Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [692]
* * *
CLIMATE CHANGE & TRAVEL
Climate change is a serious threat to the ecosystems that humans rely upon, and air travel is the fastest-growing contributor to the problem. Lonely Planet regards travel, overall, as a global benefit, but believes we all have a responsibility to limit our personal impact on global warming.
Flying & Climate Change
Pretty much every form of motor travel generates CO2 (the main cause of human-induced climate change) but planes are far and away the worst offenders, not just because of the sheer distances they allow us to travel, but because they release greenhouse gases high into the atmosphere. The statistics are frightening: two people taking a return flight between Europe and the US will contribute as much to climate change as an average household’s gas and electricity consumption over a whole year.
Carbon Offset Schemes
Climatecare.org and other websites use ‘carbon calculators’ that allow jetsetters to offset the greenhouse gases they are responsible for with contributions to energy-saving projects and other climate-friendly initiatives in the developing world – including projects in India, Honduras, Kazakhstan and Uganda.
Lonely Planet, together with Rough Guides and other concerned partners in the travel industry, supports the carbon offset scheme run by climatecare.org. Lonely Planet offsets all of its staff and author travel.
For more information check out our website: lonelyplanet.com.
* * *
Canada
Lufthansa and Air Canada fly to Frankfurt and Munich from all major Canadian airports. Cheaper flights with other airlines usually involve a stopover or change of plane in a US, Canadian or European airport.
Continental Europe
Lufthansa and other national carriers connect all major European cities with destinations in Germany. The dominant discount carriers – Air Berlin, easyJet, Germanwings and Ryanair – have flights to all major and minor German airports from throughout Europe. Smaller airlines servicing less busy routes include Norwegian Air Shuttle from Scandinavia and Wizz Air from Eastern Europe.
UK & Ireland
Numerous airlines fly to destinations throughout Germany from practically every airport in the UK and Ireland. Lufthansa and British Airways are the main national carriers, but prices are usually lower on Ryanair, easyJet, TUIfly, Air Berlin and Germanwings. Their extensive route networks have made travelling even to smaller, regional destinations, such as Dortmund, Nuremberg and Münster, very inexpensive. Rock-bottom fares start as low as £20 one way, including airport taxes.
USA
Lufthansa and all major US carriers operate flights from nearly every big US city to Germany. In addition, German carriers Air Berlin and Condor operate seasonal (ie summer) services from selected US cities. (Condor flies from Anchorage and Fairbanks, for instance.) Good fares are often available from Asia-based airlines, such as Air India and Singapore Airlines, which stop in the US en route to their final destination.
Most flights land in Frankfurt, but Düsseldorf and Munich are also seeing more incoming traffic. But even if you land in Frankfurt – and it’s not your final destination – it’s a snap to catch a connecting domestic flight or continue your travels on Germany’s ever-efficient train system.
Airfares rise and fall in a cyclical pattern. The lowest fares are available from early November to mid-December and then again from mid-January to Easter, gradually rising in the following months. Peak months are July and August, after which prices start to drop again. Fares to Frankfurt start at around US$600/450 return in high/low season from New York, US$850/550 from Chicago and US$1000/650 from Los Angeles.
* * *
SMART TRAVELS
Flying has become second nature in this era of low-cost airlines and few of us stop to consider using alternative travel methods and doing our bit for the environment. Yet, depending on where you’re based, getting to Germany without