LH Long Haul aircraft config
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LH Long Haul aircraft config
It seems that LH is able to change configs - that is increase / decrease number of C and Y seats - quite quickly. I am not talking of 32S fleet but of 744, 343, 346...
LH advised 2 years ago they were decreasing the number of C seats on 744 because of the crisis.
Who could help to explain me how it works ? (swap seats overnight ? I suppose it is more complicated...)
Now that premium traffic is back, has LH reverted to the configs pre-crisis ?
Thanks
LH advised 2 years ago they were decreasing the number of C seats on 744 because of the crisis.
Who could help to explain me how it works ? (swap seats overnight ? I suppose it is more complicated...)
Now that premium traffic is back, has LH reverted to the configs pre-crisis ?
Thanks
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It takes around four hours and is only done in Frankfurt.
They take out two rows of C class and install three rows of Y class. The seats are mounted on rails that run the length of the cabin, so this isn't complicated at all. There are enough O2 masks and reading lights installed underneath the bins for the Y configuration and the excess is covered up in C configuration.
While it is preferable to send out a C configured aircraft on a route that requires many C seats (and vice versa), occasionally demand for more Y seats on more routes requires a change. Thus a truck that looks like a gigantic catering car will appear next the plane and lift itself up to reach the second door from the front (approx. where the change of seats takes place).
LH had announced the configuration change, but never converted all aircraft. They just increased the number of routes where they planned to use F16/C66/Y270. When more C bookings come in, they will revert to F16/C80/Y234 before too many Y seats are sold, as they will change to the opposite if not enough demand for C materializes, so they can sell more Y seats.
Meanwhile they have permanently changed the first class layout, so the configs that can occur nowadays are F8/C80/Y234 and F8/C66/Y270. Next, they will permanently change the C class to fully flat (not angeled) and probably will again design the cabin such that two (or more) configurations fit.
The Airbusses have a similar arrangement, it is mostly used on the A340-300. F8/C48/Y165 or F8/C36/Y197. The ones without first class remain without first class permanently (C44Y222), occasionally an aircraft with first class is filling in but the hardware remains with the F seats, however for check in purposes the F seats count as C class (for the most premium passengers) and the config C54/Y165 or C44/Y233 will show up in the computers.
They take out two rows of C class and install three rows of Y class. The seats are mounted on rails that run the length of the cabin, so this isn't complicated at all. There are enough O2 masks and reading lights installed underneath the bins for the Y configuration and the excess is covered up in C configuration.
While it is preferable to send out a C configured aircraft on a route that requires many C seats (and vice versa), occasionally demand for more Y seats on more routes requires a change. Thus a truck that looks like a gigantic catering car will appear next the plane and lift itself up to reach the second door from the front (approx. where the change of seats takes place).
LH had announced the configuration change, but never converted all aircraft. They just increased the number of routes where they planned to use F16/C66/Y270. When more C bookings come in, they will revert to F16/C80/Y234 before too many Y seats are sold, as they will change to the opposite if not enough demand for C materializes, so they can sell more Y seats.
Meanwhile they have permanently changed the first class layout, so the configs that can occur nowadays are F8/C80/Y234 and F8/C66/Y270. Next, they will permanently change the C class to fully flat (not angeled) and probably will again design the cabin such that two (or more) configurations fit.
The Airbusses have a similar arrangement, it is mostly used on the A340-300. F8/C48/Y165 or F8/C36/Y197. The ones without first class remain without first class permanently (C44Y222), occasionally an aircraft with first class is filling in but the hardware remains with the F seats, however for check in purposes the F seats count as C class (for the most premium passengers) and the config C54/Y165 or C44/Y233 will show up in the computers.
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Thanks Reimers.
I see it is quite simple; however, I suppose that most ground times in FRA do not allow for the config change. Am I right if I think that these changes are occasionnal ? perhaps once or twice a year when there are big changes in demand between C and Y. Also, the revenue management needs to know well in advance how many seats they will have to sell both in C and Y.
I see it is quite simple; however, I suppose that most ground times in FRA do not allow for the config change. Am I right if I think that these changes are occasionnal ? perhaps once or twice a year when there are big changes in demand between C and Y. Also, the revenue management needs to know well in advance how many seats they will have to sell both in C and Y.
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Well, Lufthansa would like to keep ground times to a minimum, but passenger demand and route structure doesn't always allow this. In the morning, plenty of long haul aircraft arrive between 5 and 7 o'clock, and they don't depart until 10 o'clock at the earliest. If a change needs to be done, they try doing it to an aircraft that has some other maintenance event and rests some hours anyway.
Revenue managemant people will be better suited to answer questions as to how it is decided which configuration to plan with and how long to stick to such plan until changing it. Such answers might not be coming onto a public forum because Lufthansa might want to keep it secret. I know that maintenance requirements do on occasion require an individual frame be substituted, and if the new plane has a different seat arrangement, it can get changed.
But they will also change according to demant. You might see a large C class on LH xxx on one day and a small one the next. High yield routes have a large C class almost every day.
Surprisingly, the layout on the A380 doesn't allow any changes that I know of, so the complexity might no longer be worth it.
Revenue managemant people will be better suited to answer questions as to how it is decided which configuration to plan with and how long to stick to such plan until changing it. Such answers might not be coming onto a public forum because Lufthansa might want to keep it secret. I know that maintenance requirements do on occasion require an individual frame be substituted, and if the new plane has a different seat arrangement, it can get changed.
But they will also change according to demant. You might see a large C class on LH xxx on one day and a small one the next. High yield routes have a large C class almost every day.
Surprisingly, the layout on the A380 doesn't allow any changes that I know of, so the complexity might no longer be worth it.
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Well, for the 380, as C and Y classes are not on the same deck, I suppose it is a good reason not to allow for swaps between C and Y seats...
One again thanks for your infos.
One again thanks for your infos.
