BWI: Lufthansa Student Centre Helps you get the “right” Travel Package

Press release from Business Wire India
Source: Lufthansa Student Centre
Friday, May 14, 2010 12:22 PM IST (06:52 AM GMT)
Editors: General: Consumer interest; Business: Advertising, PR & marketing, Business services, Education & training, Media & entertainment, Travel & tourism
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Lufthansa Student Centre Helps you get the "right" Travel Package


New Delhi, Delhi, India, Friday, May 14, 2010 -- (Business Wire India) -- The choice of university marks the end of the chasing your dreams. It's time to begin living it! Yet strangely, there seem to be an endless list of things to do before taking that flight into the future. Documentation, financing, visas, shopping, packing..and of course, choosing the right airline.

Have you begun scanning the best flight options yet? Are you looking for the "cheapest price" or the "best value"? What's the difference, you might ask. Isn't it as simple as the lower the price, the better the deal?

Not necessarily. Low prices are important, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. As smart travelers will tell you, in the search for air travel deals, it is extremely important to look between the lines and understand what comprises the "right" travel package for you.

Here are some tips and advice from tThe Lufthansa Student Centre that will help you distinguish between a "cheap" deal and the best deal and get the "right" travel package.

A travel package comprises several elements: Price, baggage allowance, network expanse, frequency of connections, reliability, service, loyalty programs and their rewards.

You are probably well aware of the ticket price, and even price wars. However interestingly you might find that the price on the same flight, on the same airline is different on different days. That is because in air travel, price is determined by distance, season, date of travel, class of travel, seat availability, and applicable taxes.

The other elements of the travel package too are significant. For instance, while airlines like Lufthansa offer one extra piece of check-in baggage as part of their student ticket, some airlines actually charge additional money for every bag you check in.

The number of hops, timings of onward connection, wait period at stopovers, facilities at connecting airport hubs, all these factors become extremely important for long haul destinations like North America. And this depends on the network expanse of an airline. To highlight the importance of network, let's take an example. Consider a scenario in which you need to travel from Bangalore to New York. Consider an airline which has just one flight a week out of Bangalore; or even worse, from the stopover airport, just one flight a day to New York. What would happen in case the flight gets delayed due to a technical snag, or even cancelled due to weather? With the strength of network and the right connections, this sort of hiccup can be accommodated and overcome quite easily.

Network is a key strength for an airline like Lufthansa, which flies as many as 49 flights every week from seven cities in India, making it the No. 1 European airline in India. Together with affiliates Swiss and Austrian, they offer as many as 65 weekly flights from India. And the Lufthansa Group airlines - Austrian Airlines, bmi, Brussels Airlines and SWISS together with Lufthansa - serve 274 destinations in 104 countries on four continents. Clearly, with Lufthansa your flight is backed by the strength of one of the most comprehensive alliance networks in the industry.

The reliability and strength of an airline is seldom considered while buying a ticket, but is an extremely critical factor and should never be ignored. To offer another example, technology and maintenance in air travel cannot be over emphasised. In the recent global recession, cost cuts might have resulted in dangerous compromises by some airlines on matters impacting safety. This is where the trustworthiness of an airline like Lufthansa becomes significant.

Customer service defines your entire travel experience, from checking in to in-flight care, entertainment, food and comfort, to airport services and support. So it cannot be undermined in importance within the travel package.

Finally, since this is not the only flight you will be taking in the near future, it would be wise to begin with an airline which offers you the best benefit as a frequent flyer. As such loyalty programs vary greatly in expanse and rewards. It is important to study them carefully before making a choice. For instance Miles & More, Lufthansa's frequent flyer program is Europe's largest frequent flyer program, and offers you a host of benefits in the form of free flights, upgrades, excess baggage, hotel stays, cruises, even shopping! Moreover, Lufthansa is a founding member of Star Alliance, the largest airline alliance in the world. With Miles & More, this translates into additional mileage benefits for you to enjoy in the US or anywhere else in the world on 26 participating Star Alliance airlines.

So, the next time you see a 'low, lower, lowest' price, read between the lines to make a smart evaluation and find yourself the "right" travel package.

(For more helpful advice and tips, log on to the Lufthansa Student Centre at Lufthansa.com/student)

About Lufthansa in India

49 weekly flights to seven Indian destinations make Lufthansa the Number One European carrier in India. The carrier completed 50 years of operations in the country in Nov 2009 and was voted "Best International Airline in India" at the CNBC Awaaz Travel Awards 2009.

The Lufthansa Group airlines - Austrian Airlines, bmi, Brussels Airlines and SWISS together with Lufthansa - serve 274 destinations in 104 countries on four continents in the current summer schedule from their hubs at Brussels, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, London-Heathrow, Munich and Zurich.

Lufthansa German Airlines is a founding member of Star Alliance and has developed one of the most comprehensive alliance networks in the industry.


CONTACT DETAILS
Ketika Manohar, CNC - Communications & Network Consulting India Pvt. Ltd., +91 9953684264/ +91 11 43590429, Ketika.Manohar@cnc-communications.com

KEYWORDS
CONSUMER, MARKETING, BUSINESS SERVICES, EDUCATION, MEDIA, TRAVEL

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