What is it like to fly in the first Lufthansa Allegris Business Class?

Lufthansa has launched the highly anticipated Allegris Business Class product, marking a new era in premium air travel for the German airline. I recently flew on the inaugural flight from Munich to Vancouver and had the opportunity to experience its groundbreaking features firsthand.

From the seamless online check-in to the memorable gate ceremony, it was clear that this flight was an important milestone for Lufthansa.

Check in

I completed my online check-in and flew from Hamburg to Munich to catch the first Allegris flight. Munich airport was easy to navigate and I only had to go up one floor and through passport control to get to my departure gate for Vancouver.

While waiting in the Lufthansa Business Class Lounge, I learned that the airline plans to renovate fifty of its lounges worldwide, starting with its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich in 2026.

To get in

To mark the first flight of the new Allegris cabin on a brand new Airbus A350-900, a gate ceremony was organized, which allowed me to arrive early. To my surprise, the airline’s special guest was Dirk Nowitzki, a German-born former NBA basketball star for the Dallas Mavericks.

Special guest to @lufthansa #lufthansaallegris inaugural MUC-YVR today: Dirk Nowitzki @swish41super tall basketball star, and I thought I was tall… And not for nothing: there is an extra long C-class bed of 2.20 m #PaxEx #mean pic.twitter.com/8Yx6oReDo1

— Andreas Spaeth (@SpaethFlies) May 1, 2024

He serves as a brand ambassador for Lufthansa’s new Allegris Extra Long Bed seats in Business Class. Measuring 2.13 meters tall, Nowitzki was invited to test the airline’s 2.20 meter long Allegris seat and demonstrate the seat’s enormous dimensions.

Before general boarding began, I was allowed on board early to inspect the new cabin.

Lufthansa’s current Business Class product has been in use since 2012 and is now considered outdated. Allegris is a groundbreaking product that surpasses everything Lufthansa has ever offered and surpasses its competitors.

It will only be rolled out across all 117 aircraft targeted for the upgrade, including all Airbus A350s and future Boeing 787-9s, 777-9s, and retrofits of current Airbus A380s and Boeing 747-8s with slightly modified versions.

The rollout is not expected to be 90 percent complete until the end of 2028.

The chair

Allegris has introduced five types of seats in the Business Class category, including two subcategories. Choosing the right chair has become a science in itself thanks to the variety of options available.

From October, all seats except Classic Seats (aisle seats with less foot space compared to the current product) will incur additional reservation fees. The company has not yet announced the exact costs.

When online check-in opens, you will not be charged if superior seats are still available. The most expensive seats are the Business Suites, which offer more privacy and extra amenities.

Then there are the Extra Space Seats (throne seats), the Extra Long Beds, the Double Seats and the Privacy Seats in front of the windows. Luckily I got one of the last ones, 9A, in the second row of the second Business Class cabin.

The Allegris cabin offers a comfortable and private flying experience and offers direct aisle access, which is convenient for travelers who do not want to disturb their neighboring passengers.

Despite the lack of sliding doors (except in the Business Suites in the bulkhead rows), the seat walls are high enough to provide a good degree of privacy. However, you can still have a conversation with a colleague who is sitting in the adjacent aisle seat slightly behind you without any problems.

In my chair, to my right, there is a large tablet screen on the wall that controls all chair functions, including its firmness and position. The tablet also has a personal air vent, a great addition to help regulate temperatures.

The basic functions of the chair can be accessed via the buttons on the console. The in-flight entertainment system (IFE) can be navigated via the tablet, the large touchscreen monitors in front of me, or by following the registration instructions via a mobile smartphone.

Business Suites are equipped with 24-inch 4K IFE screens, while all other Business seats have an 18-inch 4K screen. The entire system is supplied by Safran Passenger Innovations (SPI), formerly known as Zodiac.

The content available on the screens offers some exciting features, such as four live cameras on the A350, with footage from two additional cameras on either side. There are over 300 movies available, in addition to TV and audio options. You can also read a selection of digital magazines on the tablet without having to download them. However, the included headphones are not of the highest quality, so you can easily connect your personal devices via Bluetooth.

