Lufthansa is interested in taking over airberlin

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Quote: Gosh I hope not. I flew AB 2 years ago in J and it was decent. I hope it doesn't go away.
I'm afraid it's very likely, that it will go away in the next 18 months, but not by insolvency.
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Quote: And I still think, that there won't be an insolvence of Airberlin anyway.
The situation seems to be not as easy as AB might want it it be. German news magazin DER SPIEGEL reports that AB asked the German states Berlin and Nordrhein-Westfalen if it could be possible to get financial state guarantees.
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Quote: The situation seems to be not as easy as AB might want it it be. German news magazin DER SPIEGEL reports that AB asked the German states Berlin and Nordrhein-Westfalen if it could be possible to get financial state guarantees.
After Alitalia received 400m as a gift from the Italian government, Airberlin tries to get some money from the German government (and from the states Berlin, NRW) as well. Every million they get, EY has to pay less to LH.

That is part of the negotiation between EY, LH and German government. It's only about how much money EY has to pay to LH to get rid of AB.
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LH set and match
Lufthansa is set to be the big winner: taxpayers are paying the bill, they give away a few ex-Niki mediterranean slots to please "competition checks" and keep the biz heavy domestic routes, giving them a debt free airline and a 99% monopoly on the domestic market. Domestic prices will go back to their pre-competition levels.
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Quote: Lufthansa is set to be the big winner: taxpayers are paying the bill, they give away a few ex-Niki mediterranean slots to please "competition checks" and keep the biz heavy domestic routes, giving them a debt free airline and a 99% monopoly on the domestic market. Domestic prices will go back to their pre-competition levels.
Yep - unfortunately this is extremely likely... Ryanair is the traveling public's only hope
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So is this confirmed? I want to get a status match to AB and hopefully will get SEN in return eventually.
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I think nothing is confirmed. I hope to keep my AB status, and never need to match to SEN. But these might be false hopes ... I don't need the SEN. It is useless for me, while the AB status is *very* useful.
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Quote: So is this confirmed? I want to get a status match to AB and hopefully will get SEN in return eventually.
It's not confirmed. But it's quite obviously, that there was deal between Abu Dhabi, Berlin and LH.

Don't worry about a status match from topbonus to LH. That won't happen. AirBerlin will be liquidated as company and brand. No reason to match anyone. And hard to match anyway, because even the topbonus Platinum is easier to get than the SEN.

Maybe there will be an offer to match from other OW airlines. And maybe there will be an offer to match from EY guest. And maybe EY guest will become a *A FFP in the future.
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Originally Posted by boerne View Post
Gosh I hope not. I flew AB 2 years ago in J and it was decent. I hope it doesn't go away.

Quite agree, really enjoyed my flights. But I did find the seat rather narrow, ok if you like sleeping on your side. And for goodness sake, don't lose anything down the side of the business class seat, because it will be gone for good.
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Quote: You are talking about Airberlin group. The airline Airberlin is a German company, Air Berlin PLC & Co. Luftverkehrs KG, with headquarters in Berlin.

And I still think, that there won't be an insolvence of Airberlin anyway.
Airberlin group owns few airlines, airberlin lgw, belair and nikki

they are based in Germany Switzerland and Austria but the controlling body is not german, they might try to get an aid package from the states of Berlin NRW , so far the states are reluctant to give any aid to Airberlin
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AGM in LHR today: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/news/wirt...0613-99-827928
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Quote: Gosh I hope not. I flew AB 2 years ago in J and it was decent. I hope it doesn't go away.
If it's been that long since you flew AB (maybe you have flown in Y in the meantime - it's not clear from your post) then you probably won't miss it if it "goes away"...
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Quote: If it's been that long since you flew AB (maybe you have flown in Y in the meantime - it's not clear from your post) then you probably won't miss it if it "goes away"...
Just once in J- A positioning trip ultimately to JNB. So you are probably right. The J seats were lie flat, but narrow. I was probably amnestic for most of the flight, by design.
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Clear statement yesterday that LH doesn't want to take over AB, but is open to expanding the ACMI deal it already has for 38 A320.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-l...-idUSKBN19F0RK
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Air Berlin: opening of insolvency proceedings in its own administration
Just for the record: German news magazine reports:

Quote:
Air Berlin has applied for the opening of insolvency proceedings in its own administration. The flight operations will be continued, Germany's second-largest airline announced on Tuesday.
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