Lufthansa's Boeing 747-8 – or "Queen of the Skies" as it has been dubbed - has been launched on the airline's daily Frankfurt-Hong Kong route (see previous report here). The passenger version of this model was first unveiled by Lufthansa last May, and contains the new business class product, reviewed here.
Hong Kong is the first east Asian, and the fifth worldwide destination to be serviced by the carrier's B747-8, which seats 386 passengers: eight in first class, 80 in business (32 on the upper deck and 48 on the main) and 298 in economy.
The B747-800 is a completely new model of Boeing's 747 series and it carries a number of notable improvements. The aircraft is 15 per cent more fuel efficient than its predecessor, has more aerodynamic wings, is 30 per cent quieter and is the world's longest aircraft at 76.3 metres.
Bruce Dickinson, vice-president and chief project engineer of B747-8 programme, commercial planes said: "This highly efficient wing is really designed for minimum fuel burn at altitude. As the plane is gaining lift, you can really see the wing bend and the wing tip rises, that works really well for efficiency. When flying you can sense how much wing sweep and twist the plane has."
The interiors are also much more spacious and sleek, Dickinson points out.
"Some people don't realise how much work we have done with interior design architects in cooperation with the 787 team in order to create a holistic sense of space, proper lighting and a refreshing, pleasant experience – we really focused on those intangible things.
"The high ceilings, the sweeping staircase to the top - we have really opened up the top of that stairway, with windows on the right-hand side as you're walking up the steps."
Dickinson also added that the aircraft's upper deck is not full-length as it is on the A380, maintaining a sense of privacy and exclusivity like on a business jet. This is not at the cost of storage space.
He says: "We still have side stowage and the overhead bins are 50 per cent bigger [than that of B747-400], the amount of baggage capacity to tuck everything away is significantly bigger."
Dickinson also points out that Zone A at the nose, where first class is located, is very exclusive. "No one else is ever in that area, that's a very big differentiator between our competitor - where other passengers are transiting through the first class area. The only people that are there are the passengers or someone attending to you."
Lufthansa has ordered a total of 19 B747-8 aircraft.
For more information, visit www.lufthansa.com
Reggie Ho
