Lufthansa’s New First Class Food, Drinks, And Amenities: My “FOX” Flight

Lufthansa is trying to improve its long haul passenger experience. One major component of that is the debut of new Allegris cabins, which includes a new first class and new business class. On top of that, it includes the introduction of the FOX (“Future Onboard Experience”) service concept, whereby service across all cabins is being overhauled, regardless of whether flights are operated by planes with Allegris interiors or not.

In a separate post, I broadly covered the changes that are being promised. The new first class soft product rolled out in late March, while the new soft product in other cabins is debuting this week.

Over the weekend, I had the chance to fly Lufthansa first class from Frankfurt (FRA) to New York (JFK), a flight that was operated by the A340-600. It wasn’t my first choice of flights, but my other option for returning home fell apart at the last minute, so I figured this was a good value way to return home (since I redeemed miles), while also getting to experience the new soft product.

So, how is the new FOX experience in first class? Is it revolutionary? Evolutionary? Lipstick on a pig?

What I was expecting from Lufthansa’s new first class soft product

First, I’d like to talk a bit about what I was expecting going into this flight. After all, perception of an experience is often considered to be the gap between expectations and reality.

I’m focusing here specifically on soft product — I’ve already reviewed Lufthansa’s new Allegris A350 first class, and the hard product is very good, even if I can’t make sense of the monetization of the double suite.

My particular flight was operated by an A340, a first class experience I’ve reviewed before. This plane is months from retirement, so there’s no point in discussing the hard product further.

I was skeptical of the extent to which FOX would revamp Lufthansa’s soft product:

• I just don’t have much faith in Lufthansa’s management team nowadays, and think they’ve lost the plot
• The goals with this project seem rather questionable, as Lufthansa’s CEO insists all of this will make Lufthansa Europe’s top airline; when a project starts with an unrealistic goal, it always makes me a little more skeptical
• When announcing these changes, they quite frankly seemed rather minimal, especially for something described as the biggest soft product overhaul in the company’s history
• I’ve actually frequently said that I think Lufthansa’s first class soft product is perfectly fine and middle of the pack; it’s not bad in any way, but also not the best in the industry, and I thought that was a fair way to be positioned

Basically, going into the flight I was expecting we’d be getting a mother of pearl spoon for caviar, blinis, and an appetizer trio, and that would be it. In some ways, that’s not too far off from how things actually played out. But despite that, I was more impressed than I was expecting to be.

Lufthansa’s first class soft product overhaul

With the above out of the way, let me just get right into it, and share how the experience has changed, as I see it, broken down by amenities, food, and drinks.

New Lufthansa first class amenities & small touches

When it comes to onboard amenities in Lufthansa first class, they’ve been updated, but I wouldn’t say they’ve been fully overhauled. For example, in addition to the standard pillow and day blanket, there’s a new, small memory foam pillow, which is a nice addition.

The bed setup otherwise remains unchanged, which I’d consider to be a good thing, as Lufthansa’s bedding is excellent.

Lufthansa has new first class pajamas, intended to celebrate the company’s 100th anniversary. Pajamas used to be from van Laack, but I couldn’t find any branding on the new ones. To be honest, I found them to be quite comfortable and high quality, and I like the little Lufthansa branding touches.

Then there’s the amenity kit situation. The current kit is a 100th anniversary case, and I really liked this. The box feels sturdy, and it’s something that can be reused.

The contents have been updated a bit, and there’s a new plush Lufthansa first class eye mask, which is pretty awesome. What a cool twist on a traditional eye mask.

To create a more customized experience, as it’s described, Lufthansa now makes the process of selecting amenities a bit more interactive. Upon boarding, you’re presented with an amenity selection menu, with products from German skincare brand BABOR.

I think it’s a cute concept they have, but I find it all to be a bit strange. Like, how many of these products is one reasonably supposed to ask for? After all, these are basically like skincare samples you’d get if you went to a department store, or something.

I asked the very friendly flight attendant if I could have each of the five products. She kind of looked at me a bit wide-eyed (in the nicest way possible) and said she’d have to check if they have enough. I didn’t want to seem greedy, so between my dad and I (he met me in Germany and was also on the flight), we ended up with four.

But anyway, it seems a bit could be done to make that situation a little clearer and less awkward. Like, it seems worth stating what the intention is there…

As before, there continue to be well padded slippers, among the most comfortable you’ll find on any airline.

Speaking of cute little details, before landing the crew came through the cabin to thank each passenger for flying with Lufthansa, offering them a box of chocolates and a handwritten card with Lufthansa first class branding. What a nice touch!

New Lufthansa first class meal selection

When it comes to the meal service in Lufthansa first class, I’d also describe the changes as being evolutionary rather than revolutionary. That being said, the changes are absolutely noticeable, and make a difference.

As before, pre-departure drinks are served on the ground, with the choice of macadamia nuts and/or olives. That’s still one of the nicer pre-departure services out there, if you ask me.

The menu and drink list are much more colorful and substantial than in the past, and they do a bit more to tell a story, in terms of extra pages dedicated to the products being offered.

Below is the menu for the main meal on my flight.

