Lufthansa is preparing to introduce its new premium cabin experience, known as Allegris. This will include a new business class product (to be installed initially on newly delivered A350s and 787s), as well as a new first class product (to be installed initially on newly delivered A350s).
Lufthansa’s rollout of its new premium cabins has been the laughing stock of the industry for years. Lufthansa announced its new business class in 2017, and nearly seven years later, not a single aircraft with these cabins is in service.
Fortunately there’s a very exciting update. Lufthansa has taken delivery of its first jet with Allegris seats, and we’re just weeks from this aircraft entering service.
In this post:
Lufthansa Allegris introduction timeline
Lufthansa plans to introduce its Allegris product on newly delivered jets, with the following timeline:
- Lufthansa’s new Allegris business class will launch on newly delivered Airbus A350-900s out of Munich in May 2024
- Lufthansa’s new Allegris business class should next launch on newly delivered Boeing 787-9s out of Frankfurt as of July 2024
- Lufthansa’s new Allegris first class should launch on newly delivered Airbus A350-900s out of Munich as of September 2024
The Boeing 787-9s are in a three cabin configuration (with business class, premium economy, and economy), while the Airbus A350-900s are in a four cabin configuration (with first class, in addition to the other three cabins).
However, Lufthansa is having issues with its new Allegris first class, so A350s are being delivered without a first class cabin, so that space will remain empty for months.
Lufthansa is blaming the delay in getting these new planes into service on suppliers. And, I mean, fair enough, it’s not like Lufthansa really had time to work with suppliers to make sure these seats were delivered on time. After all, the airline only had *checks notes* nearly seven years.
Lufthansa Allegris first routes & logistics
Lufthansa has now formally announced the first routes to get the new Lufthansa Allegris business class product:
- Lufthansa Allegris will debut on the Munich (MUC) to Vancouver (YVR) route as of May 1, 2024, though the service won’t initially be daily; seat maps have now been updated to reflect the new Allegris product, so you can see which flights are scheduled to feature the product
- Lufthansa Allegris’ next destination out of Munich will be Toronto (YYZ), with subsequent destinations including Chicago (ORD) and Montreal (YUL), though there’s no exact timeline yet for that happening
- Lufthansa Allegris consists of several different kinds of business class seats, and many will have an upcharge; however, the upcharge isn’t expected to kick in for the coming months
When you go to Lufthansa’s website, you’ll now see that certain flights are labeled as having the new Allegris product…
…and sure enough, the seat maps reflect that. How cool!
Is this the worst airline product rollout ever?
A genuine question — has any airline ever done a worse job with rolling out a premium product? To Lufthansa’s credit, the initial issue was that these new cabins were supposed to debut on Boeing 777-9s, and those planes have been delayed by at least five years (and with Boeing’s latest issues, it may be even longer than that).
However, Lufthansa has taken delivery of all kinds of new jets since then, featuring the carrier’s outdated business class product, and is only finally now starting the process of introducing this product on A350s and 787s.
At this point, it will be nearly seven years from when the product was announced to when it actually enters service. And that’s just for business class, while first class is being delayed even further. And that’s just the start of the product being rolled out.
Let’s not even talk about how Lufthansa is planning on retrofitting other jets:
- Lufthansa Airbus A380s are expected to get a new business class product, but it won’t be the Allegris product
- Lufthansa Boeing 747-8s are expected to get the new Allegris business class product, but only on the lower deck, while the upper deck will keep the same business class seats
This entire rollout is simply wild…
Bottom line
Lufthansa’s new Allegris cabins are expected to debut as of May 2024. The plan is to first introduce this on A350s out of Munich as of May 2024, followed by 787s out of Frankfurt as of July 2024. As of May 1, 2024, we’ll see the A350 with Allegris cabins flying on select dates between Munich and Vancouver, with Toronto being the next destination, followed by Chicago and Montreal.
It’s exciting to see Lufthansa Allegris finally becoming a reality. Better late than never, eh?
What do you make of Lufthansa finally rolling out Allegris cabins?
Ben
How does allegris compare to other, best-in-class, seat configurations in terms of footprint/density/space optimization?
Also, will LH then hold a record in terms of different J configurations available at the same time?
Thanks
Cramped. Narrow. Dull. Uninspired. Depressing. LATE.
Pity the Lufty customers who waited seven years for the 'privilege' of flying in this seat. Is 'allegris' Italian for 'sucker'??
I have been avoiding Lufthansa and their outdated seats on long-haul for a while now. Swiss seats are outdated too at this point. When you're flying United over Swiss and LH b/c the seats are better I think that says it all.
Are they planning on charging the same for the 747 Upper deck seats as the main deck J seats?
Seems to be a joke – and the joke is on us paying customers. So you have to pay extra to get a simple window seat? 5 different seats and rates assures many angry customers. Well done, Lufthansa!
