REVIEW: Lufthansa First Class part 2 – onboard the B747-800

This review is by regular contributor Jason. You can follow Jason on Instagram here @planejayds

You can read part one here.

The staff member who drove me from the First Class Terminal escorted me all the way to the door of the 747 and introduced me to the crew member waiting, who welcomed me on board and directed me left into the First-Class cabin. Walking into the cabin felt just like walking into First Class 20 years ago. This was no shock as I had a good idea of what to expect, having done my research online.

What shocked me, though (in a good way), was the presence of the captain of the flight going around to all eight of us in the cabin, welcoming us on board, and making small talk, which was unexpected and not something I had experienced on an airline before.

The seat

Let’s get straight to the point – it is way past its prime, uncompetitive compared to most other airlines First Class and offers minimal privacy. Saying that it was also extremely comfortable, luxurious, and spacious.

The seat was also impeccably maintained, with the cabin appearing fresh and spotless, and I didn’t see a single scratch or scuff mark anywhere on my seat or the surroundings. I am not sure why, in 2010, when Lufthansa came out with these seats, they didn’t make the surrounding shells higher, allowing a little more privacy, but as the saying goes, ‘it is what it is’. There is an electric side partition that can be raised, which improves things a little, but on the whole, even in 3K, I could see what is happening over in 2A if you wanted to.

However, the cabin does have a high-end feel to it that the pictures don’t do justice to. For example, the walls of the first-class cabin are a suede fabric instead of plastic, the carpet is the bounciest I have ever felt under my feet on a plane, and the curtains between the galley and cabin are almost like doors. They are so thick. However, what most passengers want these days is privacy (or at least the option to have it or not) and for that reason, the Lufthansa First Class seat is uncompetitive.

However, despite its age, it was refreshing to see a full cabin where everything was working and functioning. I have travelled on aircraft with far more modern products and seen seats blocked off for use or having to be reclined manually due to mechanical failure.

The seats have a reasonable amount of storage, which includes a large space under the ottoman that accommodated my backpack without a problem and a small side stowage where I was able to keep my phone, iPad, specs, and air pods. 

Uniquely, at the back of the first-class cabin, each seat has an assigned locker, which is large enough to fit a large wheelie bag inside. Waiting at my seat was a pair of slippers, a washbag, and a full-size Lindt chocolate Santa and I shouldn’t forget to mention the trademark Lufthansa First Class stemmed rose.

Whilst appraising my surroundings, one of the friendly crew came to ask me if I would like a drink before take off, and I asked for some champagne, of which there was a ‘rose or white’ option. This was served with some mixed nuts (I felt cheated; I saw macadamia nuts in most other reviews) and followed with the offering of some pyjamas, the menu and wine list and a bottle of water.

The amenities were certainly nice, although the clear pouch washbag didn’t look, particularly premium, and I thought the lack of a smaller accent pillow was an omission, with only the large pillow intended for sleeping on at the seat.

The captain made his welcome on board announcement and advised that although the aircraft had arrived on time from Mexico City, there was some delayed loading of some cargo, which was the reason for our delay, but that we should be underway shortly. The Pursuer also came around to introduce herself to each customer, and she was really lovely and genuine. She also presented a voucher for free Wi-Fi, which she said would likely be useless as it had been in-operatable in the previous sector (her prediction was correct; it didn’t work on the flight to Chicago). At 5:40 pm, which was our revised departure time, the captain came back on the PA to announce that although the loading of cargo had been completed, we were now waiting on a push tug and that it would be with us in about ten minutes. Indeed, it was, and at 5:50 pm, we pushed back and were airborne at 6:10 pm.

Inflight

It was quite bumpy for a good half an hour after taking off, and it wasn’t until we were over Amsterdam that the captain switched off the seat belt signs, and the crew commenced the inflight service. I was excited to try Lufthansa’s inflight catering as I had checked out the menu, which was available to view online, and it seemed quite the culinary delight. I had also read as many reviews as I could find, and the general consensus seemed to be that LH’s First-Class food is very good, with the highlights being the starters and desserts.

I had literally stuffed myself the whole day in the lounges, so my plan was to have the caviar (obviously ��) and then see if I could try a couple of the appetizers and skip the main. There were two crew working in First Class, with one serving the cabin and the other predominantly working in the galley. First up, one of the crew came around and offered day blankets as there was only a pillow on the seat upon boarding.

Hot towels were up next, which were served on a plate and similar to what you would receive on most airlines in Business Class. Manchester was just to my left now, and as I waved to the family, I was offered a pre-dinner drink and an amuse-bouche. I ordered a G&T, and I didn’t think the pumpkin mousse amuse bouche would be my thing, but it absolutely amused my mouth.

