Lufthansa becomes Europe’s only five-star airline in Middle East

Lufthansa has received five-star certification from British aviation consulting specialist, Skytrax, making it the first airline outside Asia for this achievement. The quality rating for premium service and first-rate comfort has placed Lufthansa in the select group of now 10 airlines that have been given this coveted rating. The Skytrax jury has already been awarding five stars to Lufthansa first class for years — now the entire airline has received the same certification.
“The award is a well-deserved recognition of our major efforts to make Lufthansa one of the world’s leading premium airlines again,” said Carsten Spohr, chairman of the board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. “We have caught up because we made huge investments in our fleet, updated all our cabins, introduced digital services, opened new lounges and improved service on board and on the ground. The combination of premium offerings with the quality and professionalism of our employees has earned Lufthansa the status of a five-star airline,” Spohr added. “Everyone at Lufthansa can be proud of this certification, especially our colleagues in the cabins and cockpits and on the ground who fulfil our premium promise every day in their interactions with our passengers. I am convinced that the most important factor in getting the fifth star was that we have the best airline employees.”
Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax, said: “The achievement of 5-Star Airline status by Lufthansa is not only a great accolade as the first European airline to reach this target, but is a clear recognition of the improvements they have made in recent years, particularly in all areas of the front line service delivery.”
The testers at Skytrax travel with the perspective of a passenger. For their ratings, they evaluate the service quality of the respective airline with comprehensive assessments on the ground and in the air in up to 800 categories. These include the service on board, seat comfort, catering, security measures, in-flight entertainment, duty-free offers and many other services. For Skytrax, the consistency and constancy with which Lufthansa has forged ahead with the modernization of its product was a key consideration in the decision to award the fifth star. For instance, the cabins in first, business, premium economy and economy have been comprehensively upgraded over the last few years. The airline has also expanded its restaurant service from first class to business class, improving its personalized appeal to passengers in the process.