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With its Boeing 787-9, Lufthansa has introduced a new premium economy product. The cabin features 28 ZIMprivacy PC-02 seats with a 2-3-2 layout. These seats are roomy, offer a good amount of recline, and feature everything you’d expect from a cutting-edge premium product, such as a large entertainment screen and power sockets.
These modern reclining premium economy seats represent a hard product that is a substantially larger step up in quality than the difference between Lufthansa’s business class on the carrier’s 787-9 with the legacy layout and the improved Allegris business class. That’s because both the legacy and the new business class were fully lie-flat.
What Is The Allegris Premium Economy?
There are 28 premium economy seats available aboard Lufthansa’s 787-9s with the updated Allegris cabin, seven more than the legacy layout. These seats are based on the ZIMprivacy PC-02 with a 2-3-2 layout. Each of these seats has 39 inches (99 centimeters) of pitch, 19 inches (48.3 centimeters) of width, and seven inches (17.8 centimeters) of slide-forward recline. This reclines into a hard shell, so you won’t disturb the passenger behind you, no matter how far you recline. Choose seats 11A and 11K onboard the 
LufthansaAllegris 787-9s for even more room.
On top of a spacious and comfortable seat, you’ll also get access to fantastic technology with this modern premium economy seat. Each passenger gets access to a 15.6-inch (39.6 centimeter) across 4K inflight entertainment screen. This screen has Bluetooth connectivity for you to use your own headphones. You can also keep your personal devices charged up with both USB-A and USB-C power outlets.
Runway Girl Network calls the Allegris premium economy product “a solid and slightly above average premium economy product.” They note that the inclusion of upgraded business class as part of the broader Allegris cabin ensures that there is still a “comfort canyon between premium and business.”
How This Compares To The Legacy Premium Economy
The legacy premium economy cabin aboard Lufthansa’s 787-9s is smaller than the Allegris cabin, with 21 seats. The seat used is the Collins MiQ. The seats are in a 2-3-2 configuration across three rows (eight to ten). In terms of dimensions, the legacy premium economy is slightly inferior. It has 38 inches (96.5 centimeters) of pitch, 18.7 inches (47.5 centimeters) of width, seven inches (17.8 centimeters) of recline, and a 13-inch-across (33 centimeters) HD touchscreen. The recline is also not into a hard shell, unlike Allegris premium economy. That means you’ll find yourself encroaching on the personal space of the passenger behind you.
The table below shows the seats available in each class for the Allegris and Legacy configurations according to Seat Compare:
Class | Allegris | Legacy |
|---|---|---|
Business class | 28 | 26 |
Premium economy | 28 | 21 |
Economy class | 231 | 247 |
Total | 287 | 294 |
Another substantial difference is that the legacy premium economy has some seats that are notably worse. For example, on row eight of a 787-9, the bulkhead seats are unusually close to the wall. These seats also lose their under seat storage and seat width due to the in-armrest tray. The Allegris premium economy bulkhead row is in row ten. This row is right next to the lavatory, bringing with it a busier part of the aircraft. However, the bulkhead row doesn’t suffer from the same dimension issues as its legacy forebear.
Comparing Allegris With The Legacy Business Class
The legacy Lufthansa 787-9 business class was in rows one to seven. It had 21 Collins Aerospace Super Diamond seats in a reverse-herringbone 1-2-1 configuration, while row one had window seats only. Each seat had direct aisle access and was completely lie-flat. They all had identical seats, so there was less need to scramble to book the best suites. However, some suites had characteristics that could become an issue for some passengers. For example, seats 7A and 7K were immediately adjacent to the lavatory, while 2D and 2G had no overhead bins due to the location of the crew rest compartment.
In terms of dimensions, the lie-flat bed had 21 inches (53 centimeters) of width and an HD touchscreen measuring 17.5 inches (44.5 centimeters) across. Charging ports were available, but there were no wireless charging or privacy doors.