One of the best features of this chair is its new feature, which allows it to be heated or cooled. The built-in fan circulates cooled or heated air through vents and pores in the seat, which is perfect for passengers who tend to feel warm during flights. After take-off, I turned on the cooling function, which made me feel comfortable throughout the flight, although I didn’t notice any specific cooling effect.

Another great feature of many Allegris chairs are the large, sturdy fold-out tables, spacious enough for a laptop even next to a tray, so I can work or watch a movie in comfort while enjoying my meal.

The Allegris seats also come with several amenities that can make your flight more enjoyable. To your right you will find a large console that provides easy access to a built-in wireless phone charger. You’ll also find a cabinet with noise-cancelling headphones, a water bottle, and an amenity kit.

The Allegris Amenities Kit is a miniature hard-shell suitcase that was once provided exclusively to First Class passengers. Although it was given to everyone in Business Class on this first flight, it is now only available to Suite passengers.

The flight

Due to the excitement surrounding the first flight, the departure was delayed by several minutes. Before takeoff, the airline served a welcome drink, including Lufthansa’s brand new signature cocktail, Avionic, mixed with sparkling wine (Avionic Royal).

Although the scheduled departure time was 3:45 PM, flight LH476 departed at 4:13 PM. Since everything on board was new to the crew, it took a total of 80 minutes from departure from Munich before the beverage service was started. I opted for another Avionic, which turned out to be delicious and refreshing.

For the meal, there were three options each for starters and main courses. I chose smoked salmon fillet as a starter and white German asparagus with veal steak as a main course, without halibut and pasta.

With the starter I got a scoop on Allegris, an artisanal mini bread that was re-baked fresh on board in a small wooden box, but unfortunately it tasted bland. A salted caramel tart later rounded out a satisfying, but not outstanding, early dinner.

One shortcoming of Allegris is that it still doesn’t offer free internet access for business passengers, which most other airlines offer on long-haul flights, at least for an hour or so, and for couriers, if not for the entire flight.

On Lufthansa, even messaging costs €9, two hours of full WiFi access costs €19 and the entire flight costs €29. This isn’t cheap, and it was a particularly bad deal on this trip because there was no connection for hours after a technical glitch.

My seat was very suitable for sleeping, with all beds stretching the full 2 ​​meters (6.56 feet) length, and the 9A having plenty of foot space on all sides, even for tall travelers.

Interestingly, Lufthansa only offers fold-out mattress covers and pajamas to Business Suite passengers on all flights, while other Business customers only receive them on sector lengths of more than 10 hours and 30 minutes.

The armrest towards the aisle could be retracted on 9A, but this was annoyingly not the case on the window side, where the cabin curvature prohibits this.

Before landing, the crew served a second meal consisting of tortellini or smoked duck breast. I chose the latter and it was a good choice.

The toilets in the business class cabin were also taken to the next level as part of the Allegris product, with imitation wood veneer and a leather-covered lid, giving them a premium feel.

Arrival

We arrived in Vancouver at 4:41 PM local time. However, due to the arrival of several flights from Asia, only two immigration counters were open. The waiting time was therefore approximately 20 minutes, even though we had already completed the customs formalities online in advance.

Pronunciation

This is redefining what premium travel has to offer in the modern era. The Business Class has a very personal, innovative approach that will take time for customers to understand. However, it is an improvement for travelers. Lufthansa could improve the experience by offering free online access to Business Class.

Allegris is now available on select flights between Munich, Vancouver and Toronto. Starting this summer, Chicago, San Francisco, Montreal and Shanghai will follow suit, with more planes arriving. The service is offered on A350 flights to and from Munich.

Best for:

All the best for the courage to do something different and much more individualistic than the usual one-seat-fits-all and for a stronger focus on German assets, from bread to beer.

Flight time: nine hours and twenty-eight minutes

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lufthansa.com