Lauda Air has enjoyed a successful year in the single charter business segment, generating revenue of around EUR 20 million. This extremely pleasing result accounts for some 10 percent of total charter revenue and makes a hugely positive contribution to the overall Group result for the 2007 financial year. Stronger market orientation, which has enabled Lauda Air to meet concrete customer demand quickly and flexibly by employing specially bundled packages, has been an essential part of this rewarding trend. Lauda Air is the Austrian Airlines Group subsidiary with responsibility for the charter flights segment. The entire aircraft capacity of the Group is available to the company to serve the segment as required. Lauda Air plans and realises some 200 single charter projects per annum.

Thomas Suritsch, Managing Director of Lauda Air, said the following about the success in this business segment: “In single charter business, when aircraft with the required crew are leased exclusively to one client for individual routes or round-trips, the product can be configured to precisely meet the client’s wishes. These needs range from preferred flight times through to special catering. An overall package which includes a great deal more than just routing, overflight rights and the need for harmonised flight times is absolutely decisive to ensure commercial success. This is why I am so pleased to learn that our customers feel we are looking after them so well - not merely upon their arrival on the aircraft but from the moment a booking request is made - and that they are happy to use our services repeatedly as a direct result. The services we provide are particularly prized by football clubs and car manufacturers - we generate around 75% of our single charter revenue in these segments.”

The portfolio: world tours, New Year’s Eve flights, corporate charters and football clubs
Major car manufacturers from Germany, France and Spain regularly use single charter products of Lauda Air for their dealer conferences or car presentations. The single flight customers of Lauda Air also include a number of renowned Austrian banks.

Lauda Air’s clientele also consists of several prominent football clubs: As in 2006 to Mexico, the world-famous club FC Barcelona worked together with the competent sales team at Lauda Air on the organisation of its Asian promotional tour which took place in the summer of 2007. Flight operations, organisation of the catering and travel accompaniment during the club’s round-trip to Beijing, Tokyo and Hong Kong have been placed in the ever-reliable hands of Lauda Air this year. All the needs of the dazzling array of international stars that make up the Barcelona squad, including Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, Carles Puyol, Italian world champion Gianluca Zambrotta, Xavi, Deco, Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry, were attended to on board the aircraft.

German Bundesliga team SV Werder Bremen, where Austrian national team player Martin Harnik also plays, assigned Lauda Air to organise its journeys across Europe during the 2007/2008 Champions League season.

The New Year’s Eve round-trip offered by Lauda Air to usher in the New Year, which has already become something of a tradition in its own right, is another highly attractive product. This year, passengers will once again have the opportunity to see in the New Year at altitude on board two Lauda Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

Lauda Air also organises fantastic world tours. Most recently, on 2 November 2007, a Boeing B767 with 150 guests on board took off on an exclusive 25-day world tour of the most beautiful beaches and cities in the southern hemisphere. The next take-off will take place on 16 February 2008, meanwhile, marking the beginning of a 15-day tour offering insights into the nature, history and culture of south-east Asia and the Arab Emirates.
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