Lufthansa, the German flag carrier, is certainly no newcomer to South Africa. For the past 46 years this quality airline has transported millions of passengers between the two countries.

Known for its attention to detail, Lufthansa prides itself on being customer orientated, innovative and technically tops. The 2008 Skytrax World Airline Awards, a global independent passenger survey of airline standards, awarded Lufthansa the best carrier in Europe.

While the first scheduled flight to South Africa was an odyssey routed from Frankfurt via Athens, Khartoum, Nairobi and onto Johannesburg, the airline now operates a daily non-stop service between Johannesburg and Frankfurt using the Boeing B747-400. During South Africa’s high season starting end of October, Lufthansa doubles up the capacity by operating a further daily non-stop schedule from the 'Mother City' Cape Town to Frankfurt, using the Airbus A340-600.

From Frankfurt, Lufthansa’s route network covers more than 400 destinations in 99 countries. The carrier is a founder member of Star Alliance, the world’s first and largest airline alliance that jointly operate an impressive 18 100 daily flights. For the passenger this means a choice of 975 destinations in 162 countries.

This choice also means that regular travelers belonging to the bonus programme Miles & More can earn and redeem miles when flying with any of the many Star Alliance airline partners. This includes South African Airways as well as hundreds of partners on the ground. Members based in South Africa have the added bonus that they can redeem their miles for cash vouchers valid at over 1500 retail outlets countrywide. Or book a trip on the most luxurious train in the world, namely the Rovos Rail.

Further afield, Lufthansa’s home Germany, has grown in popularity since hosting the 2006 Fifa World Cup. It has established itself as the second most popular cultural travel destinations for Europeans to visit. Only France attracts more "culture vultures" with rivals such as Spain, the United Kingdom and Italy following in third, fourth and fifth place respectively.

The 2008 theme "Palaces, Parks and Gardens — Romanticism in Germany" combines insights into Germany’s history with historical buildings and the chance to experience wonderful architecture and gardens. The number of attractions classified as UNESCO World Heritage sites acts as a powerful advertisement for the splendour of Germany’s beautiful countryside and places of cultural interest. For those interested in recent history, the theme for 2009 is celebrating a major turning point Germany: the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Apart from health & fitness holidays, culturally motivated travel is one of the strongest trends in international tourism. The German National Tourist Board’s key element in marketing the country is a comprehensive website — www.germany-tourism.de — which enables prospective visitors to "pre-visit" the country. This is made possible by 360° panorama views with over 300 photographs and visual guided tours. Details of planned events including those coinciding with the fall of the Berlin Wall are also posted on this site.

With attractive fare offers to be found on www.lufthansa.com, it’s almost compulsory to plan a trip on Lufthansa to Germany! In fact, within Europe you can fly with Lufthansa for as little as €99 return. Offer only available online.

We've got 2000 Lufthansa discount vouchers to give away. You'll save €15 off your flight when you book online at www.lufthansa.com! All you have to do to stand a chance of winning is to fill in your details below.

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Competition rules
  • Each prize consists of one €15 voucher that can be redeemed online on www.lufthansa.com against your next booking, made no later than 30 November 2008.
  • Vouchers are valid for travel from 29/10/2008 - 30/11/2008 and 15/01/2009 – 28/02/2009
  • One completed entry per person, per competition.
  • Winners will be contacted by email or telephone and announced on the iafrica.com site.
  • The prizes cannot be exchanged for cash.
  • The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Closing date: 14 November 2008