With a variant of Lufthansa’s new suites, The Queen of the Sky will cocoon travelers above the clouds.
With the private berths from the A350 variant adjusted to fit the highly curved nose of the jumbo jet, Lufthansa will introduce a customized version of its new Allegris first class suites to its Boeing 747-8 jumbo jets.
In an interview with Executive Traveller this week, Kai Peters, Head of Customer Experience at Lufthansa, made the assurance that Allegris first class would be available on the airline’s 747-8 aircraft.
But, because of the distinctive shape of the first class cabin on the jumbo jet, which is located at the front of the main deck, “it will be optimized.” According to Peters, “it won’t be the exact same product” as the Allegris first class, which will debut in 2024 on A350s headquartered in Munich. It will be an entirely new variety of Allegris First.
In fact, Lufthansa was the jumbo’s launch client in 2012 and currently operates 19 of the stretched 747-8I or Intercontinental variant of the aircraft. Although passengers in Allegris first class face an ottoman that can also be used as a companion seat for the duration of the flight, the ottoman can be converted into a wide, fully flat bed.
Each Allegris first class suite is framed by 1.8m-high walls and includes a personal wardrobe so that passengers can change into and out of their pajamas. There is also space under the ottoman for stowing a standard-size cabin bag.
The A380s will also feature a unique double-berth suite flanked by two conventional solo suites. The 747-8s will undergo a complete renovation, including the addition of the new Allegris business class suites, premium economy, and economy seating.
The older 747-400s will still operate with the older seats, while Lufthansa has not yet made a decision about the Airbus A380 superjumbos.
Peters told Executive Traveller, “That’s too early to call, because we are just getting them back into the fleet.” We must make a decision regarding what to do with them.