Airline is the lifeline of the modern world today as it provides air transport services for freight and passengers. There is an increase of about 700% in people travelling by air than 40 years earlier. This exponential growth in aviation industry is a result of good services provided by the airlines. In this article, we will explore the difference between Europe’s best airlines: Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines, and Austrian Airlines.

Lufthansa

Lufthansa is the second largest airline in Europe in terms of passenger numbers. It is the flag carrier Germany. Lufthansa is one of the founding members of Star Alliance.

Swiss International Airlines

Swiss International Airlines is the flag carrier of Switzerland. It is a member of Star Alliance and a subsidiary of Lufthansa, operating primarily from Zurich Airport

Austrian Airlines

Austrian Airlines AG is the flag carrier of Austria. It is a subsidiary of the Lufthansa group, with its main hub at Vienna International Airport. It is a member of Star Alliance as well.

Lufthansa versus Swiss International Airlines versus Austrian Airlines

History

  • Lufthansa has come a long way from Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G. (DLH), which was formed in Berlin. DLH was Germany’s flag carrier till 1945 when all services were terminated following the defeat of Nazi Germany. In 1954, Luftag adopted the name of DLH and started operating as Lufthansa.
  • Swiss International Airlines was formed after the previous flag carrier of Switzerland-Swissair went bankrupt in 2002. It was built from Swissair’s regional subsidiary Crossair.
  • Austrian Airlines was formed in 1957. It was a merger of Air Austria and Austrian Airways, which was founded in 1923 as a state-owned entity. Later, it purchased its own fleet and started performing its own scheduled service by 1958.

Founded

  • Lufthansa was founded on 6 January 1953. It commenced its operations on 1 April 1955.
  • Swiss International Airlines was founded on 31 March 2002. It was developed from Crossair.
  • Austrian Airlines was founded on 30 September 1957. Its focus cities are Graz Airport, Innsbruck Airport, and Salzburg Airport.

Key People

  • Lufthansa is headed by chairman and CEO Carsten Spohr since May 2014. He is a German airline executive.
  • Swiss International Airlines’ CEO is Thomas Luhr, who previously held leadership roles at Lufthansa CityLine.
  • Austrian Airlines is headed by three persons. Alexis von Hoensbroech is the CEO of Austrian airlines. Its CCO is Andreas Otto and CFO are Wolfgang Jani.

Hub

  • Lufthansa operates from two hubs. Its primary hub is in Frankfurt and its secondary hub is in Munich, Germany. Lufthansa’s registered office and corporate headquarters are in Cologne.
  • Swiss International Airlines operates from Zurich airport. Its headquarters are in Euro airport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg, Basel, Switzerland.
  • Austrian Airlines operates from its hub at Vienna International Airport. Its headquarters are in Schwechat, Austria.

Number of employees and net income

  • Lufthansa had 138353 employees in 2019. Its estimated revenue was 2 billion Euros in 2019. It generated a net income of 1.021 billion Euros in 2019.
  • Swiss International Airlines had 9101 employees in December 2016. Its estimated revenue was 4.95 billion CHF in 2017. Its operating income was 561 million CHF in 2017.
  • Austrian Airlines had 7083 employees in 2018. It generated revenue of 2.05 billion Euros in 2017. Its estimated operating income in 2017 was 101 million Euros.

Fleet

Lufthansa has a fleet size of 237 aircraft in service and 194 ordered..

Swiss International Airlines has 89 in-service aircraft. The airline has ordered 25 more aircraft.

Austrian Airlines had 84 in-service and 12 ordered aircraft in its fleet by March 2020.

Frequent-flyer Program: Miles & More

Lufthansa’s, Swiss International Airlines’, and Austrian Airlines’ frequent-flyer program is named  Miles & More. It is also shared by Lufthansa’s subsidiaries also. It is the largest travel loyalty program in Europe. It had 25 million members in March 2014.

There are 4 membership levels in Miles & More: Miles & More member, Frequent Traveler, Senator, and HON Circle. Miles can be earned by travelling through Lufthansa and Star Alliance partner flights. Extra services, like lounge access and executive bonus miles, are offered to the members at various levels.

Accidents and incidents

  • Many fatal and non-fatal accidents have happened with Lufthansa flights. The most fatal accident happened on 20 November 1974 when a Boeing 747-100 lost power and crashed shortly after take-off at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. It results in the loss of 55 passengers and 4 crew.
  • Swiss International Airlines had not met with any accident since its formation in 2002. Its predecessor Swissair met with a heart-shaking accident on 21 February 1970 when Swissair 330 crashed shortly after take-off. This accident killed everyone on board. Number of deaths were 47-38 passengers and 9 crew.
  • Austrian Airlines have met with a number of accidents. Most recent happened on 5 January 2004 when an Fokker 70 crash landed on a snow covered field near Munich airport. The reason was failure in engines during landing descent due to icing. This accident proved to be fatal for the aircraft, but non-fatal for the passengers and crew. There were only 3 injured passengers.

Choosing Your Ideal European Airline

When choosing among these Lufthansa Group carriers, think about how their particular strengths align with your travel demands. Lufthansa’s extensive network excels at connecting the world – its Frankfurt gateway welcomes more than 65 million passengers a year, with effortless connections on six continents. Its first-class terminal, with sole-use limousine transfers, is the benchmark for other journeys in premium classes.

Swiss International Airlines mingles Swiss precision with Alpine temperament. Their Zurich hub is a finely-tuned machine, and 89% of flights showed up in the gate in 2022. The airline’s “Swiss Senses” program adds to passengers’ well-being with ergonomic seating and locally-sourced meals – even in economy. Business travelers especially enjoy the small size of Zurich airport, allowing easy worry-free connections.

Austrian Airlines has Central and Eastern European market expertise with the widest network to the likes of Budapest, Prague, and Zagreb. Onboard Viennese coffeehouse traditions are part of its “Austrian Classic” service, with regional planes such as the Embraer E195 extending as far as to smaller airports. Winter sports know-how from the airline means hassle-free transport of ski gear to Alpine holiday destinations.

Each of the three has Star Alliance benefits, although with varying rewards. Lufthansa is ideal for globe-trotters who require luxury services, Swiss for efficient European business flights, and Austrian for intracontinental pleasure trips. Frequent travelers can best capitalize on Miles & More benefits with all three, with benefits such as lounge use and priority boarding.

Conclusion

Airlines have come a long way since its inception in 1909. All airlines have the sole purpose of providing the best services to their passengers. Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines and Austrian Airlines are the best in their fields of specialty and provide world-class comfort to passengers. Before booking a flight, one should pay attention to one’s budget and safety.

Which airline do you think is the best?