Your safe holiday with Lufthansa

Following strict travel restrictions in recent months, numerous countries have relaxed entry and quarantine regulations. In fact, all countries that offer visitors the classic holiday experience, such as seaside retreats, country escapes and city breaks, are opening up for tourists. During the past few weeks, Lufthansa is continuously expanding its flight program and is now flying to nearly 100 destinations from just Frankfurt during the summer holidays in Hesse.

"We can see that people want to fly again. Flights to classic holiday destinations in Europe are especially in demand on our website," said Klaus Froese, CEO Lufthansa Hub Frankfurt. "We are well prepared for the increasing demand and have adapted our processes to the new conditions so that our guests can safely fly to their holiday destinations".

"Our mission statement, 'Have a good trip - we'll make sure of it', is especially true in these times. Together with our partners and customers, we are taking extensive measures to protect passengers and employees and create the conditions for safe travel at Frankfurt Airport," said Fraport Chairman Dr. Stefan Schulte.

"Even in the current situation, the quality of the security checks is a top priority for the Federal Police. Together with our process partners, we have made adjustments in order to ensure protection against infection by means of appropriate hygiene and clearance rules in this area as well," said Michael Dewenter, Chief Police Director and Permanent Representative of the Federal Police Department at Frankfurt Airport.

Lufthansa, Fraport and the Federal Police have introduced increased hygiene standards at Frankfurt Airport, from departure to arrival, to ensure that the start of the summer holiday season is marked by a feeling of security.  

The measures along the travel chain in detail: 

Before the flight 

Lufthansa offers its customers extensive information before departure. For example, via the lufthansa.com website, guests can pull up information on the current flight schedule, flexible options for travel arrangements, as well as adapted in-flight services and special hygiene measures. Furthermore, Lufthansa has published a video that explains to the customer the hygiene measures throughout the entire travel chain. Lufthansa also provides to its customers a travel briefing, via e-mail, in advance of their travel date, so that the customer has an overview of all the important information for his/her trip and is optimally prepared. As the entry and quarantine regulations of the various countries can change, even with very short notice, it is recommended that customers check the regulations of the respective destinations when planning their trip. 

Lufthansa recommends that its customers check-in for their flight on lufthansa.com or via the Lufthansa app in order to travel as contact-free as possible. 

At Frankfurt Airport 

Wearing a facemask is mandatory in the terminal facilities at Frankfurt Airport.  All waiting areas offer floor markings to ensure a minimum distance of 1.5 meters. Only every second seat can be used in the waiting areas. Posters, digital displays and multilingual loudspeaker announcements also indicate the applicable distance rules. In addition, trained personnel are on site to draw attention to the minimum distance where necessary. Guests are requested to make cashless payments for purchases in the shops near the airport. 

Wherever there is direct contact between passengers and employees (e.g. at the check-in counter and ticket counter) Plexiglas panes serve to protect the health and well-being of all individuals. In addition, numerous dispensers with hand sanitizer are available. High touch surfaces are cleaned and disinfected frequently and regularly. 

At Frankfurt Airport, Lufthansa passengers can also check-in without personal contact at kiosks using their smartphones and check-in their luggage “contactless” via the Fast Bag Drop in Hall B.

At the security control 

In order to make the security check as simple and fast as possible, guests are still being asked to take only one piece of hand luggage on board. Additional luggage and all liquids over 100 millilitres must be checked in advance. All contents from personal bags, such as mobile phones and watches, should be stowed in hand luggage. Larger electronic devices, such as laptops, must be removed from hand baggage prior to screening, as well as transparent 1 litre bag for liquids up to 100 millilitres. The control point may only be entered upon request and the instructions of the security personnel must be followed. Customers are then asked to place all items (including jackets, coats, etc.) in the luggage tray. After passing through the passenger control, the passenger will be assigned a control point where security personnel will scan the passenger sideways or backwards. Afterwards, passengers are asked to put the baggage tray back on their own. 

At Frankfurt Airport, behind the security checkpoint, the Senator Lounge in Area A (with limited service) is once again open to all guests who are able to visit a lounge. 

During boarding 

At the gate, announcements state that the expected distance between passengers should be maintained during the boarding process. Ground markings at the gate and in the boarding bridge also indicate the minimum distance of 1.5 meters. Boarding is by groups and through quick-boarding gates where passengers can themselves display their boarding card. Wearing protection over the mouth and nose is mandatory during boarding, on board and during disembarkation from the aircraft.  

On board 

The wearing of a facial covering is obligatory during the entire time on board. Lufthansa crewmembers also wear mouth and nose protection in the cabin, during the entire flight. On entering the cabin, each guest is given a personal disinfecting wipe. Lufthansa has removed all reusable and non-safety relevant paper products on board to further reduce the very low risk of infection. Guests can still download eJournals for their journey before departure.  

Despite the current situation, which requires enhanced measures, Lufthansa strives to offer its guests as much comfort as possible while complying with applicable hygiene, safety regulations and local requirements. Experts have analyzed the in-flight processes and the product range in detail and the necessary adjustments have been implemented . The service is redesigned, taking into account the duration of the flight in order to minimize the interaction between guests and crew and reduce the risk of infection on board in accordance with official regulations. For example, on-board sales are no longer offered for the time being. 

On short- and medium-haul routes, the service in Economy Class has been revised. Guests in this class will receive a water bottle for flights lasting 50 minutes or longer. For flights lasting 150 minute or longer, the usual beverage service will be available, as well as a snack provided to customers. For flights that last three hours or longer, a vegetarian meal will also be an option.  In Business Class, the beverage service and the usual range of meals is once again now available.  

On long-haul flights, the normal range of drinks is offered to guests in all classes. In First and Business Class, customers have a choice of several dishes. In Economy Class, customers on long-haul flights also continue to receive a meal.  

The risk of contracting COVID-19 during a flight is extremely low. Lufthansa Group Airlines’ aircraft are equipped with filters that clean the cabin air. All recirculated air is filtered and rid of impurities such as dust, bacteria and viruses from the cabin air. This applies to approximately 40 percent of the air on board. The rest is added as fresh air from outside. The separation efficiency of these filters corresponds to the standard level of filters in a hospital’s clinical operating room. By using these special filters, the cabin air is in fact cleaner than the air that people breathe on earth. In addition, the air flows from top to bottom in the aircraft, with no horizontal airflow.. The fact that all seats in an aircraft are forward facing also helps to limit face-to-face interactions between guests and the backrests provide a solid barrier between the rows of seats. 

Lufthansa always maintains the strictest hygiene standards when cleaning its aircraft. Each aircraft is cleaned and disinfected several times per day, and especially before each departure, undergoing an extensive and strict procedure with detailed guidelines for staff to follow.  . For example, areas of the cabin are thoroughly cleaned several times a day according to a strict procedure, which includes cleaning the toilets, vacuuming the carpets and wiping the surfaces in a passenger's seat, such as the folding tables.   

On arrival in Frankfurt 

Lufthansa flights are now stationed at building positions in Frankfurt to avoid bus transfers. Where this is not possible on short notice, twice as many buses are used. When disembarking, employees ensure that the process runs in an orderly fashion and intervene if necessary to avoid an accumulation of passengers. Distance markings are also placed on the floor at the baggage belts and disinfectant dispensers are available.