Earlier this week, the Lufthansa Group introduced Light fares for travel in Premium Economy and Business Class. Compared to previous prices, these offer a reduced baggage allowance, higher rebooking fees, and seat reservations are now only available for a fee.
So far, nothing unexpected. However, criticism (in addition to hidden price increases) has mainly focused on the treatment of status customers. Even frequent flyers with Senator status and HON Circle Member status are now required to pay if they want to select a seat in advance under the new fares. In this regard, Lufthansa is taking a stricter approach than its competitors in SkyTeam or Oneworld.
It was expected that the rules would also be adjusted accordingly in long-haul Economy Class. There, seat selection is generally subject to a fee, but with Senator or HON Circle status, any seat can currently be selected free of charge. Yesterday, Lufthansa also added a corresponding clause on its website (regarding the Allegris cabin):
Senators can reserve any seat free of charge in Economy Class and Premium Economy Class (exception: Premium Economy Light fare).
Lufthansa Group for Business on March 19, 2026
Our test booking confirmed this – while Senators can still select their seats for free on an economy light ticket, the more expensive premium economy light fare does not allow free seat selection.
On short-haul routes, seat selection comes at an extra cost since several years ago, even for status customers.
Editor’s Note: We still assume that free seat selection for Senators in economy will be removed sooner or later. For now, however, everything remains unchanged. Curiously, when it comes to seats selection, Senators are now getting better treatment in Economy Class than in Premium Economy or even Business Class.
