Lufthansa Launches Frankfurt-Chicago Flights; New Business-Class Seats

Lufthansa has launched daily service of its flagship 747-8 Intercontinental aircraft along the airline’s Frankfurt (FRA) – Chicago (ORD) route, marking the first time the plane will be available to passengers in Boeing’s hometown market.  The inaugural flight LH430, which occurred on October 27, departed Frankfurt at 10:35 am and arrived in Chicago at 1:55 pm local time.  The return flight, LH431, departed from O’Hare International Airport’s Terminal 1 at 5:10 pm and arrived in Germany at 7:30 am today. Juergen Seibenrock, Lufthansa’s Vice President of the Americas, noted that Chicago is the fourth U.S. gateway to get this service. 
 
The Boeing 747-8, the world’s longest passenger aircraft, has new wings with improved aerodynamics and raked wing tips; new fuel-efficient, U.S.-manufactured GEnx-2B engines that contribute to a reduction in fuel burn, emissions and noise (and, we hear, reduce overall operating costs); and fly-by-wire technology.

 

The aircraft generates a 30 percent smaller noise footprint than the 747-400 and achieves fuel consumption of around 70 miles per gallon per passenger (based on the standard configuration), which is about 12 percent less than current wide-body jets and lower than international emission standards, making it one of the industry’s most fuel-efficient and key to Lufthansa’s commitment to sustainable reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.  The 747-8 fuselage is 250 feet 2 inches long, which is 18 feet 4 inches longer than the 747-400. Lufthansa will operate the 747-8 with a configuration of 362 seats (8 First Class, 92 Business Class and 262 Economy Class). The stretch also provides the airline with 26 percent more cargo volume.

New Business Class 

Lufthansa’s 747-8 interior includes a new curved, upswept architecture that allows more room for personal belongings. The new business-class cabin has seats that convert to full-flat, horizontal beds that measure 6’6” in length. Ergonomically improved cushioning ensures a high degree of comfort in a sitting or horizontal position, and adjustable armrests provide more space in the shoulder area when lying down.
 
Another unique attribute of the new Business Class cabin is the innovative seating arrangement in the form of a “V” so that two neighboring seats are angled towards one another along a central axis. This lets passengers sit or lie facing the direction of travel, while at the same time getting virtually double the distance between two neighboring seats at shoulder level.

Check out this video promoting the new seats: