On the first weekend of the holidays, Eurowings will transport around 270,000 passengers to their summer holidays. This increase in bookings confirms a trend that Eurowings Holidays has also been observing since mid-May: package holiday bookings with the last-minute specialist are currently around 70 per cent higher than last year. Many customers are booking at shorter notice than in previous years: most Eurowings Holidays trips in May and June were booked less than 42 days before departure. Mallorca and holiday destinations in Greece are currently in particularly high demand, with bookings for the peak season having more than doubled at times.

Start the holidays well prepared

To ensure the holiday gets off as relaxed as possible, Eurowings recommends being well prepared. A particularly handy feature is that online check-in and check-in via the app are available already 72 hours before departure. This means that boarding passes are secured early on, leaving more time on the day of travel to make the way through the airport. It’s also worth taking a look at the latest baggage rules and airport services. Depending on the airport, passengers can use digital self-service options such as baggage machines or check-in the evening before. Passengers can find all information about check-in, baggage, airport services and travel preparation at eurowings.com.

“In the fashion industry, a cover symbolises recognition, visibility, and exceptional achievement. Dedicating the latest issue of WINGS to Aurélie is our most sincere way of saying: We are proud of you,” says Max Kownatzki, CEO of Eurowings. “What we are most delighted by is that, despite everything – the hustle and bustle, the glamour, the public eye – she will remain one of us. That says it all.” The summer issue of WINGS reaches around five million passengers on Eurowings flights across Europe during the peak travel season, making it one of the highest-reach magazines in the German-speaking world.

Typically, the front cover of WINGS is reserved for exceptional nature photographs. The idea to make an exception to this design rule came immediately after Aurélie’s victory in the Hollywood final. Instead of a congratulatory card, Eurowings opted for something more lasting: the cover of WINGS magazine. “To us, Aurélie isn't just some celebrity passing through,” says Kownatzki. “She is a very versatile, talented colleague, a popular crew member, and a friendly face of the Eurowings family. But her cover story is more than that: she represents the more than 5,500 Eurowings employees who shape the company. Aurélie’s story shows the diverse talents, passions, and life paths that lie behind the people on board and on the ground.”

The summer issue of WINGS will be available on all Eurowings flights from the start of July. 

Design follows strategy

The redesign is rooted in the evolution of Eurowings’ brand positioning: from a classic low cost airline to a European value airline that, alongside attractive fares, now places greater emphasis on comfort, flexibility and a more relaxed travel experience. The new corporate design makes this brand evolution visible across all touchpoints and creates a coherent brand experience – from booking to arrival.

“With the new corporate design, we are making our brand essence ‘More ease for everyone’ visually tangible. At the same time, we are creating a modern and consistent brand presence that sets us apart and further strengthens our recognisability,” says Dirk Otto, Head of Marketing at Eurowings.

The Wings as the heart of the brand

At the centre of the new brand identity is the familiar Wings logo mark. In future, it will play a much stronger role as an emotional design element – for example as a key visual in moving-image formats, campaign visuals and digital interfaces. This sees the Wings evolve from a pure logo component into a defining brand symbol. They stand not only for flying itself, but also for those special moments of travel – anticipation, freedom and ease – creating a consistent visual thread across all channels.

Eurowings will also place greater emphasis on an authentic imagery concept and an adapted photographic style within its brand presence. At the same time, the distinctive Eurowings Burgundy remains a defining element of the new corporate design, providing orientation and strengthening identification both internally and externally. A more playful use of the brand colour through gradients and transparency adds greater dynamism and ease.

More modern, clearer, more digital

The simplified design system reduces complexity, particularly in digital applications such as the website and app, and makes orientation faster and easier – for example through clearer navigation structures and more reduced design elements. Inclusive design has also been consistently integrated, with the aim of making all digital platforms barrier-free and accessible to the widest possible user group.

The design system is complemented by a newly developed typeface: Eurowings Type. It has been designed for the brand’s wide range of applications and ensures optimum legibility and impact wherever it is used. At the same time, it gives the brand a distinctive visual character. The Eurowings logo has also been revised on this basis and will appear in a more reduced and clearer form in future applications.

Roll-out across all brand touchpoints

The new brand identity will be introduced gradually across all touchpoints – from the website and airport environments to on board the aircraft. The comprehensive strategy and design process was supported by Josefine Freund and Simon Jasper Philipp. The design development and execution were carried out by the Eurowings team in collaboration with Oscar Bravo, the digital agency of the Lufthansa Group. Eurowings Type was developed together with type designer Hannes von Döhren.

“In uncertain times, travelers value reliability more than ever. As part of the Lufthansa Group, Eurowings has secured its fuel supply for the summer season. We will maintain stable flight operations, giving our guests the confidence to plan their summer vacations with peace of mind,“ says Eurowings CEO Max Kownatzki.

The fact that uncertainty over oil and kerosene supplies is gradually easing is having a major impact on the current summer season, which had previously been characterised by a reluctance to book. Take Mallorca, for example: following a significant drop in bookings of more than 20 per cent at one point, Eurowings is now seeing a noticeable upturn in demand. Bookings for Mallorca are now nine per cent higher than in the already strong same period last year. The island is clearly seen by many holidaymakers as a reliable retreat, which is further fuelling demand that has been strong for years anyway. Numerous tourists who would otherwise travel to destinations in the Middle East are currently opting for Mallorca instead.

Eurowings operates its most important international hub in Palma de Mallorca, connecting Europe’s most popular sun island with 26 airports and around 400 flights a week. The popular ‘Mallorca Shuttle’ (e.g. up to eleven times a day from Dusseldorf) serves as a reliable barometer within the industry of just how popular the island is, particularly among German holidaymakers.

Classic Mediterranean holiday destinations are more popular than ever

With a route network covering more than 150 destinations in 40 countries, Eurowings will once again be offering a comprehensive range of options for holidaymakers and leisure travellers in summer 2026. New direct connections and additional flights on high-demand routes will bring Europe’s cities and beaches even closer. For the first time, travellers can fly directly from Dusseldorf to the European capitals of Madrid and Tallinn with Europe’s value airline. Lisbon, London and Sarajevo are now accessible from Berlin via the ‘Capital Express’. Furthermore, Germany’s largest holiday airline will be flying more frequently to popular holiday destinations in high demand such as Alicante, Cagliari, Faro, Málaga, Naples, Nice and Olbia in summer 2026. Eurowings has expanded its service to Portugal and now flies to Lisbon, Faro and Porto more than 90 times a week.

“I’m just a normal girl, like any other – and suddenly everyone knows me and wants a photo with me. It’s totally crazy,” says Aurélie. She finds it particularly surreal when passengers recognise her on board. “I don’t know when I’ll get used to it. Winning the title will always be a special moment for me.”

Aurélie, who has Brazilian roots, has been part of the Eurowings crew for several years. Colleagues describe her as warm, open and full of positive energy – qualities that the fashion world has now also discovered in her. Even before her TV career, the Rhinelander was on big stages as a cheerleader, loving sport and interacting with people.

Aurélie regularly finds that everyday life in the cabin and life on the catwalk are surprisingly similar: “Neither is a nine-to-five job. You’re constantly meeting new people, working as a team, and have to demonstrate presence, empathy and professionalism in every situation. That’s exactly what links the job of a flight attendant with that of a model.”

Eurowings CEO Max Kownatzki is also delighted by his colleague’s success: “Aurélie embodies what Eurowings stands for in a special way: she inspires people with her natural, approachable manner and boundless positive energy. In doing so, she also shows how much personality and talent there is in our crews. Naturally, the entire Eurowings family is delighted about this award. We’re proud of you, Aurélie!”

With this decision, the Lufthansa Group airline is responding directly to its employees’ wish for greater comfort during their day-to-day operations while also giving its cabin crew look a fresh, modern touch. The sneakers not only bring visible “good vibes” on board, they also reflect a contemporary travel experience that fits the airline perfectly – true to the Eurowings brand promise: “More ease for everyone.”

