Lufthansa will be improving its short haul economy experience, though only in a very minor way, and on a trial basis.
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Lufthansa improves short haul economy
In 2021, Lufthansa eliminated free drinks and snacks in short haul economy, in a move that reportedly saves the airline $0.66 per passenger. With Lufthansa’s current buy on board concept on short haul flights, each economy passenger receives a complimentary bottle of water, while all other food and drinks are available for purchase.
A few years in, Lufthansa is now backtracking on this decision, at least on a temporary basis. For the summer of 2024, Lufthansa will offer free coffee and tea in short haul economy. Everything else, from soft drinks, to alcohol, to meals, will be available for purchase.
Currently, European airlines are all over the place in terms of the service they offer in economy. Some airlines have an entirely buy on board concept in economy, while other airlines (like Aegean) still offer free drinks and substantial snacks in economy.
Why Lufthansa is backtracking on economy service cuts
Why is Lufthansa bringing back free coffee and tea in economy on short haul flights? Well, executives at the airline have noticed that the carrier’s customer satisfaction scores have plummeted in recent years, and the airline is trying to start to change that. I’m of two minds on this topic…
As a consumer, I of course love to see airlines add back service. It’s disappointing the extent to which the gap has narrowed in recent years between ultra low cost carriers and full service carriers in Europe. I mean, honestly, what’s the difference between flying British Airways and EasyJet on a short haul flight in economy?
Unless frequent flyer programs or lounge access are a consideration, why should the average short haul economy passenger pay a premium to fly with a full service airline? There’s nothing “full service” about these experiences.
At the same time, I see where airline executives come from with service cuts. No one should choose to fly with a full service airline in Europe simply because they get a free soft drink or a bag of pretzels. Admittedly it’s supposed to be part of a larger suite of perks of flying with a full service airline, but let’s be real, those don’t really exist. Full service airlines in Europe largely have under 30″ of pitch, it’s not like they have seat back entertainment, and they also have fares that don’t even include carry-on bags.
I find it interesting how Lufthansa executives seem to be newly concerned about the carrier’s low net promoter score, and how much worse that has gotten over the years. I hate to say this and probably sound like someone in American Airlines management, but should executives at Lufthansa really care if people like the airline? Lufthansa is Germany’s only global airline.
People typically fly Lufthansa over a competitor because the airline has the best schedule or offers the best value, and not because the airline has the best experience. Of course it’s great to invest in the passenger experience, but I’m not sure to what extent small investments in economy move the needle in terms of revenue.
Bottom line
For the summer of 2024, Lufthansa is trialing bringing back free coffee and tea in economy on short haul flights. A bit over three years ago, the airline introduced a buy on board model in short haul economy. Each passenger has received a free bottle of water, with everything else available for purchase.
I’m happy to see the airline making some improvements, though this is a very minor investment in the scheme of things — we’re talking about a temporary trial of enjoying complimentary “flavored” water from the plane’s tanks. 😉
What do you make of Lufthansa restoring some short haul economy service?
Fly FRA-HKG in Premium Eco with LH and then with Cathay and you'll understand why I avoid LH like the plague. LH charges for seat selection, charges you an arm, a leg and a few other bits to take a bike as checked luggage, no premium check-in, no premium boarding, no welcome drink, no towel service, identical food to eco (but on a plate), bud earphones IN MONO. CX gives you all the stuff that LH doesn't.
Dear Lufthansa, the biggest problem is not coffee or tea, but the attitude of unfortunately too many flight attendants. Yes, also in business class. And not just short-haul. Quick basic service. They like way too much checking their mobile phones, instead of checking on passengers, here and there. I could go on and on...
"I mean, honestly, what’s the difference between flying British Airways and EasyJet on a short haul flight in economy?"
PLEASE PLEASE do a comparsion trip report between BA and U2, and then tell us if the experience is the same. I guarantee you it's not.
among the legacy airlines in Europe, I would say BA is the only one that can be considered as competitive in the EU economy seat because of its generous hand bag rules and they often price better than RYaniar or Easyjet on the same route if the bag is included. UNless someone is going to germany, I don't see why one would find LH schedule better but I must admit the german service is downright...
among the legacy airlines in Europe, I would say BA is the only one that can be considered as competitive in the EU economy seat because of its generous hand bag rules and they often price better than RYaniar or Easyjet on the same route if the bag is included. UNless someone is going to germany, I don't see why one would find LH schedule better but I must admit the german service is downright rude, especially if you are not white.