Would Skytrax award LH 7 stars, now that the product is being introduced actually?! One * for, ahem, one year delay each...
Tim Dunn should have something to say about LH getting 7 stars.
I mean, this doesn’t even look that great. I’d be a lot more excited to fly on AF or even Condor with their new seats rather than this product. I find LH to be a very vanilla, blah experience…. And these seats designed 7 years ago would do little to drive me towards LH vs. the many better options already out there..
So Lufthansa’s most premium N. Amer routes from MUC are BOS, JFK and LAx (which all get First Class A380’s & A346’s), but LH will be premiering Allegris on second-tier markets like MUC-YVR, YYZ & YUL. Makes sense.
Wouldn’t markets like MUC-JNB, CPT & SIN make more sense?
I think it makes sense to work out kinks and beta test the roll out on secondary markets that are culturally similar to the primary premium markets, rather than risking a rocky roll out and unfavorable initial opinions that could stick on your most desired and profitable customers.
Without even mentioning the awful rollout of the product, can we point out how annoying it is that there's 4 or 5 different seat types? If I'm paying for a premium product the last thing I want is to then have to worry about getting one of those terrible aisle seats or having to pay an extra $300 because all the decent standard seats are taken. I know that paid seat assignments are a big...
Without even mentioning the awful rollout of the product, can we point out how annoying it is that there's 4 or 5 different seat types? If I'm paying for a premium product the last thing I want is to then have to worry about getting one of those terrible aisle seats or having to pay an extra $300 because all the decent standard seats are taken. I know that paid seat assignments are a big thing on non-US carriers and that "Premium Business" is the new trend in monetization but the entire cabin concept just feels so tacky and transactional.
There are 7 different seat types. Allegris is a joke.
The 747-8 fleet will have new seats on the main deck, but keep the awful 2-2 configuration on the popular and beloved upper deck? This is ridiculous. Why would anyone in the future pay a premium to select an upper-deck seat (as so many 747 passengers do) if the hard product is so obnoxiously outdated?
Allegris is perfectly capable of installing direct-aisle access seats on the upper deck of a 747. They can take this...
The 747-8 fleet will have new seats on the main deck, but keep the awful 2-2 configuration on the popular and beloved upper deck? This is ridiculous. Why would anyone in the future pay a premium to select an upper-deck seat (as so many 747 passengers do) if the hard product is so obnoxiously outdated?
Allegris is perfectly capable of installing direct-aisle access seats on the upper deck of a 747. They can take this exact product (window seats only) and make it work. There'd be some reduction in capacity, but at least they'd have a consistent product and something for which customers would gladly pay extra.
Maybe Lufthansa has one remaining functioning braincell and are planning to sell those upper deck seats as "Premium Economy Plus".
Lufthansa just dig up those old 744 First Class Seats and put Allegris in the nose! Use the extra space for an F/J lounge, I know a lot of folks on here don't care for them, but as someone with a blood clotting disorder I really value being able to get up and walk around,...
Maybe Lufthansa has one remaining functioning braincell and are planning to sell those upper deck seats as "Premium Economy Plus".
Lufthansa just dig up those old 744 First Class Seats and put Allegris in the nose! Use the extra space for an F/J lounge, I know a lot of folks on here don't care for them, but as someone with a blood clotting disorder I really value being able to get up and walk around, and the truth is you can't really do that through aisles very well without disrupting others.
Or even make a Y/Y+ mini cabin. Again, makes for a more consistent product and plenty of airlines have done this back in the days of 744s and 742s
Perhaps Lufthansa deliberately delayed the rollout for seven years to distract everyone from the fact that Allegris' appalling layout? The inconsistent seats across the cabin; a few odd seats with access to a distant single window; the two weird claustrophobic seats in the middle that were squeezed in because someone in the finance department insisted that they must have a higher seat count. All in all it looks utterly embarassing for an aspiring modern-day airline...
Perhaps Lufthansa deliberately delayed the rollout for seven years to distract everyone from the fact that Allegris' appalling layout? The inconsistent seats across the cabin; a few odd seats with access to a distant single window; the two weird claustrophobic seats in the middle that were squeezed in because someone in the finance department insisted that they must have a higher seat count. All in all it looks utterly embarassing for an aspiring modern-day airline - no wonder they delayed it for seven years!
Indeed, almost more embarrassing than the seven years it took to start installing it is how dated the layout in business class already is, basically Lufthansa will still be rolling out this c.2007 business class twenty years after others with the competitors almost two whole generations of business class seat further along. This is an inferior seat to what AF and BA already have, let alone their competitors going East - just madness.
The terribly delayed and problem-plagued opening of the new Berlin-Brandenburg airport was a preview for this, and an example of how the concept of “German efficiency” is a historical fact rather than a contemporary cultural feature.