The white sneakers add a fresh touch both on board and on the ground and are seen by employees as especially comfortable and authentic. The positive response goes well beyond the crews themselves: many passengers also regularly comment favourably on the sneakers in customer feedback and on social media – the look proving a hit with both passengers and crews.

“Whether travelling for business or leisure, no other shoe combines professionalism, comfort and ease quite as naturally as the sneaker,” says Max Kownatzki, CEO of Eurowings and himself a passionate sneaker enthusiast. “The modern look also underlines our identity as Europe’s value airline – with a clear ambition to differentiate ourselves from the traditional low-cost competition. That applies not only to the quality of our products and services, but also to the way we present ourselves.”

"Eurowings and its almost 5,000 employees not only stand for a passion for flying, but also for the ability to connect people and fulfill millions of vacation dreams. I am convinced that we are a perfect 'match' and I am very much looking forward to getting young and old excited about travel and vacations together with Eurowings from now on." says Kai Pflaume.

The 56-year-old has managed to build up a cross-generational reputation like few others. As a host and presenter of popular TV shows, he is one of the ratings guarantors on German television. At the same time, his social media channels - from Instagram and YouTube to TikTok - are inspiring a constantly growing community. The videos on his YouTube channel "Ehrenpflaume", launched in 2020, alone have over 70 million views to date.  Kai Pflaume is now bringing this in-depth understanding of how to convey authentic, humorous content, including in the digital world, to Eurowings and its rapidly growing online travel brand Eurowings Holidays. The TV presenter's role will initially focus on digital campaigns. Eurowings and Kai Pflaume have agreed on a long-term collaboration.

Mark Philipp, Head of Content Marketing & Social Media at Eurowings: "Kai Pflaume's ability to communicate authentically and credibly fits perfectly with our positioning as a value airline. He embodies what also defines the brand character of Eurowings: values such as friendliness and reliability, empathy and personal closeness are deeply rooted in our brand essence. Kai Pflaume and Eurowings are also united by an almost identical mission: we bring people together across generations and thus create personal, positive experiences. We do all this with great passion."

Eurowings customers can now look forward to creative, inspiring content on the social media channels of Kai Pflaume and Eurowings. The digital agency la red is responsible for the content conception and realization. At the start, Eurowings will initially focus on native content that picks up the target group in reels and TikToks at eye level.  The aim of the launch campaign with Kai Pflaume is to whet the appetite for vacations with Eurowings Holidays with "fun facts" from popular vacation destinations. Eurowings' young online travel brand is on a dynamic growth trajectory and is set to become one of the "Top 10" German tour operators in the next few years.

In an internal survey of more than 3,000 crew members, a clear majority spoke out in favor of wearing sports shoes on board and on the ground more often. The analysis of the more than 700 comments revealed that the sneakers from cooperation partner Puma are perceived as comfortable and innovative. Very positive feedback also comes from numerous passengers and in social media on a regular basis. After evaluating the survey, Eurowings has decided to significantly expand the number of its Sneaker Flydays from a monthly basis and – in keeping with the spirit of "Casual Friday" – make every Friday a "Sneaker Flyday" from now on.

"Whether on a business trip or on vacation, no shoes unite business and casual lifestyle like sneakers do," says Eurowings CEO Jens Bischof. "The sporty outfit also highlights our identity as 'Europe's Value Airline', with which we want to increasingly stand out from the competition of low-cost airlines."

Take-off with propeller aircraft

At that time, the airline started with just under 1,000 employees and ATR 72 propeller aircraft. Although 32 destinations in eleven countries were already served in the founding year, the focus was on domestic connections. For quite some time, Eurowings had to fly under the flight numbers of NFD and RFG, because the code that Eurowings needed had been assigned by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to a subsidiary of Papua New Guinea-based Janlyn PTE. Through intensive negotiations, it was finally possible to get the EW code for Eurowings’ flights. The first flight, with the number EW733, went from Nuremberg to Paris in 1994. In the 1990s, Eurowings took over feeder flights for the Dutch airline KLM, among others, and was en route to Amsterdam with 13 aircraft at times – initially as a competitor of Lufthansa.

2001: Lufthansa acquires a stake in Eurowings

The year 2001 marks a milestone in the history of Eurowings. With the Lufthansa Group's participation, the company's strategy changes: the turboprop aircraft are replaced by CRJ jets, and Eurowings operates flights in the Lufthansa Regional network.

Just one year later, Eurowings launches a low-cost pioneer for Germany, Germanwings, which, in tandem with Eurowings, soon breaks the 10-million passenger mark. The great era of low-cost airlines begins (slogan: "Fly high, pay low"), to which Germanwings contributes the flexible fare model BASIC, SMART and BIZclass. The concept quickly becomes the industry standard and is still used at Eurowings today. In 2011, Eurowings moves to Düsseldorf, the largest air traffic location in North Rhine-Westphalia.

"Light Sky Blue" and "Burgundy": Eurowings' leading colors since 2014

In 2014, the company gets the look and brand identity it is known for today, with the leading colors "Light Sky Blue" and "Burgundy". The new strategy includes, among other things, a significant expansion of Germanwings and Eurowings in line with growing travel: the previous Eurowings fleet of smaller CRJ aircraft will be replaced by 23 aircraft from the Airbus A320 family.

Inseparably linked to the company's history, however, is the accident of Germanwings flight 4U9525 on 24 March 2015, which claimed the lives of 150 people. An event that will remain in collective memory forever.

Eurowings subsequently begins to expand away from German airports, soon opening a base on Mallorca and founding the Eurowings Europe flight operation for pan-European routes outside Germany. And the dynamic development continues: after the end of Air Berlin in 2017 and the takeover of a large part of the fleet, hundreds of new jobs are created – many of which are filled by former AirBerlin colleagues.

Eurowings today: the value airline for Europe

Today, Eurowings explicitly sets itself apart from the ultra-low-cost carrier segment with its clear positioning as Europe's value carrier for private and business travelers. The Lufthansa subsidiary combines inexpensive and flexible flying with innovative and customer-friendly services – a strategy with which it is expanding its leading position in the German market. In doing so, it focuses on the core needs of today's air travelers: more flexibility, affordable comfort and sustainability.

"There are very few airlines in Germany that have succeeded for 30 years in a difficult market environment and have repeatedly mastered dynamic changes. It is all the more wonderful that we can celebrate our 30th birthday as Germany's largest holiday airline," said Eurowings CEO Jens Bischof. "We owe this success first and foremost to our more than 4,000 employees from 60 nations who have found their professional home with us. This diversity makes us strong. Because what has always distinguished Eurowings is the very special team spirit and the ability to react quickly to ever new market changes. We say thank you, Team Eurowings – here's to the next 30 years!"

The Eurowings fleet includes more than 100 aircraft that fly to 140 destinations in more than 50 countries. In addition to its bases in Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Berlin, Eurowings also has major operations in Palma de Mallorca, Salzburg, Prague and Stockholm. This makes the Lufthansa subsidiary one of the largest leisure airlines in Europe. Every minute, a Eurowings aircraft takes off or lands somewhere in Europe.

Focus on sustainability

Eurowings combines its passion for flying with corporate responsibility for the environment. It aims to cut its carbon emissions in half by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. An important step towards this was the introduction of the world's most efficient medium-haul jet, the Airbus A320neo, into the fleet in 2022. Each new aircraft of this type emits 4,500 tonnes less CO₂ per year compared to its predecessor. In addition to this, more than 50 projects with the aim of conserving resources and protecting the environment are underway at Eurowings.

Carbon compensation at the click of a mouse, punctual flights, friendly services, the most flexible rebooking options in the industry or a free middle seat starting at ten euros – these are just a few of the many examples of the modern value concept with which Eurowings presents itself as young, modern and innovative, even after 30 years.

“This year, we have fundamentally revised our Eurowings partner cards. Thanks to Miles & More, our customers now enjoy the benefits of one of the world's leading loyalty programs. And with the new Eurowings Credit Card Premium, we are launching a credit card that is one of the most attractive travel credit cards in Germany thanks to its excellent price/performance ratio,” says Tobias Grieß, CEO of Barclays' European retail business.

