In the coming months, the airline will be bringing back a second aircraft type with first class. It is nice to see that this is being highlighted in an announcement today, given how often plans change in the industry nowadays.
There will be five A340-600s in the air.
Many airlines retired their aircraft because of the Pandemic. In September 2020, it was revealed that the fleet of 14 A380s and 17 A340-600s would be retired. In the event of an unexpectedly rapid market recovery, these planes would only be reactivated.
The A380s are in storage.
In the summer of 2022, five of the A340-600 aircraft will be temporarily reactivated by the airline, and will be retired in the summer of 2023. The summer schedule for airlines starts in late March and ends in late October, so I think the service timelines for these planes will match that. The planes could be in service for 19 months.
I don't think there is much of a market for acquiring the other A340-600s. It seems like the A380s are being retired by Lufthansa at the moment.
The A340-600 is in the hearts of many avgeeks. It has four huge engines, and is one of the most cool looking planes. The A340-600 is a rare plane because there aren't many airlines flying it anymore.
The airline will continue to fly A340-600s.
First class is what the airline is flying.
Why would five A340-600s be put back in use? Due to growing premium demand, for both business and leisure travel, and so that Lufthansa can strengthen its premium product out of Munich, this is being done.
The Boeing 747-8s are the only first class planes in the world that are based in Germany. In the summer of 2023, Lufthansa will take delivery of some A350s with first class.
The future A350-900s will be first class.
If the A340-600s were not activated, the airline wouldn't be able to offer first class out of Munich until the end of the summer of 2023. The A340-600s are the only planes in storage that have a first class cabin.
The A340-600 is the first class.
Which routes will feature first class?
The A340-600s will be on some of the routes, but the schedule hasn't yet been updated. I think this will be updated soon, given today's announcement. The airline initially said it would fly A340-600s to similar destinations in North America and Asia.
I think it's most likely that these planes will be focused on North America because of the travel restrictions in Asia. I think these planes will fly to Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. I think we will find out more soon.
The A340-600 is the first class.
The five A340-600s are going to be brought back into service. In the summer of 2022, the planes will be based in Munich, allowing the airline to offer first class service from there.
The planes will be retired after the summer of 2023, when the airline takes delivery of first class cabins on the A350-900s. I would love to have another flight on the A340-600.
What do you think about the decision of Lufthansa to restart A340-600s?
