Lufthansa’s New Premium Economy Class Now Offered On Half Of Airline’s Long-Haul Fleet

·         53 aircraft equipped with approximately 2,000 Premium Economy seats

·         Completion of retrofitting in autumn 2015

The retrofitting of Lufthansa’s new Premium Economy class on the airline’s fleet is on schedule. Today, experts from Lufthansa Technik completed the installation of Premium Economy class seats in an Airbus A340-300 with the registration D-AIGO, and as a result, passengers can already enjoy the airline’s new travel class on half of Lufthansa’s long-haul jets. Thus, a total of 53 aircraft— approximately 2,000 new, well-equipped seats— now offer an added, extra comfort in Economy Class.

The retrofit order is carried out according to the type of aircraft. Therefore, all Boeing 747-8 and Airbus A380 aircraft on routes originating from the Frankfurt hub already have Premium Economy on board. A total of 15 of the Airbus A340-600 aircraft stationed in Munich, and both A340-300 aircraft in Dusseldorf, also feature the new seats.

Currently, Lufthansa jets with Premium Economy on board are already flying to the 33 most important long-haul destinations including New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro, Beijing, Singapore and Hong Kong. The first customer ratings for this newest class show a high level of satisfaction, with seat comfort, service and excellent value for the cost are praised.

The remaining aircraft of the type: Airbus A330-300, A340-300, A340-600 and Boeing 747-400 will be retrofitted in the coming weeks. Completion of the retrofit is expected for autumn 2015. 

On the new Premium Economy Class:

The seat is up to three centimeters wider, depending on the type of aircraft. Additionally, the separate armrests for each seat and the center console between the seats ensure extra privacy and a total of approximately 10 centimeters of more space to the side. The backrest can be tilted further back and the seat spacing is more generous at 38 inches or 97 centimeters. Thus, the personal space for passengers increased by about half compared to Economy Class. The adjustable headrest can be folded at the sides and gives ample support. Height adjustable footrests beginning with the second row, and leg supports with integrated footrests in the front row, provide additional comfort. With two pieces of luggageup to 50 pounds, each passenger has twice as much free baggage allowance as in Economy Class. For a surcharge of 28 dollars, passengers also have the opportunity to enjoy the amenities of many Lufthansa Business Lounges before their flight. Access to the Welcome Lounge in Frankfurt is possible for a fee of 56 dollars. The check-in and boarding process, and the hand baggage regulations, are similar to those in Economy Class.

On board, Premium Economy passengers can expect an upgraded service: Passengers can control the extensive in-flight entertainment program using their own touch-screen with a display size of 11 to 12 inches (28 to 30 centimeters). Furthermore, each seat offers a USB port and an electrical outlet so passengers can use their own devices. A diverse selection of newspapers and magazines complement the entertainment program.

For more information visit http://www.lufthansagroup.com/de/themen/premium-economy.html

About Lufthansa

One of the world's largest and most prestigious airlines, Lufthansa currently flies to 207 destinations in 76 countries, with hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. With the Lufthansa Group acquisition of Austrian Airlines, SWISS and a stake in Brussels Airlines, Vienna, Brussels, and Zurich were added as additional hubs and the entire Group flew a total of 106 million passengers in 2014. From its 21 North American gateways, Lufthansa — voted by Fortune as one of the five most admired airlines in the world — along with its Group members and Star Alliance partners, serve over 1,300 destinations worldwide. An industry innovator, Lufthansa has long been committed to environmental care and sustainability, operating the most technologically-advanced and fuel-efficient fleet in the world. Its long-haul fleet to and from North America includes the Boeing 747-8, as well as the Airbus A380. Currently, Lufthansa has over 272 new aircraft worth about USD 46 billion in list prices on order. Lufthansa is the largest European operator of the A380 and was also the launch customer for the new Boeing 747-8, the industries’ two most fuel-efficient passenger aircraft. Known for its premium services, Lufthansa continues to build new or upgrade existing lounge facilities across its worldwide network and will spend more than USD 3.7 billion in new products and services by 2016. In 2014, Lufthansa introduced its new Premium Economy Class which offers further comfort and more personal space. In the first quarter of 2015, Lufthansa will finish revamping its First Class, followed by the completion of its Business Class retrofit in the second quarter. By the end of the third quarter of 2015, the new Premium Economy Class will be installed throughout the entire fleet – bringing Lufthansa one step closer to becoming the first five-star airline in the Western Hemisphere. Additionally, nearly the entire Lufthansa long-haul fleet is equipped with its onboard broadband wireless Internet service, FlyNet. For more information or reservations, visit www.LH.com.

