I’ve spent the past week in Europe, and flew Lufthansa first class to get here. I was originating in Seattle, though in this case was meeting up with a friend that was in Vancouver. So we decided to redeem miles for Lufthansa first class from Vancouver to Frankfurt, which is operated by a 747-400. Lufthansa has several versions of their new first class product, and this is the aircraft that features both a separate seat and bed in first class.
First class award availability is generally wide open on this route. Meanwhile if I had flown out of Seattle the flight would have been operated by an A340-300, which would feature Lufthansa’s old first class (starting this summer Lufthansa is cutting first class altogether on the Seattle route). So regardless I would have gladly positioned myself in Vancouver for the superior first class experience.
Below is my review, and stay tuned, because tomorrow my friend Tiffany (who flew with me) will be sharing her thoughts on the experience (note: she feels differently about Lufthansa first class than I do).
How to redeem miles for Lufthansa first class
As of now there are a few practical ways to redeem miles for Lufthansa first class between the US and Europe:
110,000 United MileagePlus miles one-way
United used to charge just 67,500 miles one-way for first class between the US and Europe, though after their February devaluation, that price went up by over 50%. While it’s convenient to be able to transfer Ultimate Rewards points to United, I wouldn’t call that an especially good value, though if you’re accruing Ultimate Rewards quickly it may still make sense.
62,500 Air Canada Aeroplan miles
As of early this year Aeroplan allows one-way awards on partner airlines, so you’d pay just 62,500 Aeroplan miles. The only downside is that they impose fuel surcharges, which total ~$400 one-way. That’s actually not a bad value, and if you value your points at all, I’d say is a better value than United’s MileagePlus award costs without the fuel surcharges (especially since Aeroplan doesn’t charge close-in ticketing fees).
72,500 Avianca LifeMiles
The best value, however, is booking through Avianca LifeMiles (which is how I booked). They charge 72,500 miles one-way and don’t impose fuel surcharges. They frequently sell miles for 1.5 cents each, so it’s basically like paying a bit over $1,000 for a first class ticket between the US and Europe. That’s tough to beat.
The flight: Lufthansa first class from Vancouver to Frankfurt
After spending a couple of hours in the Plaza Premium Lounge in Vancouver (which isn’t actually the lounge Lufthansa uses — they use the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge) we headed to our departure gate at around 3:30PM, for the 3:40PM scheduled boarding time.
Vancouver Airport traffic
Air New Zealand 777-200 Vancouver Airport
Vancouver Airport terminal
Vancouver Airport terminal
Vancouver Airport terminal
Our departure gate was D55, which was rather crowded by the time we got there.
Vancouver Airport Lufthansa departure gate
Vancouver Airport Lufthansa departure gate
Lufthansa 747-400 taking us to Frankfurt
Ar around 3:40PM the gate agents announced we would be a few minutes late boarding — how very un-German!
Lufthansa delayed boarding
At around 3:50PM boarding began, starting with passengers that may need a little bit of extra time boarding as well as first class.
And with that, on we went…
Lufthansa 747-400 taking us to Frankfurt
Lufthansa 747-400 taking us to Frankfurt
Lufthansa 493
Vancouver (YVR) – Frankfurt (FRA)
Friday, May 2
Depart: 4:10PM
Arrive: 10:50AM (+1 day)
Duration: 9hr40min
Aircraft: Boeing 747-400
Seat: 83H (First Class)
Stupidly we boarded through door 1L — I’m not sure why, given that the stairs for the upper deck are located by door 2L. Fortunately the business class cabin was still empty, so it was a quick walk. Guess I’m getting a bit rusty with Lufthansa first class, I’ll have to fly them more. 😉
Lufthansa business class 747-400
At door 2L we took the stairs to the upper deck, where the first class cabin is located.
Lufthansa’s first class product on the 747-400 is different than on the rest of the fleet, given that each seat features a seat and bed combo. Throughout the rest of the fleet they just have comfortable seats which turn into fully flat beds.
