Lufthansa Group has announced plans for a new preferred seating zone on long-haul services.
But don’t get too excited. If economy class passengers wish to sit near the exit (so they can disembark before the crowds) they will have to pay extra.
The latest revenue-raising scheme will be introduced by three Lufthansa Group airlines, namely Lufthansa mainline, Austrian Airlines and Swiss, for flights on and after March 7.
But these preferred seating zone seats are bookable from February 20. They apply only to long-haul flights and the fee (per sector) ranges between €30 and €50.
However, members of Lufthansa’s loyalty schemes like HON Circle and Senator can reserve the seat free of charge (depending on availability).
Lufthansa is not the first airline to devise this way of increasing fare revenue.
Fellow Star Alliance carrier Singapore Airlines introduced Forward Zone seating only last month, while Dubai-based Emirates is one of the instigators.
The question now must be who will be next?
