Lufthansa & Porsche Cut Ties For First Class Limousine Service

Lufthansa & Porsche Cut Ties For First Class Limousine Service

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Lufthansa offers a limousine service to its most premium passengers, including those flying in first class, as well as HON Circle members. This is offered in select circumstances, like when departing from the Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt.

There’s an update when it comes to this. In the coming months we can expect some changes to the cars used for this service, so let’s go over the details…

Lufthansa & Porsche end longstanding partnership

For a couple of decades now, Lufthansa and Porsche have had a partnership for the German flag carrier’s chauffeur service. Porsche is one of Germany’s most premium car brands, so this seemed like a logical collaboration.

However, the two companies have reportedly made the decision to part ways. The current contract for limousine service is expiring at the end of 2024, and won’t be renewed. Lufthansa is now putting out a tender for a new provider for this service.

It’s not entirely clear why this collaboration is ending, other than it presumably no longer being mutually beneficial. Does Lufthansa feel like Porsche is charging too much? Does Porsche feel there’s no marketing upside anymore, as it’s largely the same guests using the service over and over?

Lufthansa & Porsche are ending their collaboration

This shouldn’t be too much of a loss

The reality is that even when Lufthansa and Porsche had a partnership, many limousine service passengers haven’t actually been finding themselves in Porsche vehicles. That’s because Lufthansa uses a mix of Porsche vehicles (sedans and SUVs), plus Volkswagen vans.

Generally when being driven to a long haul aircraft, you’ll find that you’re in a Volkswagen van, since there are multiple premium passengers utilizing this service. So it’s not like a Porsche was a guarantee before.

Lufthansa also uses Volkswagen vans

Anyway, I’m curious to see which car company Lufthansa partners with next. I would have to imagine that we’ll see a BMW or Mercedes-Benz collaboration, given that they’re probably the next most premium car brands. Lufthansa has had a partnership with Mercedes in the past as well, as the vans used to be from Mercedes rather than Volkswagen. Or who knows, maybe Lufthansa will go all-in on the Volkswagen partnership. 😉

Lufthansa Group carrier SWISS recently rolled out a new collaboration with BMW, whereby a fleet of BMW i7s are being used for the carrier’s premium car service at its hubs in Zurich (ZRH) and Geneva (GVA). Perhaps a similar partnership will be introduced in Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC).

SWISS collaborates with BMW on its limousine service

Bottom line

By the end of 2024, Porsche will no longer be providing limousine service on behalf of Lufthansa, for first class and HON Circle passengers. This partnership has been in place for decades, so it’s interesting to see it ending. Lufthansa is now seeking a new partner for this service, so I guess we’ll find out what the plans are soon enough.

What do you make of Lufthansa and Porsche cutting ties?

Conversations (38)
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  1. Tony Guest

    Rumour has it that LH will partner with BYD…

  2. JustSaying Guest

    Earth shattering news! Thanks for working so hard to bring this to us!

  3. Mangiafiga Guest

    VW cancelled the MK2 Phaeton so they would only offer the van for all passengers in that case. There is that Phideon thing (dumb name) but it's a glorified Passat and China-only.

  4. Frog Guest

    LH F has very little pricing power given the sub-standard product. You can often find LH / LX F from Europe to US for less than J on other airlines (on the same dates).

    AF F, on the other hand, seems to never drop their prices.

  5. mileagespot Guest

    "Interesting news about Lufthansa and Porsche ending their limousine service partnership! It will be curious to see how Lufthansa reshapes its premium ground services moving forward. check out t.ly/Zoxr for more insights on miles

  6. MoJoe Diamond

    Volkswagen Jettas on the tarmac, here they come. =)

    1. AJO Gold

      Volkswagen Up. They have to keep the cost low.

  7. JD Guest

    VW, Audi, Porsche is all the same family. With MB they can go with EQS/EQE or Maybach with BMW they can go with Rolls-Royce.

  8. Kiwi Guest

    Probably a BMW iX or MB EQS/EQE

  9. Julia Guest

    "maybe Lufthansa will go all-in on the Volkswagen partnership"

    Given the not -so-good news about VW these days, I really doubt it, even though you are clearly joking lol

  10. Fred Farkle Guest

    To others who have commented, Ben covers LH so much because it's what he flies . . . just like AA . . . it's a source of content. Indeed, don't expect *recurring* content on any other airlines. Oh, Allegris seats are being installed. Oh, Allegris seat features. Oh, Allegris seat variations. Oh, Allegris seat routes. Oh, the maiden flight with Allegris seats. It is tiring. Yet, we hear nothing about his pursuit of Air France Platinum.

    1. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Fred Farkle -- People are sassy this morning, goodness. :p I'm providing Flying Blue Platinum updates as I have them. I'm earning status over the course of a year, so I don't have an update since I last wrote about it a couple of months ago. I haven't had many opportunities for review trips or XP runs this summer, but that's changing as of this month. So stay tuned, there will be Flying Blue content too.

    2. Super Diamond

      Is there something you might be able to do about comment moderation? Been a longtime loyal reader and watched as in the past 1-2 years the comment section of your blog has turned downright nasty more times than not. Used to be normal, productive conversations about the topic on hand.

    3. Likes-to-fly Gold

      Agree with @Super on comment moderation. One thing is sharing different opinions, another is being unnecessarily nasty. Too many of those lately, though.

