Lufthansa is busy installing its new Allegris business class cabins. You’ll find them on specific Airbus A350-909s and Boeing 787- Dreamliners. The marketing pitch? Choice.
The airline claims five distinct seating configurations. Here’s the rub. Most aren’t included. If you just buy a standard ticket, you’ll pay extra. A lot of extra.
How does Lufthansa Allegris business class seat fees work? It’s a complicated system. Do you pay upfront? Do you wait for online check-in? Is waiting a hack to get a window seat or a gamble to get a middle aisle? Let’s break down the costs, the zones, and the strategy.
The Five Allegris Seat Types Explained
I’ve flown the Airbus A350. I’ve flown the Boeing 787. The difference between these seats is night and day compared to the old product. But not all “business class” seats are created equal.
Using the A350-900 (38 business seats) as the blueprint, here is what you are actually buying into:
- Classic Seats: 12 of 38. These are standard window or aisle seats closest to the aisle. Free for everyone in advance.
- Privacy Seats: 10 of 38. “True” window seats with extra bulkheads for privacy. Free for HON Circle/Senator elites and their guests, plus Business Flex ticket holders. Paid for everyone else.
- Extra Space Seats: 4 of 38. The middle “throne” seats. Wide. Spacious. Free for HON Circle/ Senator elites and guests. Paid for others.
- Extra Long Bed Seats: 4 of 38. Middle seats with longer bed positions (located behind the extra space seats). Free for HON Circle elites and guests only. Paid for Senators and all others.
- Business Suites: 8 of 38. First-row suites with doors. Top-shelf luxury. Paid for absolutely everyone. Never free.
Notice the pattern? The window seats are the bait. The privacy and extra space options are the upsells. The suites are the cash cow.
How Much Do Lufthansa Allegris Seat Selection Fees Cost?
Lufthansa doesn’t publish a single static price list anymore. The pricing is dynamic. It changes based on route, date, and demand.
However, during the launch phase, they shared tiered pricing structures. While the exact numbers shift, these ranges still serve as a solid baseline for what to expect. Prices are shown in Euros, US Dollars, and British Pounds.
Short-Haul Long Range
Routes: Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Nigeria, KSA, UAE
Medium-Haul Long Range
Routes: Angola, Eastern Canada, India, Kenya, Eastern USA, Kazakhstan
Long-Haul
Routes: Argentina, Brazil, China, Western USA, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, South Africa, Mexico, Hong Kong, Colombia, Costa Rica, Thailand
If you need the quick summary without clicking through maps:
- Privacy Seats: €100–170 ($110–185 / £85–140)
- Extra Long Bed Seats: €100–170
- Extra Space Seats: €130–230
- Business Suites: €400–600 ($430–650 / £330–500)
Yes. Four hundred euros. For a seat you already paid for in your ticket price. It stings.
“The catch is that a majority of these seats is actually buy-up options.”
The Online Check-In Gamble
What if you refuse to pay? What if you wait until online check-in opens?
You have two risks. You get stuck with the only remaining free seat (usually a mediocre aisle or back-row window). Or you get lucky and unlock the “premium” seats for free.
I tested this recently. Austin to Frankfurt. A350.
Before check-in opened, the map looked dead. The only free seat was a center seat in row 15. A classic seat, yes. But in the back? Not ideal. I saw business suites available for €500+ and privacy seats for €130+.
I waited.
When online check-in opened at 24 hours prior, the map changed. Suddenly, the Privacy Seats became free to select. No fee. Why? Maybe inventory management. Maybe trying to fill specific blocks. I don’t know.
The business suites? Still priced. Still expensive. The extra long beds? Still priced. That felt weird. Who is paying full price for an extra long bed when the privacy windows are free?
Who Gets the Suites?
Theory says Lufthansa upgrades its highest elites to the first-row suites. In practice? Not so much.
I watched the seat map like a hawk. Those door suites didn’t go to the top-tier elites immediately. They stayed unassigned. Then, as the plane filled up, they went to the people checking in last.
Were they elites? Hardly looked it. They were likely travelers who had no choice but to take what was left. Or perhaps people who didn’t care.
So here is the hack. If you want a business suite for free, be the last person to check in. Of course. This assumes the suites haven’t been assigned yet. It’s a gamble. You might end up in the toilet-adjacent aisle seat instead. But if the map shows empty suites near boarding, the door unlocks itself for the stubborn.
Is It Worth Paying for Lufthansa Business Class Seat Assignments?
Let’s look at the math.
On a typical A350 Allegris config:
* 12 free classic seats.
* 10 paid privacy.
* 4 paid extra space.
* 4 paid long bed.
* 8 paid suites.
Total: 38 seats.
Free seats: 12.
That means less than one-third of the cabin is free for the average passenger.
Elite members (HON Circle/Senator) unlock the privacy and extra space seats. Maybe the long bed. But the front row? The door suites? You can’t get those free unless an operational re-seat occurs. And even then, Lufthansa has been known to keep them for internal staff or specific operational needs, not just random upgrades.
It’s disappointing that looking out the window costs €130 extra. It’s even worse that sitting next to your spouse is a nightmare. The only seats together in Allegris are the middle business suites (and maybe the privacy pairs, though bulkheads complicate this). If you don’t pay, you’re splitting up.
We shouldn’t pretend Lufthansa is alone here. British Airways does this. Air France-KLM does this. It’s the industry standard for premium cabins now. The “product” is the seat, not the ticket.
But the pricing for the suites feels aggressive. At €600, it’s steep. And yet, on many flights, those seats remain empty until the very end.
Bottom Line
If you book Lufthansa Allegris business class:
1. You will likely pay extra. Expect €100-230 for a window or space boost.
2. The suites are cash only. No status waiver.
3. Check-in strategy matters. Wait until 24 hours out. You might get a privacy window for free.
4. The lottery exists. Being last to check-in might get you a suite. Or it might get you the worst aisle seat on the plane.
The system is complicated. It’s designed to squeeze more revenue out of a ticket that already cost a fortune. Do the math. Pay for the window. Or take the risk. But don’t assume your business class ticket buys you choice.
