The long-delayed Allegris cabin project on Lufthansa is on course to debut later this year. We now have a better idea of what to expect in the months ahead as Lufthansa’s latest business class and first class product rollout.
Lufthansa Allegris Timeline
It has been almost seven years since Lufthansa first hinted about a new business class seat and by this point I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a German project more delayed (except Berlin Brandenburg Airport…).
Last March we were promised a fall 2023 launch, but that was pushed back due to technical issues. Now Lufthansa, perhaps wisely, is not giving an exact launch date, but airline insider JonNYC shared some internal communication with me concerning the launch date of Lufthansa’s new first and business class product:
- Allegris will launch on the Airbus A350-900 from Munich (MUC) in May in a configuration without first class
- The first six aircraft will roll out from May to July
- Next, Allegris will launch on the Boeing 787-9 from Frankfurt (FRA) between July and August
- Finally, the new first class cabin will debut on the A350-900 from Munich from September to November
It also seems certain that the Airbus A380 will get a different business class product and that the 747-8 will have a different business class product downstairs than upstairs, which is strange (and yet so Lufthansa).
This is not exactly breaking news, but it comes from a trusted source and I hope that after such a long delay 2024 will be the launch year for Allegris.
And when Allegris starts flying, you can bet we will be there to review it.
Any bets on whether this timeline sticks?
You can learn more about Allegris below:
- Luxe: Lufthansa A350 “First Class Suite Plus”
- Lufthansa Unveils Stunning New First Class Suite
- New “SWISS Senses” Business And First Class Seats
- As Austrian Airlines Prepares For 787-9, A Chance To Innovate
Am I the only one who finds it ironic that Lufthansa will go from having a dated but predictable business class across its fleet to having more business class seats than Turkish Airlines?! It will really be a game of roulette when you fly on Lufty…
I’m wondering if we will have landed humans back on the Moon before Allegris debuts.
@Stuart on GA … The back of the moon ? I confidently predict that humans will never land on the back of the moon .
What I find interesting is that Lufthansa has been able to maintain domination of the German market while offering such uncompetitive products. What is it about the German aviation market and it’s regulation that has prevented competitors from taking market share while Lufthansa has such contempt for it’s passengers that it offers a product that is from 20 years ago and is in no rush to improve it?
Like the US airlines say, the network is the product.
Anyone who frequently travels within Europe and isn’t based in a hub city has no realistic alternative to the LH group. Those based in Germany also get seamless rail connections and can obtain miles from M&M credit cards. A better long haul product is of limited use if you need to use faraway airports, purchase separate tickets, faff around with checking your luggage more than once, and then be left with miles that are worthless (e.g. DL), impossible to use (Flying Blue is only good for redemptions with AFKL) or come with huge surcharges (e.g. BA).
To add to PM, Lufthansa is deeply ingrained in Germany’s conciousness to be Germany’s airline. It is the only one operating continously since the birth of the Bonn republic with origins predating even this. It used to be government owned and operated, and was still working in close cooperation with German authorities after its privatization (i.e. flight school admission tests were administered by the German version of the FAA, DLR until the 2010s – not sure if they still do that). It’s also the only global airline with a hughe network that speaks German and employ(ed) mostly Germans, so most German companies have agreements with LH to use them for business travel in Europe and beyond (Swiss & Austrian have a vastly smaller network). It’s also seen as very efficient, reliable, and above all safe to fly with and if there are problems, German law applies. So, patriotic and first mover advantages keep a lot of Germans hooked (including myself) despite the comparably mediocre product…
It’s German efficiency a relic of a past era? DB is a disaster. BER was a disaster. Allegris has been a punchline longer than Bonvoy. I know these are just three examples, but it seems a generation ago none of this would have been acceptable.
In contrast to BER and DB, FRA managed to complete its new Terminal 3 about 2 years ahead of shedule in the middle of the pandemic (and now doesn’t know what to do with it, as the passenger numbers are still lacking…now it’s being used as a replacement for T2 while renovations are ongoing).
BER and DB suffer from massive political problems caused by Germany’s federalism and diverging political interests (think of Pentagon procrurement projects that cost loads of money but deliver little in return as they’re done as political favours to the various states that get to contribute). That’s not excuse for Allegris though, which is ridiculous in its delay and wholly within LH’s control…
Hardly anyone knows what Allegris is? Stuttgart Hbf however, a €12 billion fiasco. Its INFAMOUS.
I’ve followed some of the ongoing angst about the building and opening of BER. I found some of delays and problems amusing in the face of the much vaunted German efficiency.
Do you know any books (in English) about the building of the airport? Or, have you written articles on it? Could you link to them?
I think I will be retired long before Lufthansa rolls out new F & C, I retire in five years.
This over rated, over hyped nonsense has gone on way too long. By the time Lufthansa rolls it out, like all their F & C products in the last twenty years, it will be out of date.