Year: 2019

Ruinous price war in the sky – Airlines serve greed and irresponsibility of consumers

Quickly and cheaply jetting somewhere has serious consequences/photo: tz.de, Munich Airport, Terminal 2

 

Serving the irresponsibility and the greed of consumers for ever cheaper ticket offers, to quickly jet somewhere at the weekend, to fly domestic routes, has further dramatic not only ecological but also economic consequences for the airlines itselves.

On the morning of 30 July, the Lufthansa share fell by up to seven per cent to its lowest level for two years. The discount battle with airline tickets Continue reading “Ruinous price war in the sky – Airlines serve greed and irresponsibility of consumers”

Lufthansa on the verge of restructuring?

Discussion about a lean holding company has begun/Foto: Lufhansa

 

First the profit warning, then the fall in the share price, Lufthansa recently shocked investors. Various media speculate that Group CEO Spohr could counter the increasing pressure with a restructuring. Apparently a lean holding company is being discussed.

Lufthansa could transform itself into a holding company in the future. The “Handelsblatt” writes that a new, leaner group structure is being discussed in the company’s Executive Board and parts of the Supervisory Board. Continue reading “Lufthansa on the verge of restructuring?”

Current situation of global air traffic

Global Aviation Monitor (GAM) of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) shows decline in air traffic/photo: tagesschau.de

 

After many years of growth in global air traffic with increasing flights, passengers and flight connections, a slowdown in development is currently becoming apparent. Global passenger flight movements increased by only 1.5 percent in June, from 3.3 million in June 2018 to just under 3.4 million in June of this year. Continue reading “Current situation of global air traffic”

Lufthansa does not feel a “Greta effect”

Prices below 10 euros per flight are economically and ecologically and also politically irresponsible says Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr/Foto: Lufthansa

“We do not currently see any restraint – on the contrary,” Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr told the Neue Züricher Zeitung (NZZ) on 14 July in an interview on the question of a possible Greta effect. The Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg is the initiator of the worldwide student protests, which also blame the growing number of flights for climate change. Continue reading “Lufthansa does not feel a “Greta effect””

,Hands up´ for Kool & The Gang at the Rheingau Music Festival

RMF 2019: Kool & the Gang in the Cuvéehof at Johannisberg Castle/ Foto: RMF

 

Pure party atmosphere in the Cuvéehof of Johannesberg Castle in the Rheingau. With hits like “Celebration“, “Fresh”, “Get Down On It”, “Joanna“, “Jungle Boogie” and “Ladies’ Night” Kool & the Gang have influenced the music of several generations. On 27 June they made their debut at the Rheingau Music Festival.

Still cool: Kool & The Gang at the Cuvéehof at Schloss Johannisberg/Photo: RMF

With a mixture of jazz, funk and R’n’B, the cult band climbed the pop Olympus in the 1970s and 80s. For more than 50 years the brothers Ronald and Robert “Kool” Bell have been touring with their gang, selling more than 70 million records, collecting two Grammy Awards, being one of the most sampled bands of all time and having a star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame. Continue reading “,Hands up´ for Kool & The Gang at the Rheingau Music Festival”

“Flight shame” – expression of a bad conscience

Image: COP21

Air traffic has come under fire in the discussion about climate protection, also through “Fridays for Future”. Among other things, French President Emmanuel Macron called for kerosene to be taxed throughout Europe. In an interview with Zeit online, the CEO of the Federal Association of the German Air Transport Industry (BDL) said that air traffic is already bearing its full costs for society. This is not true, writes energy economist Sebastian Timmerberg in a guest article for Zeit online and calls for a kerosene tax. Continue reading ““Flight shame” – expression of a bad conscience”

Pain, grief, comfort – Stabat Mater by Antonin Dvořák

RMF 2019: Opening concert with the hr-Sinfonieorchester and the MDR Rundfunkchor under the baton of Andrés Orozco-Estrada in the Basilica of Eberbach Monastery/Foto: RMF, Ansgar Klostermann

The 32nd Rheingau Music Festival 2019 opened on 22 and 23 June with Antonin Dvořáks magnificent sacred choral work “Stabat Mater”. Andrés Orozco-Estrada conducted the hr-Sinfonierochester and the 60-person MDR Radio Choir in the Basilica of Eberbach Monastery. Gerlind Romberger (alto), Hanna-Elisabeth Müller (soprano), Benjamin Bruns (tenor) and Günther Groissböck (bass) completed the enormous cloud of sound with their solos, duets and quartets.

A special feature of the opening concert was Continue reading “Pain, grief, comfort – Stabat Mater by Antonin Dvořák”

Lufthansa Group awarded four airline Oscars

Best in Europe: Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, SWISS/Foto: Lufthansa Group

Despite the share crash and profit warning: the appreciation of passengers continues unabated. The Lufthansa Group has been voted “Best Airline in Europe” and “Best Western European Airline” for the third time in a row and ranks 9th among the top 10 airlines in the world. The prize was awarded on 18 June by the market research institute Skytrax at the Paris Air Show. Continue reading “Lufthansa Group awarded four airline Oscars”

Kerosene from sunlight, water and CO2

Solaranlage SUN-to-LIQUID zur Herstellung von Kerosin/Foto: DLR

The conversion from fossil to renewable fuels is one of the most important challenges of the future. The “SUN-to-LIQUID” project, funded by the European Union and Switzerland, was the first to produce solar kerosene. The production of renewable kerosene from water and CO2 is made possible by concentrated sunlight. Continue reading “Kerosene from sunlight, water and CO2”

ECG and telemedicine on Lufthansa long-haul flights

ECG at an altitude of 10,000 metres/photo: Lufthansa

With immediate effect all Lufthansa long-haul flights are equipped with the mobile “ECG system CardioSecur”. The system enables flight attendants to record an ECG in medical emergencies without cardiological expertise, which is sent directly to a medical hotline on the ground for diagnosis. Continue reading “ECG and telemedicine on Lufthansa long-haul flights”