Lufthansa’s much-hyped Allegris business class cabin is officially in the air, but its highly marketed focus on choice comes with a massive catch. While the airline boasts five distinct seating options, less than a third of the cabin can be selected for free by a standard business class passenger. The rest are treated as paid add-ons, turning seat selection into an expensive guessing game.
Here is a breakdown of how the seat tiers break down, what they cost, and how the fee structure actually plays out.
The 5 Allegris Seat Types
Using the Airbus A350-900 (38 total business seats) as a benchmark, the cabin is split into five distinct categories:
- Classic Seats (12 seats): Standard aisle-adjacent seats. These are the only seats available for advance selection to all passengers at no extra charge.
- Privacy Seats (10 seats): True window seats tucked closer to the fuselage. Free for Miles & More HON Circle, Senator members, and Business Flex fare holders; everyone else pays extra.
- Extra Space Seats (4 seats): Middle “throne” seats with extra storage and surface area. Free for HON Circle and Senator members; paid upgrade for others.
- Extra Long Bed Seats (4 seats): Select center seats offering extended bed length. Free exclusively for top-tier HON Circle members; paid upgrade for all others.
- Business Suites (8 seats): First-row suites featuring closing doors and significantly expanded space. These require a paid buy-up for everyone, regardless of elite status.
What Seat Assignments Cost
While Lufthansa uses dynamic pricing depending on route length and currency, launch pricing provides a clear baseline of what to expect:Lufthansa Allegris Business Class Seat Selection Fees
Privacy / Extra Long Bed
- Short Long-Haul (e.g., UAE, Nigeria): ~€100
- Medium Long-Haul (e.g., East Coast US, India): ~€140
- Far Long-Haul (e.g., West Coast US, Japan): ~€170
Extra Space (“Throne”)
- Short Long-Haul (e.g., UAE, Nigeria): ~€130
- Medium Long-Haul (e.g., East Coast US, India): ~€180
- Far Long-Haul (e.g., West Coast US, Japan): ~€230
Business Suite (Row 1)
- Short Long-Haul (e.g., UAE, Nigeria): ~€400
- Medium Long-Haul (e.g., East Coast US, India): ~€500
- Far Long-Haul (e.g., West Coast US, Japan): ~€600
If you want a basic privilege like looking out a window, expect to pay at least €100 to €170 extra per direction unless you hold high-tier status or buy a premium flex fare.
What Happens if You Don’t Pay?
If you opt out of paying in advance—or if all 12 Classic seats are already taken—your strategy shifts to the 24-hour online check-in window:
- Privacy Seats Open Up: When online check-in opens, unassigned Privacy (window) seats generally become selectably free for all passengers.
- Suites Stay Locked: Business Suites and Extra Long Bed seats typically retain their high buy-up fees even during check-in.
- The “Late Check-in” Gamble: Because few passengers pay €400+ for the Business Suites, those seats often stay empty until gate agents assign them operationally. Ironically, travelers who check in last when the rest of the cabin is full are often the ones bumped into the luxurious front-row suites for free.
While British Airways and Air France-KLM have normalized charging for business class seat selection, Lufthansa’s system takes unbundling to a new extreme. Between charging extra for basic window seats and pricing front-row suites out of reach for most travelers, navigating Allegris requires checking the fine print before booking.
