Boeing 747-8 with new range of services from December – Affordable starting prices; Red Dot Award: Product Design 2014 for Premium Economy and Business Class
The new travel class can now be booked on flights flown by Boeing 747-8s. From December 10, 2014, the Premium Economy Class will have guaranteed availability on all flights served by the new jumbo. The destinations that can now be booked include the routes from Frankfurt to and from Buenos Aires, Chicago, Hong Kong, Mexico City, São Paulo, Seoul, Beijing and Washington, D.C.
From late January 2015, the first retrofitted aircraft of the type, A340-600, are scheduled to take off from Munich for Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo with the Premium Economy on board; from late April the A380-800 is planned to then fly from Frankfurt to Johannesburg, New York, Miami, Houston, San Francisco, Shanghai and Singapore offering the new travel class to the passengers.
To mark the start of sales, travelers who book their ticket by June 30, 2014 can get special deals for flights from the US to Europe and save up to 15%: For example, Premium Economy tickets from Washington or Chicago to Frankfurt start at $1512.32, including taxes and surcharges. These prices are valid for a travel period between December 2014 and March 2015.
“We have had an incredible positive response for our Premium Economy Class since its launch event, particularly from passengers who we are trying to reach with this new offer. The Premium Economy travel experience will now be even more within reach – up to 50 percent more personal space at attractive prices and already honored with an award as a product in the premium segment,” said Jens Bischof, member of the Lufthansa German Airlines Board – Sales, Product and Marketing.
The design experts in the panel of judges of the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2014 were so impressed by the new Lufthansa range that the design competition’s panel of judges, which is made up of forty experts, awarded the seats in Premium Economy and Business Class each a Red Dot Award in the category ‘Vehicle Accessories’. During the competition, international design experts deliberated on and evaluated 4,815 entries from 53 countries. The final of the internationally renowned product competition will be celebrated on July 7, 2014 in Essen with the official award-giving ceremony.
The design and features of the seat are based on extensive passenger surveys and workshops with sales partners. More than 1.5 million passengers per year will be able to enjoy a new travel experience with the installation of 3,600 seats in all 106 long-haul aircraft in just one year.
Up to 50 percent more room and ‘German engineering’
The new seats were designed in partnership with the company müller/romca Industrial Design in Kiel and produced by the seat manufacturer ZIM Flugsitz near Lake Constance. Depending on the aircraft type, they are up to 1.2 inches wider and provide greater privacy, as well as approximately 3.9 inches more room on the side due to each seat having its own wide armrest and a center console between the seats. The back rest can be reclined further and the seat pitch is a significantly more spacious 38 inches. As a result, passengers have around one-and-a-half times as much room as Economy Class. The head rests can be set to the exact height desired and folded at the sides for added comfort and support. Height-adjustable foot rests from the second row back and – for technical reasons – leg supports with an integrated foot rest in the first row provide extra comfort. Practical features around the seats such as a bottle holder, an electrical socket and lots of storage space for passengers’ belongings also help to ensure a relaxed journey.
Additional services for Premium Economy passengers
With a baggage allowance of two items weighing up to 50lb each, passengers can take twice as much free luggage with them compared with Economy Class. For an extra $35, passengers can also enjoy the comfort of the Lufthansa Business Lounges before their departure from the US. The Welcome Lounge in Frankfurt, with its spacious showers and a breakfast buffet after night flights, can be used for EUR 50. Lounges were previously only open to status customers and are otherwise unavailable on a paying basis. Check-in and boarding procedures, as well as hand luggage regulations, are the same as in Economy Class.
An enhanced service awaits Premium Economy passengers on board: They are greeted with a welcome drink and will find their own water bottle, as well as a high-quality amenity kit with practical travel accessories at their seat. Meals are presented on menus commensurate with the new travel class and served on porcelain tableware.
Passengers can navigate the extensive in-flight entertainment program using their own touchscreen monitor on the seat in front of them. This can also be done using a remote control, which serves as a controller for video games as well. The screens are 11 or 12 inches, depending on the aircraft type, which makes them at least two inches bigger than the screens in Economy Class. A wide selection of magazines and newspapers completes the range of entertainment on offer.
Up to 52 seats, depending on aircraft type
Lufthansa Premium Economy Class is located within the cabin as a clearly identifiable separate compartment between Business and Economy Class. It has a high-quality design and contains between 21 and 52 seats, depending on the aircraft type. Installation of the new travel class, which will be carried out on a gradual basis, sub-fleet by sub-fleet, will start this autumn and finish in summer 2015.
More information on the Premium Economy is available here.
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