Hamburg to Abha Lufthansa Airways Flights

  About Abha

Located in the Aseer Province is the lush green city of Abha in Saudi Arabia. The city's proximity to the Red Sea and other intriguing geographical features give it a canvas, unlike the rest of Saudi Arabia. The city's Aseer National Park is famously known for being home to some of the exotic birds. It also houses dense juniper forests. The city is famed for its mild temperatures and is hence, a prominent tourist destination in Saudi Arabia.

Best time to visit Abha

Unlike some parts of Saudi Arabia, Abha actually enjoys some pleasant weather with equal summers and winters. In fact, it is one of the colder parts of Saudi, which enjoys a mild climate all year long. The temperatures go as high as 34 degree Celsius during summers and are surprisingly quite low during winters. In fact, there was a time when the recorded temperature crossed the negatives. While this might have happened in the past, the temperatures don't cross negatives anymore. However, it is one of the pleasant cities in Saudi Arabia with a lovely weather that makes travelling ideal for every season. The winter season in Abha is from December to February. During these months, the temperature could touch a staggering low, and you might need to carry enough parkas to ensure that you don't have trouble breathing. The city's rough climate does make it unfavourable to travel and engage in touristy activities. The season does see a drop in the hotel prices as well. If you are okay with the excessively cold winters in Abha, then you should book your tickets and hotels too.

June to September is considered to be the best season for a tourist excursion in Abha. The summers are quite decent as the temperatures don't touch beyond 34 degree Celsius. While it might seem too much for some people, it is actually quite convenient as there is less humidity in the air during this time. The hot and dry summers are tolerable as long as you carry proper bottles of water and hydrate yourself at all times. Out of the summer months, August is recognised as the best month to visit Abha. The city has perfect temperatures and doesn't require you to go beyond your limits to enjoy the vibe. The hotel prices in Abha during the peak season does see a surge though. Since many folks from around Saudi Arabia also flock over to Abha for a summer vacation, it could be a little crowded with a spike in the hotel prices. You might want to make prior bookings of flights and hotels in Abha if you want to evade the tourist crowd. Or you can avoid the tourist crowd altogether by visiting the city during spring, which is from March to May.

Places to visit in Abha

Abha's pride comes from the exquisite Green Mountain, which is located at the heart of the city. It is basically a mountain that has been lined up with green lights to complement the name. Abha Dam is another place that you should visit. The water body is surrounded by lovely land on all sides. There are many restaurants too around the dam that would add to the quaint vibe of the place. Do not miss the Art Street in Abha. It is more of a park laced with well-maintained streets and has shrubs on either side of the track. The place is beautiful, and you will have a good time hanging out here. You should also visit the Aseer National Park. Connected to the Jabal mountains, the coastal park has many cold spots. You would find the best air and vibe in the national park. Al Sahab Park is another such place that would keep you engaged. You will have to rent a car out and drive up to the amusement park. It is actually one of the first amusement parks that were constructed in Abha. The park is second to the Al Saudah Park, which is about 15 km away.

Things to do in Abha

Do not be surprised by the greenery that you will find in the desert city of Abha. As part of your excursion in Abha, you can visit Jabal Sawda by trekking up the peak. Aside from the Sawda, you should also trek up the trails of Jabal Ferwa. The two Saudi Arabian mountains would be cold, so make sure to carry a light jacket and lots of water. If trekking is not your thing, then you should visit Abu Kheyal Park. It is relaxing and has lovely floral trees lined up that adds to the beauty of the place. As the city has many parks and green spaces, you should also check out the Andalus Park. This place is especially perfect if you are travelling with kids. They can have fun on the slides while you can relax and enjoy the breeze while lying on the grass. As the city is surrounded by many parks and mountains, you will always be up for something to do.

Food and restaurants in Abha

Jalamah is a famous dish that you will find in the city. It is a traditional Saudi Arabian dish which is made from lamb. The meat is blended perfectly with Arabic spices consisting of cinnamon, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom and coriander. The aromatic stew certainly brings a lot of flavour on the plate that you would enjoy. Saleeg is another famous dish of the Saudis which is basically rice porridge topped with a marinated and roasted piece of meat. It could be lamb or chicken or any meat of your choice. The lovely dish is comforting and would be a nice indulgence. Another dish that you would find in Abha, a common Saudi meal is the Martabak. A roti-like bread is stuffed with ground meat, garlic, eggs, curry, peppers and onions. It is basically a Saudi version of a paratha. You can actually eat this when you are not in the mood to eat excessively. Do leave some room for dessert as the famous Saudi savour Ma'amoul is a must-have. It is basically a dome-shaped tasty sweet made with fillings of fruits, walnuts, dates and more.

