Lufthansa Unveils Incredible New First Class But Only Ok Business Class Product

by Gary Leff

When Lufthansa first started teasing their new first class product, it didn’t look especially impressive. Details began leaking out that suggested it was going to be very nice and indeed they’re out with a lot more information now and it looks awesome.

However new first class will be on some of their Airbus A350s, and those that have it will offer just a single row of three seats. Do not plan on flying this with your points.


Credit: Lufthansa


Credit: Lufthansa

Meanwhile they’re out with details on their new business class product as well, and it is a whole lot better than their current poor offering. But this has been in the works for six years? It looked good enough considering the competition at the time back then, but the industry has passed them by. It’s an improvement, but not a product that you’d choose to fly Lufthansa over others for.

First class actually sort of has four seats. But what they’re offering is two ‘regular’ first class suites at the windows and then a “Suite Plus” set of two in the middle – that are sold together – and convert into a double bed. Think of it, in a way, like Etihad’s Residence which took a first class suite and added its own bathroom and bedroom (where dead space or a lounge might have gone). This isn’t as impressive as the Residence, but still a better product than first class in the first class cabin.


Credit: Lufthansa

It’s not clear whether any planes besides 10 Airbus A350-900s to be based in Munich will receive this product, beginning in 2024.

In terms of business class, the new product will have direct aisle access with a configuration alternating between 1-2-1 and 1-1-1. It’s going to be a very complicated, rather than uniform, offering.

  • A front row that offers suites with doors (many airlines are now offering an elevated from row of business class, though often not in conjunction with a first class cabin)

  • Solo center seats with more space

  • Window seats, and in the last row this offers an infant carrier

  • The last row center can be turned into a double bed

  • And then there are the standard seats!

Here’s the premium front row, but remember that Air France, British Airways, American Airlines and Delta will all be flying a business class across the Atlantic featuring doors throughout their cabin and not just for a few seats.


Credit: Lufthansa

New business class will appear on the Airbus A350-900s and Boeing 787-9s. In the process Lufthansa will be shrinking he number of business class seats offered. Current A350s have 48 business seats, while the new product will have 38. Their Boeing 787-9s, where the seat could still debut this year, will have just 28 business seats (including four suites).

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. Awesome indeed – when I saw that first pic in the story, I actually thought it was of a lounge on the ground somewhere lol.

    Also, “Do not plan on flying this with your points” got a laugh out of me; well done, Gary!

  2. Perhaps the whole point of cutting down on cabin size is that they weren’t getting enough cash bookings and way too many points bookings, making the cabin unprofitable or less profitable than other cabins on a per sqft basis? Airlines want cash bookings, not award bookings, so offering a huge cabin that goes mostly unsold is a dumb business decision by airlines, of course they’ll cut back the cabin size

  3. Hard disagree that the middle pair of F seats are “still a better product than first class in the first class cabin” if 2 people are flying in it. While some items are up in the air, like if the person next to the door has a drink table or if the TV can even be split into 2 if people want to watch different things, definitively, there is:

    1) No center armrest
    2) The love seat appears well under double the width of the single F seats for less individual space
    3) The far seat does not have direct aisle access, so it is immediately less competitive than most newer J configurations. What’s worse, there appears to be no gap between the seats (in bed mode) to get your footing so you get to crawl over your partner rather than trying to just step.

  4. @ Gary — I think LH’s double seat design is stupid. It’s like having two coach seats in the first class cabin. Why? It would be great to have as a solo traveler, but it looks horrible for two people. I just don’t understand LH’s weird seat choices.

  5. Imagined conversation in my household:
    Me: Great news! I snagged us seats in Lufthansa’s new, state-of-the-art first class suite!!
    Mrs: Really?!? Is it better than the seats we’ve flown before?
    Me: Here, check out these sweet photos!
    Mrs: Where’s the other seat?
    Me: No, this is for us to share, turns into a double bed and everything!
    Mrs: Oh. I think I liked those others seats we flew before better.

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