For whatever reason, yesterday I was reminded of a claim made by an airline executive over a decade ago. It’s of absolutely no consequence, but I imagine that some people may find this to be interesting…
In this post:
Lufthansa used to be the world’s biggest caviar customer
Back in 2013, there was a fascinating story about Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr. Obviously the industry was different at the time, but at a press event he talked about the need to invest in customers, especially in higher cabins, as they pay more. In that interview, he made an interesting claim, that Lufthansa buys 5% of the world’s caviar, and is the biggest caviar customer in the world, as the airline offers caviar in all flights in Lufthansa first class. He was quoted as saying:
“The further up the class of service, the more we invest per passenger. Caviar service on every flight at Lufthansa first class, which is difficult for us to get. Five per cent of the global caviar production goes to Lufthansa first class. Five per cent. We are the biggest caviar customers in the world.”
That’s pretty remarkable, eh?
During that 2013 interview, he also referenced a new (at the time) commercial the airline had released, which he described as follows:
“We just had this great new commercial. It’s a French guy waking up exactly at 7 o’clock, getting a clean taxi to the airport, being welcomed by a nicely dressed check-in girl and then sitting down in a brand new aircraft. And he keeps saying, ‘These Germans! These Germans!'” (The television spot ends with the man being offered a glass of red wine and muttering: “And this constant perfectionism… fantastique.”)
It’s funny to look back at that, because that definitely used to be the impression of Germany, though I think in the past decade plus, that stereotype has changed a bit. Germany isn’t what it once was in terms of precision and timeliness.
I wonder what percent of the world’s caviar Emirates buys
I think it’s safe to assume that Lufthansa is no longer the world’s biggest purchaser of caviar, and no longer buys 5% of the world’s supply.
For one, global caviar production has increased massively over the years. At the same time, Lufthansa has shrunk the size of its fleet with first class, as the airline no longer has first class on most long haul aircraft (Lufthansa used to have first class on a lot more planes… though that trend is slowly reversing again, with the introduction of Allegris).
Beyond that, though, Emirates has most certainly overtaken Lufthansa when it comes to how much caviar it buys:
- Emirates has nearly 200 aircraft with first class, each with anywhere from six to 14 first class seats
- Emirates now offers “unlimited” caviar in first class, so I can only imagine the quantity of caviar that the airline goes through
I haven’t seen any data published on this, though I’d have to assume that Emirates is now the world’s largest customer of caviar. I’m curious what percent of the global supply the airline buys.
Bottom line
In 2013, Lufthansa was reportedly the world’s single biggest buyer of caviar, and purchased 5% of the world’s supply. In the meantime, I assume Emirates has overtaken Lufthansa. Regardless, it’s an interesting reminder of the volume of “luxury” products that are consumed on airlines.
Are you surprised that Lufthansa used to be the world’s biggest caviar customer?
Havent flown EK F in a while but the caviar LH serves in F is terrible. Really low quality stuff.
Q.How can you tell if Spohr is lying?
A. His lips are moving.
Who like Caviar? It seems like an AvGeek hobby to "like" it while secretly detesting it.
84% of the world's caviar production comes from Chinese farmed sturgeons. Good luck with your lifespan.
As per LH's on data, the 2023 consumption was 2.6 tons: "First Class guests clearly enjoy the delicacy – in 2023, they ate 24,150 cans of caviar weighing 100 grams each."
2024 production was around 600 tons. Production in 2012 was around 240 tons, so LH would have had to use up 12 tons of caviar to make up 5% in 2012.
I am not even sure Spohr's claim was true back in 2013. Emirates' longhaul fleet was already much larger than LH's and Lufthansa did not exactly provide generous portions in first class back then.
I am not sure if Carsten Spohr's claim was true 10 years ago. Though I could picture that it was accurate in the 70s and 80s, based on caviar stories that my aunt told me, who worked for Lufthansa back then.
You could apparently get very big caviar servings in First Class back then. No questions asked.
Lufthansa management has just announced an alternative caviar: Balls O' Fire. (The fisherman in the crowd will appreciate the humor.)
When talking about caviar, there is obvious a huge range in prices. Just take a look at this article:
https://straitsresearch.com/statistic/top-nations-driving-the-global-caviar-market
I am quite sure Emirates and Lufthansa were not/are not/will most likely not be serving any Almas Caviar in first class on any route.
Nor should they, unless they really want to advertise the fact they serve it.
Bold flavors can work very well in the air, but the absolute finest ingredients lose their differentiation.
That's why curry is such an excellent dish to serve in the air. It keeps well, it reheats well, and it tastes almost as good at altitude as on the ground.
From 5% of the world's caviar supply to no money for black coffee or tea...
With their pricing scheme for the new business class, Lufthansa appears to be pursuing the inverse strategy of extracting more money as clients spend more, rather than investing more.
Spohr has become a 1980s caricature of a bloodless, uncaring, cruel, paranoid and petty CEO who is penny wise and pound foolish and stunningly incompetent at directing even a semblance of a long term strategy for his airline.
No wonder Porsche has pulled out. They
So what is Spohr then? Another guy failing upwards?
Spohr's usual MO is to minimize / downplay problems until they can't be ignored. This approach has often led to problems becoming more severe before being properly addressed. Throughout this he will often behave as if he is a disengaged observer rather than a main character in his own story.
Rather rare to see a person who is simultaneously so self aggrandizing and also self diminishing. Probably a lot for him to unpack in therapy...
Spohr's usual MO is to minimize / downplay problems until they can't be ignored. This approach has often led to problems becoming more severe before being properly addressed. Throughout this he will often behave as if he is a disengaged observer rather than a main character in his own story.
Rather rare to see a person who is simultaneously so self aggrandizing and also self diminishing. Probably a lot for him to unpack in therapy there, if he can find a provider who will allow a bodyguard to be present during sessions.