Lufthansa has a limited longhaul network out of Dusseldorf, serving exactly one city: Newark, NJ. That flight will be downgraded in big way for business class travelers in August.
During the month of August (02 August thru 04 September, 2018 to be precise), Lufthansa will place a 737-700 operated by PrivatAir on the route.
The flight will operate six days per week (no operations on Tuesday) and features 20 “lie-flat” seats in business class and 66 seats in economy class. Seat pitch in economy class is 31″ and 58″ in business class. I write lie-flat in quotations because this is Lufthansa’s last-generation business class product (pictured below) which features an “angled lie-flat seat” (technically flat, but sloping downward so as not parallel to the ground when in lie-flat mode).
images: PrivatAir
I will say this: it is a great ratio for upgrading!
Sound familiar?
This is not the first time Lufthansa has used a PrivatAir 737 on its Dusseldorf to Munich route. In fact, as far back as 2002 Lufthansa used a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) operated by PrivatAir. Back then, the aircraft was configured in an all business class configuration with 48 seats.
CONCLUSION
This new flight rekindles my interest in my 737 around the world trip, which has been shelved for now due to other work commitments.
I expect plenty of award space on this route, but do believe that business class is difficult to justify considering the lack of lie-flat product on a short overnight flight coupled with primarily Eurowings options out of Dusseldorf.
Would you fly this business class product?
> Read More: Around the World in a 737? My Next Adventure!
The used the same jet for flights from FRA to Nairobi instead of a 300 seater A340-300. Huge capacity difference.
Please correct me if I am wrong.
August is a major vacation month for Germany and most of Europe. My take is that this particular route gets more business travel and LH sees very low passenger counts during August. They definitely can fill a widebody with better yields on a likely vacation route.
This is likely the reason for the aircraft swap. Even so, it marks the first time in a couple years we will see LH’s old business class seat to the USA.
I haven’t flown this route, but AF also used to have the angled flat seats (and still does on some routes, I believe), and I never minded them. But I know others couldn’t stand them.
Seriously who would voluntarily pay C tariffs for an old angled seat. A huge NO!. Make th seat full flat as in reverse herringbone or similar than we can talk about it. The only ones who will feel great are those ones in Economy. With less pax count you are have more qualitativ flight experience than in a wide body aircraft.
Anyone who wants a non-stop.
Economy sucks big time as well, compared to 2-4-2 seating on the regular airbuses.
I am traveling in November on LH from DEN to FRA and according to Seatguru it’s an old 747 configuration with the staircase seats in J. Last year I went on a nicely refurbished 747 and had real lie-flats.
How does a 737 fly non-stop from Germany to Newark?
ETOPS.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/columnist/cox/2017/07/09/boeing-737/459243001/