LUFTHANSA and
Edelweiss will increase
their seasonal, non-stop
services and capacity to
Cape Town for the South
African summer season.
Lufthansa will increase
capacity on its Cape Town
flights from the end of
October, using a bigger
aircraft – the A340 600.
This will add 30% more
capacity to the route during
the peak season. The
additional capacity was
in response to increased
demand on the route,
said Tamur Goudarzi-Pour,
Lufthansa’s new vp for the
Middle East, Africa and
Southeast Europe.
Over a period of three
months, Edelweiss will also
increase its capacity by over
30% to and from the Mother
City. The airline will up its
seasonal non-stop schedule
between Cape Town and
Zurich from December 3
to March 11 from two to
three weekly frequencies.
Flights will operate each
Wednesday in addition
to the existing flights on
Tuesdays and Fridays.
The additional flight will
be operated by an A330
equipped with 52 fully lieflat
seats in business class
and 183 seats in economy
class.
New product
Both airlines’ long-haul
fleets are currently
undergoing refurbishment.
Lufthansa is in the
process of rolling out
its new business class
on all aircraft. Currently,
25% of its A380s on the
Johannesburg route have
been reconfigured. The
refurbishment was expected
to be complete within the
first quarter of next year,
Tamur said.
Edelweiss business class
is being equipped with lieflat
seats and a new in-flight
entertainment system with
41cm screens.
Concurrently, the airline is
introducing a new premium
economy class, Economy
Max, which will offer
passengers 15cm more legroom.
Edelweiss economy
class is also receiving
a makeover, with new
seats and a new in-flight
entertainment system with
touch-screen technology.
By the end of October, when
the seasonal flights kick in,
the cabin refurbishment will
be complete.
Lufthansa’s new premium
product, which offers 50%
more personal space than
economy, is now bookable.
The first flight featuring
the new product on the
Johannesburg route, will be
on April 22. “We are already
seeing a strong booking
trend for the product,”
Tamur said.
