Premium Economy has been a hot topic for airline executives and passengers for the last decade and the cabin is expected to become even more popular in a post-pandemic world. Lufthansa has unveiled its new Premium Economy seat, which will also find its way to its siblings SWISS, Austrian and Brussels Airlines.
Lufthansa first introduced Premium Economy in late 2014 - with the class offering wider seats with more generous legroom than traditional economy class, upgraded meal services, larger personal screens, and amenity kits. Other benefits included more loyalty points and a greater baggage allowance. Austrian followed suit in 2018, Brussels Airlines in 2019, while SWISS will be the last family member to offer this product – taking-off in March 2022.
Premium Economy seats today largely resemble what was offered in Business Class twenty to thirty years ago, albeit with a more modern design and somewhat less glamorous wrapping. The challenge for airlines has been to differentiate their Premium Economy seats from those of its competitors, with many airlines offering the same seat, just with different colour schemes. As an example, the Premium Economy seat introduced by Lufthansa in 2014 was the same as the one Singapore Airlines launched in 2015 - with some customisation by the Singaporean carrier including having the seats upholstered in leather.
Lufthansa’s second-generation Premium Economy seat represents more of an evolution than a revolution. The main improvement is privacy, which is significantly improved thanks to a shell-like design and wrap-around wings on either side of the headrest.
The seats sit within a fixed shell and recline by sliding forward rather than leaning back towards the seat behind. Passengers familiar with the current Air France Premium Economy Class or Aeroflot Comfort Class will find the concept familiar. Although the design does improve privacy and personal space, the cradle-style recline can be a challenge to taller passengers. Hopefully the designers have added sufficient lumbar support to address this issue.
As technology advances, so does the quality of personal screens for inflight entertainment. The new seats offer a generous 15.6-inch monitor with USB-C and wireless charging for personal devices. Other details include personal reading lights, a cocktail table, and a dedicated nook for headphones, which images suggests are an upgraded model over the current one.
Lufthansa will not be the first airline to offer the new Premium Economy seats. This honour will go to SWISS, as the Zürich-based carrier introduces Premium Economy in March 2022. Its Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A340-300 aircraft are first in line for the new cabin, with A330-300 soon to follow.
Lufthansa plans to install the new seats on its current fleet of Boeing 747-8 aircraft as well as newly delivered Boeing 787-9 and Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The much-delayed Boeing 777-9 is also expected to feature the same Premium Economy seat when it joins the fleet in late 2023 or early 2024.
While all airlines in the Lufthansa Group will eventually offer the same Premium Economy Class seat - each airline will feature its own trim and finishes in line with each airline's branding and cabin design schemes.
BusinessClass.com searches hundreds of travel sites simultaneously to help you find the best premium flight offers. BusinessClass.com also compares all the major hotel suppliers to give you the very best prices in the finest hotels.
