Lufthansa has touted its new Allegris cabin for an eternity and the first planes equipped with these products are now in the air, though the Business Class seats are a mixed bag of different seating options and most come at an extra cost.
The airline also informed passengers via email that the new First Class will be available on Airbus A350 aircraft ex Munich to Chicago, Shanghai and San Francisco as guaranteed seats from March 30, 2025.
Allegris Business is available on more routes than just those three but even for the Business Class itself, Lufthansa will have several different products in the air for many years to come.
The more worrisome development, however, is the cabin design for the Business Class cabin and the way that Lufthansa has implemented several different seating styles – and they want to make money for each one of them the passenger wishes to pre-select.
The First Class Seating Options and fees for the Suite Plus combination can be found here:
Regular Allegris First Class seats (Suites) can be reserved free of charge but the Suite Plus costs money. A lot of money – up to 2900 Euro for an intercontinental flight. On top of the First Class ticket.
The same goes for the absurdly designed Business cabin.
You can access the Business Class Seat Selection fee chart here and see for yourself.
Are you ready to dive into delulu-land? Let’s go!
While these seats might all look similar aside from the slignment, there are many different configurations, and yes – unless you’re a Senator or HON Circle member, Lufthansa will charge for those advance reservations.
So you have five different seats in that cabin, all of which are pretty much the same but also slightly different. Only the “Classic” seats are available free of charge to regular customers; all others have to be paid for. Some of these, like the Business Suite, cost up to 600 euros per way extra on intercont routes. Absurd!
I don’t want to knock it all, especially after having criticized Lufthansa for a good 7 years that their business class is already outdated. But when it comes to this, my irritation with the system is more about the general approach. How can this be practical? Not one paid option but five and prices to the moon.
How many customers will be unable to reserve a seat because none of the Classic options are left? And then on the day of departure or during OLCI they get seated randomly, worst case with couples and families pulled apart.
The pricing of these “premium” seats is totally out of this world for Business Class passengers who have already paid for the underlying ticket. And 2900 Euro for the First Class Suite Plus?
Yes, Senator and HON Circle members can select most of these for free, but why should a regular customer book Lufthansa I say rather fly with a proper airline that’s renowned for excellent service and where I can reserve any seat I want.
Conclusion
Lufthansa has informed customers about the new Allegris Business- and First Class concept that is now taking flight. Business can already be used on select routes, such as some Indian flights. Allegris First will soon roll out, to be guaranteed for reservations starting with the Spring schedule that kicks in from March 30, 2025.
The Business Class concept is extremely confusing, and I expect this to be a disaster that won’t make customers happy and will prove to be a disaster for ground operations at the check-in and gate. Latest when passengers can’t sit together because most seats are paid premium options or reserved for elites will there be commotion of epic proportions.
Was this really necessary? Why is Lufthansa trying to invent the new wheel here? It’s a Business Class cabin, keep it simple and don’t make premium travel complicated. Five different seats, really? I’d really love to know who pays these prices (assuming not many) and how this plays out at departure. Eventually, they will have to give away plenty of these seats for free, and then two strangers sit together in the Business Suite. Lovely!
