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Aviation History
1987
1987 - 0231.PDF
that was not all; the smaller carrier also received a senior executive from Lufthansa's ranks as managing director, and Peter Orlovius is still in charge nearly a decade later. Why does Lufthansa choose to involve itself directly in commuter transport rather than simply co-operating with a specialist independent or two? There seems to be philosophy behind it as much as commercialism; the official brief on the partnership relationship says that "through DLT Lufthansa partakes actively and with initiative in regional air traffic within the Federal Republic of Germany and in Central Europe". Further down it adds: "The demand for air services is to be answered by Lufthansa/DLT wherever possible". The philosophical aspect, tempered gently with economic conditional thinking, is defined perfectly here: "Reasons of national transport policy as well require maximum coverage of the market. Lufthansa will construc tively take on the task to connect even more weakly structured parts of the coun try to the general network of air routes as far as this is acceptable for economic reasons and reasons of corporate policy". In the end the point is that DLT and Lufthansa have actually contracted with each other to complement, never to compete. In the USA the co-operating major and commuter do not need a formal contract; the commuter just knows it will be flattened if it steps out of line. DLT comes in on routes where there is an air travel market but one which will not allow a Boeing 737 to make money. The fact that more than 45 passengers assem bled in one place with a common intended destination is enough to make a 737 break even is the fact which chooses DLT's larg est aeroplane for it. It could be an ATR42, DLT for five years Passengers Flights Flight hours Seat load factor Seat km (millions) Passenger km millions Pax per flight (inc subcontracts) Turn-over (DM millions) Routes (total) —border-crossing Staff (total) —flying —others 1983 256,620 14,229 15,273 526% 178-6 94 18 04 48 6 29 9 186 79 107 1984 342,370 18,395 20.225 55-2% 220 1 121 5 186 62 35 13 206 87 119 1985 489,589 26,039 29,880 54-5% 329-4 179-4 18 8 83 9 40 17 270 112 158 1986 557,444 29,976 35,842 55-66% 389 3 216 18-6 109 6 43 23 363 155 208 Planned or expected 1987 40,381 (35% inc) 40,000hr (approx) Expect an increase 509 (30-7% inc) Expect an increase 150 523 but actually DLT has chosen the Fokker 50 and will be one of the first customers to receive it. Currently its big aircraft are British Aerospace 748-2Bs. Also agreed is that as soon as DLT has developed a route to the point where Lufthansa could make money out of it, then Lufthansa takes it; unless the partners agree that developing the route would be better achieved by an increase in frequency than by putting bigger aeroplanes on the same schedule. Working with other regional carriers, like WDL, Contactair, and NFD is not ruled out. DLT will carry out subcontract work for them on their licenced routes, and vice-versa. In fact a great deal of the latter happens on DLT's complex network (see diagram) on those routes or sectors where the EMB-120 Brasilia (at 30 seats it is DLT's smallest aircraft) is simply too large, and where a Jetstream 31 or a Swearingen Metro would be more appro priate. However, a Brasilia can operate economically with 15 passengers, says Orlovius, so it is not necessary to subcon tract all the leaner routes. Being Lufthansa's partner can make many tasks much easier. The association provides DLT with a certain automatic status just by rub-off, but Lufthansa in fact does all DLT's marketing and sales. DLT can use LH facilities like check-in, passenger handling, and reservations. It dose not have to use them, nor does it get them free; DLT can go elsewhere for a service if it finds someone else cheaper. This situation, coupled with the fact that at the moment some 80 per cent of DLT's routes are operated under LH flight numbers, sometimes causes passengers to complain that everything they see until they are confronted with the DLT aeroplane itself is Lufthansa, and that Lufthansa is what they believed they were paying for. This happens less often now, partly because the travellers are becoming accustomed to the service and what to expect, and partly because, Orlovius says, of the fact that DLT's current fleet looks more sophisticated Opposite The Embraer 120 Brasilia is DLT's newest fleet member; it operates four so far as 28-seaters. Its other type is the 44-seat British Aerospace 748, below, of which it has six, and has placed orders for seven Fokker 50s. Where there is a need for smaller aircraft in its network, DLT charters Metros or Jetstreams from other commuters FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 25 April 1987
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