Lufthansa will not retire A340s and will install first class on A350s

The pandemic has claimed so many victims in the world of travel, on the altar of cost containment the largest and least fuel-efficient aircraft, i.e., four-engine aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A380 and A340, have been sacrificed by almost all airlines.

Lufthansa is one of the few companies that has decided on a different strategy: goodbye to the 747/400 but not the 800 model, of which it is the world's largest operator.

The A380s are parked but, sooner or later, they may return to service. As for, on the other hand, the A340s, whose demise everyone took for granted, came the announcement that for the 2022 summer season they will be reactivated and placed at Munich Airport, the German airline's second hub, and used on the busiest routes.

There will be five Airbus A340-600s to be reactivated and used mainly to North American and Asian destinations. The decision to reactivate these aircraft is due to growing premium demand, for business and leisure travel.

The German carrier's choice is simple, passengers are starting to fly again and will do so more and more. In addition, premium passengers, the most important ones in any airline, want to return to travel especially in premium classes, and LH wants to meet the demand by using available aircraft while waiting for new, more modern and efficient aircraft.

Currently the first class is only available on the 19 Boeing 747-8 of the fleet, a total of 152 places. Here is that while waiting to receive the new A350/900s, expected in summer 2023, the company will position the "old" A340s and thus be able to meet the demand of first-class passengers next summer.

What will Lufthansa's first class look like on the A350s?

There are no pictures yet of how the first class of the new A350s might be configured; the most likely (and cost-effective) solution might be to use the same layout found on the first class of Swiss, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa.

The comfort and luxury will always be the same, those that in 2019 earned the award as the best airline in Europe and best airline of First Class Europe.

Starting with Frankfurt's First Class Lounge, which thankfully. reopened in early June, followed by Valet Parking service for private or rental car, we move on to thepersonal assistant who follows you at any time during the trip and the chauffeur who takes you directly to the aircraft in a private car.

How can we not mention the extraordinary gastronomic offer with fine dining accompanied by wine tasting from the world's most beloved wine regions. Finally, if we want to sleep or relax, flight attendants are always on hand to make us feel at home, thanks to the soundproofing we can enjoy some privacy and rest.

Those who do not sleep can enjoy the rich offering of entertainment on board, with movies, TV series, audiobooks and music all available to travelers. Thanks to the Lufthansa fleet rejuvenation. so we may see the light of a revamped First Class on board the A350s.

Now that finally the Green European pass is a reality, we can travel with more peace of mind; by the time Lufthansa's new fleet of A350s is operational, we will have left this pandemic behind us and be ready to go back to flying the way we like to fly, without a mask, without buffers at the airport, but most importantly without closed borders.

• B747