Air, Freight News

German carrier has the US in its sights

[ December 9, 2015   //   Chris ]

Barely a year after it signed a cargo partnership deal with Japan’s ANA airline, German carrier Lufthansa has now reached agreement with United Airlines for a similar pact on the transatlantic route.
The two carriers aid on 9 December that they would extend their current cooperation on passenger services to include cargo on routes between the US and Europe. They envisage a seamless network including IT and warehouse facilities and offer customers a more efficient and comprehensive transatlantic cargo network.
The deal is subject to EU and US regulatory approvals.
United says that it has the world’s most comprehensive route network with nearly 5,000 flights a day to 362 airports and a main fleet of nearly 700 aircraft, including 170 wide-bodies. Lufthansa though is the senior partner in terms of cargo carried, with about 5.3 billion ton-miles as against United’s 2.5 billion.
United has a multi-hub operation in the US with major gateways in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, whereas Lufthansa funnels most of its freight through Frankfurt.
If the latest deal follows the pattern of the ANA partnership, it would give the German carrier access to cargo capacity on United’s direct flights from the UK to the US.

Tags: lufthansa, United Airlines