Also all legacy airlines in EU do not offer anything good in business, so all those tiring flihgts from the US connect to these awful seats when you really want to take a nap after a tiring flight from NA. ONe should always choose the direct flights from NA to EU on business, otherwise connecting through LHR or FRA or AMS/CDG are just horrible for your sleep. These airlines do not understand it. But they don't offer good deals for connecting business class, so I guess they locked you in by their worthless miles and status, the value of which many overestimate...
Maybe, just maybe the race to the bottom is reversing. When you have a captive audience (paying pax) why oh why do airlines reduce their service levels? One bad comment goes 10 times as far as a good comment. Put customer service above the bean counter.
Not missing the snacked served before 2021 - towards the end those were abysmal. And don't drink tree or coffee.
Just bring back choice for drinks - coke, coke zero, orange, tomato...? Even United in their worst days provided such choice.
Honestly, for me the biggest added value for me would be if LH brought back the free seat change at check-in for Light fare. This is the reason I switched almost entirely to AF/KL because as a gold/platinum member I get all this and a free bag as well...
Recent LH FRA-WAW R/T in cattle class on two different Sundays: planes totally full... Once the free water and chocolates were given away, the crew passed with paid f&b cart... If looks like they didn't do even one sale... Their time im the sky is being paid already. How much would one decent tea or coffee serving cost for the company that buys in bulk? Ten-fifteen euro cents???
Clearly Lufty is aiming for a sixth star from ScamTrax this year (And ScamTrax will award it too!).
May be that would be a useful article in table or chart format comparing the offerings for economy class, premium economy and business class within Europe flights regarding objective offerings such as meals, drinks, bags, etc.
It's almost a race to the bottom for many airlines.
Lucky:
‘ I mean, honestly, what’s the difference between flying British Airways and EasyJet on a short haul flight in economy?’
To earn miles/segments on their airline and or alliance of choice. Keeping their tier status.
Another difference is that easyJet is far less likely than BA to lose/delay one's checked in luggage.
This is sad.
LH has become worse than an ULCC. They were never great but they got the job done. Last November I flew them from IST-FRA-DTW and during these flights is when I realized how bad they had become. They didn't even have free water available on the IST-FRA flight. You paid for everything. Then on the FRA-DTW flight, they had only one meal choice available (forgot to load the second entre we were told) and then...
LH has become worse than an ULCC. They were never great but they got the job done. Last November I flew them from IST-FRA-DTW and during these flights is when I realized how bad they had become. They didn't even have free water available on the IST-FRA flight. You paid for everything. Then on the FRA-DTW flight, they had only one meal choice available (forgot to load the second entre we were told) and then the pre-arrival snack was veal...and also the only option. Veal? Seriously? Yikes. How they have let this once reputable airline go down to a one-star level I will never understand.
Their European business class arguably is even worse, as the uninitiated sometimes go in expecting some half-decent food and a few drinks options but end up having to make do with mystery sandwiches from Heimat and basically the only realistic option in terms of alcohol being Bombay Sapphire.
Makes me appreciate KLM more. Got a free sandwich and complimentary drinks on every flight I've taken this year (none more than 1.5 hours) and even got free Heineken.
I applaud LH's entrepreneurial spirit here! /s
So called 5 star airline will try free coffee and tea on shorthaul economy? Come on. My last flights with them to Denver and back home were something I will never forget. I am avoiding this airline at all cost just like Ryanair. Both airlines treat economy passengers like a cattle but Ryanair is only ripping passengers but not pretending 5 star airline. Free coffee and tea, really?
In the fall of 2022 was on an intra flight to MUC. Wife ordered tea. Cancelled when she found out it would be 3 euros. Had the lounge in MUC so just waited until then. But then they handed out free chocolates before the end of the flight.
Back in the Continental days LH was a great partner. Many super flights over the pond. Now I'd rather be on UA metal over the pond as it's easier, the IT works, the reservation can be managed, and the experience is about the same.
I really don't get the schedule argument for LH. I live in the Cologne area so it does not make a difference to me if I go on a feeder train (to FRA/BRU/AMS) or on a feeder flight (to MUC/LHR/CDG/ZRH/VIE) to catch a long haul when it comes to the schedule. Lots of options to all those hubs, all available within 1-2 hours of travel.
The same goes for most other German pop. centers, apart from Munich or Frankfurt. So: Not really incentivized to go with LH by that.
