Lufthansa Group is reportedly about to unveil some changes to its fares, which customers will no doubt be unhappy about (though you know the airline will spin it as if it’s a positive).
Lufthansa introducing basic fares in premium cabins
Travel-Dealz reports that on March 17, 2026, Lufthansa Group will announce new basic (or “light”) fare bundles for premium cabins. This will apply across Lufthansa Group airlines, including Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, and Brussels.
While the airlines have long offered these in economy, this spreading to business class and premium economy is new (these aren’t coming to first class… for now). So, what can we expect? According to reports, here’s what will change:
- The basic business class fares will include one checked bag (instead of two), a seat reservation fee of a minimum of around €80–€120, and a higher change fee than before
- The basic premium economy fares will include one checked bag (instead of two), a seat reservation fee, and a higher change fee than before
As you can see, the changes in business class and premium economy are identical, except business class gets new fees for assigning even standard seats (meanwhile in premium economy, you already had to pay for those, so nothing is changing).
Initially, these fares will only be available on select routes to & from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Central America, and South America. North America, and many parts of Asia (China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, etc.), will initially be excluded.
What’s perhaps most punitive about these new fares is how some elite perks won’t apply on these fares. While Star Alliance Gold members will still get an allowance of an extra bag (for a total of two bags), no elite members will receive complimentary seat assignments on basic fares. That’s right, even top-tier Miles & More HON Circle members will be asked to open their wallets if they want to assign seats.
My take on Lufthansa’s new “light” business class fares
I’d argue that Lufthansa Group’s new premium basic fares are really punitive, at least in some ways. Not even allowing elite members to assign seats on these basic fares is rough — clearly the company is worried that if it doesn’t make these fares undesirable enough, it won’t be able to convince elite members to pay extra to avoid these fares.
At the same time, in some ways the fares maybe aren’t that bad. For example, unlike some other airlines, at least Lufthansa will still offer lounge access on basic fares. Furthermore, with Lufthansa moving to Allegris, non-elite members having to pay for most seat assignments is also becoming the norm.
I’m of course not happy to see these changes, but I don’t think anyone should be surprised to see these roll out, as this was bound to happen. Keep in mind that Delta also plans to introduce basic business class soon, and I expect that American and United won’t be too far behind.
As you can see, these basic fares won’t initially apply on flights to the United States, and that’s because Lufthansa Group operates as part of a joint venture with Air Canada and United. So presumably that will only be rolled out once all airlines are on the same page. That’s another reason to expect that the joint venture partners are headed in that direction as well.
Bottom line
Lufthansa Group is expected to shortly announce the introduction of new “light” fares in premium cabins, which means we’ll see basic business class at the airline (along with premium economy). The restrictions aren’t too bad, except for the fact that all basic business class passengers will have to pay for seats, including the highest tier elite members.
What do you make of Lufthansa’s basic business class plans?
