Some passengers are even now eligible to take the test free of charge if traveling from a high-risk country. Lufthansa Cargo has launched a new service specifically designed for the transport of Covid-19 vaccines. and Lufthansa gave me Voucher 600 EUR. The idea behind the CommonPass was to allow travellers to securely carry their Covid-19 test result in a standardised format that is instantly recognisable to border officials at the country they’re entering. "Whether you need that domestically, we will have to see with Covid-19 and the market but certainly, for international visitors coming out [of Australia] and people leaving the country, we think that's a necessity. Lufthansa is one of the first airlines to offer COVID insurance as an optional travel product. Lufthansa has opened a Black Friday / Cyber Monday campaign giving out vouchers in the value of 30 EUR for flights originating from Germany that have to be requested through email link.. LH123). Lufthansa has a somewhat unique selling point, in that it offers all passengers the possibility of undertaking a COVID-19 test when passing through Frankfurt Airport. Coronavirus: Lufthansa lifted by €9bn German government bailout . This service marked the beginning of the airline group’s antigen rapid testing initiative on … As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic with flight cancelations, international travel restrictions, self-quarantine policies, and safe practices of shelter-in-place distancing; American Airlines, hotels in both Germany and London, rental cars, and prepaid tourist excursions and guided tours have been refunded immediately without any questions; except our round trip airfare from Frankfurt Germany to London by Lufthansa … If you have a ticket for a flight cancelled by us, you can obtain a refund free of charge by using our Refund form. Now Lufthansa is offering all customers with bookings this month or next a chance to change their travel dates. Ticket cancellations and refunds. 1 /1 Airlines roll out health ‘passports’ for Covid-free travellers Airlines roll out health ‘passports’ for Covid-free travellers Lufthansa is one of the airlines involved in the scheme Two giant airlines have unveiled their “coronavirus compassion” policies – which offer more flexibility than those already published by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. This will be done via an automated query during check-in. From January 11th, the airline will offer COVID-19 Temp Premium, a product tailored to shipping the COVID-19 vaccine. The voucher for the total amount of the trip is provided to the passenger-main booker in the name and for the account of the passenger-main booker and their travel companions. Germany's Lufthansa has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic, reporting losses of around $1 million per hour. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. The 67-year-old flag carrier relaunched in 1953 following the dissolution of … Qatar Airways is offering the now-standard option for new bookers of changing the date of travel, and emulating Lufthansa by extending the flexibility to existing ticket holders. The CommonPass Framework, meanwhile, gives countries greater transparency and control when it comes to assessing the health status of arrivals. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. The policy applies for all flights up to the end of June 2020. Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Longer term, the plan is to also use the pass for proof of vaccination where necessary. Lufthansa is the flagship airline from Germany that travels to 18 German destinations and 193 destinations internationally. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? It follows the Qantas CEO’s announcement that the airline will demand that international air passengers have had the coronavirus vaccine before they fly. F ollowing a test run with United Airlines in October, four more airlines—JetBlue, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, and Swiss International Air Lines–will adopt a digital health pass this month that allows passengers to provide their COVID test results before and after select flights out of New York, Boston, London, and Hong Kong.. To the Lufthansa Flight Value Voucher * excluding Greece, Bulgaria and Slovakia The Flight Value Voucher offers you maximum flexibility. “We hope this new policy, alongside our robust hygiene practices and safety record, will allow our passengers to travel with confidence.”. “We are looking at changing our terms and conditions to say that, for international travellers, we will ask people to have a vaccination before they get on the aircraft,” he told the Australian programme A Current Affair. On Thursday, Lufthansa conducted its first flight on which all passengers previously tested negative for COVID-19. The airline said Thursday it was working with partners in the pharmaceutical industry to obtain an accurate test that could provide results within 15 minutes for 10 euros (US$12). If your travel voucher is issued between 1 March 2019 and 31 December 2020, you can use your voucher until 31 December 2021 on KLM, Air France, Delta Air Lines, and Virgin Atlantic. The airline was founded in 1955 and has since grown its total fleet size to 299 airplanes, making it one of the largest airlines in the world. As a