by Lufthansa Flyer | Aug 1, 2015 | Business Class, Featured, Fleet Update, Lufthansa, Passenger Experience |
Each month LUFTHANSA updates the status of their Business Class retrofit progress across the long haul fleet. This month’s update confirms that 100 long-haul aircraft now feature the new Business Class cabin.
Since the July report, this is an increase of 5 additional aircraft now outfitted with the new Business Class cabin. It also means that there are ONLY 7 more left so if things remain on track the retrofit should be completed by September
Here is the breakdown by Aircraft type and then by specific aircraft registration:
The aircraft registration codes that are highlighted in green represent the newly retrofitted aircraft added to the report for this month.
Airbus A330: D-AIKP, D-AIKQ, D-AIKR, D-AIKS (These 4 planes were line-fit meaning that they were delivered by Airbus with the seats installed). D-AIKA, D-AIKB, D-AIKC, D-AIKD, D-AIKE, D-AIKF, D-AIKG, D-AIKH, D-AIKI, D-AIKJ, D-AIKK, D-AIKL, D-AIKM, D-AIKN, D-AIKO have all been retrofit by Lufthansa Technik.
Airbus A340-300: D-AIGM, D-AIGS, D-AIGO, D-AIGV, D-AIGT, D-AIGN, D-AIFE, D-AIGZ, D-AIFC, D-AIGX, D-AIGU, D-AIGL, D-AIFA, D-AIFD, D-AIFF, D-AIGW, D-AIGY (All Retrofit).
Airbus A340-600: D-AIHB, D-AIHC, D-AIHD, D-AIHE, D-AIHF, D-AIHH, D-AIHI, D-AIHK, D-AIHL, D-AIHM, D-AIHN, D-AIHQ, D-AIHR, D-AIHS, D-AIHU, D-AIHV, D-AIHW, D-AIHX, D-AIHY, D-AIHZ (All Retrofit).
Airbus A380: D-AIMB, D-AIMC, D-AIMD, D-AIME, D-AIMF, D-AIMG, D-AIMH, D-AIMI, D-AIMJ, D-AIMK, D-AIML, D-AIMM, D-AIMN. MK, ML, MM, and MN were line fit while all other A380s were retrofitted.
Boeing 747-8i: All have the new Business Class.
Boeing 747-400: D-ABTK, D-ABTL, D-ABVO, D-ABVP, D-ABVR, D-ABVT, D-ABVU, D-ABVW, D-ABVX, D-ABVY, D-ABVZ (Retrofit).
Another way to look at the progress is to see which aircraft still need to be retrofitted. Here is the list as of July 31, 2015:
A340-600: D-AI: HA, HO, HP, HT
A340-300: D-AIGP (Will be flying as a ‘Jump’ Configuration)
747-400: D-AB: VM, VS
If you have upcoming Business Class travel on Lufthansa, you can use this tool to determine if your flight will have an aircraft equipped with the new Business Class.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Jul 9, 2015 | Business Class, Economy Class, Featured, First Class, Route Announcements, Swiss |
Earlier today, SWISS unveiled the look of their cabin interiors for all the classes for their new 777s that are set to join the fleet beginning next year.
Though the interiors are new, they certainly carry a bit of a reminder of the current color schemes. The new aircraft will be configured for 8 First, 62 Business and 270 Economy class seats. Each class will bring new features not previously available on LX aircraft.
First Class passengers will be able to enjoy a Suite-like experience thanks to the new seat design that will allow a sliding door to close, giving a passenger nearly perfect privacy. The space above the seat will be open, but the side panels will be large enough to prevent anyone from peeking at the seat. A large 32 inch Monitor will be the biggest in the industry.
SWISS’ First Class seat aboard the 777-300ER
Business Class seats also receive a face lift. According to SWISS, privacy and comfort were the biggest criteria that went into the design. With the new seat, passengers will of course be able to convert the seat into a true-flat bed and continue to be able to adjust the firmness of their seat cushion just as they have on the current LX Business class seat.
SWISS’ new Business Class cabin aboard the 777-300ER
Economy class was not overlooked when it came to the design of the cabin and seat. Newly designed seat cushions and large touch-screen monitors along with WiFi awaits passengers. Economy pax will also have a self-serve kiosk available that will offer snacks and beverages.
SWISS’ Economy Class cabin aboard their 777-300ER
As part of today’s news, SWISS also offered information on the routes that the new birds will fly on beginning next summer. Initially, you’ll be able to see the 777s on routes to Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo, San Francisco and even Tel Aviv. For Sao Paulo, San Francisco and Tel Aviv it is expected that the routes will be split between 777s and A340s.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Jun 30, 2015 | Business Class, Featured, Lufthansa |
Each month LUFTHANSA updates the status of their Business Class retrofit progress across the long haul fleet. This month’s update confirms that 95 long-haul aircraft now feature the new Business Class cabin. That means that 5 additional aircraft now sport the new Business Class Cabin as compared to the June Update. This leaves only 12 long haul aircraft that need to be retrofitted.
Here is the breakdown by Aircraft type and then by specific aircraft registration:
The aircraft registration codes that are highlighted in green represent the newly retrofitted aircraft added to the report for this month.
Airbus A330: D-AIKP, D-AIKQ, D-AIKR, D-AIKS (These 4 planes were line-fit meaning that they were delivered by Airbus with the seats installed). D-AIKA, D-AIKB, D-AIKC, D-AIKD, D-AIKE, D-AIKF, D-AIKG, D-AIKH, D-AIKI, D-AIKJ, D-AIKK, D-AIKM, D-AIKN, D-AIKO have all been retrofit by Lufthansa Technik.
