Delivery problems, Lufthansa's new first class won't be installed in time
Just in recent days we participated in the roadshow that brought to Milan, the only location outside the domestic market, the [...]
Lufthansa
Star Alliance
Just in the past few days, we participated in the roadshow that brought to Milan, the only location outside the domestic market, the truck with set up the new cabins called "allegris" by Lufthansa. And as we had written in the article, the LH plan, which involves a tight delivery of new planes simultaneously with the refitting of existing ones, would have to overcome major challenges, such as supply chain management.
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Here is the much-feared news, reported by the authoritative handelsblatt: "Probemi to deliveries, Lufthansa's first class will arrive late."
The new first class
The first plane with the new cabins installed, from economy to first, is expected to arrive by the end of the year. The 787/9 being delivered by Boeing is expected to kick off the rebirth of the German group. It is also expected to be followed after a few weeks by the first A350/900 and so on for the next few years.
Space for the two middle passengers will be plenty and the cabin will really be on another level than the current seats.
From a closet to a 40″ TV, from a small minibar to many other functions, the new product is unlikely to disappoint LH's most demanding passengers.
The engineers' idea was to put two chairs behind a single double door. It will then be determined by the market whether this cabin will fly primarily with one passenger or there will always be two occupants.
Lufthansa's options
German company desperately needs to put new cabins into service, premium passengers are looking forward to Say goodbye to the boring business class cabins of the Queen of Heaven, and even more so the few lucky first-class travelers want a more modern and exclusive product.
The options for the German company will then be basically two: slowing down the entry of new planes into the fleet or deciding to take off without the first-class cabins installed, that is, with a curtain to hide the front of the plane and avoid passengers' view of a yet-to-be-completed plane.
In conclusion
If this is the case, the situation will only get worse, the bottle cone will create chain disruptions.
To install the cabins at a later date, LH will be forced to stop the machines, a decision that will cost the company millions of dollars in lost earnings. Losses that will be in addition to the lost earnings from not selling the most expensive and highly profitable seats such as first class.
Moreover, the issue will also drag on the most onerous part of the plan, namely the revamp of the current fleet. A makeover that is expected to begin by the end of 2024 and be completed by 2030, however, if we think that these cabins were designed in 2017, by the time they are installed on the last aircraft in the fleet they will already be old.
