Lufthansa cuts flights

Lufthansa Group is cutting 20,000 short-haul flights from its summer schedule through October as jet fuel prices surge. (newsroom.lufthansagroup.com) The company said the cuts span its six hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Brussels and Rome. Lufthansa said the move will save about 40,000 metric tons of jet fuel. (newsroom.lufthansagroup.com) The flights being removed are short-haul routes that Lufthansa called unprofitable at current fuel prices. The group includes Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and ITA Airways. (newsroom.lufthansagroup.com, euronews.com) Jet fuel prices have doubled since the Iran conflict began, according to Lufthansa and reporting by the BBC. The Washington Post reported airlines in Europe, Asia and Oceania have already raised fares or added fuel surcharges as supplies tightened. (bbc.co.uk, washingtonpost.com) That leaves summer travelers with fewer seats on some European routes at the same time airlines are facing higher operating costs. Associated Press reported the wider industry is also weighing the risk that some countries could run low on jet fuel if disruption persists. (apnews.com, washingtonpost.com) Lufthansa is one of Europe’s biggest airline groups, so a schedule cut on this scale can ripple beyond Germany through connecting traffic and alliance bookings. Euronews reported the reductions are being carried out across the group’s European network rather than at a single airport. (euronews.com, newsroom.lufthansagroup.com) Other carriers are responding differently. The Washington Post reported some airlines are keeping schedules intact but passing costs to passengers through higher fares and surcharges instead of cutting capacity. (washingtonpost.com) For now, Lufthansa is betting that flying fewer short routes is cheaper than burning expensive fuel on lightly profitable ones. That means summer passengers may see rebookings, fuller planes and fewer departure choices through October. (newsroom.lufthansagroup.com, bbc.co.uk)