company, we introduced special group definitions and due to the special requirements in Hungary we use here in addition color codes – blue, yellow and green – to make sure that people who need to use the office, can do use, with the necessary safety measures. Can face masks really protect you against coronavirus or flu? Latest travel updates as coronavirus continues to spread. Lufthansa boss Carsten Spohr has said air travelers will likely need to provide a negative COVID test or proof of vaccination before taking long-haul flights. How to use it the best way? Lufthansa has announced it plans to offer rapid Covid-19 testing to passengers, although it’s likely only those with first and business class tickets will be eligible initially. Track COVID-19 local and global coronavirus cases with active, recoveries and death rate on the map, with daily news and video. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. To log in, … But the Doha-based airline is going one better – with the added option of receiving a travel voucher, valid for one year, allowing more flexibility. In various countries, including the UK from 15 December, international arrivals can cut quarantine time or eliminate it completely by presenting a negative PCR test result obtained within a certain timeframe. The Australian flag carrier’s chief, Alan Joyce, said he expected the measure to become a prerequisite for future travel. This voucher’s value is limited to … The waiver for existing bookings is for tickets booked before 5 March for travel up to 30 April 2020. Lufthansa reported a substantial loss for the first quarter and said restructuring was necessary as its results were "significantly impacted" by the Covid … Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. These 193 destinations are in 81 different countries around the world. Click on My bookings to go directly from the Lufthansa homepage to the login page of your booking summary. Due to the complex and restrictive entry regulations of individual European countries, Lufthansa will collect passport / ID card data for all flights from Germany to European Destinations since 06 May 2020. Lufthansa has revealed that it is launching a new product for cargo customers. The … As part of this move, the carrier has permanently phased out six Airbus A380s, seven A340-600s and … As the pandemic situation worsened in spring, all the locations of Lufthansa Systems switched to home office. German Lufthansa airline plans rapid COVID-19 testing for passengers A company executive said Tuesday that new antigen tests will initially … Lufthansa has been praised for its Covid precautions The Safe Travel Barometer is an audit of airlines and their use of 20 health and safety measures both pre-flight and on-board. Tickets with travel starting within the European Union*, Switzerland, Great Britain or the USA that have been booked up to and including 15 May 2020, can be converted into a Flight Value Voucher. Photo: Getty Images Rapid pre-flight testing. The financial lifeline follows weeks of talks over the support needed by the carrier to weather the COVID-19 travel turmoil. The long-haul specialist tour operator, Kuoni, has launched Kuoni Flex. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. In addition to expanding its insurance coverage, Lufthansa Group is introducing rapid COVID testing on select flights in Munich and Hamburg. Passengers are allowed only one change of date and must pay any fare difference. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? The Voucher is valid for flights from 26th November 2020 until 31st October 2021, however bookings have to be completed until this coming Monday, 30th November. Please have your passport documents or ID cards ready even on intra-European flights. Has your flight been cancelled or do you wish to travel at a later date? “Without the ability to trust Covid-19 tests – and eventually vaccine records – across international borders, many countries will feel compelled to retain full travel bans and mandatory quarantines for as long as the pandemic persists,” said Dr Bradley Perkins, chief medical officer of The Commons Project and former chief strategy and innovation officer at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Answer 1 of 2: Last February,My flight from Frankflt to Japan was overbooked. The option must be exercised at least three days prior to departure. Vouchers that are issued on or after 1 January 2021, will be valid for 1 year after the date of issue. The testing center has so far tested over 40,000 individuals. British Airways and Lufthansa have become the first two airlines in the world to be given a Covid-19 safety rating. All rights reserved. In close cooperation with Munich and Hamburg airports as well as with the biotech companies Centogene and the Medicover Group's medical care center, MVZ Martinsried, the airline is offering its customers the opportunity to be tested for Covid … Sign up for the latest deals and insider tips, The airline said: “With this new waiver policy, the Lufthansa Group airlines are responding to the wish of many customers to help make their travel plans more flexible under the exceptional circumstances caused by the spread of Covid-19.”. ", Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. Global aviation company Lufthansa Group has decided to permanently reduce its fleet size as the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic severely impacts air travel. Tickets booked up to and including 15 May 2020 can be converted into a Flight Value Voucher. Going places? I had a seat, but I'm not in a hurry, so I concede the seat to busines-person who really hurry! Five airlines are rolling out new digital health “passports” to make travel easier in the era of coronavirus. 1 Except Greece, Bulgaria and Slovakia Get your Flight Value Voucher now Save up to 20% on early 2021 holidays with Booking.com discounts, Debenhams discount code for 15% off selected beauty products, Exclusive Ideal World promo code: 20% saving on fitness, Discounts of up to 70% on super value goods with this AliExpress promo, Take 10% off Sony OLED TVs with this Argos discount code. (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved), Von Der Leyen says EU/UK Brexit negotiations are in their 'decisive days', Airlines roll out health ‘passports’ for Covid-free travellers, Quarantine ‘test to release’: the key questions and answers, international air passengers have had the coronavirus vaccine. This voucher is personal, cannot be transferred to third parties. Sign up for the latest deals and insider tips, “With trusted individual health data, countries can implement more nuanced health screening requirements for entry.”. Lufthansa operated its first coronavirus-free flight last week as part of its new testing programme for selected services between Munich and Hamburg. Cruise lines, hotel chains and shipping companies are also in consultation with the scheme on how they might use the CommonPass, according to Paul Meyer, chief executive of The Commons Project, reports the Financial Times. Covid-free travellers will be able to use the “CommonPass”, as it is known, to certify they have received a negative test prior to travel. A Lufthansa Airbus A340 at Frankfurt airport, Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry, Lufthansa allows passengers to rebook flights amid coronavirus. Participating airlines aren’t initially making the pass mandatory, but have indicated it will be a key component in restoring customer confidence and safe air travel, alongside reliable testing. Flight LH2058 departed Hamburg from Munich at 09:10. Lufthansa Group Launches Integration of COVID-19 Test Certificates into Digital Travel Chain. It allows people to switch their holiday to alternative travel dates without charge up until up seven days before departure. G erman airline Lufthansa says it will test the practice of offering on-the-spot coronavirus tests before boarding intercontinental flights in an attempt to find a way to get long-haul passengers flying again.. Tickets bought between 6 and 31 March come with the same option. It applies on subsidiaries Swiss, Brussels Airlines and Austrian Airlines as well as Lufthansa itself. “Passengers can now rebook to a new date, up to 31 December 2020, without a rebooking fee – regardless of condition of the original booking fare purchased,” says the German airline. Change to Cash? United Airlines, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, Swiss International Air Lines and JetBlue have all signed up for the scheme, which was created by Swiss non-profit foundation The Commons Project in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. According to the German flag carrier, customers purchasing the product will benefit from high priority capacity access, a comprehensive security concept, and access to the entire Lufthansa network. The airline’s chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “Although we maintain the very highest standards of hygiene across all parts of the business, we recognise that some passengers may wish to alter their existing travel plans. Up until now, most airlines facing a slump in bookings because of fears about the spread of the virus have focused on fresh sales: offering new customers a degree of flexibility, but denying it to those who booked before Covid-19 began to have a worldwide impact. Lufthansa Flight Value Vouchers can only be used for bookings on lufthansa.com and on routes that have at least one flight segment with a Lufthansa flight number (e.g. But the Doha-based airline is going one better – with the added option of receiving a travel voucher, valid for one year, allowing more flexibility. Lufthansa is one of the airlines involved in the scheme, Digital certificates aim to make travel easier, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. COLOGNE, August 20, 2020 – The Lufthansa Group airlines signed up to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Charter for COVID-19, committing to implement the highest health safety standards for the protection of staff and passengers and establishing an important basis for safe travel across the group’s international network and between its hubs at the heart of Europe. Lufthansa Cargo recently upgraded its Chicago O'Hare facility to be able to handle a large amount of pharmaceutical shipments. What are symptoms of coronavirus – and where has it spread? The airline said that while it already offers the transport of Covid-19 vaccines, it has also developed a premium product that was specifically developed for the need. You can redeem your Flight Value Voucher until 31 December 2021 for travel until 26 December 2022.