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The new queen of the skies, the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental

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Lufthansa was the first airline worldwide to take delivery of the latest jumbo version, the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental, on May 2. Connoisseur Circle was of course present at the presentation of the world's longest airliner in Frankfurt.

There are die-hard jumbo jet fans, as was evident when the first Boeing 747-8I for Lufthansa was duly received on May 2. The 20 747-8Is ordered are already the fourth generation of jumbo jets that Lufthansa has put into service in its history. The 362-seater jumbo will go into service on June 1. The world's first passenger flight of this aircraft type. First to Washington, then these jets will also serve Los Angeles, Chicago, Delhi and Bangalore.

The Jumbo closes the gap between the Airbus A340-600 and the largest passenger jet, the Airbus A380. "The new queen of the skies is a gift we can be happy about," said a visibly cheerful CEO Christoph Franz, who was also celebrating his birthday on the same day. There are some interesting new features for passengers: The Boeing 747-8 is characterized by less noise pollution, lower fuel consumption and significantly reduced CO2 emissions. A new Business Class has also been installed, which offers special reclining and seating comfort, individual controls, additional storage space and an entertainment system with significantly larger 15-inch monitors. At the touch of a button, the seat can be transformed into a comfortable bed with a horizontal reclining surface measuring 1.98 meters in length. The seat arrangement in the shape of a "V" is completely new. Two seats are positioned at an angle to each other in the direction of a central axis. This seat arrangement has almost doubled the distance between two seats in the shoulder area, giving Business Class passengers even more privacy in future.

First Class is installed for the first time in the front section of the main deck, the quietest part of the aircraft. Thanks to the outer skin insulation, the special noise-reducing cabin curtains and the footfall sound insulation in the aircraft floor, passengers will find a particularly quiet environment here. Each of the eight First Class seats can be extended to form a bed measuring 2.07 meters in length and 80 centimetres in width. There is an enhanced seat version in Economy Class. "If you offer German production costs today, you have to be better than the others. We need modern aircraft to secure jobs," explains Carsten Spohr, CEO Lufthansa German Airlines, to Connoisseur Circle. He also confirms that the company is considering a new Premium Economy Class product. "There is no decision at the moment. It will be made sometime in the next nine months. And then on those aircraft where there is a full-flat Business Class seat". First Class will also be reduced on some routes. "Around 30 aircraft will be converted to a two-class configuration, Business and Economy. That still leaves 85 where we offer First Class. No other airline has as many First Class seats as Lufthansa".

This jumbo illustrates just how important modern aircraft are in times of high fuel prices. "On an average long-haul flight, around 40 percent of operating costs are fuel. If we need ten percent less fuel with our 747-8 than its predecessor, the 747-400, that will help us," says Spohr. 160 aircraft are on order. However, the fleet of 404 aircraft will not grow over the next two years, as older aircraft are being phased out at an accelerated rate. At 76.3 meters, the Boeing 747-8 is 5.6 meters longer than its predecessor, the Boeing 747-400. The new Lufthansa jumbo offers a total of 362 seats, eight of which are in First Class, 92 in Business Class and 262 in Economy Class. Lufthansa will receive 20 Boeing 747-8s by 2015 and the first five aircraft are to be delivered to Lufthansa this year.

Kurt Hofmann

(May 2012)

The new queen of the skies, the Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental

Kurt Hofmann

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