• Tom Boon-169
    Lufthansa
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    LH/DLH
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Frankfurt Airport, Munich Airport
    Year Founded:
    1953
    Alliance:
    Star Alliance
    Airline Group:
    Lufthansa Group
    CEO:
    Carsten Spohr
    Country:
    Germany

The Lufthansa Group has been a pioneer in Europe in launching sustainability-focused options for customers. Since a few months back, the airlines in the Group have been offering passengers to offset their CO2 emissions from a flight during the booking process and also pay for the Group to use sustainable aviation fuel across its network. Now, it has become the first international aviation group to launch a "Green Fare," which it claims will offer CO2 neutral flying.

The validity of a term such as CO2 neutral flying, or as the UK government calls it, "guilt-free flying," shall be left a matter for another day. Let's focus on the details of the new fare, which is indeed a first, and a step in the right direction. The group's new fare will have full CO2 compensation already baked into the price. This will consist of 80% offsets and 20% purchase of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Brussels Airlines ground support staff in front of aircraft tail
Photo: Brussels Airlines

The test run of the new fare will begin in Scandinavia. It will be offered on flights to Europe operated by Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines and is available in both economy and business class.

So how much is it?

The fare is already displayed alongside the airline's usual economy fares of Light, Classic, and Flex. A quick search on flights between Stockholm Arlanda and Munich Airport in September shows that in terms of price, it lands at the exact same as the latter category. The precise amount differs widely depending on the day and ticket availability.

Apparently, guilt-free flying means trading in priority security lane, priority boarding, and switching to an earlier flight on the day of travel for CO2 compensation. However, with the green fare, you also get an additional 20% status miles and 20% more award miles if you are a loyalty member. Furthermore, it includes free rebooking.

Woman on sofa with laptop booking tickets
The fare costs the same as the airline's economy flex tickets. It has a few fewer perks but provides additional miles for loyalty members. Photo: Lufthansa Group

For business class, the perks between the green fare and regular flex are precisely the same, apart from the refund, which is not possible with the more climate-friendly ticket.

Growing demand for sustainability offers

Christina Foerster, Member of the Lufthansa Group's Executive Board and responsible for Brand and Sustainability, commented on the new initiative,

"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."

If we have seen anything regarding sustainability initiatives from airlines, it is that when one announces something, others are sure to follow. A little bit of competition, so innate to the airline industry, has never been better placed to serve the planet.