Lufthansa first class is the long haul first class product that I’ve flown the most often in my life. That’s not because I think it’s the world’s best first class, but rather because it’s bookable with miles close to departure, and it’s one of the most comfortable ways to cross the Atlantic while getting a decent value.
Lufthansa’s most common type of first class hard product isn’t much to get excited about, but the airline generally has friendly service, a very comfortable bed, and a solid ground experience, between the Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt and Lufthansa First Class Lounge Munich.
Lufthansa currently offers first class on four aircraft types, so in this post, I thought it would be fun to look at which plane offers the best first class experience, should you have the choice between them.
In this post:
Lufthansa’s Allegris A350 first class is the best
Let me cut to the chase. Lufthansa recently introduced its new Allegris passenger experience, which includes new seats across cabins (the new business class is the most significant development) This is available exclusively on select Airbus A350-900s based in Munich.
In first class, we’ve seen what I’d call a revolutionary change to the product, with the introduction of Allegris first class. That’s not to say that it’s the world’s best first class product, but it’s an absolutely massive improvement over the old experience.
Lufthansa finally has a first class product with proper suites and doors, hugely upgraded tech (from wireless charging to bluetooth audio), excellent entertainment screens, and more. The cabin has only three seats, with the two window seats being the standard seats, and the center suite being a quirky double suite.
The bad news is that unfortunately it’s not possible to redeem miles for Lufthansa Allegris first class, so the only way to book this is to outright pay a first class fare, or to upgrade with cash. Furthermore, with the capacity being reduced so much, you can expect that won’t be great for first class fares in the long run.
You can read a Lufthansa A350-900 Allegris first class review here.
Lufthansa’s other first class experiences compared
Beyond the new Allegris first class, Lufthansa offers first class on a variety of routes operated by all Boeing 747-8s, Airbus A380s, and Airbus A340-600s. If you had the choice of which plane to fly, which offers the best first class experience?
The first thing to understand is that all three other types of aircraft (747s, A380s, and A340s) have eight first class seats, and the seats are identical. The only difference between the first class products is the layout of the cabin, the general traits of the plane, and some of the unique aircraft specific amenities.
So if I could board a Lufthansa first class flight on the 747-8, A380, or A340-600, which would I choose? Below is my thought process, starting with my favorite…
Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 first class
As an aviation geek, it’s such a treat to be able to fly on the Boeing 747, as there are very few airlines still flying these planes. What I particularly love about Lufthansa’s 747-8 first class is that it’s in the nose. There are three rows of seats, with the first two rows having two seats each, and the third row having four seats. There’s simply not another aircraft in the world where you literally sit right underneath the cockpit, and in the nose of the jet.
I love sitting in seat 1A or 1K for the cool feeling of being at the very front of the aircraft. And I also very much like seats 2A or 2K, thanks to the amount of privacy they offer, as there are no center seats in that row either. The 747-8 also has two spacious lavatories in first class, and they each have a window.
I’d say one main downside is that I don’t love the pair of center seats in the third row, so if I’m traveling with someone and really want to sit next to them, the 747 might not be my first choice. Furthermore, the 747 isn’t as quiet as the A380, and it also lacks some of the cool amenities. But that’s a small price to pay for being able to sit in the nose of the plane.
You can read a Lufthansa 747-8 first class review here.
Lufthansa Airbus A380 first class
From a passenger comfort standpoint, the Airbus A380 is my favorite plane to fly. The jet is just so quiet and smooth. While there aren’t that many in service anymore, there are a lot more than of the 747. Lufthansa’s A380 first class is on the upper deck, spread across two rows in a 1-2-1 configuration.
The cabin definitely affords less privacy than on the 747-8, since there’s more of a traditional layout. That being said, there are several things to love about Lufthansa’s A380 first class:
- There are two massive lavatories at the front of first class, and they even have urinals, which are the only ones you’ll find on commercial planes
- While minor, I love how Lufthansa has tail cameras on the A380 that you can watch from your personal television
- To give the cabin a more spacious feel there are no overhead bins, but rather each passenger is given a private locker in which they can place their belongings
Honestly, I love both the 747-8 and A380. If traveling alone I have a slight preference for the 747-8, while when traveling with someone, I really like the A380 as well.
You can read a Lufthansa A380 first class review here.
Lufthansa Airbus A340-600 first class
The Lufthansa Airbus A340-600 first class cabin is spread across two rows and in a 1-2-1 configuration. The layout is identical to what you’ll find on the A380, minus any of the A380-specific amenities.
The plane isn’t as quiet, the lavatories aren’t as big, there are overhead bins, and there’s no tail camera. It’s still a very nice experience, but it’s definitely the least remarkable of the three products, since there’s not much that makes it unique (well, aside from the economy bathrooms in the cargo hold). The expectation is that this plane could be retired by the end of 2025, so it won’t be around for much longer.
You can read a Lufthansa A340-600 first class review here.
Bottom line
Lufthansa’s best first class product is without a doubt on the A350-900s that have the new Allegris first class, as this is in a completely different league than Lufthansa’s old first class. Unfortunately this product isn’t bookable with miles, though.
Beyond that, Lufthansa offers the same first class product on all 747-8s, A380s, and A340-600s. While the seats are identical, there are some aircraft specific amenities, based on the cabin layouts.
