We have known for a long time that the airline plans to install first class on some A350s. I wanted to give an update on the latest regarding these plans, as we now have some new information about what to expect from the product. There isn't a first class product in the world that is more sentimental to me than Lufthansa. My desire to fly first class between the USA and Germany in order to visit family is what got me interested in the points hobby, and I have been lucky enough to cross the Atlantic many times. The first class footprint has been decreasing for years. The first class footprint is limited at this point. First class will be installed on select A350s in the future. First class is not installed on the A350-900s. The plan is to base all of the planes in the same place. There is a demand for first class out of Munich in particular for markets like Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. The best way for the airline to keep offering first class from this hub is to install first class on some A350s. When you consider the pre-pandemic timeline, the logic for all of this makes perfect sense. The A340-600s were supposed to have a bit more life left in them. The airline plans to install its new business class product on the planes as of 2023. My guess is that some of the first planes with the new business class will feature first class. What should we expect from the new A350 first class? I think we're all hoping to see something better than the current first class seat, though Lufthansa hasn't officially revealed much. I love the current first class, but it's not a cutting edge product, and it should also feature the new business class from Lufthansa. There is an update on that front, which at least assures us that there is a new product coming.Lufthansa’s current first class fleet
Lufthansa A350-900s will get first class
Lufthansa will introduce first class suites with doors
It's anyone's guess if these suites will be fully enclosed floor-to-ceiling, like the ones in Air France's new first class. I wouldn't take the curtains in the picture in a realistic way.
Or maybe it's just that there will be a privacy door, like you'll find with so many products. We haven't seen much innovation with first class on the A350 so far. The fuselage is a bit narrower than other wide body aircraft. There are limits to what you can install if you want four seats per row.
My understanding is that the A350s will only have a single row of first class seats, so it will be a pretty intimate cabin. There will likely be three or four seats. It is exciting in terms of the cabin's exclusiveness, but not exciting in terms of award availability.
Qantas plans to install a really cool first class product on A350s that will be used for Project Sunrise. I don't expect anything nice from Lufthansa, but it gives me hope that an A350 could have a good product. Air France is planning a small first class cabin for some upcoming A350s, and I think that will be great.
First class will be installed on at least 10 upcoming deliveries of the A350-900, which will join the carrier's fleet as of 2023. A single row of seats is expected in the first class cabin.
The logic is that the first class cabins on the A340-600s are going to be retired soon. There is still a market for first class in the area. The future delivery of the A350-900s come into play.
The A350s that get the new first class cabin are also likely to get the new business class seats. We know that the suites will offer more privacy than the current product, but details about the new seats are limited.
What do you think about the installation of first class on upcoming A350 deliveries by Lufthansa, and what are you expecting from the product?
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