airBaltic Partners With Lufthansa For Worldwide Codeshare

Simple Flying

By Tom Boon

Published Feb 16, 2021

Air Baltic Airbus A220-300 aircraft as seen on final approach flying, landing and touching down at Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport in the Netherlands, on July 2, 2020. The new modern and advanced airplane has the reistration YL-CSN, the name Sigulda and is powered by 2x PW jet engines. AirBaltic BT BTI is the flag carrier of Latvia and is operating from the Latvian capital Riga an all Airbus A220 fleet, the former Bombardier CS300. he company temporarily suspended operations on 17 March 2020 due to the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic with the quarantine and lockdown measures and flights only restarted on a limited basis from 18 May 2020. (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Riga-based airline airBaltic has signed a new codeshare agreement with Lufthansa, the German flag carrier. The deal will allow Lufthansa customers to connect onto Baltic-bound flights at Munich, while airBaltic's customers will be able to access many more corners of the world.

Codeshare agreements are a crucial part of the global aviation industry. They allow passengers to transfer on itineraries with multiple airlines seamlessly. However, they also enable passengers to book one ticket to destinations that would previously have required two. The benefits also extend to airlines, who could profit from passengers who would've once booked a different airline's itinerary.

airBaltic partners with Lufthansa

The Lufthansa Group is Europe's largest airline group. Its leading airline, Lufthansa, connects most corners of the globe via its Frankfurt and Munich hubs. airBaltic and its passengers are now set to benefit from this global network of flights in just over a month.

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According to airBaltic, its new Lufthansa codeshare will go live on March 28th. On this date, the airline will open its flights to Lufthansa passengers on the routes from Munich to Riga, Latvia, and Vilnius, Lithuania. This will mean that a Lufthansa code will be placed on the two Airbus A220 flights.

airBaltic, Lufthansa, Codeshare — The codeshare will be applicable on airBaltic flights from Munich to Riga and Vilnius. Photo: airBaltic

In exchange, airBaltic's passengers will be able to make use of "convenient access to Lufthansa's worldwide network". The codeshare is only in force to Munich, meaning that Lufthansa's Frankfurt home is currently left out of the equation. Perhaps in the future, it could expand to include the German aviation capital, already served by airBaltic.

Commenting on the news in a press release seen by Simple Flying, airBaltic CEO Martin Gauss said,

"Lufthansa is a strong connectivity provider globally, and we are pleased to strengthen our partnership and the air traffic ties between the Baltics, Germany, and beyond. Germany is one of airBaltic’s key markets and we are looking forward to the partnership and through that offering better travel opportunities to the passengers around the world."

What should Lufthansa passengers expect on airBaltic?

Lufthansa passengers transferring onto airBaltic flights will be guaranteed to fly on a young jet. The airline only operates the Airbus A220, with its oldest plane clocking in at just over 4.3 years old. With new aircraft still joining the fleet, its average aircraft age is 2.4 years.

The aircraft comes in the standard 2-3 configuration found on the A220. However, a business class cabin is offered at the front of the aircraft. While the seats here are still in a 2-3 configuration, middle seats are blocked to create a 1-2 layout. You can read a full trip report of business class on the A220 from Riga to London here.

What do you make of airBaltic's new tie-up with Germany's Lufthansa? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!