The options of indulgence in Abha is minimal. The city does not have a plethora of food joints with international or fusion cuisine. The place is humble and serves most of Saudi-inspired menu at their restaurants. Most of their restaurants are for a family setting. You can find some tasty Saudi dishes along with plates of mezze meals. Some of the main restaurants include Al-Tahy, N Lounge, Maharaj Indian Restaurant, to name a few. The Green Mountain Restaurant is actually a good place for you to hang out with your family or friends. The place is perched atop a lovely hill and illuminates the scintillating lights of the city. The breath-taking view interspersed with tasty food is definitely unmissable. You can also get coffee and cake as the establishment serves a lot of things.

How to reach Abha

The flight connectivity to Abha is quite decent. Although there are no direct flights to Abha from Indian cities, there are flights connecting to the Saudi city. The most popular route to Abha is from Jeddah and Riyadh. Both the cities are located in Saudi Arabia, and this domestic route to Abha is perfect and well-connected. Airlines such as Air Arabia, Flynas, Saudia, flydubai, Emirates, Etihad Airways, to name a few, have immaculate flight connectivity to Abha. A majority of these flights have layovers in Sharjah, Jeddah, Riyadh and Dubai. These cities offer enough options to reach Abha and hence, are more popular. It is imperative that you get a transit visa as it is required in Saudi cities. Interestingly, Jeddah and Riyadh are the only cities where you will need a transit visa. You can either get it from the embassy, or you can apply for the same online. Saudi Arabia's embassy website has the form that you need to fill out to apply for the transit visa. The flight duration to Abha ranges from 11 hours to 13 hours approximately.

The domestic route from Jeddah is considered to reach Abha. Since flight connectivity to Jeddah is much better than Abha, it is often a better way to reach the Saudi city. The flight tickets to Abha are quite reasonable. The ticket price to Abha ranges from INR 19,000 to INR 25,000. You can actually get tickets to Abha for cheap, provided you spend time on the internet and get hold of some flight deals. A little snooping around on the internet will help you find the best flight deals to Abha online. Along with the flight tickets, you can also book your hotel in Abha. This will actually enable you to receive more discounts and offers. You will have to check for peak season as the flight tickets will be expensive during this time.

  About Lufthansa Airlines

Deutsche Lufthansa or popularly referred to as Lufthansa is a German airline which, in combination with their subsidiaries, is the second largest airline in Europe, with respect to passenger traffic. The airline is the former flag carrier and is derived from German words Luft and Hansa which translates to air and Hanseatic leagues, respectively. Lufthansa is also a recognised founding member of Star Alliance, which is identified as one of the world's largest airline alliance. The airline alliance was formed in 1997. Lufthansa also has many subsidiary airlines such as Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines and Eurowings, to name a few. Along with this, Deutsche Lufthansa AG has also invested in a slew of aviation-related ventures, including LSG Sky Chefs and Lufthansa Technik, that are also part of Lufthansa Group. The airline's registered office, as well as corporate headquarters, is located in Cologne, Germany. Lufthansa majorly operates from Frankfurt Airport as it is the primary hub. The secondary hub for the airline is Munich Airport.

Until 1994, Lufthansa was a state-owned venture. The airline shares have been traded publicly as the company is listed on all German stock exchanges since 1966. Additionally, the shares of Deutsche Lufthansa AG stocks are also traded electronically with the use of the Xetra system. At the end of 2019, the airline's shareholder register revealed that the German investors have 67.3 per cent of ownership. Meanwhile, the second-largest group to hold a maximum number of shareholding is from Luxembourg, with 10.4 per cent stakes. Lufthansa also has shares from the US, which accounts for 8.1 per cent shares and is followed by Ireland and the United Kingdom with 3.6 per cent, respectively. The free float for the airline shares about 100 per cent, according to the definition of the Deutsche Börse. According to the reporting date, 58 per cent of Lufthansa's shares were previously held by institutional investors, while 42 per cent were taken up by private individuals. Lufthansa group also sees investment from Lansdowne Partners International Ltd. and BlackRock Inc. with 4.9 per cent and 3.1 per cent respectively.

Even though Lufthansa's head office is located in Cologne, much of the departments are still not part of the headquarters. While part of the operations works from the Cologne office, the others continue to work from the Lufthansa Aviation Centre that is located in Frankfurt Airport. These departments include Media Relations, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations. Lufthansa's current livery is an encircled crane with the background of dark blue. The vertical stabiliser along with the rear fuselage are all painted in dark blue while the tail cone remains white. The main fuselage also has the name of the airlines etched above the windows, in dark blue.

Fleet size of Lufthansa

Lufthansa group currently owns over 700 aircraft. It is known to be one of the largest airline fleets in the world. Lufthansa follows a tradition of naming all the planes that is part of its fleet. Starting from the first flight name Berlin, which serves Frankfurt to New York intercontinental route, they have since named many other 707 planes Hamburg, Bonn, Frankfurt and Munchen. The tradition continued for quite a long time till 2010 when the airline made an exception with one of the aircraft. They named Airbus A340-300 registered as D-AIFC and named them Gander/Halifax, after two Canadian cities, Gander and Halifax. This actually became the first Lufthansa flight to have a non-German city name. The reason behind the aircraft name has been to celebrate the hospitality of the cities of Halifax and Gander. The two Canadian cities are known to be havens for passengers and crew members of many international aircraft. Aside from A340-300, the other German aircraft under Lufthansa airline that was not named after a German city was Airbus A321-100 registered as D-AIRA. The aircraft was named Finkenwerder, to honour the district of Hamburg-Finkenwerder.

