Lufthansa (LH) , the carrier that is introducing the FOX program which requires replacing approximately 187 million onboard service items, has overhauled the monetisation framework for the First Class Suite Plus — the centrepiece double-bed suite at the heart of its Allegris cabin on the Airbus A350-900 — by eliminating the Advanced Seat Reservation (ASR) fee entirely and introducing a 50% fare discount for the second passenger in a couple booking.
The changes, announced on 6 May 2026 and effective for bookings immediately and for travel commencing 1 July 2026, represent the airline’s most explicit acknowledgement to date that the original pricing architecture for the Suite Plus had failed to generate meaningful commercial uptake. Until now, a solo traveller wishing to pre-assign the Suite Plus faced a surcharge of between €1,900 and €2,900 on top of an already substantial first-class fare. This fare was so steep that virtually no one paid it.
The practical consequence of that pricing was almost comically predictable:
- passengers simply declined to select any seat in advance
- waited until online check-in opened
- were routinely assigned the double suite at no additional cost when the cabin was fully booked.
The Suite Plus, which Lufthansa had positioned as the flagship differentiator of its Allegris first class, was being given away for free by the airline’s own seat-assignment logic. The new structure attempts to correct that paradox.
Why Was Allegris First Class Suite Plus Always Contentious
The Allegris first class cabin on Lufthansa’s Airbus A350-900 contains either three or four seats depending on how one accounts for the Suite Plus’s dual-occupancy configuration.
The two window positions — seat 1A on the port side and seat 1K on the starboard — are designated the First-Class Single Suite and are comparable in design and scale to contemporary first class suites at other leading carriers. Both are enclosed, have full-length closing doors, and convert into flat beds over two metres in length.
The Suite Plus, positioned in the centre section of the single-row cabin as seats 1D and 1E, is an architecturally distinct proposition. Its individually controllable seats, with no armrest between them, can be converted into a bed that is over two metres long, with integrated seat heating and cooling that allows independent temperature adjustment for each occupant.
The suite also features a 43-inch, 4K entertainment monitor and a spacious dining table at which two passengers can sit facing one another — an arrangement that Lufthansa markets as approximating a restaurant setting above the clouds. The hard product is genuinely impressive on paper and, when occupied by a couple with compatible schedules, delivers an experience unavailable elsewhere in European long-haul first class.
The objection raised by frequent flyers and aviation journalists from the moment the product was revealed was not about the hardware but about the suite’s functional inflexibility for solo occupants and its structural limitations even for couples. The suite has:
- a single main tray table
- a single entertainment screen
- a single door
meaning that if one passenger wants to sleep while the other wants to dine, the logistics become awkward. Ben Schlappig of One Mile at a Time, writing after flying the product in 2025, was pointed in his assessment:
“The reality of this suite is simply that it’s not double as spacious as a single suite, and this really limits your flexibility.”
He argued that there would be merit in booking the Suite Plus only if the airline offered a discount relative to the standard first-class fare.
The Original Pricing Architecture and How It Was Routinely Circumvented
When Lufthansa launched Allegris first class on the A350-900 from Munich Franz Josef Strauss Airport (MUC) in mid-2025, the ASR fee structure for the Suite Plus was as follows:
| Passenger Type | Booking Requirement | Cost | Additional Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo travellers | Pre-assign the Allegris First Class Suite | €1,900–€2,900 (depending on route), on top of base First Class fare | Supplement applied for securing the suite in advance |
| Couples | Book both seats together as a suite | Two full First Class fares | No additional surcharge for suite assignment |
One should also note that passengers could contact the Lufthansa First Class Hotline (+49 69 86 799 444) to be assigned the suite at no additional surcharge — though that phone-only booking process was itself poorly communicated and widely unknown.
In practice, almost no one actually paid the €1,900+ surcharge.
The New Suite Plus Monetization Structure is Effective from 1 July 2026
For bookings effective immediately and for travel as of 1 July 2026, any first-class passenger can select the double suite in advance at no extra cost. If travelling as a couple and wishing to book the Suite Plus, the second passenger receives a 50% discount on the first-class fare. The 50% couple discount is applied exclusively to cash fares and cannot currently be processed through the online booking flow.
According to Ben Schlappig, the discount does not apply online; couples must book by telephone to access the 50% reduction. That phone-only requirement is a procedural limitation that observers have flagged as a potential deterrent — particularly given that Lufthansa’s telephony customer service has attracted consistent criticism for wait times and handling quality in recent years. Lufthansa has offered no indication that an online booking pathway for the couple discount is forthcoming.
The 50% discount does not apply to award redemptions or upgrades. A passenger using Miles & More miles or partner frequent flyer currency to book Allegris first class — currently not possible for new bookings, as Lufthansa has maintained a strict no-awards policy for the Allegris first class since launch — would not qualify. The discount is strictly a cash-fare incentive designed to make the Suite Plus a commercially rational choice for couples who would otherwise book two window suites on separate reservations.
What Passengers Should Know Before Booking the Suite Plus Under the New Structure
Couples seeking the 50% fare discount for the second passenger must contact the Lufthansa First Class Hotline at +49 69 86 799 444, as the discount is not yet available through the online booking process. The reduction applies exclusively to the cash fare component; it cannot be combined with award redemptions or upgrade vouchers.
Additionally, the Allegris first class remains closed to Miles & More award bookings and partner programme redemptions, a policy that has attracted sustained criticism from frequent flyer communities since the product’s launch and which Lufthansa has shown no indication of revising.
Passengers on the following routes routes currently have the highest likelihood of encountering an Allegris-equipped A350:
- Munich–Chicago
- Munich–New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- Munich–San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Munich–Shanghai
