Uwe Wriedt

'This offers the ultimate premium service. You fly long-haul with Lufthansa in First Class, and then a Porsche Cayenne will transfer you in 15-20 minutes to a waiting private jet for an onward flight to one of 1,000 airports in Europe,' explains Uwe Wriedt, General Manager UAE and Director Gulf & Pakistan. 'Or you can have a shower and breakfast in our exclusive lounge and then go to your own private jet.'

Lufthansa has tied up with international private jet giant NetJets, which is owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, to provide this innovative premium service. 'It has only been running for two months and we think Lufthansa Private Jet has a strong appeal for business and high net worth travelers in the Gulf,' says Mr. Wriedt.

'NetJets has more than 600 aircraft and we have two luxurious Cessna jets available. This is actually at the lower end of private jet charter costs, with a fixed price in 10 zones. The rate is also per jet and not per passenger, so if you fill up the seats it is cheaper per person.'

Needless to say the seamless organizational efficiency of Lufthansa is also part of this service. But at present UAE flights to Germany are at 98% capacity because Lufthansa planners have been caught out by the sudden surge in demand, and there is a shortage of seats.

This is set to change when the winter schedule comes at the end of October. Then there will be a Boeing 747 jumbo on the Dubai to Frankfurt route, and the Munich service will resume with an Airbus A340 equipped with FlyNet in-flight Internet access.

'With Lufthansa Private Jet added to our product, we are the only long-haul airline with the complete range of products for the high-end passenger,' says Mr. Wriedt. 'For transatlantic travel we also have a tie-up with Private Air, the all-Business Class airline flying from Dusseldorf to New York; and a special frequent flyer program for the top 2,500 travelers from our membership of 11 million.

'We will also be proud to be able to offer FlyNet Internet access to Business Class passengers on the flight from Dubai to Munich from this November. Our Abu Dhabi to Frankfurt via Kuwait A330 service already has FlyNet, and it should be on Frankfurt flights from mid-2006 as aircraft refurbishment is completed.'

However, for many premium travelers Lufthansa's giant route network is still the main advantage of flying with the German flag carrier. Lufthansa has more than 300 aircraft, and together with its Star Alliance partners offers fast access to almost any major airport in the world. Now with Lufthansa Private Jet even the smallest airports become a part of that network.

This is probably one explanation for Lufthansa's success in maintaining its attractiveness to long-haul passengers in the face of rising competition from new market entrants in the Gulf.