Business class is booming. As the slice of the fuselage that brings in the most profit per passenger, it’s not surprising that the sector is also the most competitive in terms of experience-building; capture a loyal clientele and an airline’s bottom line is secured. Airlines are also emerging from the pandemic with fleets that are long in the tooth.
Allegris concept for Lufthansa Business Class
Pearson Lloyd’s new Allegris concept for Lufthansa Business Class exemplifies this shift. Launched this spring as part of the airline’s €2bn fleet upgrade, it is the result of an intensive design collaboration with the London-based studio and aviation design specialist Pearson Lloyd.
The new cabin arrangement was created from the ground up, giving Luke Pearson and his team unprecedented freedom to approach this economically crucial class from a fresh angle. The design team built six 1:1 models of aircraft cabins to test their prototypes, and the resulting arrangement comes from the creation of a number of different seat types that can be combined as necessary.
This flexibility acknowledges how business class is changing; it’s no longer a corporate perk with sober stylings to match, but often a way of adding a bit of glamour and relaxation onto each end of a family holiday. There’s also the crowd of perpetual nomads, keen to find a quiet and spacious spot in the sky to catch up on some work.
These diverse use cases were distilled down into three basic elements, Calm, Share, and Focus. As Pearson explains, this ‘allows a passenger to fly while working, private and isolated, or to relax and talk to a colleague in a different seat configuration. It delivers choice beyond simply opting to use a feature or not.’
Pearson Lloyd and Lufthansa have worked together for over 15 years, and the Allegris project includes an entirely new palette of colours, materials and textures. The airline’s signature blue is omnipresent, of course, but surfaces are softer and more accommodating.
Pearson recently wrote that ‘the future of travel must be different – more conscious and considered’, adding, ‘we must stop taking travel for granted. I believe the answer is to “travel better”; to focus once again on the experience of moving from one place to another. The journey should delight us as much as the destination.’
Pearson Lloyd, PearsonLloyd.com
Lufthansa Business Class, Lufthansa.com
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