In a letter to customers, Otto detailed how the Austrian bailout out was contingent on the Lufthansa one being agreed. Now that is has, the Vienna based carrier will be able to rapidly to increase its current schedule.
Andreas Otto, pictured left, wrote: "June 8, 2020 was a historic day for Austrian Airlines: Together with the Austrian state, our owner Lufthansa and with the help of our business partners and employees, a package of measures was agreed upon to ensure the continued existence of Austrian Airlines and enable us to fly again from 15 June.
However, our package is also dependent on state aid for Lufthansa in Germany, the approval of all committees and the approval of the EU Commission.
Andreas Otto's letter continues: "Yesterday, the shareholders approved the proposed capital measures at the Extraordinary General Meeting of our parent company, Deutsche Lufthansa AG. This means that Lufthansa can now access its financial package as planned.
What does this mean for you as a customer of Austrian Airlines?
First things first: We are here for you and can now fully concentrate on your needs.
In the coming days and weeks, we will be expanding our route network and can offer you flights to more than 50 destinations worldwide as early as July. These include many European cities, vacation destinations and our first long-haul flights to the USA and Asia.
To give you even more freedom in planning, we will continue to offer you maximum flexibility when booking. For flights within Europe, we have extended all fares by a basic bring-me-home guarantee. If your travel plans change, you can rebook your flight free of charge, regardless of the fare or destination or have the costs reimbursed.
Of course, you will continue to collect status and award miles on your flights and all miles earned so far remain valid. The goodwill arrangement for status customers remains unchanged.
We look forward to welcoming you soon with a “Servus” on board. Thank you very much for your support and please stay healthy!
Kind regards
Dr. Andreas Otto
Chief Commercial Officer
However, things may not be smooth sailing for Austrian Airlines, as Ryanair has promised a price war after confirming it would be base more Ryanair aircraft at Vienna after pulling the plug on its Lauda operation at the airport in a battle with staff. The budget low-fare high-fee airline will fly 64 routes from Vienna and offer fares at €9.99. The Irish airline boss has already confirmed he is happy to run his airline at a loss for the rest of the year, as long as he can fill all the seats on his aircraft
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