Back in 2023 it became known that Lufthansa wanted to refit its Airbus A320s with a new cabin. Now it’s happening: in a press release, the German airline announced the successful conversion of the first aircraft. Over the next three years, 37 more are set to follow.
In its announcement, Lufthansa promises “more comfort” and focuses on the positive changes. The new seats are said to be “ergonomically shaped,” and height-adjustable headrests will be introduced in future, even in Economy Class. In addition, the refurbished aircraft will offer significantly more space for carry-on luggage and charging options for smartphones.
What is somewhat glossed over, however, is that not everything will improve for passengers. This is already evident in the fact that there will be 12 additional seats in the same aircraft. Most passengers will therefore have to put up with tighter seating (and smaller lavatories). This isn’t entirely new. Some A320s already feature such a dense cabin today.
Positive Changes
Let’s start with the good news. The new overhead bins should stand out as early as when boarding the plane: they are around 40% larger than before. This means that most trolleys can be stowed vertically in the bins, helping to avoid boarding delays, at least if passengers actually make use of the option to store bags upright.
Lufthansa is also finally installing headrests in its short-haul fleet. According to Lufthansa, these are “horizontally adjustable,” which likely means they can be folded inward to support the head. A major improvement for passengers who want to sleep on board (and don’t have a wall to lean against), especially on longer routes such as to North Africa or the Azores.
The “new” seat appears to be a further development of the Geven Essenza, which we already know from some Airbus A320neo aircraft, though without headrests and similar features.
In addition, there will be power outlets (USB-C and USB-A) at every seat for charging mobile devices. The USB-C ports should also be capable of powering most laptops. A small tablet/smartphone holder will be installed next to them.
Not Everything Gets Better
Because Lufthansa limits itself to highlighting the positives, you have to read between the lines to get a balanced picture.
Lufthansa currently operates two A320 sub-fleets: according to an (unofficial) fleet table, there are around 20 aircraft with 168 seats and a similar number with 180 seats. In future, all will have 180 seats. The cabin layout will then resemble that of the Airbus A320neo. The lavatories move to the rear galley and shrink noticeably, creating space for two additional seat rows:
However, this alone isn’t enough to make room for the extra rows. As a result, Economy passengers will be seated closer together. We contacted the airline, and Lufthansa does confirm the densification of the cabin and states:
The new seats from manufacturer Geven offer passengers more comfort than the previous seats. Despite additional seat rows, guests benefit above all from the new ergonomic seat shape, which provides more legroom than before. Compared to the predecessor seat Essenza from Recaro, ergonomic optimizations in the knee area have gained around 2.5 cm.
The tray tables of the new seat are also noticeably smaller. Finally, the images suggest that the familiar fabric curtain between Economy and Business Class will be shortened in future. It will likely only extend across the aisle (the rail can be seen near the exit sign). The section between the seats will be replaced by a semi-transparent plastic divider.
Bottom Line
My first reaction to Lufthansa’s announcement was: “Yay, finally headrests.” At 1.98 m tall, my head sticks well above the seat in the current Lufthansa cabin. Sleeping is almost impossible unless you have a window seat. On British Airways, I’ve appreciated headrests for a long time.
The densification of the cabin is unfortunate but, sadly, unsurprising. Other “quality” airlines such as KLM also offer less and less seat pitch, and it’s no longer uncommon for flight searches on Google Flights to show just 71 cm of pitch. That usually refers to the rows with the least space. Understandable, since passengers often no longer have a choice anyway and are assigned seats by the airline.
Translated by Ditmar