Lufthansa is (sadly) notorious for Allegris, the name of its latest generation passenger experience concept. This includes new long haul first class and business class products, with the rollout of the new business class being perhaps the most botched product introduction we’ve ever seen in the airline industry.
While I’ve covered this in general, in this post I’d like to talk about one aspect of Allegris business class that maybe doesn’t get enough attention. This post is prompted by a (sort of) hilarious information sheet that has been shared with me, showing just how absurd things have become.
Lufthansa Allegris business class is terrible for families
Lufthansa claims that one of the reasons it created a custom product for Allegris business class is because it wanted to offer passengers choice, unlike anything we’ve seen before. The airline is very proud of how there are five different types of seats in business class (initially the airline claimed there were seven types of seats, but I guess that has been scaled back a bit — maybe too much a good thing is a bad thing?):
Five different seat types, tailored to different wishes and needs – in Lufthansa Allegris Business Class the choice is yours. Experience more privacy, more comfort, and more ways to personalize your trip.
Indeed, it seems like Lufthansa has thought of every possible traveler who could want to fly business class… except couples and families. You see, despite having a staggered layout, Allegris business class has very few seats that are good for those traveling together:
- All the window seats are single, as they’re staggered in each row
- In the center, rows alternate between having one seat and having two seats; for the pairs of seats in the center, they’re further from one another, rather than closer (so they’re not “honeymoon” seats)
- The only seats that are potentially good for those traveling together are the business class suites in the center section of the first row of each cabin, and these are also the most costly to design
So there’s certainly some irony to Lufthansa emphasizing how Allegris is all about choice, while introducing a product that has impressive choice if you’re traveling alone (and are willing to pay extra for seats), while it has very little choice if traveling with someone.
Over time, I’ve had a countless number of OMAAT readers ask me which Allegris seats they should select as a family, and there really isn’t a great answer. But I actually just learned about something I wasn’t aware of when it comes to flying Allegris as a family…
Lufthansa Allegris business class family seating rules
Here’s something interesting. A travel agent in Germany shared with me the document that Lufthansa has published about assigning seats for families in Allegris business class. First, the document notes the following:
Please note these permitted seating configurations when booking for one adult with one or two children (2-11 years old). Three or more children per adult are expressly not permitted in Lufthansa Allegris Business Class.
Maybe I just haven’t paid attention to this, but I wasn’t aware that any airlines restrict the number of children an adult can travel with, especially when they need their own seats. So it sounds like each adult can only travel with up to two children up to the age of 11?
But here’s where it gets interesting. Lufthansa actually has rules around which seats have to be assigned when an adult travels with a child in Allegris business class. You can find the chart below for the A350. For what it’s worth, “Kind” means “kid,” and “Erwachsener” means “adult.” The first section is about adults traveling with one child, while the second section is about adults traveling with two children.
The one benefit here is that according to Lufthansa’s website, “for flights in Allegris Business Class, seat reservations for children are free of charge, with the exception of the Business Class Suite.” So at least you can assign acceptable seats together, even though none of those seats will actually be together. They’ll simply be less far apart than some other seat combinations.
Like I said, it’s possible that I’m missing something, but I don’t think such complicated rules for accommodating children in business class are standard?
Bottom line
Lufthansa’s Allegris business class has been called over-engineered, and I think there’s no more prime example of that than the family seating situation. The only real seats that are good for couples and families are the business class suites, which are also the most expensive seats in the cabin.
The airline actually has rules for family seating, including which seats must be assigned for children ages 2-11, when traveling with an adult (and each adult is limited to traveling with two children).
What do you make of Lufthansa’s family seating situation?