The single amuse bouche has been replaced by an amuse bouche trilogy. Let me say from the start that I think the way dishes are presented is so much better than in the past — just look at the garnishes here. These actually look like little dishes where effort was put into the presentation.

That’s followed by Lufthansa’s new caviar service, which hasn’t actually changed that much, except for the addition of a mother of pearl spoon and blinis.

That’s then followed by a trio of appetizers, a concept that’s basically unchanged at the airline.

After that, there’s the choice of a soup or salad. I opted for the soup, and was impressed by how it was presented, as the bowl was brought out with the solid ingredients, and then the liquid was poured on top of it at my seat.

I know Lufthansa has tried to update the presentation of dishes, and I think that has been very successful. Both my dish, as well as my dad’s main dish, were beautifully presented, in line with what you’d expect in a restaurant. This is a huge upgrade over the old presentation.

There’s then the option of a cheese plate, which is largely unchanged compared to the past (though the cheese and dessert course have been separated out).

Then there’s a dessert selection, and you can go for the full dessert trio, if you’d like (there used to be just two options, and now there are three).

Lastly, there’s a selection of pralines, and Lufthansa has even added a little praline menu, so you can review your options in advance.

I thought the tea presentation was pretty cute a well.

The quantity of food that Lufthansa now offers people is sort of unreal. Most of the above pictures are a combination of what my dad and I separately had, because there’s no way either of us could’ve made it through all the courses.

Lufthansa has also updated its pre-landing meal concept, with the introduction of an “anytime selection,” so you can order what you’d like, when you’d like. In the past, there was just one section with “cold & warm specialties,” and now there are separate cold specialties, warm specialties, and light bites, plus more dessert options.

The options weren’t that different from the past, but presentation has been upgraded a bit, and I like the flexibility offered by the menu.

New Lufthansa first class drink selection

When it comes to drinks, Lufthansa claims it has upgraded both its alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink selection. As I understand it, 2018 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame is now the standard brut option, and there’s also a section option, which on this flight was 2015 Bollinger La Grande Annee.

The rest of the wine list is pretty decent but nothing amazing, with a heavy focus on the region.

Lufthansa is also increasingly highlighting other signature drinks.

Based on the beautiful (I assume) negroni picture on the cover of the drink list, I asked if they could make me a negroni. They said they could, though it didn’t look quite like what was on the cover. 😉

Lufthansa’s first class improvements are incremental but meaningful

When Lufthansa set out to launch its new first class soft product, I didn’t think the airline needed to reinvent the wheel, or anything.

In terms of substance, the changes are fairly minimal, and were roughly what I expected. But what exceeded my expectations was the extent to which the changes were thoughtful, and clearly intended to create more nice interactions between the crew and passengers.

I’ve often said that when you fly Singapore Airlines, it almost feels like a “performance,” in terms of the service flow. The airline is just so good at creating a polished and seamless experience, and often it’s the smallest details that impact the impressions we have.

Simply put, everything about the refreshed Lufthansa first class experience felt a bit more seamless and deliberate. I think the perfect minor example of that is the introduction of a praline menu. It’s such a minor and unnecessary little touch, but it makes you say “oh, someone put some extra thought into this.”

After all, sometimes you’ll be presented the box of pralines in a dark cabin, and you can barely tell the difference between what they are, so having a little menu can help, silly as it may seem. Similarly, the “thank you” card before landing is another nice touch. The only other airline that has consistently done something like this is Cathay Pacific, which gives a little handwritten card with the first meal service.

When you combine Lufthansa’s new first class hard and soft product, I think it makes for a really well rounded experience. It’s certainly much better than what British Airways offers, but it’s not quite to Air France’s level (which is fair enough, given the pricing difference).

Honestly, I can’t think of many things that I’d really change about the soft product, given Lufthansa’s position in the market, aside from perhaps some stronger brand collaborations (though that’s more about “vibes” than actual substance). A couple of areas do stand out to me:

• While the claim is that the plating and cutlery have been updated, they looked mostly the same to me; I wish Lufthansa would introduce something more interesting here, since everything is white and rather unmemorable
• This is minor, but Lufthansa needs a brand sonic, or something, because there’s so much awkward silence at the airline; it’s so weird to me how the Lufthansa First Class Terminal is so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, there’s no boarding music on the plane, etc.

Anyway, all-in-all, I walked away with a very positive impression. Lufthansa managed to create more of a human element to the service, and I was under the impression part of Lufthansa management was incapable of having human feelings. 😉

Now, can I make sense of how it took the airline two years and thousands of people to overhaul the experience this way? Not really, it seems like most of these concepts could’ve been come up with in an afternoon. But hey, it’s one of the better executed things we’ve seen at Lufthansa in recent times

Bottom line

Lufthansa recently rolled out its new first class soft product, including a refresh of amenities, food, and drinks. While the airline didn’t revolutionize first class, I think the service updates are thoughtful, and contribute to a more well thought out service concept that lends itself to more favorable interactions between passengers and crew.

Ultimately Lufthansa’s first class soft product was quite good before, and the airline really tweaked some of the minor areas where there were opportunities to improve. Between this and the new first class hard product, Lufthansa has come a long way (though don’t get me started on the 3.5-seat cabin concept).

What do you make of Lufthansa’s first class service updates?