Lufthansa will be offering new long-haul cabin layouts on its widebody aircraft,
with the roll-out beginning in 2023. Every cabin class will see a significant improvement,
with business class and first class receiving the largest upgrades.
Lufthansa has dubbed the new long-haul cabin
design "Allegris". So, let’s see just what this new design has to offer!
For the first time, Lufthansa will be rolling out enclosed suites onboard its aircraft. First
class will have walls that reach quote-unquote "near ceiling height," with closing doors that
will almost cut the suite off from the rest of the cabin. The seat is almost a meter wide,
more than double that of most of its long-haul economy seats today. Naturally,
the seat also converts into a bed. Interestingly, the suite also contains a personal wardrobe.
While the suite is fairly private, it has been designed in a way that a travel companion can join
for meals, with a large dining table folding out, and a seat opposite the main seat. Additionally,
the large screen will be compatible with a passenger's own Bluetooth headphones.
The business class cabin will also be getting suites. However, only the front
row of the business class will be suites - forming some sort of premium business class.
Lufthansa hasn't confirmed it, but this could be
to offer a first-class like product on aircraft without a first class cabin.
Non-suite business class seats will also be upgraded under the Allegris program. It
appears that Lufthansa will finally roll out its long-awaited staggered business class product,
first announced in 2017 and initially due to roll out in 2018. All of these seats will have
direct access to the aisle, wireless charging, and Bluetooth connectivity.
In reference to the current improvements, Lufthansa Group CEO remarked,
"We want to set new, unprecedented standards for our guests. The largest
investment in premium products in our company's history underpins
our claim to continue to be the leading Western premium airline in the future."
Meanwhile, premium economy will receive new hard shell reclining seats,
similar to those recently installed on the SWISS Boeing 777 fleet. These slide forward
to act as a recliner for passengers without impacting the space of the traveler behind.
Lufthansa was recently trialing an offer on some
Boeing 747 services where a passenger could purchase a block of three seats,
and would be given a blanket and pillow so they could sleep across a row.
This trial was clearly a success as Lufthansa is now expanding the initiative. The Allegris update
will see specific "sleeper rows" in the economy cabin. Here a leg rest will fold up to increase
sleeping area. Passengers will find standard economy seating behind these sleeper rows.
Lufthansa plans to have the Allegris designs installed on more than 100 new
aircraft anticipated by the airline group, including the Boeing 777-9.
The Boeing 747-8 will also get a retrofit. However, there likely won't be a case for
putting the cabin on aircraft such as the Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A340-600,
whose days are already numbered. It’s also unclear if the seats will make it onto the A380 fleet.
Rolling out the new cabin will be no small task, as Lufthansa expects that more than
30,000 seats will need to be replaced.
What do you think of these plans? Let us know in the comments below.