“With the Eurowings Credit Card Premium, we are responding even more strongly to the needs of our passengers and offering additional benefits for the entire trip," said Michael Erfert, Head of Sales, Distribution & Digital Eurowings and Managing Director Eurowings Digital GmbH. “From now on, travellers can reserve a seat on board free of charge and are optimally protected with cancellation and travel disruption insurance.”

Within the Barclays credit card portfolio, the Eurowings Credit Card Premium replaces the previous Eurowings Credit Card Gold but is significantly more extensive in its portfolio of services. Customers with the Eurowings Credit Card Premium also receive travel cancellation and disruption insurance as well as the option of free seat reservations on Eurowings flights. If they apply by 31 December 2022, new customers will also receive 5,000 Miles & More welcome miles.

For existing customers of the Eurowings Credit Card Gold, the introduction of the new Eurowings Credit Card Premium will not change anything: they will continue to use their existing card with the same benefits and features as before. If they wish to upgrade to the Eurowings Credit Card Premium, this is possible at any time.

Overview of benefits:

For more information on the Eurowings Credit Card Premium, please visit the Barclays homepage or the Eurowings homepage.

"The next airline where flight attendants swap high heels for sneakers," is what travel blogs are saying about Eurowings on the matter. On social media, numerous airline employees are speaking out in favor of wearing sports shoes on board. There is now "an international discussion" about the choice of footwear, writes Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

Among the pioneers among airlines that have integrated sneakers on board into their uniform dress codes are Ukraine's SkyUp Airlines, Iceland's Play and Japanese carrier Zipair. Eurowings has deliberately declared its "Sneaker Flydays", which currently take place on the first Friday of every month, to be a test phase. First, the Lufthansa Group airline wants to analyze the reactions of its own staff and customers. If the feedback on the sneakers remains this positive, Eurowings is considering increasing the frequency of the "Sneaker Flydays" in the new year.

Sneakers instead of high heels?

With this campaign, Eurowings wants to meet the desire of employees for a sporty travel companion. As a token of appreciation for all the extra miles Eurowings employees have gone during the pandemic, every employee received free sneakers from cooperation partner Puma in September. Since then, the all-white sneakers with the Eurowings logo can not only be worn privately and in the office, but also on board Eurowings flights – always on specific Fridays, the so-called "Sneaker Flydays”.

With this sporty outfit, Eurowings is emphasizing its claim to venture into new territory and move with the times – far beyond Germany. In addition to Eurowings Germany, Eurowings Europe is also taking part in the "Sneaker Flydays" – with locations in Mallorca, Stockholm, Prague, Salzburg and Pristina.

A sports shoe to go with your uniform? Sneakers as part of the business look? While it would have been unthinkable in the past to wear sports shoes in the business world, today sneakers are suitable almost anywhere in the world and for any occasion. Like almost no other piece of clothing, the sneaker symbolizes the change in the zeitgeist that combines business and casual with an easygoing dress code. The evolution of white sports shoes is remarkable: from "outsider" to "mainstream" to the veritable "sneaker mania" of today that sees sports shoes traded like expensive shares on the stock market or sold to the highest bidder at major auction houses. This should prove that sneakers – like jeans before them – have become an established product of the fashion industry.

Eurowings is now aiming to show that the sporty outfit is also a good match for its realignment as a value airline – far beyond Germany’s borders. In addition to Eurowings Germany, the Eurowings Europe flight operations will also be taking part in the "Sneaker Flydays" – with sports-themed stops at the Mallorca, Stockholm, Prague, Salzburg and Pristina stations.

At three stations, the children were able to roll through the topics of résumé and job interview, career choice and cover letter, and photo shoot. Here, Kristina Tophinke from the Eurowings HR department and Gaby Drawe from Corporate Communications supported 24 students with their preparations and questions. The participating school children received professional application photos from Düsseldorf-based photographer Anja Meyer, who provided support at reduced photo shoot costs and was financed with the help of employee donations from the last marketing warehouse sale.

Murat Vural, managing director of Chancenwerk e.V., and the principal were pleased about the exchange between pupils and employees from a large company. "The students in our learning support program usually do not have access to assistance or experience in their private environment for their professional careers and job application processes. This makes the suggestions and tips from experts about what they can and must prepare for all the more valuable," says Murat Vural.

The Düsseldorf "Destination Educational Opportunities" project
The "Destination Educational Opportunities" project, which is implemented by the non-profit organization Chancenwerk e.V., benefits students whose families are unable to help them learn for financial, time or language reasons. At the three Düsseldorf schools Dieter-Forte-Gesamtschule, Realschule Benrath and Freiherr-vom-Stein Realschule, students are supported by older pupils and students. help alliance project manager on the part of Eurowings for the project is Gaby Drawe.

help alliance
The Lufthansa Group aid organization help alliance works on projects worldwide to enable children and young people to lead self-determined lives. The help alliance was founded 20 years ago as a result of the commitment of employees and works on projects worldwide to enable children and young people to lead a self-determined life. Employees of the Lufthansa Group and Eurowings are personally involved in each of the approximately 40 aid projects worldwide.
 

This time, the mentees from Eurowings are Christina Buescher, Product Owner Ground Operations IT, and Katharina Kusch, Product Owner Network Planning. Rene Rybka, Head of Network Management, Michael Haendel, Head of Network Management & Airport Relations at Eurowings, and Robert Jahn, Head of Ground & Customer Operations & Ops Steering, are also taking part in the mentoring role.

The start of the new cross-mentoring round and the assignment of the tandem partners took place on May 14 in the German Sport & Olympia Museum at Zollhafen 1, Cologne. "A total of about 130 mentees have meanwhile been supported in their career development by mentors with our CROSS MENTORINGs. More than 75% of the participating women have made a career move with Cross Mentoring, negotiated a better salary or, for example, started further studies. This is the measure of our mentoring success," says Christine Kronenberg. This year's patron is Member of the Bundestag Serap Güler, who joined from Berlin for a meeting of the Defense Committee.

The alliance includes: DEG - Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH I Delvag Versicherungs-AG I DuMont I Eurowings I Jobcenter Köln I Kliniken der Stadt Köln gGmbH I Kreissparkasse Köln I REWE Group I Siegwerk I Sparkasse KölnBonn I Stadt Köln I STRÖER I WDR I Zurich Versicherung

"As COO of Brussels, Edi Wolfensberger has everything you need for this position. I am sure that he will continue to drive forward the modernization of Eurowings Operations initiated by Jens Ritter and enrich it with new elements," says Jens Bischof, CEO of Eurowings.

Edi Wolfensberger: internationally experienced operations manager

Edi Wolfensberger (40) has been Chief Operating Officer at Brussels Airlines since 2019 and heads the operational departments Flight Operations, Maintenance & Engineering, Ground Operations, and Safety and Security. He also serves as Accountable Manager for the Belgian airline. Previously, Wolfensberger held the position of Managing Director at Lufthansa Aviation Training Switzerland AG, where he established the cooperation between the newly merged companies within the Lufthansa Aviation Training Group from 2017 to 2019. Among other things, the company conducts cockpit, cabin and technical training for SWISS International Air Lines. As managing director at the Airline Training Center Arizona, he was previously instrumental in the turnaround of the US company based in Phoenix, where he was responsible for Finance, HR & Facilities.

Edi Wolfensberger started his career in the aviation industry in 2007 as a maintenance and engineering controller at Swiss International Airlines. Over the next seven years, he progressed through various roles in the Finance and Commercial departments, most recently as Head of Channel Management.

“Kai is an excellent fit for Eurowings – both professionally and personally. He will enrich the management with his extensive expertise and international experience. That’s why I’m convinced that Kai is exactly the right person with whom we can continue on our chosen path at Eurowings – toward becoming a strong and popular value airline for Europe”, says Jens Bischof, CEO of Eurowings.

Frank Bauer will move to the Lufthansa Group’s Finance divsion with effect from February 1, 2022. In the future, he will head Corporate Controlling of the Lufthansa Group as Executive Vice President, where he will be responsible – among other things – for efficiency improvements and performance management across the Group. “Frank Bauer has worked with the teams to shape the financial turnaround of Eurowings and has consistently driven forward its implementation. This has enabled us to significantly improve the competitiveness of our Eurowings”, says Jens Bischof.