    4. Miguel Guest

      @Super @Likes-to-fly I think it's pretty obvious that Ben doesn't care. At all. Never has and never will, unless it's something especially egregious and/or against him personally. Comments are engagement and comment counts can be used to sell ad space. It's entirely in his interest to let the comments section degrade as it keeps people (and people pretending to be people, I think you know what I refer to) talking to each other which boosts...

      @Super @Likes-to-fly I think it's pretty obvious that Ben doesn't care. At all. Never has and never will, unless it's something especially egregious and/or against him personally. Comments are engagement and comment counts can be used to sell ad space. It's entirely in his interest to let the comments section degrade as it keeps people (and people pretending to be people, I think you know what I refer to) talking to each other which boosts his numbers. Luckily for Ben, many of his readers are very reliable and easily triggered so he can keep it going for some time to come.

    5. henare Diamond

      Eh. Look at what Musk is doing over at X. The engagement is quite toxic and the ads you see look like the back page of a puzzle magazine.

      Someone running ads against crappy engagement is less likely as there are more than enough venues without the crappy comment section.

    6. Stanley C Diamond

      I guess Ben allows people to say whatever they want since he is probably all about freedom of expression despite their being very racist, prejudice or inappropriate comments. You can tell from a few of his most vocal commentators by what they write.

    7. Aaron Guest

      It still isn't as bad as some other comments sections, like LALF.

  11. E39 Member

    In other Lufthansa news, they’re rumored to invest in Air Baltic

  12. Jack Guest

    Lufthansa F -- F is for Fail.

    1. Tim Dunn Guest

      Delta One is a true first class product!

  13. Mike O. Guest

    There's Audi if not a Mercedes-Benz or BMW.

  14. Sophie Guest

    It never made sense to have such a luxurious transfer to such a mediocre "first class" product. I know Lucky loves LH F, but by today's standards, it's really just business class with caviar service and a skanky rose at your seat.

    1. Andrew Guest

      Could not agree more. I have tried long-haul First Class a few times now and don't really get the appeal. I no longer drink alcohol so maybe that is part of my lackluster opinion of it all. Business class checks my boxes.

    2. Julia Guest

      You must still be drinking if you don't see the difference between LF F and J.

    3. Sophie Guest

      LH F is business class; LH J is premium economy.

    4. Paul Guest

      Andrew - It’s not very clear what you’re getting at. Are you saying that when you did drink alcohol, you were so smashed that you couldn’t tell the difference between F and J?

    5. Frog Guest

      Agreed. LH F is not even worth the extra 35K miles for intercontinental flights, let alone any extra cash.

    6. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Sophie -- To be clear, I "love" Lufthansa first class in the sense that it's a good redemption with miles that's often available last minute. I don't otherwise love the product, and on my list of the world's best first class products, it ranks last.

    7. Sophie Guest

      If you don't love it, then why do you promote it so much? I feel like there's an image or mention of it at least once a week on this blog.

    8. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Sophie -- Because it's a product that's actually practical to book with miles? For example, Air France and SWISS first class aren't bookable with miles unless you have elite status or at much higher costs. Meanwhile anyone can book Lufthansa first class with miles, assuming they do so last minute.

      I'm not sure posting pictures of something means I love it. I think what I write about Lufthansa first class reflects that.

    9. E39 Member

      LX F has apparently been bookable with SAS EuroBonus pre-SkyTeam merger for about a year, although at very limited dates and flights

    10. Sophie Guest

      Just a tip, avoid posting pictures of it. It's an unattractive seat in an unattractive cabin, and the skanky rose makes it look even trashier.

    11. Ben Schlappig OMAAT

      @ Sophie -- "Skanky" is an interesting way to describe a rose...

    12. Sophie Guest

      The rose is not skanky, but its presentation in the ugly cabin looks skanky, if that makes sense.

    13. Stanley C Diamond

      Sophie is probably not an avid reader of Ben’s blog. Anyone who consistently reads his blogs knows that Ben does not love LH F and especially J based on his reviews. Sophie’s comments are skanky and that is still an understatement.

    14. InternationalTraveler Diamond

      Tastes may vary, however I never found the Lufthansa First Class cabin "unattractive". If you were offered a free upgrade from Business Class, would you decline it for this reason ?

    15. Stanley C Diamond

      Exactly @InternationalTraveler who would turn down F for J? Well, we know one person who would in order to avoid a ‘skanky’ rose.

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Super Diamond

Is there something you might be able to do about comment moderation? Been a longtime loyal reader and watched as in the past 1-2 years the comment section of your blog has turned downright nasty more times than not. Used to be normal, productive conversations about the topic on hand.

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Ben Schlappig OMAAT

@ Sophie -- Because it's a product that's actually practical to book with miles? For example, Air France and SWISS first class aren't bookable with miles unless you have elite status or at much higher costs. Meanwhile anyone can book Lufthansa first class with miles, assuming they do so last minute. I'm not sure posting pictures of something means I love it. I think what I write about Lufthansa first class reflects that.

5
InternationalTraveler Diamond

Tastes may vary, however I never found the Lufthansa First Class cabin "unattractive". If you were offered a free upgrade from Business Class, would you decline it for this reason ?

3
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