Despite the global economic slowdown, Lufthansa, the German airline, is expanding its presence in Miami.

The airline recently launched seasonal nonstop service between Miami International Airport and Dusseldorf, marking its second destination, after Frankfurt.

Swiss International Air Lines, a Lufthansa subsidiary since March 2005, also has daily nonstop service from Miami to Zurich. And other Lufthansa Group companies operate in South Florida, including Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa Technik, Lufthansa Systems and LSG SkyChefs.

In addition, Lufthansa Technik has a 20 percent stake in Heico Corp., an aviation services company based in Hollywood and Miami. Lufthansa early this year also purchased a 19 percent interest in JetBlue Airways, which flies out of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Thierry Antinori, executive vice president of marketing and sales for Lufthansa, based in Frankfurt, recently visited The Miami Herald to talk about the carrier's strategy. Here is an edited transcript.

Q: Lufthansa has just inaugurated its new flight from Miami to Dusseldorf. What was your thinking in terms of starting that flight? Why did you decide to do that from Miami? And how are bookings so far?

A: Lufthansa sees possibilities to expand its position in Florida. We have been flying daily from Miami to Frankfurt since 1979 with a 747, and we see more possibilities because of the demand from European tourists, but also because some industries have a good growth in Florida, like biomedical and pharmaceutical.

We do it from Dusseldorf because Lufthansa has established a third long-haul base in Germany [besides] Frankfurt and Munich. It is also the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, which is a very important state in Germany, because 10 of the top DAX 30 companies -- the stock exchange in Germany -- are based in this region and the small and medium enterprises from this region are also very dynamic, so we see a lot of opportunities there.

Yesterday was the first flight. I was onboard. It arrived on time with 90 percent load factor. And the booking development is looking good. The aircraft is a three-class product -- with first class. And a region like Dusseldorf and also with the structure of the customer in Miami, it is important for first class passengers. Lufthansa is a premier airline, and we see a good match here because of our premium positioning and the demand of the Miami business customers.

Q: Is it primarily business customers then?

A: No, it is a good mix. You also have people [going on a] vacation here and having a lot of money. So it is an interesting mix. Miami is a good mix. It is not only a sunshine state. It is a lot more with these industries. But it is also a very important tourist base for Europe, especially for Germans. Also for the cruise business, it is a very important harbor.

Q: How does Miami compare to other U.S. gateways?

A: Miami is an important gateway for us. We have 18 gateways in the U.S. Lufthansa is the second-largest airline in the North Atlantic. Miami is one of the gateways [where] we are offering two destinations now. And Miami is a city where Lufthansa is present through each of its big subsidiaries. Lufthansa is an airline group with an airline but also with maintenance, cargo, catering and IT divisions. Miami is the only city in the U.S. with all five divisions.

Q: How is Lufthansa weathering the economic downturn?

A: We are monitoring the situation, and we will adapt to the situation. The Lufthansa portfolio, if you look at the corporate customers, is not depending so much on the finance and insurance companies; they are only 13 percent of our business. For our competitors, it is often more than that. So Lufthansa deals with a broad portfolio of industries and a lot of small and medium enterprises from Germany that are staying strong. We see we have good chances to take a higher share in the smaller pie.

That's why we consider this crisis as a serious issue regarding demand, but we are optimistic to use it as an opportunity to gain some position in relation with our competitors. But one thing won't change: With or without crisis, with or without demand reduction, Lufthansa is positioned as a quality, premium airline. The customer won't be the victim of some decision regarding a product or charging. It's not the case with us. We are a premium airline with a premium and consistent product, and we will offer that.

Q: I know Lufthansa has ordered the Airbus A380, and I believe your plans have been in the past to start flying it to Miami. Where do you stand now on that issue?

A: Until now we haven't made a final decision regarding where the Airbus 380 will fly. But I think for Miami, it is very interesting to have two different cities' destinations, Frankfort and Dusseldorf. That is even more important than having the Airbus A380, because we have a portfolio of destinations and also connections. But I cannot guarantee that the Airbus A380 will fly to Miami.

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