Kai Duve (53) had management responsibility for 15,000 flight attendants and pursers at Lufthansa in Frankfurt and at the foreign bases in Bangkok and New Delhi since 2016. Prior to that, the industrial engineer was responsible for corporate auditing at Lufthansa Group from 2009 to 2015. Between 2002 and 2009, Kai Duve gained many years of international experience as Director Finance & HR Asia/Pacific at Deutsche Lufthansa AG, based in Singapore, and as Director HR North America in New York. Kai Duve started his career in 1998, in the controlling department of Lufthansa Technik.

To the job offers:

Flight Attendant:  www.career.aero/eurowings/de/job/show/id/3500

Purser:  www.career.aero/eurowings/de/job/show/id/3501

First Officer:  www.career.aero/eurowings/de/job/show/id/3505

Captain:  www.career.aero/eurowings/de/job/show/id/3506

A family birthday that unites three generations at one table. The best friend's wedding. Creating that very special chemistry in face-to-face meetings that only happens when you're in the same room together. The current Eurowings appearance is the airline's first major campaign since the start of the Covid pandemic, which has changed every airline and presented it with a whole new set of circumstances. People who fly today not only pay special attention to safety, health protection and hygiene. They also want to be able to travel more flexibly and be better informed than ever before. With the flexible Eurowings booking options – no rebooking fee in all fares and possible up to 40 minutes before departure – and the informative, daily updated online travel guide for all destinations, Eurowings is meeting these changing customer needs.

Lorenza Maggio, Head of Marketing and Customer Experience at Eurowings: "During the pandemic, we were able to compensate for many things in the digital world that were simply not possible physically. However, people increasingly feel that personal encounters with others and the experience of special moments cannot be replaced in the long term. This is also shown by our current traffic figures, the strongest since the beginning of the pandemic."

Eurowings has significantly revised its product and service portfolio in the wake of the crisis and adapted it to changing customer needs. "We make flexible travel and spontaneous planning possible so that our guests can enjoy special personal experiences in a relaxed way again," says Maggio: "Our campaign stages this in an emotional, positive way."

The Eurowings campaign is on air as digital-out-of-home, on all relevant online channels, as well as audio, owned and paid social media. An insight into the current campaign can be found here: https://youtu.be/RFqhzVL1EzU

Robert Jahn, Managing Director of Eurowings Europe, said, "We are thrilled by this response and the strong interest that our offer has met within the Czech Republic. I am very pleased that we can offer a 'local touch' at the base in Prague and strengthen our teams by hiring local colleagues."

Eurowings is expanding its offering in Central Europe with the opening of a new base in the Czech capital Prague. From October 31, 2021, Eurowings will initially take off with two Airbus A320 aircraft, with a third aircraft to follow in summer 2022. The flights will be operated by Eurowings Europe, the pan-European flight operation of Eurowings. 

When flight operations start in Prague, crews from Eurowings Europe in Vienna will initially be deployed from October. In the medium term, however, flights will be operated entirely by locally based Prague crews. Crew members already flying for Eurowings Europe have preferential transfer rights in accordance with internal company regulations.

Now the freshly painted "Teamflieger" has landed for the first time at Eurowings' home base in CGN and was officially welcomed with a water fountain from the fire brigade. Eurowings CEO Jens Bischof received the "Christmas present" together with his CEO colleagues Michael Knitter and Frank Bauer on behalf of "Team Eurowings".

For the laudation, Eurowings let the Airbus A320 with the registration D-AIZS speak in person: "What drives me?" is written in huge letters on the fuselage of the aircraft - and gives the answer underneath: "The best team in the world." The German airline is thus sending a highly visible signal for team play in times of crisis in two languages - German on one side and English on the other.

The Airbus A320 will be seen at many airports in Europe in the coming months.

Lufthansa Group Airlines had already made it possible for its customers to rebook their tickets without a fee last year. The waiver of the rebooking fee applies worldwide for all new bookings in all fares on short, medium and long-haul routes. This enables flexible travel planning for all Lufthansa Group Airlines customers.

However, additional costs may arise for rebookings if, for example, the original booking class is no longer available when rebooking to a different date or to a different destination.

Also, rebooking of tickets issued up to and including August 31, 2020, can now be done until May 31, 2021.

In the cockpit for the inaugural flight EW 8982 from BER to BEY on 19 December 2020: First Officer Malack Salman, who has been flying with Eurowings in an Airbus A320 since 2017. The 29-year-old pilot has Lebanese and German nationality and grew up bilingual. She is also an instructor in the training department at Eurowings and works as a flight instructor in the flight simulator for the Airbus A320 family. When the new destination Beirut appeared in the flight plan, it was a very special pleasure for her to be able to take over the first flight. With around 150 passengers on board, she took off from the German capital at noon and touched down in Beirut ahead of schedule after a good three and a half hours of flying time. The personal highlight for Malack Salman, however, was the fact that among the passengers was her father: for him, it was his very first flight with his daughter as a pilot - and beyond to the family's home country.  The joint photo in the cockpit on the ground before take-off was, of course, a matter of honour.

Against the backdrop of this double premiere, we spoke to First Officer Malack Salman.

What was it like for you to operate the first Eurowings flight to BEY?

I was very proud that I was allowed to operate the first flight to the new Eurowings destination Beirut - it was simply a matter of the heart for me. As a passenger, I have flown to Beirut often enough and therefore felt very connected to the people on board. As a pilot, of course, it felt different - but just as beautiful! I was very proud and happy to fly our guests to their families and friends in their home country and mine - people who speak my second mother tongue.

You were able to welcome the passengers on the first flight in Arabic without any problems - how did they react?

Many people congratulated me for the first flight when they left the aircraft in Beirut and wished me all the best - they were positively surprised and also proud to have been flown by a female pilot of Lebanese origin.

The landing of a Lebanese pilot certainly didn't stay hidden in Beirut for long, did it?

Of course, word got around quickly.When I got in touch with the contacts on the ground after reaching the gate position, the surprise was enormous - they were absolutely amazed that a Lebanese female pilot had made the maiden flight for Eurowings.  You have to know that there are very few Lebanese female pilots at all. It was only later that I saw that our plane had been filmed much earlier after landing: by the Lebanese plane-spotter community - nothing escapes them, they were totally crazy and excited! That was great, of course!

And the Lebanese media are also interested in you now, aren't they?

Yes, Lebanon is a small country - something like that doesn't go completely unnoticed. But I was also surprised at how quickly it went. Even before the first flight, the Lebanese news portal yasour.org contacted me. After that, it went viral very quickly: over 22,000 likes, that literally blew me away. All I can say is: aviation connects! After the flight back to Berlin, the state broadcasting station Télé Liban contacted me and asked for an interview. We then conducted the interview via video conference. The editors were particularly interested in what it is like to work as a woman in a profession that is still predominantly practised by male colleagues. Of course it was nice that I work for an airline that has a comparatively high proportion of women in the cockpit.

Your father was among the passengers - how did the father-daughter team feel?

To be honest, I felt a slight nervousness before the flight - after all, it was the very first time he had accompanied me on a flight - and then straight to Beirut!  Many thoughts went through my head: hopefully it won't shake too much, hopefully we'll have good visibility on the approach to Lebanon and hopefully the landing will be as smooth as possible. I was very excited to see his reaction and was really looking forward to taking him with us. We took a picture together in the cockpit on the ground as a memento - it really captures that emotional moment. I was really touched by how much he enjoyed it - and I didn't know that my father could be so proud too (laughs).

Will you be scheduled for flights to Beirut again? Or have you had enough for now...?

No question at all - I have long since requested the destination again.

Eurowings is the first airline within the Lufthansa Group to use the new technology and drive digitalization in its flight operations. “We are very pleased with the enormous increase in processing speed the migration has brought. At the same time, operations have always remained stable and reliable,” said Timo Rapp, Head of Integrated Operations Control Center (IOCC) at Eurowings. “It was a very smooth cutover process as Lufthansa Systems was very efficient in providing all the necessary support required for the transition. Even in these extremely difficult times due to the current pandemic, pushing this migration with high priority was worth the effort.”