Airbus A340-300: D-AIGM, D-AIGS, D-AIGO, D-AIGV, D-AIGT, D-AIGN, D-AIFE, D-AIGZ, D-AIFC, D-AIGX, D-AIGU, D-AIGL, D-AIFA, D-AIFD, D-AIFF, D-AIGW, D-AIGY (All Retrofit).
Airbus A340-600: D-AIHA, D-AIHB, D-AIHC, D-AIHD, D-AIHE, D-AIHF, D-AIHH, D-AIHI, D-AIHK, D-AIHL, D-AIHN, D-AIHQ, D-AIHR, D-AIHS, D-AIHV, D-AIHW, D-AIHX, D-AIHY, D-AIHZ (All Retrofit).
Airbus A380: D-AIMB, D-AIMC, D-AIMD, D-AIME, D-AIMF, D-AIMG, D-AIMH, D-AIMI, D-AIMJ, D-AIMK, D-AIML, D-AIMM, D-AIMN. MK, ML, MM, and MN were line fit while all other A380s were retrofitted.
Boeing 747-8i: All have the new Business Class.
Boeing 747-400: D-ABTK, D-ABTL, D-ABVO, D-ABVP, D-ABVR, D-ABVU, D-ABVW, D-ABVX, D-ABVY (Retrofit).
Another way to look at the progress is to see which aircraft still need to be retrofitted. Here is the list as of June 30, 2015:
A340-600: D-AI: HM, HO, HP, HT, HU
A340-300: D-AIGP
A330-300: D-AIKL
747-400: D-AB: TL, VM, VS, VT, VZ
If you have upcoming Business Class travel on Lufthansa, you can use this tool to determine if your flight will have an aircraft equipped with the new Business Class.
by Lufthansa Flyer | May 31, 2015 | Business Class, Featured, Lufthansa |
Each month LUFTHANSA updates the status of their Business Class retrofit progress across the long haul fleet. This month’s update confirms that 91 long-haul aircraft now feature the new Business Class cabin. That means that 8 additional aircraft now sport the new Business Class Cabin as compared to the May Update.
Here is the breakdown by Aircraft type and then by specific aircraft registration:
The aircraft registration codes that are highlighted in green represent the newly retrofitted aircraft added to the report for this month.
Airbus A330: D-AIKP, D-AIKQ, D-AIKR, D-AIKS (These 4 planes were line-fit meaning that they were delivered by Airbus with the seats installed). D-AIKA, D-AIKB, D-AIKC, D-AIKD, D-AIKE, D-AIKF, D-AIKG, D-AIKH, D-AIKI, D-AIKK, D-AIKM, D-AIKN, D-AIKO have all been retrofit by Lufthansa Technik. 90% of the A330 fleet has been retrofit.
Airbus A340-300: D-AIGM, D-AIGS, D-AIGO, D-AIGV, D-AIGT, D-AIGN, D-AIFE, D-AIGZ, D-AIFC, D-AIGX, D-AIGU, D-AIGL, D-AIFA, D-AIFD, D-AIFF, D-AIGW, D-AIGY (All Retrofit). 100% of the A340 fleet has been retrofit.
Airbus A340-600: D-AIHB, D-AIHC, D-AIHD, D-AIHE, D-AIHF, D-AIHK, D-AIHL, D-AIHN, D-AIHQ, D-AIHR, D-AIHS, D-AIHV, D-AIHW, D-AIHX, D-AIHY, D-AIHZ (All Retrofit). 67% of the A340-600 fleet has been retrofit.
Airbus A380: D-AIMB, D-AIMC, D-AIMD, D-AIME, D-AIMF, D-AIMG, D-AIMH, D-AIMI, D-AIMJ, D-AIMK, D-AIML, D-AIMM, D-AIMN. MK, ML, MM, and MN were line fit while all other A380s were retrofitted. 93% of the A380 fleet has be retrofit, only D-AIMA remains.
Boeing 747-8i: D-ABYU joined the fleet during April. All 19 aircraft have the new Business Class.
Boeing 747-400: D-ABTK, D-ABTL, D-ABVO, D-ABVP, D-ABVU, D-ABVW, D-ABVX, D-ABVY (Retrofit). 47% of the 747-400 fleet has been retrofit.
If you have upcoming Business Class travel on Lufthansa, you can use this tool to determine if your flight will have an aircraft equipped with the new Business Class.
by Lufthansa Flyer | May 8, 2015 | Austrian, Brussels, Business Class, Featured, Lufthansa, Swiss |
Lufthansa is currently running a Business Class fare sale between the US and Europe that has fares starting as low as $2699. It’s been a little while since the last Biz Class fare sale, so it’s nice to finally see attractive pricing again!
The best deal appears to be travel between Houston and Stockholm, with fares running at only $2699. Otherwise fares start at the $2800-3200 range for departures from East Coast and Midwest gateways, while west coast departures range from the mid $3000 to low $4000 range.
Granted that these are not the lowest Business Class fares that we’ve ever seen but they’re better than typical Business Class fares. Also, please note that these fares are booking as ‘P’ fares and will earn 100% of miles flown.
I think with the new Premium Economy seats and their pricing levels that the days of $2000 Business Class fares may very well be behind us and fares from the high $2000 to low $4000 may become the new normal for Biz Class fares when they go on sale.
Keep in mind that the flights may be operated by Air Canada, United, Austrian, Lufthansa, SWISS or Brussels so pay attention when booking your ticket! My recommendation would be to stick with the LH Group, just make sure that your LH flights have the new Business Class cabin on your routes.
Terms and Conditions of the fare sale are as follows:
Tickets must be purchased by June 30, 2015.
Departures must take place between June 26 and August 29, 2015
Return travel must take place between July 7 and November 29, 2015
Tickets must be purchased 28 days prior to departure.
