German airline Lufthansa is reinventing the long-haul international travel experience with a dramatic overhaul of its new fleet. The new Allegris Business Class will offer seven different category options for the first time and is additionally packed with high technology, comfort, privacy and style. Lufthansa is contributing a whopping 2.5 billion euros ($2.67 billion) to the new fleet over the next two years, marking its largest investment to date.
“The Allegris Business Class cabin experience is rooted in a year-long, multifaceted co-creation program of primary research and ideation being conducted by Pearson Lloyd and Lufthansa together with industry partners,” said Pearson Lloyd. “This included an overall industry overview, individual passenger interviews, high-level creative workshops, megatrend mapping and the creation of new user profiles and future landscapes.”
The new Allegris Business Class was designed by the renowned London design studio Pearson Lloyd. Highlights include a modular, multi-seat design that can accommodate up to seven people, temperature-controlled in-seat heating and cooling, a shoulder-comfort sink-in design, as well as enhanced privacy, 27-inch monitors and a personal tablet for an additional screening option , noise-cancelling headphones, a bed at least two meters long, a wireless charging module, additional storage space, design lighting, a personal wardrobe and a minibar. In addition, personal devices such as mobile phones and wireless headphones can be synchronized with the entertainment system via Bluetooth.
Lufthansa
“Pearson Lloyd’s research has made it clear that business class isn’t what it used to be,” the studio added. “It’s no longer a one-note category for business travel. With more and more people in control of where and how they work, business travel has opened up to a wider user base of travelers who don’t want to compromise their travel experience… Given the multitude of user needs, a single concept solution would be inevitable to the experience compromise.”
Business Class seating options consist of front row suites with a double interior suite and single window suites, an Extra Space seating option with a spacious single seat with additional workspace, a window seat with additional privacy, a king-size bed seat of 2 .2 m (7.2 ft), a privacy window seat with carrycot, a twin back row seat that allows two adjacent seats to be combined into a twin berth with a retractable center console, and a classic aisle access option.
Lufthansa
To optimize the individual passenger experience, Pearson Lloyd custom-designed each aircraft seat to precisely fit the intended aircraft. Over an extended period of eight years, ergonomic, full-scale prototypes of all seats for Lufthansa’s B747-8, B777-9, A350 and B787-9 long-haul aircraft were built. Through extensive human-scale testing, Pearson Lloyd was able to ensure that the seats not only met the needs of a wide range of users, but also maximized cabin efficiency, manufacturing processes and the use of materials and resources during production.
Lufthansa Allegris will also introduce its new First Class options on board the newly delivered Airbus A350s in 2024, including a Suite Plus configuration for guests traveling together.
“Every guest has their own understanding of premium, which is why we rely on maximum individuality and exclusivity,” says Jens Ritter, CEO of the Lufthansa Group. “The First Class Suite Plus conveys the feeling of privacy and individuality similar to a hotel room – only at an altitude of eleven kilometers. The Allegris range promises individuality, exclusivity and premium service along the entire travel chain.”
Notable features include personal suites with wardrobes, spacious dining tables, full-width screens, heated and cooled seats, a shoulder sink function, and a wireless charging module.
Lufthansa
The Lufthansa Allegris fleet will also have a new Premium Economy Class with a modern hard shell seat design. Seats are a generous 99 cm (39 in) apart, and a personal center armrest with wireless charging for mobile devices and noise-cancelling headphones.
The new Economy Class also offers exciting features, including a larger seat pitch of 79 cm (31 inches), tablet holders, USB ports and additional comfort in the first rows with a seat pitch of 86 cm (34 inches). Passengers also have the option of booking an empty seat next to them, and the entire cabin has been upgraded with a new in-flight entertainment system with large monitors and Bluetooth connectivity for connecting personal devices. In addition, Human Centric Lighting has been implemented to help passengers reduce post-flight jet lag.
Lufthansa
Lufthansa has also incorporated the sustainability goals into the new design: All 27,000 seats as well as blankets, pillows and covers are made from recyclable materials. The airline’s comprehensive sustainability initiative envisages the modernization of more than 200 new short and long-haul aircraft, with which the Lufthansa Group hopes to significantly reduce the average CO2 emissions of its fleet. According to Lufthansa, the state-of-the-art long-haul aircraft “Dreamliner” (Boeing 787-9) consumes around 2.5 liters of kerosene per passenger over a 100 km flight route, which is up to 30% less than the previous model.
By the end of 2025, over 80 new aircraft will be fitted with the new Allegris design. The Boeing 789 will be introduced before the end of 2023, while the Airbus A350-900 will also be the first to introduce the new First Class in 2024.
The Lufthansa Group is aiming for CO2 neutrality by 2050 and intends to halve its net CO2 emissions by 2030 compared to 2019 through a combination of reduction and compensation measures. The Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) validated the Group’s reduction plan for 2030 last year.
Source: The Lufthansa Group