In addition to the Lido product suite for flight planning and navigation, Lufthansa Systems has integrated its solutions for ground operations (NetLine), inflight entertainment (BoardConnect) and finance management (SIRAX®) into the Global Aviation Cloud. Making the shift to cloud services has proven a major challenge in the aviation industry, but Lufthansa Systems has completely overhauled its software architecture to accelerate the development of on-demand services. Lufthansa Systems has created a forward-looking infrastructure based on various technologies such as Kubernetes and Terraform, which deliver key administrative, operational and technological benefits. Today, more than 16 products and applications from Lufthansa Systems are cloud-ready and over 50 customer environments have already been set up. Especially in the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, cloud services enhance airlines’ ability to adapt to a changing market environment.

Cloud solutions no longer require applications, systems and resources to run locally on a physical server as specific software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions are available. With a growing number of accessible data centers operating in almost all regions around the world, Lufthansa Systems can provide its services in close proximity to customer sites, which enables faster data transmission. “The Global Aviation Cloud increases the flexibility, scalability and security of our applications,” said Dr. Thomas Wittmann, CEO of Lufthansa Systems. “We work hand in glove with our customers from implementation to management, ensuring that we are continuously innovating and paving the way for a more digital and smarter future of airline operations.”

There are more than 7,500 commercial aircraft worldwide operating with Lido Flight 4D. The flight planning solution calculates the most suitable route for each flight based on all relevant flight data, such as weather conditions and the current airspace situation, fully integrated notices to airmen (NOTAMs) and any further restrictions that may apply. Implementing the solution enables flight dispatchers to react faster and work more efficiently. After the preparations for the Global Aviation Cloud were concluded by the end of 2019, five Lido Flight 4D customers upgraded to the cloud service. Despite the challenging situation caused by the pandemic, Lufthansa Systems plans to implement the majority of service transitions by the end of the year.

Boarding:

To avoid "traffic jams" in the aisles on board, passengers on Eurowings flights

still board in groups (Group 1 and Group 2). Both the gate agent and the cabin crew at the cabin door make sure that the necessary distance is maintained. The Gate Agent and the Cabin Crew interrupt the boarding process as soon as there is a risk that the distance in the boarding bridge and/or the aircraft cabin can no longer be maintained.

Physical Distancing at the gate and in the cabin is supported by announcements and the regulation of passenger flow. Distance markings installed by the airport operator in the gate area and in the passenger boarding bridge help to maintain the necessary distance.

Deboarding:

The deboarding process on Eurowings flights was also adapted. An announcement informs guests on board before landing that they will be deboarded according to individual rows. The deboarding procedure stipulates that passengers do not disembark until the passengers in front or behind them have left their seats. All passengers are asked to remain seated until the row in front or behind them is free. In their announcement, the cabin crew points out to the passengers that even during the disembarkation process, the wearing of masks is mandatory and that a distance must be maintained to the passengers.

All customers will of course get their money back - there is no question about that. Already in June, Eurowings transferred double-digit million amounts back to their guests. In order to continue to be able to process all inquiries as quickly as possible, the airline has massively increased capacities in all relevant service areas. This is the only way to ensure monthly ticket refunds in the double-digit million range and the processing of several thousand applications per day. In addition, we are working at full speed on digital solutions so that we can offer you alternatives to the flight voucher in the event of a flight cancellation.

The aim is to largely process the claims of passengers who have been waiting the longest for a refund before the summer is over. The more recent refund applications will of course also be processed as quickly as possible. Eurowings would like to thank its customers for understanding that, due to this exceptional situation, payment cannot always be made within the usual time limits.

Idea one: products for safety and well-being on board can be booked flexibly according to personal requirements

Anna-Lena Drewitz, employee at Lufthansa Group Business Services, wins the Eurowings Innovation Challenge in the individual category. Drewitz' winning idea is based on the fact, that for most passengers the most important criterion when choosing their airline is not to pay the lowest price – but to feel as safe and comfortable as possible on board. This is exactly where Anna-Lena Drewitz comes in: Eurowings passengers should be able to decide individually which additional product components they would like to add to their respective fare to start their flight as carefree as possible. Her concrete product idea of offering customers a "stay-safe" bundle, which includes, among other things, a free middle seat, convinced the expert jury both by its concrete feasibility and its added value for customers on board. This option of being able to flexibly add individual additional product components to flights as desired – such as a free middle seat – will soon be available online at Eurowings.

Idea two: personalized check-in and boarding slots reduce queues

The start-up company Linistry won the challenge in the category corporate customers: Linistry demonstrated the extent to which airport processes such as check-in and boarding can be optimized in times of corona, thereby making the entire customer journey for customers even more pleasant and safe. To reduce queues, maintain the minimum distance and avoid crowds, the Budapest based start-up company has submitted the second winning project with high added value for customers with a virtual system that, among other things, generates personalized boarding or check-in slots online for each passenger. Linistry and Eurowings jointly enable customers to book certain times, for example for check-in or boarding at the airport. With just a few clicks, long queues can be conveniently avoided and the relevant minimum distance at full airports can be maintained, says Linistry. Passengers also benefit from time savings: they can optimize their time at the airport by reserving a later boarding slot, for example, and use the remaining time to work or do their shopping in the terminal. This project is expected to be tested at Eurowings at the beginning of October and implemented subsequently.

With the implementation of the winning projects, Eurowings is redesigning the future of flying together with its customers and bringing people and cultures back together again after the corona crisis.

"In Holger Beck we have found an experienced manager who will take over responsibility for Eurowings Technik from Alexander Heilmann virtually seamlessly," says Michael Knitter, COO Eurowings. As Head of Maintenance Transformation, Holger Beck has worked closely with Alexander Heilmann in recent months - the best prerequisites for a smooth shift change in EWT's management. "As the first Managing Director, Alex Heilmann not only played a decisive role in the founding of Eurowings Technik and left a lasting mark on it, but also represented Eurowings and its interests in the Technical Fleet Management (TFM) of the Lufthansa Group and Lufthansa Technik," says Michael Knitter. The further development of EWT and its competitiveness will now be the task of Holger Beck and the EWT team.

About Holger Beck

Holger Beck, who assumed responsibility for Maintenance Transformation at Eurowings in November 2019, has many years of experience in the Lufthansa Group and a profound technical background. Having started out as an aircraft electronics engineer at Lufthansa Technik in 1989, the 53-year-old has held numerous management positions in Germany and abroad in the course of his professional career - for example as Commercial Director at Lufthansa Technical Training or as Head of Business Development, Sales & Customer Services at Lufthansa Technik Maintenance International. Most recently he was Senior Director Aircraft Line Maintenance, responsible for Lufthansa Technik's technical maintenance operations in Munich. Holger is married and has one daughter.

About Alexander Heilmann

Alexander Heilmann joined Eurowings in February 2016 as Head of Maintenance. In June he also took over the management of Germanwings Technik in personal union, before being appointed Managing Director of Eurowings Technik GmbH in 2017. At the beginning of 2020, the graduate engineer also took over the task of Process Owner Quality within the Technical Fleet Management of the Lufthansa Group. Before joining Eurowings, Alexander Heilmann, whose career in the Lufthansa Group began in 1992, held various management positions in the Group. For example, Alexander Heilmann was Managing Director of Lufthansa Technik Maintenance International (LTMI), and from 2014 to 2016 he headed aircraft maintenance for the Munich hub and direct services. Alexander Heilmann began his professional career as a design engineer at Dornier Luftfahrt GmbH.

“Digital innovations are critical for the continued development and long-term success of the Lufthansa Group. We are delighted that two of our teams have won first place. This is a great appreciation and acknowledgement of their work”, says Thorsten Dirks, Member of the Executive Board for Digital and Finance. “The ability to develop digital solutions to challenges and to be adaptable is more valuable than ever today. Both companies are not only making a significant contribution to the digital future of the entire Lufthansa Group, but are also actively involved in shaping the business transformation of our company.”

