de en
NEWSLETTER
Hofmann's recommendations

Air Berlin update

700394
700394
700394

There is no question that the days of Germany's second-largest airline are over.

Their split is a done deal, from mid-October there will be no more long-haul flights and even their CEO Thomas Winkelmann emphasizes that passengers will only book from one day to the next. One person who is also interested in parts of Air Berlin is Niki Lauda, former founder of the airline Niki. In an interview with Connoisseur Circle, he doesn't beat around the bush about what he thinks of the fact that Lufthansa and EasyJet are now the preferred partners in the sale of Air Berlin and its subsidiary Niki. "The most important thing for me now is what the antitrust authorities say," Lauda told Connoisseur Circle. Lauda has entered the bidding competition for the insolvent Air Berlin and Niki with Thomas Cook and the vacation airline Condor as well as a 100 million euro offer. Lauda denies rumors that Red Bull founder Dieter Mateschitz is also getting involved. "That is nonsense. Mateschitz has never invested in an airline". Whether his chances of taking over Niki again have diminished because Lufthansa and easyJet are preferred? "I don't know. I haven't received any official confirmation yet and will have to wait and see what comes of it". Lufthansa is particularly interested in Niki and would prefer to incorporate it into its low-cost airline Eurowings. "My personal focus is completely on Niki. And this alliance is also important for Condor, which could expand long-haul routes in Düsseldorf, for example, and Thomas Cook its presence in Austria. With a new Niki to be launched, it is logical to further expand the program in Austria. There are now only five aircraft stationed in Austria". The Airbus fleet should be a mix of A320s and A321s. Anything else makes no sense," Lauda says unequivocally. But Lauda is a realist. "Lufthansa has been working on taking over parts of Air Berlin since March. This gives them an enormous time advantage". Connoisseur Circle's recommendation remains the same: if you want to buy an Air Berlin ticket, then only for a short-term date. The end of Air Berlin is fixed.



Connoisseur Circle Reiseservice GmbH Mariahilfer Straße 88a/II/2a 1070 Wien, Austria +43 1 890 69 77-24, +43 1 890 69 77-10, office@ccircle.cc
 

The current CC highlights

Rating - The best hotels

The world of CC Print

[Translate to en:]

Friends of the Caribbean

Hospitality Awards

[Translate to en:]

CC Top tip

CC VIP

[Translate to en:]

Current competition