He started his journalism career in 1992 as a freelance writer for Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany’s largest daily national newspaper and soon specialised in air transport. Jens joined Aviation Week and Aviation Daily in 2000 as one of the European correspondents. Later his role was expanded to cover international air transport. In 2013 he was named Managing Editor Commercial.
Jens frequently appears on radio and TV to comment on industry matters. In 2003, he received the Hugo Junkers Award of the German aviation press for his coverage of Fairchild Dornier’s bankruptcy. He was named the country’s top travel and air transport writer by the Travel Industry Club three times. Jens graduated from the Munich School of Journalism.
Lufthansa could reach breakeven on an operational basis this year if traffic continues its upward trend, said Thierry Antinori, executive VP-product and marketing. Antinori said on the sidelines of a travel industry conference that because Lufthansa was more flexible and quicker, it could adapt better to market fluctuations. However, a Lufthansa spokesperson said the profit forecast remains unchanged. According to the company's current official guidance, Lufthansa will not reach breakeven. -JF
Lufthansa is in talks with its unions to cut up to EUR1.2 billion (US$1.4 billion) in costs in the next two years. The airline plans to save EUR300 million (US$349 million) in staff expenses, another EUR300 million in material costs and the rest in other areas, sources close to the company said. The carrier allegedly plans no layoffs.
SAS CEO Joergen Lindegaard expects profits for the airline group to return "back to normal" in 2005, the executive told Lufthansa's internal newspaper Lufthanseat. With yields falling and the effects of a cost-cutting program yet to materialize, "2003 will be a dreadful year, the worst in the history of SAS," Lindegaard added. -JF