This year, the main focus of the review was on the scalability of each unit’s innovations. Projects were examined in this context that are both related to and outside of the core business of the Group companies. Take, for example, the “Compensaid” service developed by Lufthansa Innovation Hub. Travelers use a digital platform to calculate the amount of CO₂ resulting from their trip and can then compensate it with sustainable aviation fuel.

The award for Eurowings Digital specifically recognizes the development of smart services that enable the digital subsidiary to accompany passengers through all phases of their journey and to provide a kind of "digital companion." With these solutions, Eurowings Digital is driving the expansion of a travel platform around the Eurowings’ core business, allowing for a simple, convenient and affordable travel experience from a single source. The latest Eurowings Digital products include the Eurowings customer app and the Eurowings flight guide, a digital travel assistant.

About the study

The study “Corporations on the Track of Start-ups 2020” identified the best digital innovation labs in German-speaking countries. It was conducted by the strategy and management consultancy Infront Consulting & Management in cooperation with the business magazine Capital in the first half of 2020. Nearly 50 units participated in the study, which was published in 2020 for the fourth year in a row. Previous studies can be found at: https://www.infront-consulting.com/publikationen/#archiv

About Eurowings Digital

Eurowings Digital GmbH was founded in 2018 as part of Eurowings Aviation GmbH, a wholly owned Lufthansa subsidiary. The company, which combines all of the airline's customer-relevant digital activities and is responsible for over one billion euros in sales, is based in the heart of Cologne’s start-up campus. Eurowings Digital’s strategy is simple. Beyond the flight itself, Eurowings Digital wants to offer its customers the complete travel experience from a single source: the inspiration to travel, the ride to the airport, hotel accommodation, an event at the travel destination – and much more. Eurowings Digital is increasingly becoming a digital travel companion for its customers, providing them with a comprehensive digital product range and services at every step in their travel chain. Eurowings Digital has been enthusiastically received right from the start. The company continues to look for digital experts to contribute to the transformation process to the smart, digital travel platform of eurowings.com and significantly increase Eurowings’ digital footprint in the airline industry.

Lufthansa Innovation Hub

The Lufthansa Innovation Hub (LIH) is the digital business spearhead of the Lufthansa Group and links the world's largest aviation group with the relevant key players in the global Travel & Mobility Tech ecosystem. In this role, the activities of the LIH include the initiation of strategic partnerships between the Lufthansa Group airlines and relevant digital companies, the in-house development of digital ventures as well as strategic investments in relevant Travel & Mobility Tech startups. Their activities always have a strict focus on the needs of travellers across the whole travel cycle as well as close collaboration with serial entrepreneurs, investors, and existing tech players. The LIH is based in Berlin and operates offices in Singapore and Shanghai.

On this occasion, we spoke to Eurowings’ Purser Sascha Schade, who accompanied one of the first special flights from Romania to Düsseldorf.

How has the Corona crisis changed your daily work routine? What is the mood among your colleagues?

The mood on board is good because we are happy to fly. At the same time, the emptiness of the planes is somehow frightening. But the majority of my colleagues is still confident. Due to the low utilization of the planes, the service and work is also very reduced. It is unusual and even a "short" flight feels longer usual for us. The crop worker flights are a pleasant change here! Just like the repatriation flights, with which we have brought many people from abroad to Germany.

How has their everyday life changed?

It has hit our industry hard. Around 90 percent of aircraft is on the ground, there are considerable entry restrictions for every destination and the uncertainty grows with each passing day. During work, additional safety measures such as disinfection and keeping a safe distance apply. Friends ask "when can I fly back on holiday" and I ask myself "when do I have a perspective in my job again and can do what I love - flying". My whole everyday life is turned upside down and the crisis has taken the structure away.

After all, you were involved in one of the few flights currently being carried out. How did it differ from a flight you are used to?

The guests on board spread a pleasant atmosphere. Some of them were almost euphoric as they were finally allowed to enter Germany for their annual work. For many families it is existential that e.g. to be capable of taking care for their relatives. One could feel this relief and also gratitude. Many have flown for the very first time and were excited and friendly towards us.

What feedback did you receive from the harvest workers, what topics were discussed during the flight?

The feedback from the guests on board was positive! We looked after them as well as we could at the moment. The harvest helpers were very grateful. Many took photos as a reminder of the beautiful flight and they were happy to finally reach their destination. We as the cabin crew noticed that despite all the enthusiasm for flying, their thoughts were always with their families and we hope that everyone stays healthy. They told us that they were happy to be able to help with the harvest in Germany and earn an important living.

What are you looking forward to when the crisis is over?

I am looking forward to having a regular flight schedule again after the crisis. Above all, I am looking forward to flights with carefree guests again, for whom one can prepare a nice flight again with appropriate service. I am also looking forward to a normal and regulated everyday life and to fully carry out the job I love. At the moment I miss this very much, as well as the whole structure - but I think many people will feel this way!

“I am very pleased that with Oliver Schmitt we have been able to appoint a Managing Director and Chief Commercial Officer from our own ranks,” said Thorsten Dirks, CEO of Eurowings. “In recent years, Oliver Schmitt has provided enormously important impulses in the area of digitalization, pushed the development of new sales structures and, together with his team, achieved considerable sales successes.” Thorsten Dirks continued: “I am convinced that he will consistently pursue this path in his new responsibility – in the best interests of our customers, to whom we want to offer even better digital services and tailor-made products along the entire travel chain in the future.”

Designated CEO Jens Bischof, who will start at Eurowings on March 2020, is also looking forward to the reinforcement in the management team: “Oliver Schmitt is a tremendous asset for Eurowings with his digital mindset and many innovative sales ideas. He will dynamically develop the commercial sector and consistently place 28 million Eurowings customers at the focus of our work.”

Oliver Schmitt has a doctorate in physics. After his studies and doctorate, he initially worked as a management consultant before moving to the mobile communications provider Telefonica O2 Germany in Munich in 2003. There Oliver Schmitt held various positions in product development, marketing and sales. As Vice President Online at Telefonica O2 Germany, the 48-year-old was responsible for the areas of e-commerce, online sales and analytical pricing as well as digital marketing and affiliate marketing. Since January 2017, Oliver Schmitt has been responsible for all sales and distribution activities of Eurowings as Vice President Sales. Since 2018 he has also been responsible for the implementation of the digital strategy as Managing Director of Eurowings Digital. 

Oliver Schmitt is married and has two children. He will be continuing his work as Managing Director of Eurowings Digital in a dual role going forward.

"With the help of the application coaching, the students can probably enter for the first time into an exchange with a large company and learn first-hand what HR professionals pay particular attention to. We are pleased that we can realize this great opportunity for them through the cooperation with the help alliance," says Marwa Mohamad, Regional Team Leader of Chancenwerk e.V. for Duisburg and Düsseldorf.

Michael Knitter, COO at Eurowings, encouraged the school children in the discussion in Düsseldorf to use the further education opportunity within the learning project and to pursue their professional goals.

The Düsseldorf project "Destination Education Opportunities"

The "Destination Educational Opportunities" project, which is implemented by the non-profit organization Chancenwerk e.V., supports school children whose families are unable to assist their kids with learning for financial, time or language reasons. At the three Düsseldorf schools Dieter-Forte-Gesamtschule, Realschule Benrath and Freiherr-vom-Stein Realschule, school children are supported by older pupils. Currently 142 pupils and six students are taking part in the programme. help alliance Project Manager on the part of Eurowings is Gaby Drawe.

This is why the pilots of the Special Air Mission Wing bear a particularly high level of responsibility. They belong to the Federal Ministry of Defence and are part of the German Army. They undergo the same basic training as commercial pilots to obtain the civil aviation licence, then acquire the type rating for a particular aircraft type at Lufthansa Aviation Training (LAT) before they learn the practical aspects in extensive line training. The German government has now given this responsible task in the hands of Eurowings.

The main mission of the Cologne-based Special Air Mission Wing is the worldwide transport of soldiers and equipment in long-haul aircraft, the transport of political and parliamentary leaders, and the execution of flights to support humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations.

