Lufthansa’s Quirky First Class Rubber Ducks Explained

Lufthansa’s Quirky First Class Rubber Ducks Explained

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Lufthansa offers its first class passengers collectible rubber ducks. This is kind of fascinating, since rubber ducks aren’t typically something you’d associate with premium air travel. I’ve talked about these rubber ducks many times in passing on the blog, and would like to discuss them in a bit more detail in this post.

What’s the story with Lufthansa’s rubber ducks? What’s the backstory, and where and how can you get them? Let’s dig in…

What’s the history of Lufthansa rubber ducks?

Lufthansa’s first class rubber ducks date back over 20 years, to 2004, when the First Class Terminal Frankfurt opened. Lufthansa’s lounges are frankly a bit sterile in terms of design, but the airline has a few fun features that add a bit of personality, and among those is rubber ducks.

The rubber duck concept started off innocently enough. One of the shower suites in the First Class Terminal has a bathtub, so Lufthansa would place a rubber duck at the bath. Over time, the airline seemingly realized how much passengers enjoyed taking these ducks home with them, and embraced it.

Lufthansa First Class Lounge bathtub

In the meantime, the airline has expanded these to all of its first class lounge locations in Frankfurt and Munich, and the airline has introduced dozens of different ducks over the years.

Lufthansa has unveiled ducks for all kinds of occasions, ranging from Christmas ducks, to Oktoberfest ducks, to coronavirus ducks, to FIFA World Cup ducks. Honestly, how can you not fall in love with these ridiculously cute collectible items, especially as an avgeek, given the branding? Even if you’re not personally into them, surely you have someone in your life (a kid, or a kid at heart) who would love a cool rubber duck!

Lufthansa first class rubber ducks

How and where can you get Lufthansa rubber ducks?

How do you actually get your hands on one of Lufthansa’s first class ducks? You’ll need to visit the First Class Terminal Frankfurt, or any of Lufthansa’s First Class Lounges in Frankfurt or Munich. In order to access those, you’ll generally need to be flying in Lufthansa first class or SWISS first class, or you’ll need Lufthansa’s uber-elite HON Circle status.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to take a bath to actually get a rubber duck. Instead, the lounge attendants (referred to as PAs, or personal assistants, because of how attentively they look after your travel plans) will be happy to offer you one. I know it might sound weird, but just ask them, as they’re very used to it. “Hey, could I have one of those ducks?”

A few things to note regarding the logistics:

  • The general policy is that you can get one duck per person per lounge; so if you are in the mood to lounge hop, you might be able to get your hands on multiple ducks in a day
  • You’ll typically find different ducks in Frankfurt vs. Munich, as they’re often customized to the location
  • While there’s typically one primary duck being offered at a given lounge at one point, sometimes there are multiple types, at least upon request; usually I just ask for a duck, and then if it’s one I have, I ask if they by chance have any others, and sometimes they do
Lufthansa first class rubber ducks

If you want to get a sense of the variety of ducks there are, you’ll find a display case when you enter the First Class Terminal that shows some of the ducks that have been offered over the years. If I were ever to do a smash and grab, this might just be where it would be. 😉

Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt rubber duck collection

The approach that Lufthansa takes toward marketing these ducks is also interesting to me. The airline says almost nothing about these ducks through its official channels, and the airline also typically only offers them if you specifically ask.

So while they have a cult-like following, it’s also entirely possible that you’ve flown Lufthansa first class dozens of times and had never heard of these ducks (and are just confused by the case of ducks at the entrance to the lounge).

What do you do with your Lufthansa rubber ducks?

With the above out of the way, here’s something I’m curious about — to those who collect these rubber ducks, what do you actually do with them? It’s a genuine question, because I collect these ducks, and… I’m not actually sure what to do with them? Like, I have plans to do something grand with them at some point, I’m just not sure what yet.

I suppose I could put them on the edge of our bathtub, which seems like the most logical option. But I feel like that will cause some of the more interesting ducks to fade and be damaged much more quickly.

I guess the other option is to line up the collection somewhere, but without context, it’s perhaps kind of weird to display rubber ducks in your living room as an adult (and realistically, I don’t think I’d get spousal approval for that either).

Like, I absolutely love these ducks and I have them all in a drawer next to my bed right now. I’d like to display them somewhere, I just can’t actually figure out where and how. So I’d love some tips, as I’m curious how others approach this!

Lufthansa first class ducks make great travel companions

Bottom line

Lufthansa has an awesome collection of rubber ducks, which are available in the Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt, and in the Lufthansa First Class Lounges in Frankfurt and Munich. The selection rotates, so over time you can potentially build up quite a collection. Quack quack!

This is such a fun collectible item, as it’s not often you see airlines embrace concepts like this. The only other similar idea out there is KLM’s Delft Blue Dutch houses.

What’s your take on the whole Lufthansa first class duck thing?

Conversations (25)
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  1. Kelly Pierce Guest

    Display in a shadow box, the way you would display golf balls. Some have window cabinet doors that open out and each time you get a new one, you could keep adding to the collection.

  2. CanadianCruiser Guest

    You can always take your ducks on a cruise and hide them for others to find - it's a whole thing on cruise ships that many people don't know about. Ducks are often tagged with family name and where they are from and it makes kids very happy when they find one (and many adults too!...lol)

  3. Florian Guest

    Oh and do not wmorry about the longevity of the ducks. They will surely outlast you. Google container with ducks lost.