The sweetness of the pumpkin, contrasting with the lemon jelly, was delicious.

A tablecloth was laid, and then a gueridon appeared in the cabin, and the cabin operator started laying up each table. It was a pretty standard first-class lay-up, and I loved the Lufthansa flying crane branded salt and pepper grinders. A choice of butter or olive oil was offered, as well as wine, water, and a selection of bakery from a basket. I found the cutlery a little weird and out of place, though; it was the tiniest silverware I have ever had on a plane, like kids’ size.

At this stage, the lovely Purser again came around checking in on everyone, and she apologised profusely that the Wi-Fi, indeed was not working. She was definitely the highlight of the trip, staff service-wise. She was incredibly genuine and just seemed to make everyone feel that she could stay and chat with them the whole flight if they wanted. She asked me about my Christmas plans, where I would be, etc. Charming lady. I would have loved to mention her by name in this review to call out her wonderful service, but Lufthansa has this slightly odd (for non-Germans, anyway) of issuing their staff with name tags that show their initials and surnames. 

The menu is, as expected, arranged into starters, mains, and desserts, as well as a ‘light bite’ selection, which is intended as the second service. It read as follows:

Appetizers

• Caviar with traditional garnishes
• Pigeon with Truffle, pear, and black salsify
• Lobster confit with quinoa, mango ceviche and tarragon
• Goat cheese with red cabbage and fig
• Mixed salad with celery, walnut and feta, served with Caesar dressing.

Soup

• Roasted cauliflower soup with pomegranate and croutons.

Mains (I found it odd that ALL were with potatoes)

• Tenderloin of veal with Truffle sauce, peas, and potato
• Poached cod with chorizo fumet, potato, fennel, and grapefruit.
• Traditional roast goose with red cabbage and potato dumplings
• Homemade vegetarian dumplings with wild herbs, onion, and chives.

Selection of cheese and dessert

• – Moltal alp cheese, camembert from Normandy, Rosso di Langa, Blu di Bufala, and Cabrissac garnished with saffron and pear quince.
• – Chocolate delice with cherry and caramel
• – Valrhona chocolate tart with salted caramel apricot and walnut.

It is worth noting that there was absolutely no mention of any flexibility in when to dine at all; the crew did not proactively offer it, and the menu does not say anything about it. I was curious as dine on demand in my head would be a ‘for sure’ feature in First, and the only information I could find was on Lufthansa.com ‘Flexibility à la carte: on First Class flights, you decide when you would like to eat’. Anyway, the other seven of my seatmates seemed to be having the whole shebang and happy to go with the flow.

Meal orders were taken, and I had assumed you would pick one or maybe two of the five starter options. In fact, everyone receives all of the appetizers (albeit a reduced-sized portion) plus a side salad. I much prefer when airlines do this, which some airlines like Air France also do in business class – smaller portions of two starters, and everyone receives the same. First up was the most exciting part of the meal, the caviar service. We were just over Glasgow when the gueridon was wheeled beside me again. The crew member served a generous spoonful of caviar from a large bowl and offered sides of chopped egg and onions as well as a slice of melba toast.

Caviar is a rare treat and gives that extra sense of luxury when travelling First Class, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, although I did think it odd that I was not provided with a mother-of-pearl spoon to eat it with. Caviar was down, five to go, and the other four starters were presented along with a side salad. All the starters were delicious, and I really enjoyed the salad as well, which was a ‘proper’ salad with a number of toppings instead of the dreaded ‘seasonal greens’ (aka a disappointing few green leaves, and that’s it). Everything was cleared away, and numerous wine and water tops were offered.

Having skipped a main, I went straight to a cheese plate with an impressive five varieties on offer.

Most of the other passengers were finishing off their meals as well at this stage, and we had around 6 hours of the flight left before we would arrive in Chicago. The crew member asked if I would like anything else, and when I declined, he advised that the lights would be dimmed shortly; however, the crew are always available should I need anything.

I asked to have the bed made, and the crew member brought the thick mattress pad and duvet, and I planned on getting a couple of hours of sleep. I napped a little but ended up spending most of the time watching content I had downloaded onto my iPad and checking out the IFE.

IFE/Wi-Fi

Lufthansa offers Wi-Fi on most of its long-haul aircraft, and for those in First Class, a voucher is issued for free use. Unfortunately, on this aircraft the Wi-Fi was not operatable. 

