SWISS is airline ‘group flagship’ says Lufthansa boss

With SWISS, “the most reliable airline in Europe last year”, and Lufthansa's financial growth, there are still challenges to overcome. KEYSTONE

In an interview with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) newspaper, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr emphasised the importance of Swiss International Airlines as the group's flagship. But there are challenges.

Despite Lufthansa’s financial growth last year, there are challenges such as dissatisfied customers and employees, strikes, and the uncertainty surrounding the takeover of Italian airline ITA.

Spohr explained in Saturday’s edition of the newspaper that customer satisfaction had been affected by various factors, including staff shortages, delivery problems, and a lack of spare parts. He promised an improvement in customer satisfaction.

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“Our entire industry is still suffering from some long-Covid effects,” Spohr said. However, he emphasised that the introduction of new in-flight products such as “Allegris” and “Swiss Senses” will increase satisfaction.

According to Spohr, SWISS was the most reliable airline in Europe last year, but there were problems with punctuality, which are being worked on. Lufthansa is aiming to improve its Net Promoter Score (NPS) and plans to increase this value in the long term.

Despite high costs caused by strikes and other challenges, Spohr emphasised the importance of collective labour agreements and long-term solutions.

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The decision on the new CEO of SWISS should be made before Dieter Vranckx leaves the company. Spohr emphasised the autonomy of SWISS within the Group and underlined the importance of decisions being made across the hubs.

The possible takeover of ITA would strengthen the global market position and support Lufthansa’s growth strategy, he added.

Adapted from German by DeepL/dkk/mga

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