Lufthansa plans economy sleeper

BRUSSELS: There is good news for the thrifty traveller. German carrier Lufthansa is considering introducing an economy sleeper cabin on its long-haul flights, which would for the first time offer economy-class passengers a bed rather than a seat for a far more comfortable ride.

The idea, which would radically alter intercontinental travel, was still in the early phases of development and the airline was conducting an online poll of its customers to gauge interest in the concept, Lufthansa spokeswoman Amelie Lorenz said Monday.

“We are going to analyse the results of the survey and then we will decide whether to proceed or not,” Lorenz said. “But the first results have been very positive.”

Most airlines already provide flat bed seats on their long-range routes, but only for first and business-class customers. Economy-class passengers have had to settle for the regular reclining seats during extended travel, which have been blamed for causing potentially fatal blood clots known as deep-vein thrombosis, or DVT, in susceptible individuals.

Until now, airlines have been reluctant to introduce fully reclining seats in economy class because they require more space, which reduces the number of passengers and decreases profits for the carriers.

But a computer-generated image provided by Lufthansa as part of its survey, features a layout of berths stacked three-high in diagonal rows, herringbone-style, along the sides of the plane, and additional bunked berths in a wide central aisle.

The high-density configuration would allow the airline to accommodate sufficient numbers of passengers, but still provide them with the luxury of a good night’s sleep on an overnight flight, without the $2,000-$3,000 price tag.