Lufthansa sets sights on short-haul product

LUFTHANSA has set its sights on overhauling short-haul business class once the installation of its new flat bed on long-haul services is under way.

Chairman Wolfgang Mayrhuber revealed short-haul is next on the hit list as he unveiled the airline’s new £210 million business-class cabin.

The German carrier has begun installing the new flat bed on its Airbus 340-600 and A330-300 fleet with the first service to depart from Frankfurt to Buenos Aires on December 18. The new bed will be fully installed within the next 18 months.

Mayrhuber said: “We are determined to be innovative and a market leader in development, and this new bed reflects that.”

He added: “We have started a project dealing with the short-haul product and this is our next big thing.”

The airline has indicated it wants to cut short-haul costs by 20%, which Mayrhuber suggested could be achieved by higher productivity from existing resources.

He denied the new PrivateBed – which is 25% larger than its predecessor and extends to two metres when flat – will result in fewer business-class seats across the Lufthansa network. However, the cabin may be extended on more popular routes and scaled down for destinations where there is less demand for a business service.