quality car rental company in Europe (and possibly other places too). That doesn't make them immune to the occasional bad apple - whether it's a franchise, local management, or individual employee. I've actually hired a car from them in Portugal and the service was as good as anywhere else (conversely, I recently had an horrendous experience with Hertz in the UK, but I am not about to...
@Max , Sixt are by far the highest quality car rental company in Europe (and possibly other places too). That doesn't make them immune to the occasional bad apple - whether it's a franchise, local management, or individual employee. I've actually hired a car from them in Portugal and the service was as good as anywhere else (conversely, I recently had an horrendous experience with Hertz in the UK, but I am not about to boycott them forever because of it).
My impression is that the logic behind the partnership is that they want to become known to people who don't hire cars often as they want to grow in the wider 'mobility' space (car subscriptions, limousine services etc).
Contracting with Sixt is simply a financial maneuver to efficiently maintain their fleet by acquiring and delivering new cars, and disposing of older ones.
@Max - you've got some bizarre jumps in logic going on. I don't think I fully understand what you're saying... somehow the most important factor in a car for you is the geographic region it is from, and who financially owns it? Call me weird, but I personally value how comfortable and luxurious it is.
@throwawayname - It's not a few bad apples, Sixt is notorious for almost scam-like charges. I have (and will continue...
@Max - you've got some bizarre jumps in logic going on. I don't think I fully understand what you're saying... somehow the most important factor in a car for you is the geographic region it is from, and who financially owns it? Call me weird, but I personally value how comfortable and luxurious it is.
@throwawayname - It's not a few bad apples, Sixt is notorious for almost scam-like charges. I have (and will continue to) rent from them many times in many different locations because of the better cars, but it's well known that you have to meticulously document every aspect of the transaction in order to prevent them from trying to charge you for something ridiculous. Their business model seems to be built on subsidizing those BMW rentals by forcing 25% of customers to use their CC rental insurance for a large payout.
I don't think that the business model is built on scam charges, my impression is they're just pretty careful with damage precisely because they want to keep the fleet in good condition. I always take photos etc but I find them really good at ensuring any scratches etc have been proactively documented at check out, which is more than I can say about my experiences with other companies (Goldcar is always a good laugh when...
I don't think that the business model is built on scam charges, my impression is they're just pretty careful with damage precisely because they want to keep the fleet in good condition. I always take photos etc but I find them really good at ensuring any scratches etc have been proactively documented at check out, which is more than I can say about my experiences with other companies (Goldcar is always a good laugh when it comes to that, but I'm willing to lose 20 minutes on the paperwork if I am renting for a week and they're literally 75% cheaper).