Eurowings (EW, Dusseldorf International (DUS)) will base a CRJ-900 at Cologne/Bonn Konrad Adenauer (CGN) from April 1 operating services for germanwings (4U, Cologne/Bonn Konrad Adenauer (CGN)) with the aircraft for the first time. All 23 CRJ-900s will eventually operate on germanwings services as part of Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International (FRA)) plans to transfer all domestic and European point-to-point services outside of its hubs at Frankfurt and Munich Franz Josef Strauss International (MUC) to germanwings. The first CRJ-900 will be used on routes from Cologne/Bonn to Friedrichshafen Bodensee (FDH), Klagenfurt Woerthersee International (KLU), Manchester Ringway International (MAN), Milan Malpensa (MXP), Prague Vaclav Havel Ruzyne (PRG), Rostock Laage (RLG) and Zurich Kloten (ZRH).

germanwings (4U, Cologne/Bonn Konrad Adenauer (CGN)) will be relaunched and rebranded effective July 1, 2013 by when the Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International (FRA)) owned low-cost carrier will have taken over all remaining Lufthansa services from Berlin Tegel (TXL), Dusseldorf International (DUS) and Hamburg Fuhlsbüttel (HAM) with the exception of hub feeder routes to Frankfurt and Munich Franz Josef Strauss International (MUC). germanwings will only offer Economy Class on its flights but offer three different fare options, from the current "Basic" low-cost product to an all inclusive "Best" product including Business Class type amenities such as lounge access, free baggage allowance, meals etc. Routes and up to 30 mainline A320 family aircraft will be gradually transferred from Lufthansa to germanwings with the transition expected to be completed by July 1 of next year. Eurowings (EW, Dusseldorf International (DUS)) will then also operate its 23 CRJ-900s on behalf of germanwings instead of Lufthansa.

Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International (FRA)) has reportedly cancelled its wet-lease agreement with regional partner Augsburg Airways (IQ, Munich Franz Josef Strauss International (MUC)) from the end of the next IATA summer timetable period on October 26, 2013. Augsburg Airways currently operates ten Dash 8-400s and five EMB-195s on behalf of Lufthansa under the Lufthansa Regional brand. It also operates two EMB-190s, one on behalf of Lufthansa subsidiary Air Dolomiti (EN, Verona Villafranca (VRN)) and the other on charter services. Lufthansa had already terminated the wet-lease agreement with Contact Air (C3, Stuttgart Echterdingen (STR)) earlier this year. It will retain fully owned regional subsidiaries Air Dolomiti (EN, Verona Villafranca (VRN)) and Lufthansa CityLine (CL, Cologne/Bonn Konrad Adenauer (CGN)) as regional feeders while Eurowings (EW, Dusseldorf International (DUS)) will operate on behalf of germanwings (4U, Cologne/Bonn Konrad Adenauer (CGN)) on routes not touching the Frankfurt International (FRA) and Munich Franz Josef Strauss International (MUC) hubs.

Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International (FRA)) has now confirmed additional plans about its business plan called Direct4U that will include all of its short-haul services not operating from its key hubs at Frankfurt International (FRA) and Munich Franz Josef Strauss International (MUC) to be operated by subsidiary germanwings (4U, Cologne/Bonn Konrad Adenauer (CGN)) from next year. It plans to upgrade germanwings' current product and to position it between its current status as a low-cost carrier and Lufthansa's mainline product. All of its routes from Berlin Tegel (TXL), Dusseldorf International (DUS) and Hamburg Fuhlsbüttel (HAM) will be transferred to germanwings with the exception of the services to Frankfurt International (FRA) and Munich Franz Josef Strauss International (MUC). germanwings will give up all of its remaining domestic routes to Munich. Its two routes from Berlin Schönefeld (SXF) and Cologne/Bonn Konrad Adenauer (CGN) were already scheduled to be cancelled from October 2012. It currently also operates a three times daily route from Dortmund Wickede (DTM) to Munich. Up to 30 mainline narrowbody aircraft will be transferred to germanwings from January 2013 to take over the new routes and Eurowings (EW, Dusseldorf International (DUS)) will operate its 23 CRJ-900s on behalf of germanwings instead of Lufthansa.

Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International (FRA)) has confirmed plans to merge low-cost carrier germanwings (4U, Cologne/Bonn Konrad Adenauer (CGN)) and all of its short-haul services not operating from and to its key hubs at Frankfurt and Munich Franz Josef Strauss International (MUC) into a new airline from as early as January 2013. Additional details such as a final decision on the brand to be used going forward will be confirmed later. Direct4U had previously been rumoured as a potential brand as this name was used for the internal evaluation project for this new carrier. Lufthansa has however already confirmed that the new subsidiary would be headquarters at Cologne/Bonn Konrad Adenauer (CGN) like germanwings and that Eurowings (EW, Dusseldorf International (DUS)) would operate regional services on its behalf. germanwings currently operates 32 A319-100s with additional six aircraft on order for 2013 and 2014. Eurowings currently operates 23 CRJ-900s on behalf of Lufthansa. Given the new airline is expected to use approximately 90 aircraft, it is expected that around 35 mainline aircraft or regional aircraft operated by Lufthansa's regional partners will also be transferred to the new carrier. Lufthansa has regional bases at Berlin Tegel (TXL), Dusseldorf International (DUS), Hamburg Fuhlsbüttel (HAM), germanwings operates from bases at Berlin Tegel, Cologne/Bonn, Hanover (HAJ) and Stuttgart Echterdingen (STR).