Flying Lufthansa in Business Class? New Seat Charges Could Cost You Hundreds More

German carrier Lufthansa has announced that bookings are now open for its new Allegris business class cabins, which will be available on flights starting March 30 next year. The airline has also revealed pricing for the five types of seats offered, with travelers needing to pay up to $575 to reserve the highly sought-after suites.

Photo: Lufthansa, First Airbus A350 with Allegris cabin. Courtesy of Lufthansa

The Allegris product, first teased in 2017, finally debuted on limited Lufthansa flights in May. During this “introductory phase,” the five types of seats in the cabin have been offered on a first-come, first-served basis due to the possibility of last-minute aircraft changes.

However, with Lufthansa retrofitting more Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s with the Allegris cabins each month, the carrier will start charging travelers to claim the cabin’s best seats on some routes.

First Markets to Be Charged

On flights from March 30, 2025, seat selection fees will be charged on flights from Munich (MUC) to Shanghai (PVG), San Francisco (SFO), and Chicago (ORD) before rolling out to other routes in “the following weeks and months,” Lufthansa said.

Photo: Allegris Business Class. Courtesy of Lufthansa

With five types of seats in the Allegris business class cabin, travelers have ample choice.

How does it work?

Of the 38 total seats, only the 12 classic seats can be claimed for free by standard passengers. Situated on the aisle or the middle of the plane, they’re the least desirable, with the lie-flat bed opening into a footwell and no direct window views (but with “virtual windows,” displaying real-time exterior shots).

Photo: Allegris Business Class. Courtesy of Lufthansa

The seats do offer some of the amenities seen across the cabin: personal climate control systems, with backrests that can be heated or cooled, and tablets for seat controls.

There are also ten privacy seats with high walls angled toward the windows. Two of these seats have an additional bassinet for passengers traveling with a child under two. It’s unclear how Lufthansa will allocate these two seats and whether parents will be required to pay to claim them.

Photo: Allegris Business Class. Courtesy of Lufthansa

In general, the privacy seats can be reserved for free by Miles & More HON Circle, Senator members, and those who paid more for the Business Flex fares. Everyone else can pay to reserve them, with prices ranging between €100 ($115) and €170 ($196), depending on the route.

Coveted Throne Seats

Those looking for room to spread out might want to hurry to book the plane’s four “throne” seats, also known as the extra space seats. Situated in the middle of the cabin, these seats offer ample storage space and huge 27-inch entertainment screens but are more exposed. They’re free to reserve for HON and Senator elites and can be booked by others for between  €130 ($150) to €230 ($265).

Photo: Allegris Business Class. Courtesy of Lufthansa

Tall passengers might want to pay between €100 ($115) to €170 ($196) to claim one of the four seats with extra long beds. When flat, these seats stretch to 2.2 meters or 7 feet 2 inches, while other seats offer only 1.9 or 2 meters of length. Again, HON Circle members and their companions can claim these seats for free.

Front Row Suites

But all travelers, regardless of their Miles & More status, will need to pay to reserve the most desirable seats in the cabin: the eight front-row suites.

Photo: Allegris Business Class Front Row Suites. Courtesy of Lufthansa

The expansive suites offer higher walls, privacy doors, wardrobes for storing clothes, extra leg space, and larger entertainment screens (27in vs. 18in). The two sets of seats in the middle of the plane can be booked together, and the partition can be lowered to create a double suite.

Photo: Allegris Business Suites. Courtesy of Lufthansa

Suite occupants will also receive extra beverages, snacks, pajamas, and sleepwear. The suites can be booked for between €400 and €600 per person, which Lufthansa has converted to between $460 and $690.

What’s the Alternative?

Bristle at the idea of paying more on top of your business class fare? During check-in, starting 30 hours before departure, business class ticket holders who haven’t yet nabbed a seat can select from those still available.

Photo: Allegris Business Class. Courtesy of Lufthansa

Now it’s unclear if Lufthansa will allow the cabin’s best seats, the suites, to be claimed free of charge or they might reserve them as upgrades for elites in its Miles & More loyalty program.

The prices of the seat types are as follows:

Notes:

• Shorter long-haul: to and from Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE)
• Medium long-haul: to and from Angola, Eastern Canada, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, and the Eastern United States.
• Long long-haul: to and from Argentina, Brazil, Western Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, and the Western United States.