by Lufthansa Flyer | May 18, 2014 | Featured, Lufthansa |
LUFTHANSA has begun to introduce their timetable for Winter 2014/15 that will feature the debut of their new Premium Economy Seat.
The 747-8i aircraft will the first to see Premium Economy seats when they begin to roll out on December 10. According to my sources with LH, more information will be forthcoming that will give details that are specific to aircraft and routes.
For now, the following routes will see the Premium Economy Seats at some point during the Winter 2014/15 timetable:
US Destinations:
Frankfurt – Chicago
Frankfurt – Washington DC
Frankfurt – Los Angeles (Spring 2015 / March at earliest)
Latin/South America Destinations:
Frankfurt – Buenos Aires
Frankfurt – Mexico City
Frankfurt – Sao Paulo
Asia Destinations:
Frankfurt – Beijing
Frankfurt – Hong Kong
Frankfurt – Seoul
More destinations will have the new Premium Economy introduced during 2015, but that is contingent upon the receipt of new 747-8i from Boeing and the retrofit of the existing fleet. The first A380 is currently set to debut Premium Economy Seats sometime in late March. Please bear in mind that this is a very tentative timeline and is subject to change.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Mar 10, 2014 | Airlines, Featured, Premium Economy |
As part of the media blitz during the unveiling of their new Premium Economy seat last week in Berlin, Lufthansa has published a video providing a virtual tour of the new seat and cabin layout. In case you missed the announcement regarding the new seat, you can get caught up by reading my previous piece on the topic.
The video runs for about a minute but covers the key details of the new seat.
http://www.lufthansagroup.com/fileadmin/themen/de/premium-economy/premium-new.mp4
by Lufthansa Flyer | Mar 10, 2014 | Featured |
As part of Lufthansa’s overhaul of their long haul fleet which includes the migration to a new Business Class and Premium Economy seat, attention has also been given to enhance the Infight Entertaintment (IFE) experience.
Recent IFE software and hardware upgrades that have been undertaken have enabled passengers traveling in all 3 class to have access to the same content. Additionally, LH has expanded the IFE menu which has dramatically increased the options available to passengers:
300 Music CDs by various artists in a variety of genres and languages.
Movie selections have doubled from 100 to 200 full length feature films.
200 TV shows included digital ‘boxed sets’ that provide multiple episodes of a given TV show.
Increased family-friendly offerings for children including 10 films, 20 TV shows, audio books and audio CDs.
Increased assortment of regional content for flights operating to Asia, India and the Middle East.
In addition to the audio/visual IFE enhancements, Lufthansa has also begun the expansion of FlyNet (inflight internet access) that will allow passengers to use their personal ‘Smart Devices’ to access internet content, email and text messaging.
This decision to upgrade came in the 4th quarter of 2013 as Lufthansa committed to create a complete ‘5-Star’ airline experience for all passengers. The decision came as a result of earning several prestigious awards for their First Class product. In 2013 LH was awarded a 5-Star rating for their First Class product including Best First Class Lounges from Skytrax as well as a 5-Star award from the American Academy of Hospitality Services for their Inflight First Class service and First Class Lounges in Frankfurt, Munich and New York’s JFK.
As of April 2014, approximately half of the long haul fleet will be updated with the new IFE systems. Upgrades will continue throughout mid-2015 as the long-haul fleet goes through the process of having their new cabins installed.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Mar 5, 2014 | Featured |
At the ITB show being held in Berlin this week, Lufthansa has unveiled its long awaited Premium Economy seat that will be installed throughout their long haul fleet. With the new seat, Lufthansa is hoping to accomplish 2 things: One, give those who typically travel an economy an option to have a better seat for considerably less money than a Business Class seat. Second, provide a good option to someone traveling for business whose company travel policy does not allow travel in Business Class. Now Businesses and their employees have a reasonable option that strikes a balance between cost and comfort.
The New Premium Economy Cabin – photo courtesy of Lufthansa
As far as roll-out, expect to see the first seats serving Frankfurt in the 747-8i aircraft beginning in December. The A340 will bring Premium Economy seats to Munich in early 2015. Previously LH suggested that the A380 would debut the new seat but apparently plans have changed.
Booking the seats will be possible beginning in mid-May and fare classes E, G, N will reflect Premium Economy fares. Additionally, advanced seat assignments will be possible for no additional fee.
As the rollout takes shape, if there is ever a situation where you book a Premium Economy seat, but for some reason the aircraft that you are flying that day does not have a Premium Economy section, Lufthansa will first look to upgrade passengers to Business Class. If the upgrade to Business Class is not possible and a passenger is forced to sit in regular Economy Class, appropriate compensation will be paid to the passenger.
Plans call for the Premium Economy seats to be installed across the long haul fleet by Summer 2015. It is a simple cabin retrofit and each aircraft will take 2-3 days to complete the installation.
According to Lufthansa, the cost of a round-trip ticket for a transatlantic flight in Premium Economy will be approximately $800 more than a typical Economy Class seat.
Important things to know about the new seat……
The Hardware:
Seat pitch increases 50% compared to the normal economy seat.
Each seat is 10cm (4 inches) wider than a typical economy seat. Seating area is approximately 3cm wider.
Each seat has 2 dedicated armrests — no more sharing!
The seat reclines 10cm (4 inches) more than a traditional Economy Class seat.
The leg rest in the first row (Bulkhead) folds out from beneath the seat due to lack of a Premium Economy seat in front of it. Premium Economy seats in other rows will have a fold down leg rest that is installed to the seat in front of them.
IFE Screen is much larger (11-12 inch) than Economy, with both touch and wired remote control.
A dedicated power and USB outlet is built into each seat.
Depending on the aircraft, between 21 and 52 Premium Economy seats will be available.
Onboard in Premium Economy:
Welcome drink.
Premium Economy amenity kit.
Bottle of water waiting at seat.
Dedicated Premium Economy menu (menu upgrade over standard economy offerings).
Glassware and Porcelain plates used for meal service.
Additional Benefits:
Premium Economy passengers will be allowed to check a second bag at no charge.
Premium Economy passengers can access Lufthansa’s Business Class and Welcome Lounges (A €25 fee will apply).
Miles & More members will earn 100% or 150% of miles flown (depending on which Premium Economic fare class is booked).
Additional Images (Courtesy of Lufthansa):
The Premium Economy Amenity Kit
Feel free to ask any questions or join the conversation at FlyerTalk.com.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Sep 26, 2013 | Airlines |
Lufthansa has made it official that it will debut it’s new Premium Economy cabin beginning next year on it’s A380 fleet. Currently LH operates 10 of the ‘double deckers’ and has 5 more on order.
The confirmation comes from Jens Bischof, who is a member of Lufthansa’s Supervisory Board and is responsible for Sales for the airline. According to the Bloomberg article, Lufthansa plans to convert 10% of it’s long haul economy capacity into the new Premium Economy product.
The German firm ZIM Flugsitz GmbH has been awarded the contract to provide 3,000 new Premium Economy seats which will be officially unveiled next year at Berlin’s ITB Show that will be held between March 5 and 9, 2014.
ZIM’s website shows the following product that is widely thought to be the basic model (subject to custom colors and features) of the Premium Economy seat (However it has not been confirmed by LH):
H/T to Oliver2002 on FlyerTalk’s Lufthansa / Miles & More Forum
