In 2017, Lufthansa announced plans to introduce a new long haul business class product. This product has been delayed considerably — nearly seven years later, not a single jet is in service with these seats yet.
The good news is that this will shortly change, as Lufthansa is preparing to finally introduce its new Allegris business class. The airline has just taken delivery of its first jet with new Allegris cabins, and it should be entering service in the coming days. In this post I wanted to go over all the details of Lufthansa’s new business class experience.
In this post:
The basics of Lufthansa’s Allegris concept
Allegris is the name of Lufthansa’s new long haul travel experience. It’s not just the name of the new business class, but the same concept will apply in other cabins, including first class, premium economy, and economy. That Allegris travel experience will eventually extend beyond the aircraft, as Lufthansa is also slowly rolling out Allegris lounges.
Lufthansa claims that Allegris is its biggest-ever investment in the premium cabin experience.
New Lufthansa Allegris business class seats
Probably the most exciting thing about the new Allegris experience is that Lufthansa is introducing a new business class seat, featuring flat beds and direct aisle access. The cabin alternates between being in a 1-2-1 and 1-1-1 configuration. The walls in the new business class are a minimum of 114cm (~45 inches) high.
All seats can be converted into a two meter bed, and boast a 17″ personal television, wireless charging, noise canceling headphones, and the ability to connect one’s own device (like a PC, tablet, smartphone, or headphones) to the entertainment system via bluetooth.
With its new product offering, Lufthansa seems to want to be all things to all people, and the airline is marketing how it will have seven different kinds of seating options for business class passengers (there will be extra costs for some of the premium offerings). These seating types include the following:
- Front row suites, which are the seats in the first row with doors (more on that below)
- Extra space seats, which are the solo center seats
- Window seats, which are the seats closest to the windows
- Seats with extra long beds, measuring 2.2 meters
- Seats with privacy and an infant carrier, by the windows in the last row of the cabin
- Double seats, which are in the last row and can be turned into a double sleeping space
- The standard business class seats, which are the window seats closer to the aisles, as well as the other center seat pairs
While I can appreciate the desire to appeal to different market segments, is there a point at which too much choice isn’t a good thing, in terms of product consistency, understanding the product, and logistics?
New Lufthansa Allegris business class first row suite
Lufthansa is introducing a premium business class product in the first row of the cabin. These seats feature additional personal space, privacy doors, a monitor of up to 27″, a personal minibar, and additional storage, including a wardrobe.
Furthermore, the two suites in the center section can be connected to offer a large degree of privacy to those traveling together. Note that this is different than the single seats in the center section, which are otherwise in every other row.
This “business class plus” concept is an increasingly common trend among airlines, where they create a premium business class product in the first row, to take advantage of this additional space. We’re seeing this on a variety of airlines, including Condor’s new Airbus A330-900neos (which have Prime Seats), Virgin Atlantic’s new Airbus A330-900neos (which have Retreat Suites), and more.
It really is unbelievable (for better or worse) how many different seating options Lufthansa has in business class, in addition to two different kinds of first class products.
Lufthansa Allegris debuts on new A350s & 787s
The Lufthansa Allegris business class concept will be debuting in the coming days and months on newly delivered Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 787-9 aircraft:
- Lufthansa will initially offer Allegris business class on newly delivered Airbus A350s, with the plane entering service as of May 1, 2024; A350s will be based in Munich, and will eventually have first class
- Lufthansa will then debut Allegris business class on newly delivered Boeing 787s, with the plane entering service as of July 2024 (though that remains subject to change); 787s will be based in Frankfurt, and won’t have first class
Lufthansa has now taken delivery of its first Allegris A350. The plane will enter service as of May 1, 2024, first flying between Munich (MUC) and Vancouver (YVR). The second destination is expected to be Toronto (YYZ), followed by Chicago (ORD), and then Montreal (YUL).
Let me emphasize that Lufthansa already operates many Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s that don’t feature these new products, so don’t assume that you’ll get the Allegris product just because you’re on an A350 or a 787.
