Summary
- Lufthansa has entered into codeshare agreements with South African Airways and Airlink, expanding passenger travel options between Southern Africa and Europe.
- Passengers can book a single ticket and have their luggage carried to their final destination, saving costs and hassle.
- The partnership with Airlink adds new destinations in Southern Africa to Lufthansa's network, providing greater flexibility for travelers in the region.
Passengers traveling from Southern Africa now have access to more destinations in Europe through Lufthansa's new codeshare agreements with South African Airways (SAA) and Airlink. Similarly, Lufthansa customers can now use connecting flights to reach several destinations the two South African carriers serve.
National carriers coming together
Germany and South Africa's national carriers have long-standing relationships as Star Alliance members. The renewed bilateral agreement will build on this relationship to offer passengers a seamless travel experience and access to various destinations on both airlines' networks.
Starting this month, SAA's customers can fly from Johannesburg to Frankfurt on a single ticket, with options for further connections in Europe. Similarly, South African Airways will partner with Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss to offer flights between Johannesburg and Zurich. However, the deal with Switzerland's national carrier is pending regulatory approval.
Seamless connections
Customers can book a single ticket and have their checked-in luggage carried to their final destinations, saving them costs and the trouble of booking several connecting flights. Additionally, they can enjoy more frequent flyer benefits through SAA's Voyager Miles loyalty program. SAA Chief Commercial Officer Tebogo Tsimane said;
"We are thrilled to resume our codeshare agreement with Lufthansa and soon with Swiss Air Lines, who are both members of STAR Alliance, the largest alliance among airlines. It is a key step in reconnecting our travelers from around the continent to a wider range of international destinations through their SAA ticket and earn Voyager miles."
Lufthansa operates a daily Boeing 747 service between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Johannesburg OR Tambo (JNB), in addition to six weekly A340 flights to Cape Town (CPT). While Swiss does not fly to CPT, it operates a daily service between Zurich Airport (ZRH) and Johannesburg with the Airbus A340.
Together, the Lufthansa Group offers over 35 weekly connections from South Africa to their European hubs. Passengers flying from Europe can also easily connect from Johannesburg to SAA's domestic destinations, including Cape Town and Durban. Lufthansa Group General Manager of Sales - Southern Africa, Matthias Lefèvre, said;
"We are very pleased to announce that we have re-established our codeshare agreement with South African Airways. Building on our long-term partnership with SAA allows us to offer greater flexibility and a larger variety to our customers in South Africa. Lufthansa and SWISS passengers can add a connecting flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town or Durban within the same booking."
Teaming up with Airlink
The German airline has also teamed up with South Africa's leading carrier Airlink. With the new partnership, a number of new destinations in Southern Africa will be added to Lufthansa's network, including Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Durban, George, and East London. Airlink currently flies to over 18 domestic destinations.
"We are very pleased to announce our new codeshare agreements with South African Airways and Airlink, as these partnerships allow us to offer greater flexibility and a larger variety to our customers in the Southern African region. Our customers now have the possibility of booking their entire journey on one single Lufthansa ticket and thus providing a seamless travel experience," added Matthias Lefèvre.
What do you think about Lufthansa adding more destinations in Southern Africa? Will you be flying to or from South Africa soon? Please let us know in the comments!