High in the sky, two leading carriers compete for the largest share of Egyptian soccer fans. Amirah Ibrahim reports High in the sky, two leading carriers compete for the largest share of Egyptian soccer fans. Amirah Ibrahim reports Who will win the World Cup? Soccer fans around the world are asking. But for those who will travel to watch the event in Germany, the question is which airline will become the official carrier of the championship -- FIFA's official carrier, Emirates Airline, or Germany's carrier Lufthansa. Both launched vigorous campaigns long before the World Cup kick-off. Dubai-based Emirates airline is the official partner of the FIFA 2006 World Cup in Germany. Thus the airline has the advantage of using the FIFA mascot which it has painted on the tails and bellies of its entire fleet. The airline has been flooding Middle East markets with attractive offers and packages over the last two months. Egyptian fans wishing to attend any game from the opening clash between hosts Germany and Cost Rica, all the way through to the final in Berlin are being offered complementary tickets if they take advantage of the special packages on flights to any of the airline's European destinations. The offers are valid for all 64 World Cup matches and passengers can opt to watch one or more of the matches in Germany as long as they meet booking requirements and reserve their hotel accommodation through the airline. The packages, starting from less than LE10,000 per person, include airline flights to one of its four destinations in Germany: Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Dusseldorf; two nights accommodation from a choice of one of 12 cities where the matches are being played, and a free ticket to attend any match. "Our passengers would benefit more of our special packages offered in Dubai. For the Egyptian market we are satisfied with the demand for World Cup packages," Adel Al-Gheith, Emirates' area manager- Egypt, said. "We believe for the coming events our airline will certainly attract a considerable amount of fans who seek to join FIFA's great events." The carrier recently signed a $195 million deal to become a FIFA partner for seven years, by which the airline has rights to all FIFA events, including both the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. The carrier launched a team of interactive viewing stations at 16 airports in Europe, the US and Asia to keep passengers up to date with every match. "There are millions of fans who will be unable to watch the matches live due to travel commitments and as a World Cup partner. By activating this interactive concept at airports in different countries we aim to provide a service that will be welcomed by fans of all nationalities," Al-Gheith said. But the German carrier Lufthansa, the biggest European airline to operate in Egypt, remains a strong competitor to FIFA's official partner. To attract football fans, the carrier launched a web site for the event, full of many soccer competitions on-line. Passengers can participate either by sending e- mails or SMS. Free tickets, T-shirts, bags, etc are offered as prizes. The German airline also created a new look for its fleet. Lufthansa's planes now have a big football nose, in black and white. At airports, the German carrier came up with another creative idea. At the check-in, green carpets are set in front of the counters, decorated with the white lines of the field play demonstrating an early welcome to the World Cup. On offers and packages, the airline relied mainly on the high frequency of flights it operates from Egypt. The carrier operates two daily flights from Cairo to Frankfurt and three weekly flights from Alexandria to Frankfurt, all non-stop. Lufthansa surprised Egyptian fans and travelling markets with a cut throat fare of LE1,799 from Cairo to Frankfurt and Munich, taxes and surcharges excluded. "Our customers can purchase tickets up to the middle of June and travel during the period of June and mid-July, with a three-day minimum stay and a one-month maximum stay," Peter Emerich, Lufthansa' area manager for North and East Africa, said. The German offer apparently takes advantage of operating direct flights to Germany, with no stopover, as is the case with the official carrier where passengers have to fly first to Dubai then to their destinations. The German airline offers its passengers across the world a fare of 99 euros to transfer from Germany to any European city. Egyptian fans pay an additional LE200, or around 30 euros, to reach any city in Germany.