The jets with Lufthansa Allegris business class feature the following number of business class seats, representing quite a capacity downgrade:
- Airbus A350-900s will feature 38 business class seats, including eight of the suites (since there will be two cabins)
- Boeing 787-9s will feature 28 business class seats, including four of the suites (since there will be one cabin)
As a point of comparison, Lufthansa’s current A350s feature 48 business class seats. So while I can appreciate that Lufthansa can maybe focus on offering a more personalized experience, this isn’t good news for business class fares or award availability.
Lufthansa Allegris plans for existing aircraft
What are Lufthansa’s plans with introducing the new Allegris business class on existing aircraft?
- Lufthansa hasn’t formally announced plans to reconfigure existing Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s with the new Allegris cabins; as a matter of fact, the existing 787s are expected to be transfered to Austrian Airlines
- Lufthansa will install a new business class on its Airbus A380s in 2025, but it won’t be the new Allegris product; rather, it’s expected the airline will install reverse herringbone seats, but that hasn’t been officially announced
- Lufthansa plans to introduce Allegris business class on Boeing 747-8s, but only on the lower deck, while the upper will maintain the current seats; this is truly wild to me
Why Lufthansa Allegris business class was delayed by years
As mentioned above, Lufthansa first announced plans for its Allegris business class in 2017, and around seven years later, we’ll finally see the first jet with the new interiors enter service. This is the longest wait I’ve ever seen in the industry between when a product was announced, and when it was actually introduced.
So, why has this been delayed so much? Well, Lufthansa’s new business class product was initially supposed to debut on the Boeing 777X, which was supposed to enter service as of 2020. However, due to certification issues, that jet has been pushed back to at least 2025. The problem is that this was initially a bit of a rolling delay, so I think Lufthansa was counting on the jet being certified sooner than it was.
That doesn’t explain why Lufthansa took years to roll out this product on newly delivered Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s, since the airline has taken delivery of a lot of these aircraft since this was announced.
Lufthansa’s new business class looks… pretty good?
When Lufthansa initially unveiled its new business class product in 2017, I was pretty impressed, both because it represented a significant incremental improvement, and because it genuinely looked good. However, business class seats have evolved quite a bit in the past seven years, and I can’t help but think that at this point the product looks average at best.
To me, the standard seats in this configuration look awfully similar to United Polaris or EL AL business class.
Don’t get me wrong, those are perfectly nice products. However, they’ve been around for quite some time, and we know that United is already looking at introducing a new business class product. Meanwhile Lufthansa will only start to introduce the product as of this year, so it’s anyone’s guess how long it will be before a majority of Lufthansa long haul jets feature these seats. I feel like 2027 is probably way too optimistic. Maybe 2028 or 2029?
At least this represents a significant improvement over Lufthansa’s current business class.
SWISS will offer its own version of Lufthansa Allegris
With the introduction of the Allegris product, we’re also going to see more consistency between Lufthansa Group airlines. For example, SWISS is rolling out virtually identical new cabins, but they’ll be branded as SWISS Senses.
This product is expected to debut in 2025, on newly delivered Airbus A350-900s. On top of that, the product is expected to be retrofitted on Airbus A330-300s and Boeing 777-300ERs, though the timeline for that remains to be seen.
Bottom line
The new Lufthansa Allegris business class product is finally coming to life, with the first Airbus A350 entering service with this cabin in the coming days. Lufthansa’s new business class finally features direct aisle access from every seat and improved tech.
Perhaps what’s most interesting about the new seats is how Lufthansa is marketing seven different business class experiences, offering a lot of choice. I’m not sure what to make of that, both in terms of product consistency, and in terms of (presumably) charging for many types of seats that are considered premium.
Even with this product finally being introduced, expect it will be quite some time before it’s available on a widespread basis. Lufthansa will be taking delivery of new jets pretty gradually, and the only plan to retrofit this product is on Boeing 747-8s, and only on the main deck.
What do you make of Lufthansa’s new business class?
Good Post. hype is gone for these seats. Many new and better products are rolling out every year. LH should've just swallowed their pride and gone w/ one of the popular standard options and that would've saved them from this embarassing product. LH are going to continue to lag behind industry standards if they stick to their guns like this.
