Grey instead of blue – when passengers board the newly redesigned Eurowings aircraft, they might not even notice the changes in the cabin design at first.  This is because the changes consist primarily of small details altered in the wake of the refurbishment campaign initiated by Eurowings in the autumn of 2006.  As such, instead of the former blue Eurowings seats, passengers will now be relaxing into light-grey leather seats more noticeably orientated on the “Corporate Identity” (CI) of Lufthansa.  The carpet is blue-black, and along with new decorative film, other familiar Lufthansa components such as postcard dispensers, business class insignias, new grey seatbelts and friendly blue curtains will also be added, enhancing the entrance area.

The point of this comprehensive undertaking for both Eurowings fleet aircraft models – CRJ 200 and BAe 146 – and the total of 20 aircraft altogether (eight BAe and twelve CRJ) is to create a more uniform cabin design that conveys more product continuity in accordance with the Lufthansa specifications for members of the regional alliance.  Or in other words, anyone switching from a Lufthansa flight to a Eurowings aircraft should not notice any difference.  Ultimately, the message is, “With Eurowings, a modern product with proven Lufthansa quality awaits you!”

The extensive campaign follows in the wake of instructions to conform the cabin design more in line with that of Lufthansa, thereby increasing the recognition factor for passengers.  The measure was initiated in the autumn of 2006 with the presentation of a new cabin design by Lufthansa, followed-up then by ordering of the corresponding materials and making preparations for the permit and certification procedures required by the modifications.  All of which meant lots of work for the personnel assigned with the refurbishment measures, since they not only had to observe internal specifications regarding costs, maintenance expenditure, weight and Lufthansa’s CI requirements, but also a great many norms as well as technical and safety-related obligations.  The reason:  In contrast to situations where parts are integrated into the aircraft right from the start by the manufacturer, newly installed components must be approved not only by the aircraft manufacturer, but also by a variety of official authorities.  In addition, specifications from the respective product manufacturer must be complied with before the first passenger is even permitted to be seated.

For example, in regard to fire protection alone this means that there are at least three extensive tests that the leather for a new passenger seat is required to undergo in order to receive approval for installation:  One for the leather used as the outer material, one for the foam filling material and a combined combustion test for both materials together.  There are additionally special resilience tests including slippage tests, because experience dictates that the parts used in the cabin have to withstand heavy strains and must therefore be especially durable. 

And as if that wasn’t enough, the strict safety requirements prohibit any piece of equipment from being installed without certification of its airworthiness.  So it’s no wonder that the refurbishment of the Eurowings fleet is being conducted successively on a revolving procedure basis and will subsequently require some time to come before it is full completed.  Although Lufthansa’s design specifications have to be complied with as well as the official and technical requirements, room nevertheless remains for the Eurowings team to apply their creativity and their own developments.  Among these innovations are the new headrest covers – grey leather with an embroidered yellow crane – which are being introduced now into all the aircraft of the regional fleet.  All in all, we’re looking at reupholstering close to 1,500 passenger seats in 20 aircraft; an investment of 300 to 350 US dollars per seat.