New First class retrofit info
Aug 29, 2010, 1:38 am
#16
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Aug 29, 2010, 2:30 am
#17
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Originally Posted by Aircraft Interiors International
Retrofit package
The airline plans to retrofit a “similar” first-class product to its entire long-haul fleet: “We’re starting with the Airbus fleet this winter, and then we’ll look at our 747 fleet,” says Foerster.
“It will have the same look and feel but some things will be different – we can’t have such large bathrooms, for example. We’ll fit the entire fleet with similar seats, and bathrooms with the same styling – but it will take time.”
The airline also plans to introduce a new business class. Currently its A380s feature an enhanced version of its existing Recaro CL 6510 units: “Fundamentally, the A380 product is the same as that launched on the A340-600 fleet in 2004, but we’ve refined and upgraded it,” says Hawes.
“We’ve got a better position for the monitor and a more accessible and bigger literature stowage in the shell. We’ve also bulked the shell out to give it a bit more strength and presence, and we’ve used different textiles, a new headrest shape and different foam.”
Foerster explains the airline originally expected to receive its first A380 in 2007 – when its business class would have only been three years old. “Obviously now it’s much closer to the end of its lifecycle,” she says. “At Lufthansa, we try not to rush into decisions, because if you get it wrong and make a lot of changes after introduction it does not give a very good impression to the customer and it costs a lot of money. The A380 kept slipping a few months and then another few months – but there was never enough time to really switch to a new product.”
However, Foerster says a new business class will be available on its new 747-8s “for the beginning of 2012”. The carrier continues to see a strong demand for business travel, hence the new product will have to maintain, if not improve, current seat counts. A conundrum that is currently keeping Foerster and her team awake at night – unlike those lucky few flying first class on Lufthansa’s new A380s.
The airline plans to retrofit a “similar” first-class product to its entire long-haul fleet: “We’re starting with the Airbus fleet this winter, and then we’ll look at our 747 fleet,” says Foerster.
“It will have the same look and feel but some things will be different – we can’t have such large bathrooms, for example. We’ll fit the entire fleet with similar seats, and bathrooms with the same styling – but it will take time.”
The airline also plans to introduce a new business class. Currently its A380s feature an enhanced version of its existing Recaro CL 6510 units: “Fundamentally, the A380 product is the same as that launched on the A340-600 fleet in 2004, but we’ve refined and upgraded it,” says Hawes.
“We’ve got a better position for the monitor and a more accessible and bigger literature stowage in the shell. We’ve also bulked the shell out to give it a bit more strength and presence, and we’ve used different textiles, a new headrest shape and different foam.”
Foerster explains the airline originally expected to receive its first A380 in 2007 – when its business class would have only been three years old. “Obviously now it’s much closer to the end of its lifecycle,” she says. “At Lufthansa, we try not to rush into decisions, because if you get it wrong and make a lot of changes after introduction it does not give a very good impression to the customer and it costs a lot of money. The A380 kept slipping a few months and then another few months – but there was never enough time to really switch to a new product.”
However, Foerster says a new business class will be available on its new 747-8s “for the beginning of 2012”. The carrier continues to see a strong demand for business travel, hence the new product will have to maintain, if not improve, current seat counts. A conundrum that is currently keeping Foerster and her team awake at night – unlike those lucky few flying first class on Lufthansa’s new A380s.
Aug 29, 2010, 3:05 am
#18
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What a hilarious quote:
“At Lufthansa, we try not to rush into decisions, because if you get it wrong and make a lot of changes after introduction it does not give a very good impression to the customer and it costs a lot of money"
I'd say they got it wrong again by doing nothing.
“At Lufthansa, we try not to rush into decisions, because if you get it wrong and make a lot of changes after introduction it does not give a very good impression to the customer and it costs a lot of money"
I'd say they got it wrong again by doing nothing.
Aug 29, 2010, 3:09 am
#19
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Thanks for the quote, Singapore_Air! ^
The September 2010 issue of "Aircraft Interiors International" has several features on Lufthansa and might make interesting reading on a wet Bank Holiday Sunday morning.
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/...66#/4de11b66/6
The September 2010 issue of "Aircraft Interiors International" has several features on Lufthansa and might make interesting reading on a wet Bank Holiday Sunday morning.
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/...66#/4de11b66/6
Aug 29, 2010, 4:14 am
#20
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Thanks for the quote, Singapore_Air! ^
The September 2010 issue of "Aircraft Interiors International" has several features on Lufthansa and might make interesting reading on a wet Bank Holiday Sunday morning.
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/...66#/4de11b66/6
The September 2010 issue of "Aircraft Interiors International" has several features on Lufthansa and might make interesting reading on a wet Bank Holiday Sunday morning.
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/...66#/4de11b66/6
Taking in consideration 90/95% of the Sundays are wet in the Man area, I was hoping you would come with a better excuse to seat, relax and devorate the magazine.
pd Impressed with the new AZ Magnifica seats. I wonder how many will be still working in a few weeks time.
Aug 29, 2010, 4:15 am
#21
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Thanks for the quote, Singapore_Air! ^
The September 2010 issue of "Aircraft Interiors International" has several features on Lufthansa and might make interesting reading on a wet Bank Holiday Sunday morning.
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/...66#/4de11b66/6
The September 2010 issue of "Aircraft Interiors International" has several features on Lufthansa and might make interesting reading on a wet Bank Holiday Sunday morning.
