• 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

Summary

  • Lufthansa welcomes passengers with personalized messages on a yellow panel next to the aircraft door.
  • The welcome panel is a recent addition, introduced in 2019, and can be found on Lufthansa's entire fleet.
  • The crew can leave messages or doodles on the panel, which are wiped off before the flight departs.

When boarding a passenger flight through a jet bridge, only a portion of the aircraft fuselage is visible to the incoming passengers. Airlines purposely use this space to display the discreet features of the airline, its brand, alliances, or services. Some airlines may feature its network alliances or advertise the availability of WiFi onboard.

The German flag carrier Lufthansa features a tiny yellow box next to the door. The airline has a unique way of greeting passengers as they set foot on the aircraft. The displayed messages are generally based on novelties of the origin or destination that the airline flies to. This article explores the history and unique features of Lufthansa's door display.

Welcome onboard

The purpose of the yellow box painted on Lufthansa's aircraft adjacent to the doors is to welcome guests onboard the aircraft. A Lufthansa spokesperson told us that the box is called the Welcome Panel. It is designed to greet guests as they board the plane.

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Photo: Tom Boon - Simple Flying

The aircraft's crew can leave small messages for passengers to read as they step foot on the plane. These are typically tailored to the time of day or the origin/destination of the flight. Sometimes, special holidays are also observed. The only limits to the crew's creativity are personal things and political topics. Messages following either of these themes are not permitted.

Why have a box at all?

Believe it or not, this yellow welcome panel is a relatively new addition to the German flag carrier's aircraft. The airline first introduced them in early 2019, meaning the yellow panels have been flying around the world for around three years now. The panels can be found across the fleet from narrowbodies like the Airbus A320, all the way up to the largest aircraft, the Airbus A380.

Panels are only painted adjacent to doors that would normally be used for boarding, so they would only be found on the left of an aircraft. In the case of the Airbus A380, this would be the two forward doors on the main deck, and the 1st door on the upper deck.

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Photo: Alex Tino Friedel via Lufthansa

Lufthansa wanted the box to be a personal surprise for passengers as they stepped foot on the plane. Pursers and captains are allowed to leave a message or doodle with dry-wipe pens. Of course, putting a note up is optional and not required of the crew.

Check out all the latest European aviation news here.

What happens to the message?

So what happens to the message once all the passengers have boarded? The creation may be saved forever in the form of a photo taken by crew or passengers, but otherwise, the message gets removed. Removing the message is far more straightforward than you might expect. The crew is asked to wipe it off once boarding is complete but before the doors have closed.

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As mentioned, some of the designs can live on forever as photos. Recently, Lufthansa asked colleagues to send their best welcome panel photos. Two of these were then printed on bags and mugs to be sold. The money raised from the sales went to the Help Alliance, the Lufthansa Group's aid organization, founded by cabin crew in 1999.

Have you seen a welcome panel message on a Lufthansa flight? Let us know about your favorite design in the comment section.