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They are Austrian, based from Vienna, although I belive that they may have an Italian subsidiary ?
They were owned by Nikki Lauda, former world champion F1 driver, but every time there was a financial downturn he sold a bit to Austrian and Lufthansa till they owned the majority and then they kicked him out.
Nikki also flew as Captain on one of his 777s, brought a new angle to "owner-pilot"
He did fly with his red baseball cap, I´ve seen it on TV.
There is a rumour he was arrested on some far east airport by the security service while doing the preflight inspection. A person not wearing a pilots suit and hat, but jeans, T-sirt and baseball cap closely inspecting an aeroplane was shurely very suspicious to them
Nikki wore his Parmalat baseball cap most of the time, usually with a scruffy khaki suit (donated an admiring tailor?). He was paid a fee for the Parmalat endorsement. The Lauda Air pilot's uniform did not include a hat, and Nikki flew the 767 and the 777.
Asking around, all that’s been said is pretty much on the (base)-ball. The main company is based in Vienna and used to have a lot of ex-pat (mostly Australian) pilots with them. There is an Italian offshoot (Lauda Air Italy) based at Milan, Malpensa, again with quite a few ex-pat pilots and engaged mainly in charter flights to the Caribbean. Sadly, so memories recall, it was one of the Austrian 767’s that crashed in the Far East after one of the engines went into reverse in the climb. It is also rumoured that neither company pays well and treats the crews like slaves.
Just have a look to the post in the Airlines, Airports & Route Forum. Maybe you can get some useful info. http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...ht=livingstone At the moment the aviation market in Italy is quite "wild" but the places are nice, the food excellent and the wine superb so....
From what I know, Niki Lauda doesn't own anymore any of his companies.
Lauda Air A/G based in Austria is totally owned by Austrian Airlines Group.
Lauda Air Italy based in MIlan MXP is now 100% part of the Livingston Aviation Group (The airlines division of the second largest Italian tour operator). Niki Lauda is still vice president, but with 0% share. Livingston Aviation Group owns also the charter airlines called Livingston that now flies 3 A321. When SALE will deliver the 3 A332 to Lauda Air Italy in the next months they will paint in Livingston livery and the Lauda brand will disapear from Italy.
That's what I read on an airticle on a French web site a while ago.
Nothing I could find on their web site, cause the English version is not updated since May.
Didn't the Lauda cabin crew wear the red Parmalat cap as part of their uniforms? I seem to remember seeing them in the crew lounge at the Meridien hotel in Singapore a few years back.
Don't know about the caps, ww1, but I myself tend to recall the tight black jeans worn as a rule by the female flight attendants, when I used the airline a few times.