Emirates Upgrades Economy Class And Children’s Headsets

Emirates is further enhancing the entertainment experience for Economy Class travelers with the launch of new, redesigned headsets for its award-winning ice entertainment system in Economy Class.

From the end of June, all Emirates A380 aircraft will be equipped with new headsets, with plans to roll out the headsets on the Boeing 777 fleet later in the year. These headsets have been totally redesigned with a view to improving sound quality, reduction of ambient cabin noise and overall comfort. The headset’s rectangular shape makes it more ergonomic for the wearer, and premium leatherette ear cushions enhance comfort which is especially important on longer flights.

“Emirates economy class headsets are amongst the best in class for commercial airlines, and we’ve always recognized that sound quality is vitally important in creating an enjoyable entertainment experience. This new design will lift the audio quality to a new level, and now customers can completely immerse themselves in the broad variety of entertainment choices offered onboard,” said Patrick Brannelly – Divisional Vice President, Customer Experience (IFE & Connectivity).

Not to be left behind, young travellers on Emirates will also receive new headsets on which they can enjoy up to 75 channels of dedicated children’s entertainment from up to 2,000 channels overall. Emirates first introduced children’s headsets in the late 1990s, featuring a smaller headset band which is more comfortable for smaller heads. These fun and colorful new headsets will also have larger speakers for a more comfortable fit and much improved sound quality.

The new headsets are the latest update for the innovative ice Digital Widescreen entertainment system, which in 2014 was awarded the ‘World's Best Airline Inflight Entertainment’ award at the SKYTRAX World Airline Awards for the 10th consecutive year. Customers in First Class or Business Class on all flights are already provided with active noise cancelling headsets.

Customers can check what’s showing on board their flight and plan their ice movie or music marathon before they fly, by visiting emirates.com.

At the forefront of setting industry standards, in 2014, Emirates was the first airline to introduce Audio Descriptions in movies for visually impaired customers. In 2007, Emirates worked with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures to introduce Closed Captions, the technology used by the hard of hearing, for the first time in inflight entertainment. More recently, Emirates introduced free Wi-Fi onboard and this facility is now available on 106 aircraft including its entire A380 fleet.

On ice Digital Widescreen, Emirates’ customers can enjoy a staggering choice of over 2,000 channels of entertainment, with over 500 movies from around the world, hundreds of hours of TV including box-sets of popular shows and thousands of hours of music from contemporary to classical.

Emirates’ new Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft offer the ice system on larger personal TV screens with HD resolution: 27-inch in First Class, 20-inch in Business Class and 12.1 inch in Economy Class.

The Newest Innovation in Aviation: Economy Sleeper Class

Air Astana, the award-winning flag carrier of Kazakhstan, is introducing an Economy Sleeper Class product on Boeing 757 services from Astana to London and Frankfurt from February 3, 2015, with Paris to be added on March 29, 2015. Economy Sleeper Class provides more comfort and allows passengers to rest and sleep in a lie-flat position, by combining three economy seats. The Economy Sleeper Class cabin is completely separate from Business and Economy Class cabins, with up to 12 seats available on each flight.

An Economy Sleeper Class kit, containing mattress, Business Class pillow and duvet, is offered for Economy Sleeper Class passengers. Additional benefits include Priority Check-in, 30kg baggage allowance, Business Class Lounge access, Priority boarding, Business Class Amenity Kit and In-flight entertainment system.

“As part of the constant process of product and service innovation, Air Astana is delighted to introduce the new Economy Class Sleeper product, which provides many of the comforts and amenities of Business Class, but is attractively priced at the equivalent full economy class fare,” said Richard Ledger, VP Worldwide Sales. “I’m confident that discerning passengers flying from Astana to European destinations will enjoy this class of travel, whilst experiencing Skytrax 4 Star award winning levels of service.”

Set Your Own Price For Lufthansa Premium Economy Class Upgrades

Passengers can test the new travel class with myOffer

Beginning tomorrow, Saturday, November 22, the new Lufthansa Premium Economy Class will be offered on all routes flown by a Boeing 747-8 from Frankfurt (including to Bangalore, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Beijing, São Paolo, Seoul, Tokyo-Haneda and Washington, D.C.). Right on time for the launch of Premium Economy, Lufthansa passengers have the option, for the first time ever, to bid on an upgrade from Economy Class to Premium Economy. Using myOffer, customers that have a valid Lufthansa Economy Class ticket can make an individual bid for an upgrade into Premium Economy Class, following the motto: “Your upgrade at your price.” With a bit of luck, passengers flying on the routes that have the new Premium Economy will be able to enjoy the benefits of the new travel class on their long-haul flight. 