Unless it is not featured in the cabin overview picture, I fail to see how the last row are "double sleeping seats". They look like any other center row with two seats, and it certainly doesn't look like it can create a double bed a la Singapore's new A380's or Qsuites, which is what I assume they mean by double sleeping space.
According to LH, the middle console in the last row can be lowered, which creates the double bed.
Notwithstanding the overall disaster of this seat rollout and the laughing stock that Skytrax has become, I think your criticism of the number of seat types is perhaps a little unfair Lucky.
If we take the front-row product aside for a minute as this is something other airlines are doing - assuming it’s a significant up-charge and not free for elites.
That leaves 6 seat types. Let’s have a look at the current seating options...
Notwithstanding the overall disaster of this seat rollout and the laughing stock that Skytrax has become, I think your criticism of the number of seat types is perhaps a little unfair Lucky.
If we take the front-row product aside for a minute as this is something other airlines are doing - assuming it’s a significant up-charge and not free for elites.
That leaves 6 seat types. Let’s have a look at the current seating options on a BA 787-9:
- Window (x8)
- Aisle (x22)
- Middle ‘throne’ (x4)
- Window direct aisle access (x4)
- Throne direct aisle access (x2)
- Bassinet (x2)
It’s all open to interpretation, you could not split out the throne direct aisle access seats - but equally you could treat aisle seats on the window sides differently as if you’re travelling as a couple you’re usually looking for a pair of those seats (which can be hard to find together if one of each pair is taken).
I think Lufthansa here, rightly or wrongly, are marketing and highlighting the differences between seats here more than before - with the base proposition being fundamentally similar but with more add-on variance.
A better way to think of it is two fold: how many of the different types of seats would a passenger in each category be happy with (business traveller, couple, family/infant) and would the choice between those be a small matter of comfort/functionality or a dealbreaker; and how difficult would this be in the event of aircraft changes/irrops.
In both cases I’m not sure I’d agree the situation is significantly worse than BA’s old club world?
The difference though is BA's old yin-yang Club World was first launched in 2000. It's faintly ridiculous that an entirely new product launch a quarter-century later still follows this format instead of the industry standard 50% window / 50% centre.
This split in business products between 747 upper and lower can‘t be true. Is there any reliable source for that?
Super happy most of the seats won't have doors. Asside from the first row of suites, that privacy suite looks to be the best seat. The middle single seats look tight. The alternating access is confusing.
Totally half arsed approach. So on the 747 they'll fit 1-2-1 on the lower deck and keep 2-2 (without doors) on the upper deck ???
I'll be curious to see how they price that...
Like the article said, LH continues to be both clueless and uncompetitive in 2024.
The hype is gone for these seats. Many new and better products are rolling out every year.
LH should've just swallowed their pride and gone w/ one of the popular standard options and that would've saved them from this embarassing product.
LH are going to continue to lag behind industry standards if they stick to their guns like this.
I believe the complex layout was chosen on purpose to create as many possibilities to up-charge as possible. With a standard reverse herringbone configuration all seats a nearly the same. Hence there would be less desire for a traveler to pay for a premium seat.
Yeah except consider the fact it's been 7 years since they announced this product.
I'm pretty sure 7 years of revenue vs the marginal upcharge that this Allegris configuration will provide is not even comparable.
Utter incompetence of German management on display for the world to see…
Agreed!
A product more contemporary to 2016, and with unbelievable inconsistency.
I have to believe that the only reason that LH persisted with this program despite the delays and the obviously both inefficient and inconsistent seating pattern is because they got a great deal on the product from the manufacturer - and for that reason the cabin just looks cheap to me. Who wants to book a J ticket on a product where the passenger...
A product more contemporary to 2016, and with unbelievable inconsistency.
I have to believe that the only reason that LH persisted with this program despite the delays and the obviously both inefficient and inconsistent seating pattern is because they got a great deal on the product from the manufacturer - and for that reason the cabin just looks cheap to me. Who wants to book a J ticket on a product where the passenger value prop is "Polaris but pay extra for the only good seats"?
It looks very dated already - maybe its the color scheme?
first!