A few days ago, German flag carrier, Lufthansa gave us a glimpse of what the airline’s new Business Class seat and cabin would look like when it takes delivery of its first Boeing 777X aircraft. But while Lufthansa isn’t set to launch the new aircraft until 2020, the airline has decided to release even more details about its new Business Class product.
Lufthansa’s current Business Class product is pretty uncompetitive. Arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration, the flatbed seats offer just 20 inches in width, 180-degree recline and a rather average bed length of 78 inches. As direct aisle access and increased personal space becomes a Business Class must-have, Lufthansa’s current product has languished.
The new product, however, is set to be a huge step change for Lufthansa and will be rolled out across several Lufthansa group airlines, including SWISS and Austrian. Based on the CL6710 long-distance Business Class seat by German manufacturer Recaro, the product has been heavily customised for Lufthansa and its subsidiaries.
Up to 86.6 inches of fully flat bed goodness
Lufthansa says the seat will provide a fully flat bed with a length of up to 86.6 inches. It also comes with a bespoke backrest that allows the shoulder to sink in when lying on your side. The airline claims this will help keep the spine straight, helping passengers achieve a “healthy and relaxing sleep.”
Of course, it’s the spaciousness of the new cabin which has really caught the eye of many commentators. While Lufthansa, is quick to caution that the design is still a “concept”, a representative of the airline says the computer-generated mockups accurately reflect the configuration that passengers will experience in real life.
That means some passengers will get to enjoy a super spacious ‘throne seat’ as the configurations alternates between 1-2-1 and 1-1-1. Lufthansa says the “considerably wider cabin” of the Boeing 777X makes it possible to “significantly increase the comfort level for passengers” by providing such generous amounts of personal space.
“The new, ultra-modern Lufthansa Business Class creates a new global benchmark. It offers our passengers a unique travel experience,” explained Harry Hohmeister, who sits on Lufthansa’s executive board.
“We have consistently and continuously refined our range of premium products for our guests and modernized Lufthansa,” he continued.
Wireless charging at all seats
And on top of massive improvements in seat comfort and space, the new Business Class seat will also boast some impressive tech developments as well. Possibly most exciting is the ability to control every function of the seat using your own smartphone or tablet device – as well as inbuilt wireless electronic charging.
We still don’t have any details on how large the new in-flight entertainment system is going to be or how many choices it will provide passengers. At the moment, however, Lufthansa is happy to confirm the screens will be “much larger” and in HD quality.
Lufthansa joins the airline ‘sleep wars’
Of course, it’s still some time until Lufthansa’s passengers will get to benefit from these huge improvements. And we still don’t know whether the airline plans to retrofit the product across its existing.
In the meantime, Lufthansa is joining the airline ‘sleep wars’ and will introduce matresses in Business Class from early 2018 on intercontinental flights. New blankets have also been developed and passengers will soon be able to request ‘sleep sweaters’ – once the preserve of First Class only.