Here is how it works: passengers who have booked an Economy Class ticket can use the quick link on the website LH.com to “My Bookings” to log in and call up their booking. If it qualifies for myOffer, a notice for this will appear. It will link them to the myOffer page, where an upgrade bid can be placed. Bids can be edited and retracted up to 72 hours before the scheduled departure of the flight. After that, the bid is binding.

The selection process, which takes place between 72 to 36 hours before departure, takes into account the bid amount, as well as other criteria, including the amount of seats available in Premium Economy Class and the number and value of the bids that have been placed.

All passengers that have placed a bid will receive an email 48 to 24 hours, at the latest, before the scheduled departure, that informs them whether or not the bid has been accepted. If their bid is accepted, the credit card on file will be charged with the corresponding amount. The affected passengers will also receive an updated e-ticket. If the bid is not accepted, the passengers will fly in Economy Class as planned and will not incur any additional costs.

Premium Economy allows every guest to travel with two pieces of luggage weighing 51 lb each, which is twice as much luggage as in Economy Class. For an extra EUR 25, passengers can also enjoy the comfort of the Lufthansa Business Lounges before their departure. Every passenger is greeted on board with a welcome drink. Premium Economy passengers will find a high-end amenity kit at their seats that includes practical travel accessories, an electrical plug and a bottle of water. The meals are presented on menu cards and served on fine chinaware.. In addition, passengers can also enjoy the diverse range of in-flight entertainment on a large monitor in the seat in front of them.

myOffer is now available for all Premium Economy Class destinations. For technical and legal reasons, tickets excluded from this myOffer include tickets that were purchased in India or Japan and tickets that were part of a group booking.

Additional information about myOffer and Premium Economy Class, as well as routes that are already available, can be found at the following link: www.LH.com/premium-economy-myoffer

Travelore News: Lufthansa Premium Economy Debuts Earlier Than Expected

New Premium Economy seats on board all Lufthansa B747-8 aircraft beginning November 22 / Optional upgrades possible on short notice

The Lufthansa Premium Economy Class is taking off nine days earlier than planned. Already, on November 22, the new travel class will be available for the first time on all routes flown by a Boeing 747-8 (including Bangalore, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Peking, Sao Paolo, Seoul, Tokyo-Haneda and Washington D.C.). Its take-off on the newest and most modern Lufthansa long-haul fleet was earmarked for December 1, but the new cabin was completed ahead of schedule.

From the end of November, all of the benefits and comfort of the Premium Economy Class can be enjoyed by passengers on the Boeing 747-8. Some advantages that come with this new class include double the free baggage allowance compared to Economy Class. Furthermore, for a fee of 25 EUR, passengers in the new class can access and relax in comfort in Lufthansa Business lounges prior to take-off. On board, each passenger in Premium Economy will be greeted with a welcome drink. At their seat is an enhanced amenity kit with useful accessories, a water bottle and a power socket. Meals will be presented in menus and served on china tableware. Available, too, is an extensive Inflight Entertainment program for passengers to view on a large monitor fitted on the backrest of the seat in front.

As an inaugural offer, the Premium Economy Class can be booked at a 15 per-cent discount until December 9, 2014. For a fee and prior to their flight, passengers booked in Economy Class can upgrade to Premium Economy Class at a Lufthansa travel agency partner or by phoning the Lufthansa Service Center on + 1 800 645 3880. Miles & More members can now use their mile credits or eVouchers for an upgrade. Passengers can even upgrade last-minute to available Premium Economy seats at check-in at the airport.

The entire Lufthansa long-haul fleet is to be equipped with Premium Economy by late summer 2015 when the retrofit is successfully completed on all the long-haul aircraft. Following its installation on the B747-8 fleet, the new class will be fitted on the airline’s Airbus A380’s. Premium Economy can be booked now on many of the routes.

