Lufthansa airline will present its new Premium Economy Class to industry experts today at the ITB Berlin travel show.

The new travel class can be booked from May onwards and will be available from November 2014, initially on the Boeing 747-8, the airline said.

The new seats will gradually be fitted on the entire long-haul fleet within 12 months, it said.

“Our Premium Economy Class will create a completely new travel experience that combines affordability with greater comfort. The seats offer up to 50 per cent more room than Economy Class and will position us in a premium segment within the international competitive environ-ment,” said Jens Bischof, the member of the Lufthansa German Airlines Board in charge of sales, product and marketing, during the presentation at the Lufthansa stand at the show.

The new product will enable Lufthansa to meet the requirements of many business and private passengers who travel with other airlines in a similar travel class or who fly Economy Class due to travel specifications.

Following the introduction of its new full-flat Business Class, Lufthansa created a much wider gap between Economy and Business Class. As a result, there is now room for its new Premium Economy Class, which offers considerably more space and comfort as well as many additional product features, but is closer to Economy Class than Business Class in terms of its average prices. The move also means that Lufthansa is introducing a completely new travel class for the first time in 35 years, it said. – TradeArabia News Service