Lufthansa is increasing the number of seats on some of its Airbus A350s to over 300. Compared to the competition from Europe and the Gulf States, however, these are still few seats.
Lufthansa is building additional seats in the four Airbus A350-900s that previously flew for Philippine Airlines. This increases the capacity to 303 seats. This makes it a bit tighter at the back in Economy. Criticism was also raised in social media and also in reader comments.
After the conversion, the premium economy will have 26 seats, and the economy will have 247 seats. Only Business Class remains the same size with 30 seats. The 17 in-house machines have a capacity of 293 seats. The Lufthansa seating is divided into 48 business, 21 premium eco and 224 economy seats.
From 283 to 411 seats
However, a look at the competition from Europe and the Gulf States shows that Lufthansa itself ends up at the lower end of the scale with 303 seats in terms of seating density. The airline is even better off when it comes to the 17 A350-900s with its own configuration. Only 293 travelers fit into the planes.
Of the ten airlines compared, only Qatar has fewer seats on its A350-900. Most fellow travelers have passengers with them French Bee. The French have built 411 seats in the two-radiators.
238 places between Australia and Europe
Singapore Airlines currently offers the longest flight in the world. From Singapore to New York in the Airbus A350-900-ULR (Ultra Long Range). The seating is manageable. There are only seats for 161 travelers in Business and Premium Economy.
Qantas is planning something similar. The Australians want to offer non-stop flights from Sydney and Melbourne to London and New York as part of Project Sunrise. For the ultra-long flights, however, Qantas relies on the larger A350-1000. The seating is similarly manageable. The machine should only offer space for 238 passengers.
See how Lufthansa’s competitors are seating their Airbus A350s in the image gallery above.
