Lufthansa Allegris First Class Suite: Precision craftsmanship down to the last detail

For Lufthansa Allegris lots of elements have been completely redesigned, not just the seats, cabin, services, and lighting. The very way in which this new premium product is manufactured has called for new approaches. Come with us to the USA, where these first-class ideas are being made a reality.

When it comes to First Class products, choosing partners to realize such a project isn’t easy. Only a very few companies across the world are able to take on such a challenge, particularly when everything has been redesigned from scratch and top-class, workshop-style craftsmanship is required.

In Meet the Makers you’ll visit the experts at Collins Aerospace in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and take a look at the First Class Suites’ production floor. This is not just where parts arrive to be assembled; it’s where ideas from all over the world meet and take shape through precision craftsmanship – bolt by bolt, panel by panel – to create the Lufthansa Allegris First Class Suite. At first glance, it’s an unassuming place but, as is so often the case, behind the scenes people with passion and commitment are creating great things. This is where the magic happens. This kind of production may be industrial, but its mindset is invested with the exacting notion of craftsmanship.

Made in North Carolina

Collins Aerospace and Lufthansa share the extremely high aspirations that both companies have for the end product. The key to such a top-quality product is the best materials and quality craftsmanship down to the smallest detail. And people who can make this a reality. At Collins Aerospace only a small team are working on the Lufthansa First Class program. It takes experienced employees who know exactly what to look out for during every stage of the process to ensure that it meets 100% of the quality requirements. Collins Aerospace and Lufthansa have been working very closely together for a long time to achieve this kind of quality.

Pretty much everything that can be seen and experienced in the First Class Suites is almost tailor-made for the passenger. The London design agency PriestmanGoode sends Collins Aerospace its sketches, and these renderings are where it all begins. The designers’ computer models are completely deconstructed and remade step by step. From the base plate to the last nut and bolt, every single stage in the process is documented – and constantly optimized.

Shawn Winfree, Collins Aerospace’s Program Manager, and his team spent a lot of time – together with Lufthansa – on intensive testing, because none of the materials used is standard. They are custom-made for Lufthansa and lots of suppliers around the world are involved. As a result, every part of the First Class Suite undergoes a particularly demanding test program at Collins Aerospace, and nothing escapes the keen eye of Bernd Bethlehem, Lufthansa’s Product Manager.

Every stage of production, every connection, and every part has been subjected to a detailed examination. One complex highlight is the adjustable seating position. They had to ensure that it works just as perfectly and feels as absolutely smooth and seamless for tall people as it does for a smaller person, for a heavier person, for a lighter person... And that was achieved.

Clear lines and shapes, a harmonious design, and everything where passengers intuitively expect it to be. In every inch of this suite there really is a good reason why things are the way they are. Everything has been completely thought through. This creates simplicity and a feeling of being at home that doesn’t distract or overwhelm the passenger. This is what makes the Lufthansa Allegris First Class Suite so simple at first glance – it’s like the feel-good oasis of your own living room.

But if you change your point of view and look behind the scenes, underneath the panels, you’ll find immense complexity. Well over 5,000 individual parts have been installed – all designed to work together. Whether it’s the automatic lighting in the cupboard, media connectivity, or the way the seats can be adjusted, intuitive comfort is the result of many individual stages of production.