From Munich to New York, Chicago and Tokyo – Experience the “Oktoberfest on board” on all long-haul flights from Germany
This year a Lufthansa crew wearing traditional Bavarian dress will once again take off from Munich during the annual Oktoberfest beer festival, bringing with them a touch of local colour to selected long-haul destinations served from Munich. Lufthansa flights with the special “Oktoberfest crew” are part of an ongoing tradition that has proved very popular with passengers. This time around, the 14-strong inflight team, which will be made up of ten female and two male flight attendants, will be heading for destinations in North America and Japan. On 18 September they will take off for New York, on 24 September for Chicago and on 30 September for Tokyo. “The response from our passengers has been overwhelming. That is why we are taking up the Oktoberfest theme again – on the ground and in the air,” said Thomas Klühr, Chief Financial Officer & Hub Munich Lufthansa German Airlines.
As in 2012, the traditional Bavarian costumes worn by the crew will be provided by Angermaier Trachten, specialist outfitters based in Munich. The dirndl designed for the flight attendants reflects Lufthansa’s corporate colours – royal blue, yellow and white. The
bodice is yellow with delicate blue printed flowers, while the skirt is blue-and-white striped and will be worn with a blue silk apron. Male flight attendants will wear lederhosen, combined with a janker – the traditional Bavarian jacket – and a waistcoat. Their ties will tone in with their colleagues’ dirndls.
The “Oktoberfest on board” theme is not restricted to Munich. In September and October, Business Class passengers on all long-haul flights departing from Frankfurt, Munich and Düsseldorf will be offered a range of Bavarian delicacies. These include hearty specialities
such as landjäger and radi (cold smoked sausage with radish), trout, tafelspitz (boiled beef), obazda (a spicy cheese speciality) and knödel with schwammerl (dumplings with mushrooms). Meanwhile, on the audio channel, a special programme will be devoted to Bavarian music to get passengers into the swing of the Oktoberfest.
Passengers will also be able to experience the Oktoberfest atmosphere in the Lufthansa lounges at Munich. In the Senator lounges, guests will have a chance to taste apfelstrudel, rotzeitbrettln (a typical Bavarian mixed cold platter served on a wooden board) and pretzels. In the First Class Lounge, classic Oktoberfest sweets such as burnt almonds or chocolate fruits will be offered in a specially built traditional Alpine hut. The restaurant, which will be decked out for the annual beer festival, will also be serving Bavarian delicacies, with chefs preparing specialities such as duck or kaiserschmarrn (sugared pancakes) at guests’ tables.
During the Oktoberfest, Lufthansa’s customer service staff at Munich are permitted to wear their own traditional Bavarian costumes to work. Furthermore, in cooperation with Loden- Frey and the specialist outfitters Trachtenhaus Jäger in Miesbach, Lufthansa’s ground staff at Munich will be provided with tailor-made dirndls and traditional Bavarian men’s suits.
It is now more than 50 years since Lufthansa flight attendants first exchanged their uniforms for traditional Bavarian costumes. In 1957, the airline reported: “During the Oktoberfest, Lufthansa stewardesses dressed in dirndls will be tending to the needs of passengers aboard the Super Constellation from New York Hamburg between 17 September and 2 October, and on flights from London to Munich with Lufthansa Convair aircraft from 21 September to 5 October.” On those routes, blonde flight attendants wore pale blue dirndls, while their dark-haired colleagues were dressed in pink. In 2005, after an interval of several years, Lufthansa revived the Oktoberfest crew tradition.
