Fraport and Lufthansa win German Logistics Award

Prize for passenger and baggage logistics at Frankfurt Airport

Prestigious accolade for Fraport and Lufthansa: At a gala presentation ceremony at the 25th German Logistics Congress in Berlin, the two system partners were jointly presented yesterday with the 2008 German Logistics Award. It was conferred on the two companies against numerous distinguished competitors for their concept of ’integrated passenger and baggage logistics at the Frankfurt aviation hub’. The prize was accepted at the gala ceremony at the historic Dresdner Bahnhof in Berlin by Dr. Stefan Schulte, Deputy Chairman of Fraport AG, and Dr. Karl-Rudolf Rupprecht, Lufthansa’s Head of Hub Management Frankfurt.

The project, initiated by Lufthansa and Fraport in 2002, focused the two companies joint efforts from Day One on the individual passenger. The objective was to generate perceptible improvements for each customer in respect of comfort, punctuality, reliability and connection quality. “In comparison with other major European airports, Frankfurt is notably challenged logistically by an exceptionally high proportion of transit traffic. More than half the some 54 million passengers in Frankfurt in 2007 were passing through the Airport as a connecting hub,” observed Dr. Stefan Schulte. A Lufthansa flight arriving in Frankfurt has passengers on board for up to 85 connecting flights. In face of growing capacity bottlenecks affecting both flight movements as well as activities in the terminal area, Fraport and Lufthansa joined forces in establishing a closely meshed logistics chain to ensure that even in a difficult operating environment all incoming passengers with their baggage would reach their flight connection in the shortest possible time. And in the most convenient, fast and easy way. “Reliable and comfortable processes at the airport are essential for each and every customer. Passengers especially with transit stops on their journey often choose their route not just on the quality of a route network but also on the quality of the transit airport,” said Dr. Karl-Rudolf Rupprecht.

The project began with an open exchange of information on each other’s company processes. Step by step, services and IT systems, such as check-in procedures and the so-called Hub Control Center as central coordinating unit for aircraft ground handling, were integrated to fit perfectly in the common process chain. Inter-company processes are today firm fixtures in passenger and baggage logistics at Frankfurt Airport. The success of the project is readily apparent and, above all, of great benefit to customers. Despite rising passenger and baggage figures, the minimum transfer time between two flights has been kept at an extremely low level in an international comparison. Connecting-flight punctuality and the quality of baggage delivery has, moreover, noticeably improved. With its exceptional quality standards, Frankfort Airport is at the very pinnacle, worldwide, with the best facilities for easy passage through the airport for passengers travelling around the world.