The Allegris 787-9 business class cabin is significantly larger, with 28 seats in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration from rows one to nine.On the even rows, the stagger puts passengers hard against the window, with a single seat in the middle. Meanwhile, the odd rows have a true center pair. There are five different types of business class seats available on board. It’s up to passengers to choose the one that best suits their needs. Lufthansa has also marketed the Business Class Suite Plus, a double-bed suite. However, this is not available on 787-9 aircraft. The seat types are broken down in the table embedded below:
Seat name | Seats | Bed length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Business Class Suite | 1A, 1D, 1G, 1K | 78.7 inches (200 centimeters) | The best privacy with a complete shell and a 24-inch (61 centimeters) screen |
Privacy Seat | 2A, 2K, 4A, 4K, 6A, 6K, 8A, 8K | 78.7 inches (200 centimeters) | Best for solo travelers who want to be against the wall |
Extra Space (“throne”) | 2E, 4F, 6E | 78.7 inches (200 centimeters) | Ideal for broader passengers, although the footwell is a little cramped. |
Extra Long Bed | 3G, 5D, 7G | 86 inches (218.4 centimeters) | Ideal for the tallest passengers |
Classic Seat | 3C, 3D, 3H, 5C, 5G, 5H, 7C, 7D, 7H, 9H | 74.8 inches (190 centimeters) | Best for passengers wanting to access business class on a budget. |
Although there are some dimensional differences depending on the business class seat you opt for in Allegris, the most common dimensions are 21 inches (53 centimeters) in width and 18 inches (46 centimeters) corner-to-corner for the 4K UHD touchscreen, with a ten-inch (25.4 centimeters) corner-to-corner tablet controller. Other features include wired and wireless charging, Bluetooth audio and seat temperature controls.
The Allegris Improvements Come After Substantial Delays
At the end of 2025, Simple Flying reported that Lufthansa had invested 2.5 billion euros ($2.9 billion) in the Allegris overhaul, hoping to modernize the passenger experience and capture more of Europe’s premium aviation market. Years of delays and debacles tarnished these hopes. In 2024, Lufthansa found it could not sell an entire row of seats on its new Airbus A350-900s. A year later, the carrier had to refuse deliveries of new 787-9s due to certification issues. It eventually had to accept the aircraft amid growing pressure, despite not being able to sell 85% of the business class seats onboard.
The video embedded below explains some of the challenges Lufthansa has faced with the Allegris product:
The final hit for the Allegris program has been the continuing delays of the Boeing 777X. Lufthansa is set to be the launch customer, with the airframe offering unmatched capacity for its Allegris products and cabin. Yet the jet has continued to be delayed by certification issues, with deliveries now expected to begin in 2027. This is several years after the planned 2020 launch date.
Allegris And Legacy Economy Class Are Near Identical Across Lufthansa’s 787-9s
Premium economy is the biggest winner among Allegris cabin improvements. There are also some notable steps forward in business class. Passengers have a good ability to choose the type of cabin most suited to their needs. However, there are almost no differences between Lufthansa’s legacy 787-9 economy and its updated Allegris economy.
Both types of economy class make use of the 
RECAROCL3710 seat. The Allegris economy cabin has 231 seats, with the cabin divided by the exit doors at row 27. As is usually the case in economy class, the row directly behind the exit doors, row 28, offers additional legroom and good window alignment. The legacy 787-9 economy cabin is larger, with 247 Recaro CL3710 seats spanning rows 11 to 42. They are in a 3-3-3 configuration, and rows 13 and 17 are skipped. The exit doors are at row 27.
The legacy and Allegris economy seats have similar dimensions and features. In the legacy 787-9s, economy passengers have 31 inches (78.7 centimeters) of pitch, 17.1 inches (43.4 centimeters) of width, and four inches (10 centimeters) of recline. The HD touchscreen measures nine inches corner-to-corner, and the headrest is six-way adjustable. Each seat has access to USB-A, but not AC power. The pitch and width are the same in Allegris economy. However, passengers can enjoy entertainment on a larger 13.3-inch (33.4-centimeter) touchscreen with 4K resolution. You can connect to this screen with your Bluetooth headphones. Passengers can also keep a wider range of devices charged with USB-A and USB-C power, although Allegris economy also doesn’t have AC power.