  4. Florian Guest

    Oh and btw, damaging those ducks is pretty much impossible They literally survive decades in the open ocean so unless you use a chain saw on them do not worry about their health

  5. Florian Guest

    My collection is sitting next to the bath tub and of course join us in the water. And one or two accompany us on our travels and swim with us in hotel pools.

  6. Andy Guest

    There's a thread about the Lufthansa ducks:
    https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/lufthansa-austrian-swiss-brussels-lot-other-partners-miles-more/1216429-lufthansa-fct-fcl-duck-merged.html

  7. NathanJ Diamond

    The LH Erste Classe Terminal in FRA has been a near obsession of mine for almost a decade now, thanks to you Ben. I search LH F availability (I REALLY want the to bag a seat on the Intercontinental 747-8) at least 2-3 times a year and wargame it all. I have ticked off many bucket list items in that time with my husband - Etihad First Class Apartments, First on QF/BA/AA/QR, the Qantas First...

    The LH Erste Classe Terminal in FRA has been a near obsession of mine for almost a decade now, thanks to you Ben. I search LH F availability (I REALLY want the to bag a seat on the Intercontinental 747-8) at least 2-3 times a year and wargame it all. I have ticked off many bucket list items in that time with my husband - Etihad First Class Apartments, First on QF/BA/AA/QR, the Qantas First Lounge in Sydney, the Al Safwa & Al Mourjan lounges - I’m extraordinarily lucky. Yet, this one holy grail just always seems to slip further away!

    In the meantime, I have a non-LH duck that sits proudly on the corner of my tub - where else?

  8. Timtamtrak Diamond

    See if Ford will sign off on one of those diner-style rotating pie display cases. :-P

  9. Northern Flyer Guest

    Two first class LH flights, two ducks. One I gave to my daughter and I have misplaced but it’s a fun gesture.

  10. John Guest

    Nothing oozes first class sophistication quite like a rubber toy purchased for .49c in a discount store. Stay Classy, Lufty.

  11. Ross Guest

    Rubber ducks were the symbol of the opposition movement led by Alexei Navalny until his assassination by Trump's friend Vladimir Putin. If Lufthansa ever returns to Moscow, it will be interesting to see whether they make these available there.

    1. LuisRPM Guest

      I find amazing and sad at the same time, how easy some people links ANY topic to their favorite political trend topic. For example, LH ruber duck - Putin - Trump

    2. John Guest

      Q: Can I read ANY post by Lucky without SOMEONE obsessively mentioning Trump, no matter the topic?
      A: [much laughter]

  12. EthaninSF Gold

    Don't forget to ask the lounge attendants the name of the duck as well!

  13. Paul Guest

    My Lufthansa rubber duck sits proudly in a display class but he's/she's lonely. We'll be getting some Conrad rubber ducks and another Lufthansa rubber duck (or 2) to join him soon. Does add a touch of fun to Lufthansa First Class adventures.

    1. Jeleyne Guest

      You can easily get a companion for your duck on eBay - just search for "Lufthansa duck". And bring your credit card because they're not dime store cheap (but far less expensive than first class airfare).

  14. Maryland Guest

    Store ducks in Christmas ornament boxes until a decision is made on display. Or decorate a tree with them. Ah whimsy. It's a fun thing

  15. E39 Diamond

    Only such an excellent airline as Lufthansa could’ve come up with this amazing idea

  16. Henry Guest

    yeah, this literally brings the airline to another level

  17. Sel, D. Guest

    Wall mounted glass or acrylic display box in a bathroom would be great, especially the guest bathroom as a conversation starter.

  18. GoAmtrak Diamond

    Not quite as exciting but you forgot the commemorative finjan (Arabic coffee cups) that Etihad gives out. I'm not sure in which classes, but I got 2 of them in The Residence recently (one for the BOS route and one for the CPH route, each with the inaugural service date).

  19. MaxPower Diamond

    I wonder if any jeeps have an LH rubber ducky on their dashboard. I'll have to look now.
    Do you collect the Conrad Rubber ducks as well?

  20. D3SWI33 Guest

    I mailed Ben my coronavirus duck. I asked for a duck and it wasn’t the coronavirus one. I was told those are in Munich as I was in the First Class lounge in Frankfurt. Wearing a suit with a cigar in hand I asked again if they can find me one. Moments later they showed up with the coronavirus one.

  21. Peter Guest

    You mean you don’t place each duck in a cubed lucite block and engrave it with the flight details of the flight that you took that earned you the duck?

    It’s the ultimate deal toy! ;-)

  22. Vee Guest

    Have a corner or “pedestal” of sorts somewhere at home and display one at a time and keep rotating. Makes for an interesting conversation piece if someone ever visits your home

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Sel, D. Guest

Wall mounted glass or acrylic display box in a bathroom would be great, especially the guest bathroom as a conversation starter.

3
Timtamtrak Diamond

See if Ford will sign off on one of those diner-style rotating pie display cases. :-P

1
John Guest

Q: Can I read ANY post by Lucky without SOMEONE obsessively mentioning Trump, no matter the topic? A: [much laughter]

1
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