In 2010, Lufthansa acquired its first Airbus A380 which would be named Frankfurt am Main and Munchen, both named after Lufthansa's two important hubs. Subsequently, other Airbus A380 aircrafts acquired by Lufthansa Group were named after some of the other hub airports such as Zurich, Brussels, Wien and Dusseldorf. Further, as Lufthansa Airlines joined forces with Star Alliance, the hub cities of the airline were also used as the names for their A380s, such as Tokyo, New York, Delhi, Beijing and Johannesburg. They also had a flight named San Francisco, but it was renamed to Deutschland. Lufthansa also has various short and long-haul flights without names.

Baggage Allowance

Baggage allowance by Lufthansa meets with the standard size and weight that is followed by all the global airlines. With the height, weight and length falling within 158 cm, the cabin baggage is supposed to be not more than a certain kg. In case it does exceed the norm, then additional prices will be charged by the airlines. The rules for cabin baggage and check-in baggage allowance in Lufthansa vary depending on the ticket class purchased by the traveller. For additional baggage, heavier items and excess hand luggage carried by the passenger, the airline has reserved flat rates with details on their website. Further, baggage regulations also vary depending on the country that you are flying to with Lufthansa airlines.

In-flight services

First-class - Lufthansa's in-flight services include exquisite seating arrangement with tremendous facilities. The long haul flights such as Airbus A330-300, A340-600 as well as A380 and Boeing 747-8Is, all have first-class cabins. The leather seats convert to 6 ft 7 in bed and have spaces reserved for laptop power outlets and entertainment decks. The first-class facility also offers meals. You can inform the airlines about your dietary restrictions to ensure that they don't serve you what you don't want. There are shopping options also available as part of Lufthansa's in-flight services. Not to mention how the seats are extremely comfortable.

Business-class - Business class of Lufthansa airline also caters to a recliner that stretches up to 6 ft 7 in flat-beds. There are power outlets to charge gadgets as well as entertainment facilities. Plans to refurbish a new business class setting has also been proposed by Lufthansa for Boeing 777-9. They will roll out in 2020 as the airlines will start working on the same. Much like the first class, the business class also receives meal services as well as WiFi services.

Premium economy class - Back in 2014, Lufthansa announced to roll out long-haul premium economy designs which are similar to Air Canada and British Airways' premium economy cabins. The seat has a personal seat-back along with an entertainment screen as well as an armrest. The cabin lacks private spaces that are offered in first class and business class cabins.

Economy class - Long-haul flights of Lufthansa's economy class has a 31-inch seat pitch. In Airbus A380 though, the seat pitch is 33-inch. The perks of the economy class include meals along with free drinks. The entire fleet of Lufthansa has A/V on demand screens which are personal and attached to the passenger's seat.

Popular routes and top cities for Lufthansa

Lufthansa's domestic routes within Germany and Europe are the most popular routes for the airline. Many international routes are taken by Lufthansa also cater to a majority of American cities along with the United Kingdom. The top cities for the airline include Vienna, Brussels, Minsk, Rio de Janeiro, Toronto, Vancouver, Beijing, Prague, Copenhagen, Cairo, Addis Ababa, Paris, Nice, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Munich, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Athens, Hong Kong, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Dublin, Rome, Milan, Tokyo, Nairobi, Kuwait City, Amsterdam, Singapore, Seoul, Zurich, Bangkok, Dubai, London, New York City, San Francisco, Houston, Los Angeles, Seattle and more. Lufthansa is also a recognised cargo carrier that flies to all the six continents.

Why travel by Lufthansa?

Lufthansa is easily one of the largest carriers in the world with tremendous flight activity and excellent connectivity. The airlines are known to serve a plethora of international cities in the world. The airlines' strong domestic routes, as well as international routes, enable its ability to reach multitudes of continents and popular international cities. The baggage allowance of Lufthansa also matches the standards set by a majority of top airlines in the world. Not to mention how booking a Lufthansa flight is extremely easy and convenient. You can browse online to book a Lufthansa flight, and you will find many of those. The miles benefits and lounge services offered by the airline is also quite top-notch. This basically means that as a premium member, you will be able to avail the perks of Lufthansa lounge in Frankfurt Airport as well as some of the other lounges set in other international airports. The miles would help you purchase affordable tickets or even get an upgrade to first-class or business class. You can opt for web check-in on Lufthansa's website as well as learn about the flight status and flight schedule. Lufthansa's in-flight services are world-class and promise to offer the best hospitality and facilities to the passengers.