Along with its Allegris business class, Lufthansa also introduced a completely new first class product. While the product is generally solid, the concept is unique in one specific way: there are more than three, but not quite four seats in the cabin. Instead of two individual seats in the middle, there is a shared suite for up to two travelers. This is called the First Class Suite Plus and looks like the header image above. The same concept applies to SWISS Senses.
The idea behind it: those traveling as a couple can get cozy in a double bed. This sounds great on paper, at least until the person on the window side needs to use the restroom and inevitably wakes their partner up to get out.
Until now, anyone wishing to reserve the middle suite had two options:
- Couples: If one person is booked in First Class, the second person receives a 50% discount on their ticket price. Since they require less space and the “fourth” seat cannot be sold otherwise, this makes sense.
- Solo Travelers: Individuals traveling alone could also reserve the Suite Plus, but were deterred by horrendous fees ranging from €1,900 to €2,900.
Suite Plus Reservations to Become Free of Charge
In practice, almost no one actually paid the €1,900+ surcharge. The fee was prohibitively high and served primarily as a way to keep the last seat available for couples for as long as possible.
Apparently, Lufthansa has conceded that this tactic was unsuccessful. Yesterday, the airline announced that the middle suite will be open to solo travelers starting July 1, 2026—completely without additional fees:
Offer your discerning customers an exclusive place of peace: The First Class Suite Plus is now bookable for solo travelers without an ASR fee for travel starting July 1, 2026. Maximum privacy, ideal conditions for working and relaxing, and a generous sense of space make traveling even more personal – like a living room above the clouds.
ASR stands for Advanced Seat Reservation. This means the previously standard (and massive) fee will be completely eliminated.
Second Ticket Discount Only Available via Telephone
When the new First Class was first unveiled, Lufthansa stated that those booking the middle suite as a pair would pay less than the price of two regular tickets. As mentioned above, travelers sharing the Suite Plus receive a 50% discount on the second ticket.
However, very few people are likely aware of this offer because the discount is not applied during the online booking process. Currently, these bookings can only be made by calling the First Class Hotline (+49 69 86 799 444). It appears there are no immediate plans to change this.
In any case, here are some impressions of the First Suite Plus:
Our Assessment
When I flew Lufthansa first class to Tokyo a few months ago, I would have loved to try out the middle suite. On one hand, my colleague would have been sitting directly across the aisle, and on the other, you can never complain about having more space. During that flight, the suite remained completely empty. However, when I asked the crew if I could move there, my request was denied. They argued it wouldn’t be fair for me to get it for free when others were expected to pay thousands of euros for it.
That Lufthansa’s concept was destined to fail was predicted by numerous frequent flyers and bloggers from the moment it was first introduced. The airline remained stubborn until now, but is finally bowing to reality.
While this is a welcome change, it is also somewhat surprising. In my view, it would have been sufficient to simply lower the fee for solo travelers to a mid-three-figure amount. This would have kept the option open to sell the fourth “seat” while still making it accessible. If the suite remained empty shortly before departure, the fee could still have been waived at check-in.