In its new version, Bavarian traditional dress has for the first time been complemented with recognisable elements of the airline’s corporate identity. The uniform made its debut on 19 September, the day the festival opened.
A crane on the buttons and a signature pattern in the fabric
The new design is the work of Spieth & Wensky, a Lower Bavarian workshop specialising in Tracht. The project was led by designer Elisa Berzgahi-Freymann, who was born in Munich and herself worked as a Lufthansa flight attendant in 2017 and 2018.
A special detail of the outfit is the crane, Lufthansa’s emblem, which adorns the buttons of the knitted jackets. The airline’s characteristic Wing Pattern is woven into the fabric of the skirt and waistcoat. The female crew members will wear a dark blue dirndl with a skirt made of specially developed jacquard fabric. All of this was reported by the company itself.
“For twenty years now, our long-haul crews have swapped their uniforms for Bavarian Tracht for the duration of the Wiesn,” noted Heiko Reitz, member of the Board of Lufthansa Airlines and head of the Munich hub. According to him, the new design continues the long-standing tradition of Tracht flights from Munich.
From a one-off experiment to a tradition
Lufthansa flight attendants first wore dirndls as early as 1957, but that was a one-off event. The idea became a regular tradition in 2006: on 1 September, the first Tracht crew flew from Munich to New York. Since then, some Munich long-haul crews have exchanged their usual uniform for dirndls and Lederhosen for the duration of the Wiesn.
For the festival’s opening on 19 September, the new uniform can be seen on two international routes: crews departed on flights to Bengaluru, India, and to Beijing. A week later, on 27 September, a Tracht flight will operate to Singapore. It will be the third and last of this season.
White sausages, roast chicken and felt sets on board
The airline’s culinary programme in September is likewise dedicated to the world’s largest folk festival. On selected long-haul flights from Munich and Frankfurt, passengers will be offered:
- white sausage terrine;
- Bavarian-style duck;
- roast chicken;
- strudel.
In business class on European routes, a separate menu will be served until Tuesday, 6 October. In addition, long-haul passengers from Germany in first, business and premium economy classes will receive new Wiesn-style gift sets.
Reaction on social media: one element of the outfit divides opinion
Online responses to the new design are mostly positive. “Saw it in person today at FOC, very beautiful,” wrote one user under Lufthansa’s Instagram post. “Simply a dream,” added another.
One element of the outfit did divide the commenters, however: the bow on the dirndl. One social media user said she liked the outfit: “Without that silly bow.” Lufthansa itself replied: “There’s no accounting for taste.” Another user, by contrast, expressed delight over the bow with heart emojis.
The festivities in the lounges, too
The festive mood of Oktoberfest will also spread to Lufthansa’s German lounges. According to the airline, guests there will be offered Bavarian beer, traditional dishes and matching decoration of the lounges.
Thus this year Lufthansa has linked the festival on the Theresienwiese with the sky: the new uniform, the special menu and the lounge décor complement one another. The first to see the updated outfit were passengers on the flights to Bengaluru and Beijing on the opening day of the Wiesn.
Sources: Lufthansa press release, dpa, Lufthansa Instagram post
