Lufthansa Offers Sunshine Insurance

I’m not sure what the business sense is, but from a PR and customer-loyalty perspective, Lufthansa’s new sunshine insurance offer is a slam dunk. The airline will give passengers €20 for each day it rains five millimeters or more, up to €200. The offer is for German customers only; tickets must be booked by August 18 for travel between September 1 and October 31.

The story behind the story in this case is Lufthansa’s declining traffic numbers. The number of passengers in July dropped 2.8 percent compared to last year, leaving Lufthansa desperate to spark bookings. Offering people a little peace of mind could just do the trick.

OK, so sunshine insurance is a little silly. In fact, I didn’t believe it at first, until I saw the offer page on Lufthansa’s Germany site. But give credit where it’s due: It’s a gutsy move, especially considering the deal includes cities that have had wet summers (for example, here in Boston) and historically receive a fair amount of rain in September and October.

I, for one, would jump at the chance to get some compensation for a rained-out vacation, so long as the airfare is reasonable. What about you? Would sunshine insurance prompt you to book a trip? Leave a comment below and tell me what you’d do if an American carrier made a similar offer.