Lufthansa and Swiss revamp premium economy cabin: here are the new seats

Just over a year ago Emirates surprised the aviation world by unveiling its new premium economy cabin, since which time all other carriers' PE cabins have immediately aged and become even less attractive than they already were.

Last June. Swiss had shown the first images of the new cabin, also announcing details of pricing and availability.

Now the final images and details on configuration and installation have been released on board the parent company's aircraft as well. The group's choice fell on the ZIMprivacy PC-02 seat that will be installed on the entire 747/8 fleet and all new arrivals in the fleet such as the Airbus A350 i Dreamliner and especially the long-awaited 777x.

I flew in July in premium economy on the 747 of Lufthansa, sure the new seats are better than the current ones, but we are a long way from that of Emirates

Before judging this new chair, it will be necessary to see it in person. As can be guessed from the renders, the philosophy seems to be to A recliner inserted inside a small shell.

The advantage of this solution is. which certainly offers more privacy than the current configuration, which in fact offers no privacy between passengers traveling nearby.

A second advantage, but at the same time it is also the first disadvantage, is that the shell significantly limits the possibilities of turning the seat into a bed. So the good thing is that the seat in front will not encroach on the space of the passenger sitting in the back, but at the same time there will be less legroom and less seat tilt. One only has to compare the photos between the Emirates and Lufthansa seats to understand the difference between the two products, but - as mentioned - the PE of the Dubai carrier is "gamechanger".

Also Swiss, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa along with Brussels, Eurowings and Austrian, will receive these new seats for its Airbus A330 fleet and some other aircraft currently in service.

Lufthansa's choice is clear: in a new normal where passengers will be willing to pay a little more for a few extra inches, it is right to renew its offer and meet the new demand.

I personally am not a big premium economy fans, I don't see the advantage of spending a lot more to get little more.