While there are pros and cons to the seat/bed combo, one thing is for sure — visually it’s one of the most stunning products, in my opinion, save for the ancient overhead bins.
Lufthansa first class 747-400
Lufthansa first class 747-400
Lufthansa first class 747-400
I settled down in seat 83H, which would be my seat to Frankfurt. My friend was in 83C, and there was a couple in row 81. So the cabin was just half full, with four empty seats.
Lufthansa first class 747-400 seat
Lufthansa first class 747-400 seat
Lufthansa first class 747-400 seat controls
I find that on Lufthansa you can tell within 30 seconds if you have a fantastic crew or just a good crew (really, those are the only two options). 😉
And I could quickly tell this was just a good crew.
The aisle flight attendant quickly offered me a glass of champagne along with some macadamia nuts. What’s interesting is that they had three champagnes on offer on this flight, starting with Taittinger. It quickly became apparent that this would have to be a team effort, and that if we wanted to try the second and third champagne we’d have to get to work.
Lufthansa first class champagne and nuts
After that I was offered pajamas, slippers, and an Escada amenity kit. Not the Rimowa amenity kit I was hoping for, but I actually preferred this one to any other Lufthansa kit I’ve received.
Lufthansa first class pajamas, slippers, and amenity kit
As far as Lufthansa’s pajamas go, I always have mixed feelings. I love the bottoms since they’re nice and light, but the tops are always a bit too thick for me and I tend to sweat, especially since Lufthansa has the tendency to keep their cabins warm.
Lufthansa first class pajamas, slippers, and amenity kit
Lufthansa first class amenity kit
The contents of the amenity kit were pretty standard for Lufthansa, though I did like the Escada pouch.
Lufthansa first class amenity kit contents
Lufthansa first class amenity kit
I quickly changed into my pajamas, and as I emerged from the lavatory the flight attendant hung up my clothes. The aisle flight attendant was attentive when it came to refilling champagne, and before we even pushed back I heard three corks “pop” between the four of us.
Shortly before pushback the captain came on the PA to inform us of our flight time of nine hours, which was shorter than normal and would put us into Frankfurt early, even with a slightly delayed departure.
At around 4:20PM we began our pushback and taxi to runway 8R. The safety video played during this time, and we made it to the runway by 4:30PM.
Pushback Vancouver Airport
Our takeoff roll was fairly quick, and we had a smooth climb to our cruising altitude.
Shortly after takeoff out of Vancouver
As is the norm on flights out of the Pacific Northwest, my eyes were glued out the window for the first hour or so of the flight.
Leveling off
About 20 minutes after takeoff hot towels were distributed. As usual, they were the best smelling towels in the sky.
Lufthansa first class hot towel
At this point the flight attendant distributed the menu and wine list. Usually the purser distributes the menus, though she wasn’t to be seen on this flight, not after takeoff or before landing. This is my second flight in recent memory where that was the case, as it’s otherwise quite rare. I find Lufthansa pursers to usually be more hands on.
Lufthansa first class menu and wine list
The dinner menu read as follows:
And the wine list read as follows:
After takeoff I had another glass of Taittinger to accompany the amuse bouche, which consisted of some sort of wrapped salmon… or something.
Lufthansa first class amuse bouche
At this point each passenger was also offered a rose.
Shortly thereafter the caviar cart was rolled around. I was offered a generous helping with all the trimmings.
Lufthansa first class caviar course
It’s worth noting at this point we also drank them out of the Taittinger, and moved on to the Veuve Cliquot La Grande Dame, which was lovely.
Lufthansa first class champagne
Shortly thereafter the appetizer cart was rolled around, which consisted of lobster claw, tandoori chicken, mixed pepper with cream cheese, and salad. Usually calling Lufthansa’s appetizers non-offensive would be a compliment, but in this case they were downright tasty.
