In a story in the Australian Business Traveler on 25 November, Lufthansa’s Frank Püttmann, Head of Lufthansa Group Communications for the Asia Pacific region confirmed that the entire Long Haul LH Fleet will be retrofitted with new business class seating. This has been much anticipated for quite a while.
In his comments, Mr. Püttmann stated that the retrofit will begin soon after the new 🙂 Boeing 747-8i 🙂 is put into service starting in the first half of 2012. He also mentioned that the fleet wide retrofit would be completed within a matter of months rather than years.
I hope that this is accurate. Retrofitting an entire long haul fleet the size of Lufthansa’s is a gargantuan effort and months ultimately add up to make years but I’m going to be the optimist. Glass half full, upgrade WILL clear kind of attiude….
I will be one HAPPY LufthansaFlyer if in fact this is accurate and we see the new Business Class come on line next year. What are your thoughts? Are we traveling in the new Business Class Seat in a significant number of aircraft 18 months from now?
Thank gawd…Not that I get to travel LH business often, but the seats really were uncomfortable for me.
@thatJohn – I hope he’s right…their business class hard product has slipped behind most competitors so would be nice for them to catch up. The sooner the better!
The rollout schedule of the new C seat was shown at the investor relations meeting on Sep 21. See http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles-more-lufthansa-austrian-swiss-other-partners/1237709-new-business-class-coming-lh-4.html#post17520966 for details.
Not happening in ‘months’ 🙂
I have my doubts, but I would love to be wrong in this case!!!
Yes, that was the investor presentation where I first spotted the new seats (hunting through for clues to BMI’s imminent demise, as it turns out, to figure out what I do with my oodles of Diamond Club miles).
I spoke to Herr Püttmann a good month and a half after that came out, though, and as we already know, the presentation was inaccurate in seat detail. So I find it entirely plausible that the preso’s “five years” is inaccurate as well, and that Herr Püttmann is correct. I found him very much in the know, and not the fluffy PR person who doesn’t know their lie-flat from their fully flat that some airlines use for media relations.
Actually, in the article you referenced (I’m the author, BTW), there’s no mention of Lufthansa’s plans for its F seating, just J.
I interviewed Herr Püttmann in Frankfurt on the day of the FRA-SIN A380 inaugural (perched on one of the Y lounge style seating in one of the A380-gate Business Lounges, as it happened), and he was definitely assertive that it would be months, not years, before the fleet is refitted once the 747-8I comes on line.
I had some skepticism too, but don’t forget that LH has more agility for seat switchouts than most carriers with the Lufthansa Technik operations worldwide.