IFE was of the same vintage as the rest of the hard product. It was a decent-sized screen, however, in a fixed position, which is quite far away when in the seated position. The resolution and responsiveness weren’t the best, and the handheld remote used to navigate on the screen is a little fiddley.

There was a good amount of content, however, with quite a few recent movies, such as Barbie and Avatar Way of the Water. I particularly enjoyed the Audio section, which had a wide range of house music under the ‘club’ category, and this was enhanced by using the Lufthansa Bose headphones to listen to. The Bose headphones are permanently wired to the aircraft, which is a great idea as some other airlines that issue high quality (and high value) headsets often collect them back quite far before landing.

The crew made regular rounds of the cabin in between services in case anyone wanted anything, and just as we were passing Montreal, I ordered a Cappuccino, which was very good. I had planned on just trying the sushi from the light bites section of the menu, but the passenger across from me was having the soup, and it smelt so good I had both. The sushi was OK; it was nicely presented but probably not a wise choice to have after it had been stored on a plane for 8 hours. The soup was up there with the caviar in terms of taste and enjoyment.

The ’Rest of the flight menu’ included:

• Japanese sushi platter featuring eel oshi sushi, salmon bo sushi, California roll, kappa maki and takuan maki with garnishes.
• Mini teriyaki burger with soba noodle salad and yellow radish.
• Crustacean soup with crayfish, dill and mango.
• Seasonal salad with Pommery mustard dressing, walnuts, pomegranate, couscous, and baked feta.
• Sweet treats or macadamia nut ice cream with plum compote, fresh seasonal fruit, or mixed berries.

The captain announced that we would be touching down in around fifty minutes, and the lovely Purser again came around and thanked every passenger individually for flying with Lufthansa. We touched down at 7:50 pm and were on stand at O’Hare Terminal 5 at 8 PM.

Staff Service

The service was good. Of all the staff I encountered along the way, from check-in to the First-Class Lounge, First Class Terminal and onboard, the two standouts were the driver who drove me from the FCT to the aircraft and the Purser on board the flight. Onboard, the service was very good; the crew were all smiles and efficient, but for me, there were a few omissions, small things, but the things that make the difference between very good and excellent service. I got the vibe that the crew member working the galley position was the more experienced of the two, with the cabin operator perhaps newer to working in First.

A few examples: The crew member looking after me on board never introduced himself or used my name at any point, which is something that most airlines aspire for their crew to do in business class, let alone first. Eight names are a little to have to use. I imagine a lot of this will be cultural and lost in translation, but when offering items, the language used was a little blunt without any pleasantries. Again, I guess that is probably a cultural thing. By no means was the service anything less than very good. The crew member was extremely polite, responsive, and proactive.

Final thoughts

Flying First Class on Lufthansa was a real treat, and I really enjoyed it. Is it worth the cost? Well, personally, I guess that is down to whether you are using cash or miles. I feel that the majority of the customers in First were using miles redemptions, as when I checked the seat map four days before the flight, it was only myself and one other who were in the cabin. I then saw on the LifeMiles website that ‘more than 4’ F seats became available for redemption. And on the day, the cabin was full.

Searching some random dates in February 2024 (which is low season), Lufthansa.com is quoting me just shy of 8,000 euros for a return flight in First, and I doubt many people would be prepared to pay that for a hard product, which is pretty uncompetitive today. Saying that what also has to be factored in is the gap in hard product between First and Business Class on most Lufthansa aircraft. Lufthansa’s business class is equally as old-fashioned as First with a 2x2x2 set up so First represents a

large step up in terms of seating product. Just as it would on BA’s A380 with the old Club World product. However, BA Club Suites are not a massive step down from BA First. I guess the real value of Lufthansa First Class is it is available for miles redemption for those belonging to any Star Alliance program. With only four European airlines now featuring First Class – Lufthansa, BA, Air France and Swiss – that leaves only Lufthansa and BA as options for general miles redemption. Air France does not allow you to redeem miles for Classe Premiere, and Swiss only allows their own top-tier frequent flyers to use miles for Swiss First.

Personally, I felt I received great value for the miles I spent. And who knows how long First Class will be around on European airlines? Tony Douglas, the CEO of soon-to-launch mega carrier Riyadh Air, had this to say at the recent Air Skift global forum in Dubai when he was asked why the new airline would not feature First Class: ‘First class for many international carriers is an egotistical, charitable act, which is not commercially sustainable. It’s $100 for $50, and the reason why is because it’s often 2.5x the real estate of business class, but you don’t sell it for 2.5x the ticket price. So, by definition, it’s $100 for $50. We will not do that because we’re not a registered charity.”