There's a world beyond Germany :)
"what’s the difference between flying British Airways and EasyJet on a short haul flight in economy?"
Free, decent hand baggage allowane on BA. It's huge difference in times, when budget airlines (you can't call them cheap) want you to pay for anything bigger than backpack under the seat. BA cut free seat choice recently, bit still better than EasyJet and others.
For the same reason, I would choose BA over Lufthansa, AF, KLM shorthaul. Because they have limit of 12kg for both pieces of hand baggage. While BA has no limit.
Indeed. Plus a wider range of flight times - at least for the mainline and CityFlyer operation, for which BA nightstop aircraft at outstations.
None of the European LCCs do this, so you end up with flights that are timed around maximising airframe & crew utilisation rather than passenger convenience.
For example, the only LCC flights out of London in the evening are those short enough (1-2 hours) to return the same evening, or those...
Indeed. Plus a wider range of flight times - at least for the mainline and CityFlyer operation, for which BA nightstop aircraft at outstations.
None of the European LCCs do this, so you end up with flights that are timed around maximising airframe & crew utilisation rather than passenger convenience.
For example, the only LCC flights out of London in the evening are those short enough (1-2 hours) to return the same evening, or those operated by a crew/plane based in the destination city.
I disagree - sorry. The only real benefit to BA is being able to interline (and, unfortunately, where I live LHR is not served, only LGW).
EZY still has no weight limit on its cabin bags whereas whn a BA flight is full, several bags need to be put into the hold anyway. Personally, I'm happy to pay a bit and guarantee that my cabin bags stay with me.
Totally agree! If I pay for carry on at Ryanair od Easy, I'm sure that I'll jave it with me. Last month I flew twice BA (European+Int'Cont) and they were selecting people at the gate to take them their approved carry-on. I mean, if you pack inside everything you need for 18h journey and they take it from you on 1st leg of your trip, it is very inconvenient.
Easy Jet doesn't fly, where I fly and if there's a choice, I still prefer BA and Heathrow', even though Gatwick is closer.
I just flew ITA short-haul business and they would NOT give me coffee on a 2 hour flight...
"customer satisfaction scores have plummeted"
As it should be. Make it a point to fill out all post-flight surveys. Let airlines know where they are deficient in.
@RF, I always do.
Correct me if I'm wrong: which legacy airlines outside of Lufthansa group still charge for coffee and tea in intra-Europe economy?
The other Star airlines I've flown in recent years - SAS, TAP, LOT - all offer free coffee/tea (and SAS is probably the stingiest full service carrier I've flown). I believe AF/KLM and IAG carriers also offer free coffee and tea.
Yes BA resumed serving drinks and a snack last year. Af/KLM always have. So indeed LH are last on this one. And to announce that they'll trial serving warm drinks is ridiculous and shows how they're out of touch with their customers.
BA provides free water and a choice of small snack (crisps, chocolate etc.). A couple of ~5 hour routes that are operated using the short-haul fleet (but should really be long-haul) like CAI, AMM, TLV get free tea & coffee in addition.
Sorry not from the EU, so no meal on a 5 hour flight?
I think Iberia and UX charge too.
Aegean has meals, not snacks in economy (except for the very shortest routes of course). And also, all Lufthansa fares include a carry-on - none of the big 3 groups charges for it for their mainline carriers (although subsidiaries such as Transavia sometimes do, but those are LCCs).
Ultimately I find BOB ridiculous from the business perspective. It's losing money for most full service carriers and takes away the feeling of hospitality. It's not about...
Aegean has meals, not snacks in economy (except for the very shortest routes of course). And also, all Lufthansa fares include a carry-on - none of the big 3 groups charges for it for their mainline carriers (although subsidiaries such as Transavia sometimes do, but those are LCCs).
Ultimately I find BOB ridiculous from the business perspective. It's losing money for most full service carriers and takes away the feeling of hospitality. It's not about the freebies, it's about creating a certain vibe on board. That vibe can make far more in fevenu than the few euros that a meal and a drink cost.
Why do the need to have a trail, until 2021 they served coffee and tea, shouldn't they know how to serve this?
They want to see if customer satisfaction will go up enough to justify the ~$100 is costs them on each flight (lol)
Because back then they didn't have BOB which made the service much faster. With this ridiculous arrangement, crews will both be slowed down with the BOB, but also expected to serve every single pax as in the pre-BOB times.
This is just ridiculous. Imagine, a trial for serving coffee and tea ...
Yeah, it's something never done before better trial it :D