Review new business suite on Lufthansa's A350, rather than Allegris my experience was "Sfigatis"

Flying with Allegris, Lufthansa's new business class, it is something I had planned to do, and to book I waited until I was sure that I was flying on the new cabins without running the risk of having my machine changed because of an operational problem or whatever.

Specifications

Aircraft:

A350/900

Class:

Business

Treat:

PVG - MUC

Price:

1000€

Book

I decided to Book one of the guaranteed Allegris routes And, among them, I chose Shanghai. The reason is that, as always, From every ticket I pay myself here at TFC I try to get the most, and the combination of this itinerary was perfect: round-trip ticket all in business class, paid 2,000€; outward journey aboard Lufthansa's A340-600 via Frankfurt and return with the new cabins via Munich.

Needless to say, the plan was to Also try to upgrade to first class, and it is a plan that is half successful.

On the way out, I managed to avoid the old and boring 2-2-2 business class that LH offers on its entire fleet, to fly, for the first and last time, in the first class of an icon like the A340-600, for which the German company had been the launch customer. Unfortunately, however, I was unable to upgrade on the way back, but in any case the review of the new business class cabins was to be carried both on the website Than on the YouTube channel.

Attempt to upgrade to first class failed

Screenshot

I tried to upgrade in various ways: first by phone, then through the website, then through Lufthansa's customer service channels, and finally directly at the Frankfurt terminal. Always without luck. In the evening, on my way to the airport, Lufthansa was proposing to me via the app to upgrade, paying the tune of just under 14,000 yuan, or roughly €1,300 in Chinese currency. However, having arrived at the point of payment, as usual, I was never able to complete the transaction.

At the airport

Arriving at the airport, at the check-in counters, it was what I believe was Lufthansa's station manager in Shanghai Pudong who explained to me the reason for my failure, not without shifting the blame to the airline's IT department.

Lufthansa at this time is not selling these upgrades. Or rather, you usually have the option of buying a last-minute upgrade-a ticket for a seat that would otherwise travel empty-but evidently Lufthansa's policy at this stage with Allegris is different. Great news, great hype around this cabin, and so Has decided that you either pay full price or the upgrade doesn't sell it to you. And so it prefers to travel with an empty cabin, as happened in the case of this flight, rather than sell it at a discounted price.

Not too bad, because. I was happy, however, that I was able to change my seat on board from a standard one to the best seat, which was Suite 8D, one of the few seats on board these aircraft equipped with a door that completely isolates the passenger from the rest of the cabin.

Having gone through security, I then headed to the lounge indicated by LH, which, for obvious alliance reasons, was Air China lounge #71.

The Air China lounge at Shanghai PVG

I have had the opportunity to visit an Air China lounge before and I must say that I was definitely not satisfied. The lounge at this Air China airport is certainly more beautiful than the one present at the Beijing airport.

What I did notice, however. again is an inexplicable absence of service, than what would be logical to expect from an airline like Air China. The whole express cuisine part was closed and one could only serve oneself from a very sad buffet.

Among other things, the even crazier thing I didn't understand is how come the beverage part is on the lower floor. What is really inexplicable: if one wants to have a drink, a bottle or a glass of wine, or a hard liquor, one has to go downstairs.

While all the food is served upstairs. It was inexplicable, really a strange thing.

On board

The boarding procedures went smoothly. I must say that the boarding system devised by Lufthansa., and that also have all the other companies in the group such as Swiss (and which I hope will also be adopted by ITA), is smooth and, most importantly, the passengers have not moved at all ahead of time.

Accomplice the business ticket and Senator status, Fruit of the status match launched by Miles&More toward Volare members, I was able to embark almost among the first and thus also managed to get some cool shots of the cabins.

This was not the first time I had boarded an airplane with the Allegris setup., however, it was the first time I was ready for takeoff on this machine.

The business class configuration, as known, is quite original. Lufthansa's idea in creating this cabin was to find a way to fit as many seats as possible in as little space as possible. I can't find any other definition for this booth: it's impossible to say whether it's 1-2-1 or something else, because it's really a crossover of seats.

Of course, if you are curious, we have already done an article explaining in detail how it is configured and most importantly, How much does it cost to choose seats aboard this plane.

My seat was 8D, which is the middle row of the first row of the second cabin. Suite seats are only those in the first row, basically 8 in all: these are the only seats, excluding first class, with doors.

It must be said that Lufthansa has managed to create a much better structure than its competitors. The structure is higher, provides more privacy, even compared to the QSuite. Let's say we are at the walls that some carriers offer in first class, so really top. It is just a pity that this configuration was not applied to the entire cabin, but only to the front rows.

Lufthansa knows that these seats are the best and, in fact, sells them at a very high price. It comes to 625 € to be able to choose this place in advance, considering that not even Senators-that is, those with the highest status in the Lufthansa loyalty program-have the opportunity to get it for free, which is the case for other seats but only during check-in, while during the pre-check-in stages even Senators are required to pay for their choice of seats.

The main flaw, but having the door helps mitigate the discomfort, is the presence of the only two bathrooms for business class passengers right "in front" of the entrance to the two suites.

Only two bathrooms for 38 passengers is very few. On the other A350s in the fleet at LH there are 3 for only 30 passengers and they are really annoying for those who occupy these two "Suite" seats.