About Lufthansa

One of the world's largest and most prestigious airlines, Lufthansa currently flies to 253 destinations in 103 countries, with hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, and with the Lufthansa Group acquisition of Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and SWISS – Vienna, Brussels and Zurich.  From its 20 North American gateways, Lufthansa— recently voted by Fortune as one of the five most admired airlines in the world— and its partners serve over 450 destinations in more than 120 countries.  An industry innovator, Lufthansa has long been committed to environmental care and sustainability, operating the most technologically-advanced and fuel-efficient fleet in the world.  Its long-haul fleet to and from North America includes the Boeing 747-400 and the 747-8, as well as the Airbus A330, A340 and A380.  Currently, Lufthansa has over 220 new aircraft worth about $36 billion on order.  Lufthansa is the largest European operator of the A380 and was the launch customer for the new Boeing 747-8, the industries’ two most fuel-efficient passenger aircraft.  Known for its premium services, Lufthansa continues its $105 million program earmarked for building new or upgrading existing lounge facilities across its worldwide network and will spend more than $3.6 billion in new onboard products and services by 2015.  In 2010, Lufthansa re-launched its broadband wireless Internet service onboard, FlyNet.  For more information or reservations, visit www.lh.com.

Travelore News: New Lufthansa Premium Economy Class takes Off

First Boeing 747-8 equipped with Premium Economy Class – Exclusive preview of the largest product upgrade of all travel classes in Lufthansa’s history

At 11.00 a.m. today, LH 9880, a special flight, took off from Frankfurt Airport. On board the Boeing 747-8 was the new Premium Economy Class. The aircraft, with the registration number D-AIYQ, is the first in the Lufthansa fleet to offer the new class of travel on board. Experts from Lufthansa Technik have fitted the Boeing 747-8 with the 32 new Premium

Economy Class seats and performed all the necessary quality checks.

          

The aircraft, which is called the “Schleswig-Holstein”, flew over the German region of the same name in a two-hour special flight.

“Today, we are seeing a genuine premiere,” said Karl Ulrich Garnadt, Member of the Executive Board of Lufthansa AG and CEO of Lufthansa German Airlines. “We are launching a new travel class for the first time in 35 years.” Garnadt stressed that Premium Economy was an important component of the “biggest product upgrade in Lufthansa’s history.” By late summer of 2015, Lufthansa will have modified First, Business and Premium Economy Class on its entire long-haul fleet according to schedule and as part of its quality campaign. “With Premium Economy Class alone, we will be able to offer some 1.5 million passengers per year the opportunity to choose extra comfort and quality at affordable prices,” said the German Airlines CEO.

From as early as December 1st – nine days earlier than scheduled – Lufthansa customers will be able to enjoy Premium Economy Class on all flights on the Boeing 747-8 fleet. The “dash-8 fleet” will then offer by far the most cutting-edge and exclusive traveling experience available at Lufthansa.

Premium Economy Class seats will make up ten percent of the entire seating capacity on each wide-bodied aircraft. Over the next few months, Lufthansa will fit between 21 (Airbus A330-300) and 52 (Airbus A380-800) new seats in each of its aircraft. On board the Boeing 747-8, 32 seats will be modified in line with Premium Economy Class specifications. The airline commissioned a total of 3,600 seats from the manufacturer ZIM.

“Booking levels to date have significantly exceeded our expectations,” Garnadt added.

“This shows that we are striking a chord with customers with our new offering. As well as cost-conscious business travelers, we’re also attracting the rapidly growing target group of leisure travelers who don’t want to skimp on on-board comforts during their holidays.”

Alongside Premium Economy Class, Lufthansa is also working intently on upgrades to

First and Business Class on board its long-haul aircraft. All these quality-related measures are set to be completed by late summer 2015. Lufthansa will then be in a position to offer its guests, in all classes, the exclusive traveling experience of a prize-winning five-star First Class, as well as the new Business Class, where aircraft seats can be transformed at the touch of a button into a comfortable bed with a horizontal sleeping area of 6’6” in length (1.98 m).

“I firmly believe that, with this package of products and measures, we will undoubtedly achieve our objective of becoming the first Western five-star airline,” said Garnadt.

Lufthansa is currently offering special introductory prices for Premium Economy Class flights. For instance, return flights to Washington D.C. are available from as little as EUR

1,199, while passengers to Beijing can enjoy the new traveling experience for a mere EUR

1,249.

In addition, no rebooking fees are being charged to passengers looking to rebook from Economy to Premium Economy Class. As soon as Lufthansa Premium Economy Class becomes available on a flight route, an existing Economy Class booking can be upgraded to Premium Economy Class. Passengers will only have to pay the difference between the fares of the two tickets, provided that no changes are made to the original flights that were booked. This applies even if the original ticket was booked for a price that did not permit rebooking.

On social networks, the extras that the Premium Economy Class offers can be experienced and shared using the hashtag #premiumtime.

More information and images available at LH.com/premium-economy and

www.lufthansagroup.com