A few days ago, Innsbruck Airport, which is currently due to an extensive Slope renovation is temporarily closedBad news: Lufthansa will no longer reactivate the hub connection to the Frankfurt am Main hub.

This route was originally an Austrian Airlines route, but was then handed over to Lufthansa, whereby AUA machines continued to be used as a rule. Then it was switched to OS flight numbers and actually the “return” to Lufthansa was planned. The Austrian subsidiary is withdrawing from Innsbruck-Frankfurt and Graz-Düsseldorf. This means that the last decentralized routes are given up or handed over to sister companies. While Eurowings will take over in Styria, it should Fly from Innsbruck Air Dolomiti with Embraer 195.

Only the flight numbers and the logo on the regional jet would have changed for the passengers. But Lufthansa revised the decision and is now relying on a concept that has failed terribly in the past. They want to take travelers from Innsbruck to the Munich hub by coach. This is exactly what is already being offered as a temporary solution, because Innsbruck is closed due to the piste renovation.

Review: A few years ago Lufthansa had a cooperation with Deutsche Post and offered bus connections with LH flight numbers to Munich Airport from Nuremberg, Salzburg and Innsbruck, among others. These were a terrific flop and were not taken over by Flixbus in the course of the takeover of the Postbus. Deutsche Post and its subcontractors still had to fulfill the contract for a few weeks and then “PostHansa” was discontinued. The reason for this: The occupancy rate was very low, because the passengers did not accept journeys with the long-distance buses.

In Germany in particular, politicians are exerting increasing pressure on airlines. Lufthansa announced a few months ago that some domestic German routes would be shifted to rail. To this end, appropriate cooperation agreements were concluded with Deutsche Bahn AG. On some routes, however, the rail connection is not really an alternative. Buses are used here. An example of this is Nuremberg-Munich. This ultra-short route was relocated to the streets under political pressure.

Innsbruck: Lufthansa becomes a long-distance bus operator again

Now it is also affecting Innsbruck, because the interim solution will continue as a bus connection over the entire winter flight schedule. Upon request, Lufthansa confirmed to Aviation Direct that it would offer two daily course pairs between Innsbruck and the Bavarian capital. Is this solution really an attractive solution in view of the fact that other carriers, which can certainly offer transfer options, fly to Tyrol during the cold season? That remains to be seen.

In view of the fact that the feeder flights to the AUA hub in Vienna will remain active, Austrian Airlines could definitely benefit from “StraßenHansa”. The disastrous results of the cooperation with Deutsche Post have shown that business travelers are not really interested in sitting in the bus for around 2,5 hours and then having to go to the check-in counter at the airport.

According to a Lufthansa spokesman, the Innsbruck-Salzburg long-distance bus route will initially be operated until the end of March 2022. Whether the flight connection to Frankfurt am Main will ever be reactivated is in the stars. In any case, this was repeatedly discontinued and resumed during the corona pandemic. Lufthansa's decision also means that many passengers who have traveled to Frankfurt am Main for their winter holidays are rebooked via Vienna-Schwechat. It is to be expected that many holidaymakers will refuse to change their travel route via Munich with a subsequent bus transfer. What is at the expense of Innsbruck, Vienna could bring additional switchers.