The Lufthansa Group has become the first international aviation group to offer a new Green Fare which includes full compensation of CO2 emissions. The test run starts in Scandinavia for flights operated by Lufthansa SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines.
On Tuesday (August 2, 2022), the Lufthansa Group announced the launch of a new eco-friendly Green Fare, becoming the first international aviation group to offer a fare that includes full compensation of CO2 emissions. The new fare class will be tested in Scandinavia on flights operated by Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines. With full CO2 compensation included in the price, 80 percent of the offsetting will be done through high-quality climate protection programs, and the remaining 20 percent through the use of SAF. During the pilot program the Green Fare will initially be offered to all guests booking their flight from Denmark, Sweden and Norway. When booking, the Green Fare is now displayed along the familiar Light, Classic and Flex fares. The option is available in both Economy and Business Class for flights within Europe. The new fare also includes a free rebooking option, as well as extra status and award miles.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Lufthansa Group’s Executive Board Member - resopnsible for Brand and Sustainability, Christina Foerster, said,
“We want to make CO2-neutral flying a matter of course in the future. To this end, we already offer our guests the most comprehensive range of services and are consistently expanding this further. As of now, we are offering a dedicated ‘green fare’ for the first time, which already includes the complete offsetting of the flight’s CO2 emissions through sustainable aviation fuel and certified climate protection projects, already embedded in the price. People don't just want to fly and discover the world - they also want to protect it. We are driven by the need to support our customers with the right offers.”
In a separate press release from Swiss International Air Lines, SWISS’ Chief Commercial Officer, Tamur Goudarzi Pour, said,
“At SWISS we’ve set ourselves ambitious climate care objectives. We aim to reduce our net carbon dioxide emissions to zero by 2050. And among other actions, innovative and attractive offers like the new Green Fares that we are now introducing in selected test markets will be a key means of achieving this.”
An Example of how the New Green Fare Option Will Appear ond the SWISS Website - Courtesy SWISS
Also commenting on the new Green Fare Option, Brussels Airlines’ CEO, Peter Gerber, said,
“Brussels Airlines and the Lufthansa Group have set itself ambitious climate targets and plan to reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. Next to fleet modernization and more sustainable processes, innovative offers such as the new Green Fares are an important step toward that goal. The integration of sustainable options in the booking process already significantly increased the customer’s willingness to invest in sustainable flying, motivating us to invest further in sustainable offerings.”
The Lufthansa Group already offers guests a range of sustainable travel offers and services. This spring, the option of CO2-neutral flying was integrated directly into online flight booking for the first time. When booking, customers have options for offsetting their flight with SAF and climate protection projects, after selecting their ticket. Currently, Lufthansa and SWISS customers can offset the CO2 emissions of their flight directly onboard via the IFE system on select flights. Additionally, Miles & More offers customers the option of offsetting the individual CO2 balance of a flight by simply using award miles via the app. For example, Miles & More members could offset an Economy Class flight between Frankfurt and New York for as little as 1,150 award miles.
Source(s): Lufthansa, SWISS, Brussels Airlines
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