LUFTHANSA is alienating business travellers with its Easy Boarding policy, BTI chief executive officer David Radcliffe told delegates at last week’s Business Travel Forum.
The airline boards passengers according to zones depending on where the passenger is seated on the aircraft.
When it is time to board, priority is given to those in zone one who are seated in window seats, followed by those at the back of the aircraft, then passengers in the middle and those at the front.
Radcliffe said business travellers are complaining about being kept waiting to board, and say that when they do get on the aircraft, there is no room to put their luggage.
Radcliffe said: “By introducing zoning, the airline has filled up the aircraft with people who aren’t frequent travellers, and when we get on, there is no room for our luggage.
“It’s particularly important when travelling short haul as business travellers want to take their overnight luggage as hand luggage so they can save time.
“The people the airlines most want to keep in the world are the frequent travellers. If people like us get annoyed, we will never travel the airline again.”
Radcliffe said he had taken up the matter with Lufthansa, and had been told that the new system cuts boarding time by two-and-a-half minutes.
He said: “I told Lufthansa it has just hacked off all the business travellers, and the airline’s response was that business travellers will just have to adjust.”
A Lufthansa spokeswoman said: “The idea is that you don’t have to clamber over seats to get to your seat, thereby avoiding congestion.
“Passenger opinion has shown that they prefer this method as they don’t have to fight to get to their seat.”