In disappointing news it seems Lufthansa is introduced advanced seat reservation fees on long haul flights.
Lufthansa Long Haul Boeing 747-8i parked at Lufthansa Techik hangers at Frankfurt – Image GhettoIFE.
These fees will be applicable in the lower value fare codes from the 28th April 2014, with the following fare buckets attracting the new charge:
- W
- S
- T
- L
- K
The charge for assigning your seat will be €25 per segment. The ticket code is the first letter of the booking as can be seen from this screenshot:
As shown on a Lufthansa flight…
As shown on a United Airlines code-share.
Lufthansa already charges for advanced seat assignment on its German Domestic and European networks which runs you €10 a segment.
So, how do you avoid this wonderful fee? It’s not going to be easy by any means:
- Buy a higher value ticket that is outside the ticket codes listed (which if we look at the examples above, this could double the cost of your fare)
- Be a Lufthansa Senator or HON Circle Member
- Wait until check-in opens at T-23 hours before departure and gamble on seat availability.
The upcoming Premium Economy Class will be free to assign a seat, whilst Business and First Class also remains free of charge.
It’s never a welcome sign when an airline decides to charge more fees for something that was free, and the charges are slightly higher than thought when the short haul charges were brought it.
Lufthansa’s slogan is “Non-Stop You”. More like Non-Stop to your wallet…
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