The chair

As mentioned, there are 8 seats in all: 4 in the first cabin and 4 in the second cabin. If you prefer to fly window side you have the single suite, while the two pairs of middle seats can be double, or not. In accordance with whether or not you know the passenger next to you, for privacy - but only after takeoff - you can close the movable bulkhead.

I was precisely in one of the two middle armchairs. There is really a lot of space, the seat is deep. It may not be like the Dirk Nowitzki seat, but it's close.

Missing, perhaps, is a larger cockpit: the end space of the seat could have been used And, in this way, even more storage could have been had.

Or maybe it's me who always has too many items that I carry with me on my travels, and the various wells scattered here and there are never enough.

There is no shortage of space, however, not least because LH has decided to retain the overhead hat racks even above the center rows, something many carriers have removed from A350 business classes to make everything more airy.

The whole seat is operated with the tablet, which is really big and easy to use. But it's heavy, uncomfortable as a remote control and, in bed mode, it's not the most comfortable also because, unlike with Emirates it's flush, similar to the one installed in Air France's new business, but much larger.

AMAZING the seat cooling and heating system. LH is the first company to install this dual option, and I must say that it is the feature I liked the most.

Otherwise, it is impossible not to find your favorite position: you can really manage every small/big aspect.

Also fantastic is the presence of the air vent, located on the seat frame and not high up in the hat box. Perhaps it lacks a little bit of light, especially in a night flight, but also cabin lit.

The armrest can be lowered, which contributes to an even more spacious seat that is comfortable in the night version.

The headrest does not protrude and is adjustable at will, again not a given in modern businesses.

The chair in bed mode is comfortable; I was able to sleep like a log.

The equipment is complete: topper, comforter and pillow. If only the latter two were in a bag, and not free on the seat, it would be perfect.

Honorable mentions for the eyeglass hook and the headphone hook, small attentions that make everything more comfortable to use.

The door

Here we come to the sour notes of my experience: My door could not be closed. All other passengers, having arrived at cruise altitude, were able to close the suite; I was not.

The structure, as mentioned, is tall, and the isolation from view is total. We are better than Qatar's QSuite.

Never did I think I would experience, on an airplane less than 6 months old, such a paradoxical situation. Eventually the captain himself arrived and, with MacGyver instincts, thanks to some tea bags he tried to solve the problem. On the surface a top solution, but in practice a resounding fail, as the door was opened for service, to go to the bathroom or even by turbulence.

And finally it was an expanse of sachets on the floor, and I gave up-I traveled with the door wide open.

Service

The crew literally jumped through hoops, but when things start out bad they can only end up worse. I loved that LH configured the galley with the "mini" office as is the case with the 747.

Lufthansa has never won any awards for its amenity kits, but the one distributed on this flight was the least beautiful thing ever. Even the old shopping bags were better than this "Porsche Design" clutch bag.

Sad contents in transparent container, really embarrassing.

The bedding, as mentioned, is top, but it is the details that make the difference. No one came to welcome me aboard, even though I was a passenger with Senator status and had it not been for the door disruption I would, probably, have had no contact with anyone. Really sad the peanut bag left in place.

The fact that then part of the service is done on the tray, with the beverage cart and not at the seat, is really a very un-business class experience.

Food & Beverage

Here was the second fail. Shortly after distributing the menu and wine list, I was handed a second list.

A special selection for Suite passengers.

Too bad that the offered Pommery Monopole was not loaded and that, instead, I was served a Cava - good, but discount store.

LH said, in a recent presentation for the media, that he wants to improve his entire proposal, but there is still a long way to go to catch up with the best companies in terms of mise en place and general gastronomic offerings.

Appetizer served on tray, but good, with small salad, bread and butter.

The appearance and taste of the main dish, however, were not the best.

Cheese plate in the norm.

Sweet well presented, but with little character.

Breakfast included waffles or noodles, and I opted for the sweet version.

IFE

As mentioned, the screen is big. The tablet, too much.

The contents are the same as those offered on the rest of the fleet; there are no extras.

There is no live TV and no free Wi-Fi either.

And the performance of the connection is certainly not that of Starlink.

Sure, the resolution of the TV is great, but the fact that there is no ability to make simultaneous use of the two screens makes it less technological than other products.

Here, too, I had problems: both with the iPad touch and with synchronization of my Bluetooth headphones.

I am not a fan of induction charging in airplanes, but it worked well throughout the flight.

The headphones provided are passable.

The presence of the cameras, as on almost all A350s, was the best thing of all.

In conclusion

By the end of the day I counted about 10 tea bags, but they did not help the problem. The crew behaved egregiously, Purser went the extra mile and more: she even gave me a €150 voucher to mitigate the inconvenience.

But from a product like Allegris, given its genesis and LH's intentions, I would have expected much more.

The verdict

The seat would deserve a 7, but I really find the price at which it is sold out of all logic. Okay to those without status, but if you are Seantor, as is the case with British Airways, Air France or Singapore, you should be able to choose the one you want for free. Then the door defect and the catering are two very serious shortcomings.

5.5

Service

6.5

IFE

6.5

F&B

6.5

Cabin and Armchair

4

Pro

• The cooling/heating of the chair
• Details
• The staff

Against

• The door would not close
• Missing "extra" catering
• Chair choice price