Do you fly Lufthansa and want to choose a seat on board Allegris? It can cost you even more than €600
I booked my first ticket aboard a Lufthansa A350 configured with Allegris cabins, up [...]
Lufthansa
Star Alliance
I booked my First ticket aboard a Lufthansa A350 configured with Allegris cabins, until now I had waited for fear that a change of machine would ruin my plans, but in the spring things should be more stable, so I made the investment.
In this article:
I chose a safe course, viz. one of those where Lufthansa has declared it will fly only Allegris and therefore where I should not run the risk of bad surprises.
One booth, but 6 different seats
Several readers have told us recounted their experience on board of the new, and revolutionary, cabin designed by German engineers. After a few months, the transition period is over, and since a few weeks Lufthansa has started charging for in-flight seat assignments, precisely because now the certainty of flying on this cabin is there and therefore there is no risk of charging for a service that is then not provided.
When I had a chance to visit the mockups of these booths. I had been able to appreciate some of the possible configurations, LH catalogued as many as 6 different chairs and each session has its own price when booking.
There are the seats called "Business Suite," in the first row of the cabin, those that also have a door and totally isolate passengers from the rest of the cabin.
The two center seats create a very exclusive environment, though not comparable to the QSuite or Retreat at Virgin Atlantic.
Then there is the throne, or as Lufthansa has renamed it the armchair "Extra Space Seat. There is no door that isolates from the aisle, but this chair is definitely the most generous on board in terms of space.
The taller ones may want to grab one of the two chairs "Extra Long Bed" that is, those that, in bed mode, offer more than 2m of length and comfort when you want to sleep. The seats closest to the windows are sold as "Privacy Seat" even though they don't have a door, but simply because you are further from the hallway. And then there are the "Classic Seat" that is, the chairs open to the hallway, because I remind you not all chairs have a door separating from the hallway.
Every chair has a price, everyone pays even senators
Many carriers now charge choice of price in business, some give it away to frequent flyers and some charge it to those who opt for discounted business class fares, but when I found myself having to choose my in-flight seat, I blanched: up to 620€ for place selection!!!
Today, On all the rest of the Lufthansa fleet, you don't pay for your choice of business class seat, no extra charge is made for traveling in the upper floor of 747, nor to stand by the window.
It pays to choose the throne on both Swiss and Austrian who have this "special" seat in their business class cabins, but nothing comparable to what Lufthansa is asking for.
Passengers can choose a "classic seat" seat at no extra charge, then it goes up from 176€ for the Privacy Seat and the Extra Long Bed. The "throne" has a cost of 238€, but it is the Business Suites that have an insane cost, considering that for other carriers these seats are "standard": as much as 621.28€ extra charge.
Senators also pay
I guess the HON Circle will have the free choice, but the thing that shocked me was. even for senators the choice is on a fee basis for some seats. This amazed me because when I think of all the premium carriers like British Airways, Air France KLM, Emirates, Qatar or Singapore those who have the status comparable to Senator have everything for free.
For Senators, it is possible to reserve the Extra Space Seat and the Privacy Seat at no extra charge. In contrast, the "Extra Long Bed" place and the "Business Suites" will be at an additional charge with the same or nearly the same fare as all other passengers. A very un "appreciative" thing towards those who fly so much aboard LH machines.
In conclusion
After explaining How much it will cost to choose a first class seat, here are Allegris's business class details, but I remind him that the paid seats will be all over the plane, even in economy and premium.
Booking a business suite seat, round trip, can cost more than an economy ticket on the same route, honestly seems to me an exaggeration, even Because we're not talking about a never-before-seen armchair Or offering something revolutionary.
I, as a good bum, did not choose the place, I wait and see what will happen to me when I check in.