Eurowings has recently become the official instructor for the pilots of the Special Air Mission Wing on the Airbus A320. "The procedures are practically identical at Eurowings and the Special Air Mission Wing. For example, we use the same checklists, wordings and task assignments. This enables the Special Air Mission Wing pilots to receive their flight training from us", explains Uli Schmidt, Vice President Crew Training at Eurowings.

The first pilots just started with three weeks of theoretical training at the Eurowings base in Düsseldorf, Germany, as well as one week of simulator training. They practice all flying manoeuvres in the cockpit including approach procedures, landing training and emergency scenarios.

This was followed by flying lessons. The practical training covers 80 routes, which are flown within the Eurowings route network comprising 210 destinations. Our team of instructors - a total of 46 captain colleagues – professionally accompany the Air Force pilots for the duration of their training at Eurowings.

"During the practical training the pilots fly up to four routes a day. This means that the required 125 flying hours in flight training can be completed in only two months. A passenger aircraft has a much tighter schedule than a government plane - this reduces the duration of the practical phase to a quarter", explains Uli. At the end of the training the so-called “final check” takes place. Once this check flight has been successfully passed, the training at Eurowings ends and the First Officers return to service within the German Army.

The cooperation is initially scheduled for two years. The pilots of the German army are trained at Eurowings on the A320 aircraft type for the first time. In the course of a fleet rollover, the Air Force is now successively acquiring new aircraft.

Eurowings brought 76 percent of its guests to their destination on time - 13 percent more punctual than in the previous year. The top destination for holidaymakers in Europe was Mallorca, which Eurowings serves directly from 21 European airports. On long-haul routes, Bangkok, New York and Miami were among the most popular destinations. Eurowings was well prepared for the big summer travel wave and had strengthened its staff especially at the airports in Düsseldorf and Cologne and ensured sufficient resources for handling. Furthermore, Eurowings provided additional aircraft and crews as a reserve. The excellent performance is attributable to numerous measures taken by Eurowings since the end of last year to ensure greater punctuality and stability in flight operations. For this purpose, the airline had closely examined all operational processes on the ground and in the air. 

"Our efforts and intensive preparations of the past months have paid off, we flew our guests punctual and reliable to their holiday destinations and back home," says Michael Knitter, Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer at Eurowings. "A huge thank you to all our employees on board and on the ground as well as to our service providers, who ensured smooth flight operations with their commitment". 

At its home airports in Cologne and Düsseldorf, Eurowings is above average in punctuality and is more punctual than its competitors. This is confirmed by data from the independent portal OAG (www.oag.com). Eurowings would have been even more punctual if there had been no disruptions caused by air traffic control. On the positive side, Eurowings was able to cushion the effects of external factors and avoid subsequent delays for its guests due to optimized processes. Compared to the previous year, Eurowings was able to reduce these delays disproportionately by more than a half in Düsseldorf, for example. 

The passengers appreciate this, as shown by the consistently high customer satisfaction figures that Eurowings has been collecting on a monthly basis. "The satisfaction of our customers is the greatest motivation for us. We do everything we can to offer long-term stable and reliable flight operations and the best service to our guests", says Michael Knitter. 

Together with its system partners such as air traffic control and airports, Eurowings will continue to push these topics forward.

Concretely, you can imagine it this way:

Aviatar provides information for fleet management and performance monitoring of our aircraft, such as information on necessary parts replacement or upcoming maintenance. For example, our colleagues from the operations department are informed about the platform at an early stage if one of our aircraft needs a spare part, for example in Mallorca, and can plan this exchange in advance and manage the material stock on site so that potential delays to and from Mallorca can be avoided.

The use of Aviatar shows that innovation and digitization play an important role at Eurowings. Click on our video to find out more.

The first days of the summer holidays are the busiest of the whole year. Is that always something special for you, too?

Yes, when I see that so many holidaymakers are on the move in the terminal, the joy shortly before departure is particularly great. It's just a great atmosphere. On weekends, many families with children were on the move. We tried to finish all the preparations as quickly as possible so that we could let children into the cockpit before take-off to explain our work to them. That's a lot of fun. But nothing changes about the basic processes in the cockpit - such as entering the route to be flown into the flight computer or calculating the weight.

How did the first weekend go?

The procedures on the ground were perfect - and we always closed the doors on time because the passengers were also well organized. Only on the way from Düsseldorf to Vienna last Friday did we have to avoid a large thunderstorm cell that stretched from Bergisches Land to Frankfurt. There we had to fly a detour to the Main and got into a corridor, in which we could not climb to our cruising altitude and fly over the clouds due to much air traffic.

Cockpits look extremely complicated because there are hundreds of buttons and switches. How difficult is it, for example, to fly an Airbus A320?

Of course, many passengers say: "Man, this is complicated! How do you find your way there?" Since all switches are labeled and arranged in groups like electric or hydraulic, it is much easier than it looks at first sight. Imagine you have several light switches in one place at home and you don't know which one is for the kitchen and which one is for the hallway in the dark - then you have to label them. That's why the switches in the cockpit are labelled precisely. All we have to do is take a look and immediately know what function the individual parts have. This relieves the strain and gives us the capacity to react to weather events or the like.

Nowadays, flight computers take over more and more of the pilot's tasks. Is that sometimes scary for you?

No. I have confidence in the technology of the Airbus A320 Family. I am very well trained on the aircraft, know the systems and their updates. We pilots and the airline are always informed about innovations by the manufacturer. That is a constant learning process. For example, the autopilot supports us as part of the automation in the air, so that we are free for other things. This in turn increases safety because we can more quickly address less predictable factors such as the weather. That's why I can no longer imagine my job without automation.

Julia, you've been a pilot for over 20 years. What were your most beautiful or curious experiences?

It used to be especially nice to have children in the cockpit during the flight - to Mallorca, for example. How proud the little ones were when they were allowed to take a photo with a real pilot. I particularly remember that. Nowadays, unfortunately, it is unthinkable. Another great memory for me was my switch from the Bombardier CRJ900 to the A320 in 2015. A dream came true because I love how the Airbus flies. And of course there are also some curious anecdotes, for example about various bachelor farewells to the Balearic Islands, where some people in the plane could no longer keep their food for themselves. So it never gets boring with us on board!

Thank you very much, Julia, for the interview.

The Eurowings Lounge will be available to BIZclass guests as well as Miles & More status customers with a SMART fare booking. In addition to an attractive range of snacks, drinks, various coffee specialties and free water, Eurowings guests can use the airport's Wi-Fi free of charge. They are also automatically informed about the boarding of their respective flight. The new Eurowings Lounge is located near Gate A 9. It is open daily from 5 am to 10 pm. Passengers departing via the non-Schengen area can access the “Airport Lounge World”.

"As we know from regular passenger surveys, an exclusive waiting area is what our customers appreciate in a lounge – a place where they can relax or work in peace," says Oliver Wagner, Chief Commercial Officer at Eurowings. "And it is precisely this need we are now meeting with our modern range of services in Munich".

Since June 1, Eurowings has been handling passengers in Area A of Terminal 1. They benefit from short distances and can also use all Eurowings service facilities easily and conveniently in one continuous area. The Eurowings check-in and security checkpoints are just a few steps from the terminal entrance.

The Eurowings Gold Credit Cards consist of VISA and MasterCard and offer numerous advantages: Cash can be withdrawn free of charge from cash machines. Also, there are no foreign currency fees when paying with the credit cards abroad – a unique selling point that saves users up to two percent compared to other providers. A pleasant side effect: Holders of Eurowings credit cards are automatically members of the Boomerang Club – Eurowings’ bonus program – and earn up to two miles per one Euro they spend. The miles collected are valid for an unlimited period exclusively for credit card holders.

Other services of the Eurowings Credit Cards Gold include fully comprehensive cover for rental cars, travel health insurance and flight-related benefits such as priority check-in and the use of fast lanes for security checks at more than 20 locations.

Luisa was able to quickly dispel some of mother Martina's concerns that she was too old or that changing jobs after 20 years was too demanding. Martina finally took the initiative, feverishly awaited the day of her assessment center at Eurowings and finally celebrated her acceptance with her daughter as well as new colleague. Luisa and Martina now not only exchange at home, but also high above the clouds: "It was pretty cool to train your own mum on board. We already had some nice turnarounds together," says Luisa.

