Lufthansa has just rebranded one of its low cost carriers, and I’m not sure what exactly to think…
Discover Airlines, Lufthansa’s rebranded low cost carrier
Effective immediately, Eurowings Discover will be branded as Discover Airlines. For context, Eurowings Discover is Lufthansa’s low cost carrier that that was launched in mid-2021. The airline has a fleet of nearly two dozen A320s and A330s, which operate to North America, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean. I’ve reviewed the carrier’s A330 business class product.
Nothing is changing about the substance of the airline, but it is simply being rebranded as Discover Airlines, featuring a totally new livery and branding. Here’s how the airline describes the new branding:
It’s not only the name of our airline that’s changing – it’s our whole look. Our new, contemporary, fresh, and yet still sophisticated design conveys precisely this feeling. Fittingly for an airline, it’s inspired by a view of the horizon. More specifically, by the various lines and color nuances that emerge when the blue of the sky meets the landscape. These “skylines” are the most important design element of our brand and arise from various blue tones as well as a sunny yellow. The overall look is clear and sophisticated, but it always reflects most of all the brand’s core in its versatility. That is the joy of travel.
For context, below is what Eurowings Discover’s livery looks like.
Below is what Discover Airlines’ livery looks like.
Do I find the new Discover Airlines livery to be super inspiring and interesting? No. But I actually find that the design is pretty cohesive with Lufthansa’s branding, and it’s almost just a more playful version of it. It’s also interesting to note how prominently “Member of LUFTHANSA GROUP” is written along the back of the fuselage.
Previously the branding of Eurowings Discover was based on the Eurowings branding, which didn’t bear much resemblance to Lufthansa’s branding.
So, what should we expect from the rollout of the new Discover Airlines branding?
- The first Airbus A320 with the new livery is already flying as of today
- Over time, aircraft that are new to the fleet, have only received part of the new livery, or are due for a standard livery refresh, will be rebranded
- Due to production lead times, all aircraft cabins and onboard products will only feature the new Discover Airlines branding as of December 2023; furthermore, disposable items will be completely used up first, and then reordered with the new design
- Of course all Eurowings Discover tickets will be honored, and the airline will continue to use “4Y” as its two letter code
I don’t understand Lufthansa’s low cost carrier strategy
While I think the branding of Discover Airlines is fine, I still can’t make sense of Lufthansa’s overall low cost carrier strategy, which seems to be all over the place:
- First Lufthansa had Germanwings, a short haul low cost carrier
- Then that was rebranded as Eurowings, partly due to the horrible crash
- Then Lufthansa launched Eurowings Discover, a primarily long haul low cost carrier
- Now Lufthansa is rebranding Eurowings Discover as Discover Airlines
I’ve never been able to understand why Lufthansa doesn’t merge Eurowings and Eurowings Discover (or Discover Airlines now). What’s the point of having two separate low cost carriers? Wouldn’t it be more logical to have a single low cost carrier, offering easy connectivity with less brand confusion?
Bottom line
One of Lufthansa’s low cost carriers, Eurowings Discover, has been rebranded as Discover Airlines. Personally I think the new branding is perfectly fine but nothing too exciting. It at least does a good job of drawing a connection to Lufthansa.
What I still don’t understand, though, is Lufthansa’s overall low cost carrier strategy, and the constantly changing branding.
What do you make of the Discover Airlines branding?
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