by Lufthansa Flyer | Aug 28, 2016 | A330, Featured, First Class, Fleet Update, Munich |
When Lufthansa’s ‘D-AIKJ’ comes out of scheduled maintenance in September, it will be the first A330 to be in service that will not have a First Class cabin. The Munich-based aircraft will only have Business, Premium Economy, and Economy class cabins.
Based on initial plans, the aircraft will only fly between Munich and Delhi beginning on September 23 and will remain on the route until her retirement, though I suspect that commitment can change. A-AIKJ entered service in 2005, so there are few good years left to her.
As more A330 aircraft go through their maintenance schedules, expect more to have their First Class cabin removed.
Captured here as she departed Dubai, D-AIKJ will be Lufthansa’s first A330 without First Class seating.
H/T: MUCForum.de / Oliver2002
by Lufthansa Flyer | Jun 28, 2016 | Featured, Fleet Update, Lufthansa, On Board Experience, Passenger Experience |
Later this year, Lufthansa will begin its rollout of Broadband Access across all of their medium and short-haul aircraft. Beginning in October, and taking until mid-2018, LH will retrofit their A319, A320, and A321 aircraft so that passengers can enjoy in-flight connectivity using their own smart-devices to access the system. Since the 737 will be retired from the fleet this year, it will not be part of the expansion.
According to LH, their Technik division is the first MRO in Europe to receive certification for installing the necessary technology aboard Airbus narrow body aircraft.
Certain aircraft have already been retrofitted with this capability so that systems can be tested before the public is able to use it beginning in October.
Lufthansa Group plans to roll this out to other LH Group Airlines, so expect to see SWISS, Austrian, and Brussels to have the same capability.
A future update will allow passengers to use their cellphones to sent and receive text messages using their own cellphone plans.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Jun 12, 2016 | 737, Austrian, Featured, Fleet Update, Lufthansa, Swiss, Technik |
Last week Lufthansa revealed their plans to retire the last of their Boeing 737s that are still in service. If plans go to form, the last 737 will be removed from the fleet in October of this year, marking the end of a 48 year era. Over these 48 years, 155 737s have been in the LH fleet and 7 still serve today. Lufthansa first began using the 737 back on February 10, 1968.
This announcement is part of a larger strategy that has the Lufthansa Group retiring their aging aircraft. SWISS and Austrian are also in the midst of retiring some of their vintage birds including the Fokker family by Austrian and the Avro Regional Jet by SWISS.
As these birds are retired, they’ll be replaced by new and far more efficient Airbus narrow body aircraft helping improve the passenger experience on short and medium haul routes.
I had the chance to witness the retirement of one of these 737s when D-ABIB was brought to Lufthansa Technik Component Services in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For an avgeek, it’s a bit of a bittersweet moment to see an aircraft taken out of the fleet.
D-ABIB shortly after arriving in Tulsa for her retirement….