We are #wingsfamily!

"We want to help create perspectives for children and young people. The Düsseldorf learning project, which we have been supporting for several years now, makes an important contribution to this. We are pleased that the project supports both younger and older pupils to further develop their abilities to a greater extent than they would have been able to without this learning support," said Andrea Pernkopf.

In addition to Michael Biallas, the deputy headmaster of the Dieter-Forte-Gesamtschule, and representatives of the help alliance, pupils and tutors from the learning project took part in the meeting. They were able to report directly on their experiences.

help alliance was founded 20 years ago as a result of employee commitment and is involved in projects worldwide to enable children and young people to lead a self-determined life. Employees of the Lufthansa Group and Eurowings are personally involved in each of the approximately 40 aid projects worldwide.

The Düsseldorf Project "Destination: Educational Opportunities"

The " Destination: Educational Opportunities " project, implemented by the non-profit organization Chancenwerk e.V., benefits pupils whose families are unable to help them with learning for financial, time or language reasons. At the three Düsseldorf schools Dieter-Forte-Gesamtschule, Realschule Benrath and Freiherr-vom-Stein Realschule, pupils are supported by older pupils and students. Currently 66 pupils and six students take part in the project.

Marwa Mohamad, educational coordinator of Chancenwerk e.V. for Duisburg, Essen and Düsseldorf: "We are very happy that the donation enables us to continue the project successfully. In this way we can create a place for many children where they can ask their own individual questions regardless of the pressure to perform. Because at Chancenwerk there are no wrong or stupid questions. Everyone here can be himself or herself."

Imke Schepers, Lufthansa sales manager for North Rhine-Westphalia, and Gaby Drawe, who is in charge of sustainability communication at Eurowings, share the help alliance project management for the " Destination: Educational Opportunities " project. With the help alliance, each aid project is initiated and managed personally by employees who are the interface between the non-profit project and the help alliance. Every donated cent goes 100% to the help alliance project work.

Each day, around 3,000 flight schedules are produced and given via tablet to the pilots on their journeys. Each schedule includes a route plan, fuel calculation, other current information and much more. The IOCC watches over everything so that millions of passengers a year arrive punctually at their destinations.

The Control Center’s tasks are strictly allocated. “For example, the Operation Control Center, OCC for short, makes sure that every plane is in the right place at the right time,” explains IOCC director Jörn Messner. “Plus, the availability of pilots and cabin crews for each plane also has to be coordinated. That is the Crew Control (CC)’s responsibility. But that’s not all: we also have a PCC, meaning our Passenger Control Center. Among other things, it serves as an interface for local bases, foreign airlines, operators, call centres and passenger/ground services during daily business, and offers local base support on all passenger-related issues.”

The OCC, CC and PCC are all united under the IOCC roof in Cologne. There is also close collaboration with colleagues in the Maintenance Control Center (MCC) who are responsible for aircraft technology and maintenance. “Because safety is always the top priority,” Messner says. The many things that can be planned include the number of aircraft, flight destinations, dates such as the start of holidays, and much more. But much is out of the IOCC team’s hands. The experts call them “irregs” meaning unforeseeable irregularities. “For example, it can be that a bad weather front forces us to amend our schedule,” explains Messner. And the weather is not the only unknown. The IOCC boss points to a radar display that shows the airspace over Europe. “We are not alone,” he says. “The first half of last year saw the greatest ever number of flights in German airspace. This is causing increasingly frequent bottlenecks, like traffic jams in the sky. They also mean we cannot always keep our quality promise with regard to punctuality.” The weekends in particular are affected when everyone seemingly wants to travel to the Mediterranean at once in fine weather. “But regardless of the cause, if the system gets disrupted, our goal is to get the schedule back on track as fast as possible,” says Messner.

Only last year, around 200 billion apps were downloaded by mobile phone users worldwide. Eurowings is also recording this trend. Eurowings Digital Managing Director Oliver Schmitt comments: "Our way to the customer is increasingly taking place via smartphone: "We see that the mobile phone has become the most important tool for most of our customers when booking, preparing and during their entire journey. Our app is now being used for the entire holiday planning process thanks to functions such as car rental booking, the possibility to flexibly book FlixBus tickets and the information on travel offers individually tailored to the customer". 

Eurowings Digital is continuously developing its app on its way to becoming the leading travel companion in the digital world - with great success, as can be seen from the Focus Money Ranking. Additional functions, such as the integration of further partners, will soon be available to Eurowings customers.

With the SCOPE program – Sustainable customer oriented process enhancement – Eurowings is currently examining all operational processes on the ground and in the air. Employees from various operational and commercial departments of the company are working together on numerous measures to prepare Eurowings for the summer flight schedule. The aim is to offer passengers reliable flight operations. The way: Coordinated processes and services that focus on the passenger. This is how Eurowings intends to implement its quality promise and significantly increase customer satisfaction.

Four strands of action, twelve initiatives

Along four lines of action – planning, maintenance, process optimisation, dealing with irregularities – SCOPE bundles the twelve most important initiatives that are decisive for the 2019 summer timetable. Clear responsibilities have been defined for each initiative.

On the one hand, it is a matter of combating causes and eliminating influential factors, such as ensuring better availability of the fleet or managing service providers more closely. On the other hand, Eurowings reduces the symptoms of delays and compensates for external factors, e.g. by correcting its flight schedule, planning buffers and longer check-in times and making special efforts to ensure that its aircraft take off punctually in the morning. Because only if the first wave goes well does the whole day go well.

Focus on the customer

When dealing with irregularities, Eurowings further sharpened its customer focus. Constant, fast and reliable customer communication is the basis for successful Irreg Handling. Eurowings optimizes customer information via e-mail and SMS, as well as communication with handling agents, service centers and crews. Eurowings is also working on automating and digitizing processes and services. The newly founded Eurowings Digital GmbH is developing solutions that enable passengers to quickly and easily rebook, cancel and create rail vouchers.

During boarding, the handling of hand luggage is a critical success factor. It is not unusual for a flight to take off late because baggage has to be brought into the hold at the last minute. Both at the gate and in the cabin, Eurowings is now simplifying the hand baggage process and ensuring consistent compliance with the hand baggage rules. Every traveller who adheres to the baggage rules contributes to a more efficient process and thus to a punctual departure. At the end of January, Eurowings tested changed boarding procedures at individual gates at Cologne/Bonn Airport. A modified setup at the gate was tested, with guests boarding over two lanes, new announcements on the subject of hand luggage and the deployment of a second agent at the gate. In March a further test run is planned in Cologne, in which the knowledge gained so far will be implemented and the new processes applied to all Eurowings gates and all Eurowings flights from Cologne. With the start of the summer flight schedule, they are to be gradually introduced at further home bases.

The Eurowings SCOPE project is part of the Lufthansa Group's 'Operational Excellence 2019' programme, in which the hub airlines Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and SWISS are also involved – with many individual projects in which all the airlines in the Lufthansa Group are also leveraging synergies.

The programme managers of SCOPE are Jörn Messner, Head of Flight Operations Support Eurowings, and Michael Klee, Head of Ground Operations Eurowings. Michael Knitter, COO Eurowings Group, and Oliver Wagner, CCO Eurowings Group, are responsible for the programme on the management side.

In future, Eurowings, which has grown considerably in recent years, will be the largest airline based in Terminal 1. For passengers, this means not only time saving but also improved orientation. From entering the terminal building, it’s only a few steps to the check-in desks and security checkpoint. After the security check, they reach their gates just as quickly and directly. There will be a shuttle connection between the terminals for transfer passengers. 

As a result, Eurowings will contribute to a more balanced use of capacities at Germany’s second largest airport. The move will ease the strain on Terminal 2’s infrastructure with its satellite terminal by more than two million passengers. This year also sees the start of refurbishment and modernisation work on Terminal 1 at Munich Airport which aims to equip the building for modern and effective operations surrounding aircraft handling.