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/...66#/4de11b66/6
Taking in consideration 90/95% of the Sundays are wet in the Man area, I was hoping you would come with a better excuse to seat, relax and devorate the magazine.
pd Impressed with the new AZ Magnifica seats. I wonder how many will be still working in a few weeks time.
Aug 29, 2010, 5:18 am
#22
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Aug 29, 2010, 5:36 am
#23
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They could but they will not. LH decided that they will use the marketing of the new fleet model and the new C product at the same time. Also, I don't think they are that far in their planning for the new C since they just start to test the new product.
Aug 29, 2010, 7:44 am
#24
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Thanks for the link Newbie Runner.
Taking in consideration 90/95% of the Sundays are wet in the Man area, I was hoping you would come with a better excuse to seat, relax and devorate the magazine.
pd Impressed with the new AZ Magnifica seats. I wonder how many will be still working in a few weeks time.
Taking in consideration 90/95% of the Sundays are wet in the Man area, I was hoping you would come with a better excuse to seat, relax and devorate the magazine.
pd Impressed with the new AZ Magnifica seats. I wonder how many will be still working in a few weeks time.
for LH. Also, every time I get to meet the Wolf the gives me a complete load of bull when I question him on the C seat issue. There are only 3 explanations for this:
1. He thinks I am an idiot
2. He thinks all of his C customers are idiots
3. He has lost touch with reality and needs to go for retirement
I can live with 1. and 3. but not with 2. !!
Once LX have completed their refit (not five years...) it will be my preferred option.
Aug 29, 2010, 8:25 am
#25
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http://www.britishairways.com/travel...s/public/en_gb
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...r/public/en_gb
Larger in-seat monitors (I guess their customers dont mind them sleeping) with input for your own content and most important - "an in-seat power socket to power your devices throughout the flight"!
Aug 29, 2010, 9:37 am
#26
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On the other end of the spectrum, BA announced new Y cabins:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...s/public/en_gb
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...r/public/en_gb
Larger in-seat monitors (I guess their customers dont mind them sleeping) with input for your own content and most important - "an in-seat power socket to power your devices throughout the flight"!
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...s/public/en_gb
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...r/public/en_gb
Larger in-seat monitors (I guess their customers dont mind them sleeping) with input for your own content and most important - "an in-seat power socket to power your devices throughout the flight"!
Aug 29, 2010, 9:45 am
#27
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 4,859
Anyway, it only shows how far behind is LH in it's hard product offerings against it's competition. Most notable example I think is the absence of an Economy Premium Cabin that more and more carriers in Europe are already offering/introducing, unless you consider the current business product as such...
Aug 29, 2010, 10:47 am
#28
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 533
+1 ^
Why? I cannot see why they should be obsolete in 5 years. What new features do you expect other airlines' F seats will have in 5 years' time? LH has deliberately decided not to have suites or showers in its F cabin. Just because the current F seats have long passed their sell-by date it doesn't follow the new F seats will be obsolete in a few years.
Why? I cannot see why they should be obsolete in 5 years. What new features do you expect other airlines' F seats will have in 5 years' time? LH has deliberately decided not to have suites or showers in its F cabin. Just because the current F seats have long passed their sell-by date it doesn't follow the new F seats will be obsolete in a few years.
When the old LH F was introduced in in the 90s, there were probably some people who said "this seat has everyone one could ever want, why would one need new seats any more." And they were wrong.
I'm sure in 10 years ppl will laugh at the current F seats.
What you are saying is like some guy working in the US Patent office in the early 1900s, who said "everything that could be invented has already been invented, no need to have patents any more." Boy was he wrong.
Aug 29, 2010, 10:53 am
#29
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First, fully agree with Rambuster, that quote is hilarious. Being 5 years late is a lot worse than being early and fixing a few problems here and there. Besides, look at the current C: had tons and tons of initial problems, and wasn't that great a product when it was launched due to not being fully flat.
Second, I dont understand why new cabins need to be launched with new aircrafts. Would the new First be any worse if it had been launched 2 years earlier on existing aircraft rather than the A380? Quite the opposite -- the earlier they get it out there, the better. I think tieing these new cabins to aircrafts is just another lame excuse of LH for why they are so late in the game.
Third, what is so complicated about introducing new seats? Why does that take 2-3 years to plan and then 3-4 years to roll out to the entire fleet? When I look at the current C seat, it seems like it is just a standard Recaro seat, used by other airlines, too. I can understand Recaro having to do a lot of work, but isn't LH just picking a seat model offered by some company like Recaro? I understand there is some customization, but 2-3 years?
Aug 29, 2010, 10:58 am
#30
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But oddly enough, I agree with you on this issue. With EK flying around some of the creepiest seat hardware in the skies, booking them and then being stuck in something that's not worthy of the name Biz or Coach is not an option for me and hence I am glad that I can steer of them by a margin.
Ignoring the abysmal daughter-of-Satan Silk Air, SQ at least has a very consistent and high quality coach product across its fleet.
..LH has quite sizable long-haul fleet which consists of 98 aircraft at the moment and anyone expecting such a retrofit to be done in a two winter periods knows very few about aviation.
I did not mind LH's obsolete hardware in the past - they reliably were the cheapest Biz carrier ex Oz for a decade and I got what I paid for and could pay for.