dati LH

[SQpps]

fonte BB

Lufthansa said March traffic rose 9.6 percent as discounted fares encouraged travel in the region.

The load factor, or proportion of seats filled, rose 4 percentage points from a year earlier to 77.1 percent as the carrier expanded capacity by 3.9 percent, Lufthansa said in a statement today. The carrier flew 4.67 million travelers, an 11 percent increase.

Lufthansa's traffic has accelerated from last year's 2 percent growth as the carrier adds planes and capacity. Competition has increased in Europe from low-cost carriers such as Ryanair, while network rivals including Air France-KLM Group, the region's No. 1 airline, have added pressure on long-haul routes.

European traffic, measured as the number of passengers multiplied by the distance flown, jumped 15 percent, Lufthansa said. The airline has been offering round-trip fares of as low as 99 euros ($133) on flights in the region.

Traffic on North and South American routes, Lufthansa's second-biggest market after Europe, rose 6.1 percent. Asian demand increased 8.8 percent, while traffic to the Middle East and Africa rose 7.9 percent.

Lufthansa's cargo division handled 1.9 percent more freight tonnage, and the proportion of cargo space filled rose 1.2 percentage points to 71.2 percent.

Traffic figures include the Lufthansa brand as well as Air Dolomiti in Italy and regional affiliates Lufthansa CityLine, Eurowings, Augsburg Airways and Contact Air.

Swiss International Air Lines, which Lufthansa is taking over, said earlier today that traffic jumped 17 percent last month, boosted by higher demand in Europe. Swiss is adding new aircraft and routes to expand after reorganizing in 2005.

The Basel, Switzerland-based company filled 80.3 percent of available seating in March, a 2.4 percentage-point gain from a year earlier, after adding 14 percent more capacity. The number of passengers rose 16 percent to 989,066 travelers.

[Steman]

L'Italia e' per LH il secondo mercato internazionale dopo gli USA e il terzo globale dopo Germania e USA!

Il sistema Europeo e' in una fase di consolidamento senza precedenti.
Iberia, bmi, la stessa Alitalia sono i nomi piu' grossi che presto perderanno lo status di vettore indipendente ed entreranno a far parte di un gruppo.
BA rischia di rimanere tagliata fuori se non riuscira' ad acquisire bmi e consolidare la sua posizione su LHR!

Ciao

Stefano