Lufthansa cuts 20,000 flights

Lufthansa Group is cutting 20,000 short-haul flights through October after jet fuel prices surged in Europe. (apnews.com) The airline group said the reductions target “unprofitable short-haul flights” and should save more than 40,000 metric tonnes of jet fuel. Lufthansa said the cuts amount to about 1% of normal summer capacity. (euronews.com) The first 120 daily cancellations across the group were announced for the period through the end of May. Lufthansa also dropped service to Bydgoszcz and Rzeszów in Poland and Stavanger in Norway. (euronews.com) Lufthansa’s earlier cost-cutting steps show how fast the pressure built. On April 16, it said CityLine would stop operating, permanently removing 27 aircraft, while six long-haul planes and five short- and medium-haul aircraft were also due to leave service later. (france24.com) The fuel shock is tied to the Iran war and disruption around the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping chokepoint for oil and refined fuels. Politico reported Europe’s jet fuel prices had more than doubled since the war began on February 28, even before physical shortages fully materialized. (politico.eu) Hearst television stations, citing industry data, reported the average cost of jet fuel was still 55% above the level before the initial U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran as of Monday, after peaking at a 95% increase earlier in April. Jet fuel can account for up to 40% of a flight’s operating cost. (gulfcoastnewsnow.com) The cuts are landing just before Europe’s peak summer travel season, when airlines usually try to preserve as much capacity as possible. Lufthansa has been consolidating more traffic through its hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Brussels and Rome instead of keeping thinner point-to-point routes. (euronews.com) Labor disputes are adding to the strain. Agence France-Presse reported that Lufthansa faced back-to-back walkouts by cabin crew and pilots in mid-April, and the company said rising costs from those disputes were part of the reason for accelerating cuts. (france24.com) Brussels is now preparing contingency guidance for airlines on airport slots, passenger rights and public service obligations if fuel shortages worsen. Reuters reported on April 21 that European Union transport officials were drafting that guidance rather than suspending passenger-compensation rules outright. (usnews.com) For travelers, the immediate effect is fewer short-haul options on Lufthansa and a greater chance of higher fares across Europe as airlines protect fuel and trim weaker routes. Lufthansa’s message is that the cuts are temporary, but they now stretch across the core summer schedule and into October. (apnews.com)