Last month I was finally able to test out Lufthansa’s new Allegris cabin; Premium Economy as well as Business Class. In this review, I’ll focus on the Premium Economy cabin. The Allegris Business Class review, I’ll publish shortly hereafter.
My flight with Lufthansa Allegris Premium Economy was from Shanghai to Frankfurt in a 787-9. Please read my review below to find out if it’s worth it flying with Lufthansa’s new Premium Economy cabin. During my stay in Shanghai, I stayed at the Holiday Inn at Shanghai Pudong Airport, and I stayed at the Grand Hyatt Shanghai. Especially the Holiday Inn Shanghai Pudong Airport, positively surprised me and I can strongly recommend that hotel when you need to stay near the Pudong Airport.
Premium Economy Fares
When selecting the type of premium economy fare, there is one important thing you need to be careful about; does the fare come with free seat selection. If it doesn’t and you do want to select it later, you’ll need to pay for that with Lufthansa. These rates aren’t specified at the time of booking. But at the time of writing this article, the cost to select your seat afterwards is 105 Euro. So take that into account when selecting your premium economy fare!
With Lufthansa Premium Economy, you’re getting 2 pieces of check-in luggage – with a 23kg maximum weight. A benefit which is common with other carriers as well. Another premium economy benefit you’re getting with a lot of other airlines is priority check-in. However, that benefit, you’re not getting with Lufthansa Premium Economy. You’ll need to check in with regular economy class.
Seat Configuration
In Lufthansa’s 787-9 Allegris cabin, there are 4 rows of premium economy in a 2-3-2 layout.
The premium economy seats are fixed hardshell design seats. That means that the seats recline forward and the back shell stays in place. I’m not a fan of these fixed hardshell design seats since most of the time, these seats are not comfortable for me. I prefer the ‘regular’ recliner seats where just the back site moves backwards.
These same seats are now also rolled out by Swiss Airlines. Air New Zeeland is also using the same seats in their new Premium Economy cabin.
Premium Economy Cabin
The new Allegris cabin does look very stylish. The dark blue fabric of the seats with wood accents looks good and stands out from a lot of other premium economy cabins. Seat width is 19” which is pretty much the standard for Premium Economy.
The screens are huge for premium economy; 15.6 inch crystal clear 4K screens (in regular economy 13.3 inches). I don’t think it’s even possible to fit bigger screens in an economy class cabin. The screens also have Bluetooth which allows you to pair your own headphones. A function that unfortunately didn’t work for me.
There is an amenity kit, and the bag itself looks really nice for premium economy. Content is also very good; an eye mask, socks, toothpaste and toothbrush, earplugs and a refreshing towel. You cannot get much better than that in premium economy especially since slippers are also provided. Lufthansa really made sure all the basics are covered, since a small bottle of water is also already provided.
There are sufficient charging points near the seat as well as a wireless charging point for your phone located under the armrest.
A menu is provided which lists 3 options for the main course and 2 options for the pre-arrival meal. So far, so good!
Meals
After departure, the crew comes by with a drink with some nuts.
Shortly after that, it’s time for the main course and appetizer. The appetizer is a caprese salad with strawberries and blueberries. I picked halibut for the main course even though halibut is very difficult to keep tasty in the air. Also in this case it was a fight that couldn’t be won. It’s not a bad dish though and I rate it a 6.9. Wine is served from a bottle which I always appreciate in premium economy and the white wine is perfect.
There are 2 options for the pre-arrival meal; potato gnocchi and shanghai style braised beef.
I picked the beef and the beef was very good! Complimented with a few pieces of fruit and a little tomato-feta salad, this dish scored an 8.0 for me. This was probably one of the best meals I had with Lufthansa since a long time, including some of the business class meals!
Conclusion
There was wireless internet on board. However, it was only free for messaging. If you wanted to have the complete wireless internet experience during you flight, it would cost you 25 Euro. Even in business class, you would have to pay for wireless internet.
So, is the new Lufthansa Allegris premium economy cabin worth considering?
There are a lot of positives. The luxurious feel of the Allegris Premium Economy cabin is one of them. The color, the use of the fabric and wood; it all looks very nice. The massive 4K entertainment screen is brilliant and the various charging points, including the wireless phone charger, are really practical and convenient. Food was OK on this flight and certainly better than what I had before with Lufthansa in premium economy. And the amenity kit is one of the best you can get in any premium economy cabin.
However, if you’re 6 feet or taller, these seats might not be that comfortable for you when you are fully reclining them. You then definitely want to try to get a bulkhead seat. Only for that reason, I do prefer premium economy cabins with a normal reclining back seat. Also be aware that seat selection isn’t free with most premium economy fares and costs 105 Euro if you want to select it afterwards.
If you are considering purchasing a Premium Economy ticket, please make sure to check out Skyscanner. SkyScanner is searching all the major travel sites including the airlines itself. Check out SkyScanner yourself using this link!
Also check out my youtube channel and my review of Lufthansa Premium Economy. Don’t forget to like the video and subscribe to the channel!
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