Lufthansa has quietly revealed its new Boeing 777X premium economy seat. The announcement was made as part of the Capital Markets Day in Frankfurt yesterday.

Lufthansa is the launch customer of the Boeing 777X and, as such, is expecting the first production aircraft. However, things could be delayed as the aircraft is yet to take its first flight. Indeed, the American manufacturer had hoped to showcase the aircraft at the recent Paris Air Show. However, the aircraft did complete its first taxi tests last week, which marked a huge milestone for the manufacturer.

The new Lufthansa seat

Lufthansa's new seat will debut onboard their Boeing 777X aircraft from next year, before being retrofitted to some older aircraft. Indeed, the new seat will be found onboard the Boeing 777-9 from Q3 of 2020. This is according to a presentation given by the airline yesterday.

The fun doesn't stop with Lufthansa though! SWISS passengers are also due to experience the new Lufthansa Group premium economy offering. From early 2021, the seat will be introduced on SWISS Boeing 777-3 aircraft. The seat will join the SWISS Airbus A340-300 aircraft afterwards, with the retrofit slated to be introduced from Q2 of 2021 onwards.

A340 lifeline

This last point is interesting. It shows that SWISS is committed to operating the Airbus A340-300 for a while longer. The airline currently has five of the aircraft in their fleet with an average age of 15.5 years. Currently, many airlines are retiring their four-engined aircraft in favour of more efficient twin engined jets.

Indeed, Qatar Airways won't fit the Qsuite to the Airbus A380, as they plan to retire them in five years time, making them around ten years old at retirement. By contrast, SWISS' A340s will be 17 years old when they receive new seats. With this in mind, the Lufthansa Group is unlikely to be scrapping the planes anytime soon, or the retrofit would be a waste of money.

Why invest in premium economy?

According to figures released by the Lufthansa Group, the premium economy cabin is one of the best revenue drivers on the aircraft. In fact, revenue per square meter is 33% more in premium economy than in economy. This is as the product costs the airline only slightly more to provide, but will have a much higher ticket price attached.

However, what is more interesting is that the revenue per square meter of premium economy is 6% higher than that of business class. The Boeing 777X will only have three cabins. Business class, premium economy, and economy. With this in mind, the premium economy cabin will have the largest revenue per square meter on the aircraft. As such, it makes sense for the Lufthansa Group to spend a tidy amount on it.

What do you think of the Lufthansa Group's new premium economy seat? Let us know in the comments!