Lufthansa’s new Premium Economy Class is now available for booking on flights flown by Boeing 747-8 aircraft.

From December 10th, the Premium Economy Class will have guaranteed availability on all flights served by the new jumbo.

Destinations that can now be booked for onward connecting flights from Frankfurt include Buenos Aires, Chicago, Hong Kong, Mexico City, São Paulo, Seoul, Beijing and Washington, DC.

From late January 2015, the first retrofitted A340-600 aircraft are scheduled to take off from Munich for Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo and from late April 2015 retrofitted A380-800 aircraft are planned to fly from Frankfurt to Johannesburg, New York, Miami, Houston, San Francisco, Shanghai and Singapore.

“We have had an incredible response to our Premium Economy Class since its launch.

“With the attractive introductory fares this new travel experience is even more within reach allowing our customers to benefit from up to 50 per cent more personal space,” said Christian Schindler, Lufthansa general manager UK & Ireland.

“The design and features of the seat are based on extensive passenger surveys and workshops with sales partners.

“More than 1.5 million passengers per year will be able to enjoy a new travel experience with the installation of 3,600 seats in all 106 long-haul aircraft in just one year.”

The new seats were designed in partnership with the company müller/romca Industrial Design in Kiel and produced by the seat manufacturer ZIM Flugsitz near Lake Constance.

Depending on the aircraft type, they are up to three centimetres wider and provide greater privacy as well as approximately ten centimetres more room at the side thanks to each seat having its own wide armrest and a centre console between the seats.

The back rest can be reclined further and the seat pitch is a significantly more spacious 38 inches, or 97.5 centimetres.

As a result, passengers have around one-and-a-half times as much room as Economy Class.

The head rests can be set to the exact height desired and folded at the sides for added comfort and support.

Height-adjustable foot rests from the second row back and – for technical reasons – leg supports with an integrated foot rest in the first row provide extra comfort.

Practical features around the seats such as a bottle holder, an electrical socket and lots of storage space for passengers’ belongings also help to ensure a relaxed journey.