Personally, the 747-8 offers my favorite first class between those three, as I love the window seats in the first and second row, and I also love sitting in the nose of the jumbo jet. The A380 offers my second favorite experience, thanks to the A380’s quiet cabins, as well as the large lavatories and tail camera. Then the A340 also offers a great experience, but it’s the least exciting of the three.
I’m curious to hear what OMAAT readers think — what’s your favorite Lufthansa first class cabin?
Wasn’t there a LH 747 that had a separate bed next to the seat in first class? What happened to that?
There was, and it's one of my big regrets i never got to fly on one.
Yeah, the 747-400s... They should have brought that config back instead of Allegris.
Ben - The link to the A350 review links to a 747-8 review instead of what is intended.
Hey Ben, love the blog. Just one thing: the link to the Allegris A350 First Class Review links to the 748 article. As long as you didn’t publish the review yet, maybe take that one out.
Best wishes from Germany!
They are both awful, and totally unfit to even bear the label of “first class.”
I'm the oddball that likes the A346. Agreed that the first class experience is naturally beneath the other two, but I've always enjoyed what a smooth ride the plane is, and how the front is super quiet.
Seems like a carbon copy repost of a past article. Also, the F awards are no longer good value unless you are extremely lucky. So, thumbs down on this one, I'm afraid.
Having had a quick lookback at your other LH F posts, I was a bit hasty to call this a carbon copy :)
I guess you've stitched together other reviews for this article, which is fair enough. So sorry about the finger pointing.
I still maintain you should amend that part about the LH First Class awards being good value, which right now *mostly* requires a lot of luck, planning very far ahead, and some...
Having had a quick lookback at your other LH F posts, I was a bit hasty to call this a carbon copy :)
I guess you've stitched together other reviews for this article, which is fair enough. So sorry about the finger pointing.
I still maintain you should amend that part about the LH First Class awards being good value, which right now *mostly* requires a lot of luck, planning very far ahead, and some repositioning to specific feeder cities, so it seems.
Love the blog and I've learned a lot from you over the years.
Out of MEX, we fly the 747-8, and seat 1K is my first choice. And when I'm not flying I always try to catch the best views of final approach from the Hyatt Regency Mexico City Insurgentes Regency Club.
I tried the A380 LH first class and loved it. Wasn’t blown away by the A340 and am waiting on tenterhooks for a chance to try the 747.
Lufthansa's customer service is Spohr-nicated. No matter how good someone says Allegris is, no thanks.
747-800 3K or 1A give the best experience, that panoramic nose experience perhaps best in row 3. 346 — oh, that unforgettable feel in that elegant long plane. and, yes, 380 is 380 — no doubt with a very practical bathroom! which one to prefer? if i had a say, it would be 747 forever. did not fly allegris alright, but honestly i really like the open cabin a lot. just a pity it has been run down quite a bit. service always cheerful though
Love 1K in 747-8 (the only aircraft that flys into MEX)
Ahhh, a throwback to a time when Qatar Airways and Japan Airlines — not to mention Air France — had yet to dethrone LH from the world’s topmost luxury airlines. Today, sadly, LH is little more than a laughing-stock, and that is the all-pervading sentiment about its decade-in-the-making Allegris experience. In contrast, AF is light years ahead in terms of how exclusive (and expensive!) its F product is.
For some context, by Tiffany 11 years...
Ahhh, a throwback to a time when Qatar Airways and Japan Airlines — not to mention Air France — had yet to dethrone LH from the world’s topmost luxury airlines. Today, sadly, LH is little more than a laughing-stock, and that is the all-pervading sentiment about its decade-in-the-making Allegris experience. In contrast, AF is light years ahead in terms of how exclusive (and expensive!) its F product is.
For some context, by Tiffany 11 years ago: https://onemileatatime.com/im-just-caviar-less-biased-review-lufthansa-first-class/
The 747, of course. It's the Queen and it's American. All the rest are Eurotrash.
The queen is stronger, but in order to win you need to defeat the king.
"In chess, a king can move one space at a time
But queens are free to go wherever they like" - Ava Max
Ord, you are simply displaying your ‘old-has-been’ nostalgia …. wake up old bean, smell the coffee and try today’s Knights of the skies.
Thank you for the grin …. :-)
I redeemed United miles for my wife and I to fly in First on the LH 747-8 in 2019. Sitting in 1K was one of my favorite experiences. It he;ped that the crew were fantastic.
Only flown LH F once, it was on the A346. But I had the entire cabin to myself, doesnt get better than that. And I got to check the A346 from my list at the same time ;)
Same here, A346, although I "only" had 2 seats to myself, ha ha. Also, all passengers boarded through the first set of doors, so everybody had to go through the F cabin when we were all drinking champagne already.
Lufthansa experience in first class is often determined by how many passengers are in first class. If packed, it suffers. When sparse, its generally amazing and attentive. But, crew specific. My advise, pick a less traveled time when empty and the will give you their full attention.
100%.
Despite its age and despite all the naysayers, it's still one of my favorite products. Especially when you can wangle a few hours of layover in ZRH - or even MUC - or even, ever FRA - dare I say it :)
You can fly Lufthansa first class to Zurich?
Minor point, the 747s have lockers as well as the A380s.
Aside from the novelty of the 747, the sheer comfort and quietness of the a380 is definitely preferable.
Never flown on their A359 but up until now First of the A346's are the best for me.