Lufthansa pledges that booking its private jets could not be made any easier. "It is very simple, just a 'phone call," says Dr. Gerald Wissel, global head, Lufthansa Private Jet (LPJ) which was officially launched on 1 June this year. "The credit card generates an electronic ticket. This ticket is the contract between Lufthansa and client and this contract is completely valid under European law. In fact, as a passenger, you have many more rights with this "airline' ticket than with a charter contract." Wissel also pledges that there will be one price for each point-to-point travel within Europe.

Lufthansa showcased a private jet service aircraft, a CJ3, at EBACE but it will be one of nine aircraft entering LPJ service in the coming months. The airline will also utilise the aircraft of private charter partners who will include DC Aviation. Cabin size and luggage capacity were among the selection priorities. LPJ says seven Citations will fly point-to-point in Europe and Russia will be served by two Canadair CRJ200s converted to Challenger 850 configuration.

"The clients are essentially corporate customers who want a one-stop shop for their require-ments," Wissel adds. "They want point-to-point travel coordinated with first-class scheduled travel. We will provide everything they need including limousine transfer as necessary."

Lufthansa intends that the private jet service mentality is found in First Class as well. Wolfgang Mayrhuber, chairman of Lufthansa's executive board, says: "First Class guests who spend many days of the month aboard an aircraft and at airports expect to be able to decide for themselves how they spend their time. We would like to create an environment similar to that of a journey by private jet."

He adds: "Passengers arriving on long haul flights in Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich can conveniently take a private jet to fly on to their final destination, connecting to more than 1,000 airports throughout greater Europe. The private jet service can also be used for point-to-point flights between European airports."

Mayrhuber claims: "LPJ complements Lufthansa's worldwide network by adding up to 1,000 individualised flight options." He says that all clients will be looked after by their own personal assistant. "In the background an events manager coordinates the journey before and during the flight and also takes care of any of the clients' individual requests."

At Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich, passengers arriving aboard Lufthansa long haul flights are taken through formalities by the personal assistant and can be directly limousine-chauffeured across the tarmac to the LPJ aircraft. Seamless transit of baggage is part of the deal.

Lufthansa actually began ferrying first-class passengers from airline hubs to their final destination but it says feedback confirms they want a point-to-point service. This was a different concept to the service that was provided by NetJets and Lufthansa decided to offer its own operation. DC Aviation, which was used to meet some of the demand, and will be among the few selected partners as Lufthansa responds to what it says is growing demand.

Lufthansa reports that the number of private jet flights operated in 2007 rose by 26 per cent. "Customer demand strongly outstripped capacity over the year by an average of around 25 per cent and in peak months by as much as 60 per cent," says Wissel.

Demand for aircraft, especially mid to large accommodating seven to 12 people, rose disproportionately in the past year, Wissel adds. "It was strongest among customers from Germany, Scandinavia, France and Italy, who used the LPJ service primarily for point-to-point flights."