Lufthansa has already got a competitive Premium Economy seat, however the carrier saw it time to upgrade some of its fleet. While the ZIMmagic Premium Economy product from seat manufacturer ZIM already features on much of Lufthansa’s long haul fleet, the carrier has looked to both improve its product, and match the new Swiss Premium Economy product which is also being rolled out.
The new ZIMPrivacy fixed-shell seat will now also be installed on 19 of Lufthansa’s Boing B747-8 flagship aircrafts and an additional nine SWISS Airbus A330.
“The award of this project to ZIM Aircraft Seating is a very good sign for the future direction of commercial aviation in the long-lasting Covid-19 crisis and indicates a recovery in flight activities. The entire ZIM Aircraft Seating team is very proud that we have hit the right nerve in the market with our new product development of the ZIMprivacy, and that with Lufthansa and SWISS we were able to convince two strong partners as launch customers,” says Sven Achilles, CEO of ZIM Aircraft Seating.
If we’re honest, we personally prefer the standard recline seats in comparison to the fixed shell seats, however ZIM offer one of the latest versions, and their Lazy-Z design features an enhanced cradle-style mechanical recline, featuring patented seat kinematics which may alleviate some of the comfort issues often found in fixed shell products.
The seat also includes enhanced privacy in comparison to the current product with an integrated privacy shield creating improved personal space for all passengers. The ZIMprivacy also includes a variety of other amenities such as individually adjustable armrests, cocktail table, single piece meal table, personal reading light, ambient mood lighting and an extra-large IFE screen.
While the seats are fundamentally the same as the ones being rolled out across the group, thanks to the highly customisable trim and finish options, both Lufthansa and Swiss have managed to create two very distinct cabin looks. The new ZIMprivacy Premium Economy seat will be installed on SWISS’s A340’s and B777’s in Q1/2022 and will also be installed for Lufthansa in the new B777-9, A350 and B787 in the future.
TheDesignAir 