Lufthansa takes off to California
Lufthansa has inaugurated its new direct service to San Jose, California. It follows the launch of San Jose’s first nonstop transatlantic route, which British Airways started from Heathrow in May.
Flight LH488 took off this morning from Frankfurt towards San José in the heart of California's Silicon Valley - famous for its start-up and tech industry.
The new route is served by a three-class Airbus A340-300, with 18 Business Class seats, 19 in Premium Economy and 261 in Economy Class, for a total of 298 seats. The aircraft features Lufthansa’s latest cabins - including its new business class seats arranged in a “V” formation, which enable passengers to sit or lie facing the direction of travel - following the most comprehensive product upgrade in the airline’s history. The new business class seats convert into a fully-flat bed of 198cm at the touch of a button. Lufthansa’s broadband internet service, Flynet, is also available on board.
“San Jose is an emerging aviation market in the United States. Adding another California gateway to our already popular San Francisco route made complete sense due to the growing business environment in the region and the innovative spirit that is deeply entrenched in Silicon Valley, and which aligns with the Lufthansa Group’s brand values,” said Juergen Siebenrock, Vice President, The Americas, Lufthansa Group. “Passengers traveling from this new gateway will now be able to experience the quality service and premium products that Lufthansa offers, including our brand new Premium Economy Class that has 50 percent more legroom, a wider seat for comfort and relaxation, as well as an elevated experience overall.”
Lufthansa is also installing a so-called “FlyingLab” on this flight, in which passengers can test new ideas surrounding products and services. The motto of the outbound flight is “Virtual Reality”, where travellers can try out the latest digital equipment by partner Samsung, such as the virtual reality goggles Samsung Gear VR or the tablet Samsung Galaxy Tab S2.
On the return flight, with the motto “Wellbeing on night flights”, guests can test the Neuroon - a sleep mask with artificial intelligence that is designed to help the wearer change to a different sleep pattern - among other things.
“The aim of the FlyingLab is to try out new things quickly and easily,” says Dr Reinhold Huber, Vice President Passenger Experience Design & Ancillaries, Deutsche Lufthansa AG. “If we find an exciting product, we can thus discover quickly if it appeals to the target group. Lengthy tests can be counterproductive.”
The new west coast route will operate five-times weekly, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Flights depart from Germany at 10.40, landing in San Jose some 12 hours later at 13.40 local time. In the opposite direction, flights depart San Jose at 15.20, arriving in Frankfurt at 11.50 the following day.
