Lufthansa will install new business class across fleet in 2012
By John Walton, November 25 2011
Update | Lufthansa has revealed its new fully flat business class seats fior the Boeing 747-8: check out our extensive photo tour!
Previous | Lufthansa's much-anticipated business class revamp will roll out to the airline's Airbus A380 and other long-haul aircraft next year following the arrival of its brand new Boeing 747-8I fleet.
"We are upgrading our business class with the introduction of the 747-8 at the beginning of 2012," Frank Püttmann, Head of Lufthansa Group Communications Asia Pacific, confirmed to Australian Business Traveller.
Once the first 747-8 is delivered, "then we'll start to refurbish the complete fleet," Püttman promised.
That means an end to Lufthansa's older angled seats, which aren't especially comfortable for sleeping:
"I cannot tell you when we will be finished with the completion of the whole fleet, but we're not talking years, we're talking months," Püttman told Australian Business Traveller.
A Lufthansa spokesperson had previously confirmed plans for the new seats to Australian Business Traveller earlier this year, so we were keen to bring you more direct from the airline.
This seat concept -- which the spokesperson said "doesn't show the final version of the seat" -- reminds us of Cathay Pacific's new business class and looks like a great improvement.
Business class will be installed on the super-stretched upper deck of the German airline's 747-8I, in a changeup from the current situation, where business class is downstairs and first class upstairs, Lufthansa's Püttmann confirmed to us.
That's likely to mean a 2-2 layout, where every seat is either a window or aisle.
Frequent travellers, who appreciate Lufthansa's extensive European network from hubs at Frankfurt and super-efficient Munich -- not to mention the extra legroom in its slimline seats -- will be looking forward to the new seats.
Lufthansa's existing angled lie-flat business class seat -- which Australian Business Traveller tested out last month on the German airline's new Airbus A380 route from Frankfurt to Singapore -- is old, not particularly comfortable and has been eclipsed by the competition's newer offerings.
But with actual beds installed in some of Lufthansa's first class cabins, we're looking forward to what the airline has to offer in business class.
Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.
17 Nov 2011
Total posts 27
I am surprised that they are putting business class only on the upper deck of the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, as this means that they will only have 32 business class seats, as compared to the 98 business class seats on the current Airbus A380. Note that Lufthansa appears to be using the EADS Sogerma Equinox seat, which (somehow) has full flat capability with a pitch of 60" (1.524m), very similar to the angled lie flat seat that Lufthansa currently uses.
17 Nov 2011
Total posts 27
Sorry, my bad. It is a different seat manufacturer, but the same basic concept applies (and it is still 32 seats).
United Airlines - Mileage Plus
12 Sep 2011
Total posts 333
I was in the C trial FRA-JFK last year - seats look the same as those published - except I was in the centre (2-2-2) config - the centre 2 were fantastic -so its a shame they're puttting the new C upstairs
I personally dont find the current C seats so bad - if you are in 4C on a 747-400 , or if you are on an A380 and have an exit row like I did, sleep is fine (on a 10 hour SFO-FRA run A380 or an 11 hour SIN-FRA run)
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