Lufthansa first class appetizer
And of course we had more champagne.
Lufthansa first class champagne
For the main course I had the seared cod, which was really good.
Lufthansa first class main course — seared cod
Meanwhile my friend had the tenderloin of beef.
Lufthansa first class main course — bacon wrapped tenderloin of beef
After the main course the dessert cart was rolled around.
Lufthansa first class dessert cart
For dessert I selected the warm bread pudding with vanilla sauce.
Lufthansa first class dessert
Lufthansa first class dessert
After dessert I was hoping for a cappuccino, though unfortunately the machine was broken. Instead I tried the third type of champagne, which was Champagne de Castelnau. I think the flight attendant was trying to trick us when she told us it was the “third first class champagne,” and simply didn’t want to admit that they ran out.
Compared to the other two champagnes it tasted like cat piss… at best. At least it was better than Duc de Paris.
Lufthansa “first” class champagne
We had dinner at a really leisurely pace, and by the time we were done I decided to sleep. At that point we were about to begin our Atlantic crossing, with just over 5hr30min left to go to Frankfurt.
Airshow enroute to Frankfurt
Airshow enroute to Frankfurt
So as far as Lufthansa’s first class seat and bed combo goes, it’s really tough to beat having a “real” bed. You simply get better sleep there than in just about any other type of first class seat. There are only two potential downsides to this configuration:
- The seat itself doesn’t recline that far, so if you want to “lounge” you’re out of luck, since there’s not really a middle ground between being in bed and being in the nearly upright seat
- The TV faces the seat and not the bed, so it’s pretty tough to watch TV from bed
Lufthansa first class bed
I was awoken by the flight attendant about 90 minutes prior to landing, just north of the UK.
Airshow enroute to Frankfurt
Airshow enroute to Frankfurt
I was offered some water, orange juice, and a hot towel.
Lufthansa first class breakfast service
The breakfast menu read as follows:
At that point the cart was rolled through the aisle. I selected some fresh fruit, muesli, and a deli plate with some cheese and salmon. Since the cappuccino machine was broken I had some English Breakfast tea.
Lufthansa first class breakfast
Then I was offered some freshly scrambled eggs with chives (I passed on the bacon).
Lufthansa first class breakfast — scrambled eggs
Airshow enroute to Frankfurt
About 30 minutes prior to landing we began our descent into Frankfurt. At the top of our descent I changed out of my pajamas and stowed my bags. Unlike other passengers in the cabin, I made the bold decision to change in the lavatory.
View on descent into Frankfurt
We touched down on runway 7R at 10:30AM. The past few times I’ve flown into Frankfurt we’ve landed on runway 18, which I’m pretty sure ends in Dusseldorf, and then you taxi all the way back to Frankfurt.
View on descent into Frankfurt
View on final descent into Frankfurt
Unfortunately we had to hold short of runway 7C for about 10 minutes, and then continued our taxi to the gate.
Crossing runway 7L
Taxiing to our gate
The remainder of our taxi took about five minutes, and at around 10:45AM we found ourselves at our “Z” concourse arrival gate, just a few minutes ahead of schedule.
Taxiing to our gate
Taxiing to our gate
Taxiing to our gate
Taxiing to our gate
Taxiing to our gate
Walking towards immigration
While the amount of walking required at Frankfurt Airport can be somewhat annoying, I sure don’t mind it given the gorgeous lineup of widebodies you get to stroll past, from the 747-400 to the 747-8 to the A380.
Lufthansa 747-400
Lufthansa A380
Lufthansa 747-8
Bottom line on Lufthansa first class
Yes, I’m a Lufthansa fanboy, and I find they offer a really consistent experience. As usual the 747-400 is tough to beat for a transatlantic crossing in first class. In this case the food was also among the best I’ve had in Lufthansa first class.
The crew was good — they certainly went through the motions with a smile, but weren’t as proactive as some other crews I’ve had in the past.
Still, Lufthansa rocks!
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