Flight Review: Lufthansa First Class A340

Introduction

Lufthansa is one of Europe’s largest airlines that seemingly flies to every corner of the earth, with the exception of Hawaii.  Lufthansa First Class on long haul routes is arguably one of the best first class offerings available in the skies.  Furthermore, passengers flying out of Frankfurt have the unique experience of being escorted directly to their plane by a Porsche.

As a Star Alliance member, first class flights can be booked using Star Alliance partner flier miles or Lufthansa miles, albeit at varying rates.

Booking

For my flight from Frankfurt to Lima, I used LifeMiles since that rate was reasonable at 97,180 LifeMiles plus $138 in fees.  Not bad for a flight normally costing $8,800.  Oddly enough, when I searched just the first segment to Bogota, it cost more at 99,000 miles.  Somehow adding an additional connection to Lima reduced the mileage redemption rate.

LifeMiles is the rewards program for the Star Alliance airline member Avianca.  The program isn’t the greatest, but occasionally some sweet spots can be found.  Miles can be earned by transferring Citi Thankyou Points, signing up for the LifeMiles credit card, flying on Avianca, or by purchasing miles.

For comparison, the same flight award redemption booked with United would cost 120,000 miles plus $186 in fees. On Singapore Air, it would be 117,000 Miles plus $396 in fees and on Lufthansa’s reward program it would cost 210,000 miles!  So, LifeMiles wins in this scenario.

Often flight award redemption rates in a program are better for their partner airlines.  For instance, I use American Airlines miles for Qatar, JAL, and Etihad; Singapore miles for Ethiopian; Alaska miles for LATAM; and Etihad miles for Korean Air.  I can’t remember the last time I used an airline rewards program for a non-partner booking.

Flight

Lufthansa 542
Frankfurt (FRA) to Bogota (BOG)
Cabin: First
Seat:  2D and 2G
Aircraft: A340-600
Flight Time: 11h 50m

Lounge (5/5)

I’ve been to some pretty epic First Class lounges such a the Emirates and Qatar Airways First Class lounges.  While the Lufthansa First Class lounge isn’t as grandiose as those, it does have some incredibly unique features.

First off, there is a separate First Class terminal with valet services that will actually return your rental car for you.  Then, there is the insane selection of whiskey and top self liquors at the bar.  Most importantly, is the crazy feature of driving you directly to your plane in a Porsche!  Genius idea.   There is so much going on in the lounge that I’ll be writing a separate post just for the First Class lounge later.

Boarding (5/5)

There is no more hassle-free process around than boarding via Porsche to your plane.  No long walks to your gate, no fighting with people trying to board prior to their turn in the boarding process, and no standing around until the agent finally calls your boarding group.  Here in First Class, the agent calls you by name and whisks you to your plane.

There is even a passport control agent waiting for you before you enter the Porsche.   I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been annoyed waiting around in line at passport control at Frankfurt with my non-EU passport.  So blissful to get my passport stamped immediately.

Plane Atmosphere (5/5)

Even though this flight was aboard an older A340, the condition of the plane was in great shape.  The cabin was well lit and the first class cabin was open and spacious.  The decor was minimalist and classy; stark contrast to the Emirates First Class cabin.

The First Class cabin had eight seats in a 1-2-1 configuration.

The bar area up front with the Lufthansa logo looked cool and the roses throughout the cabin was a nice touch.

The first class bathroom had plenty of amenities, even including Evian hydrating facial spray.  The window was pretty cool behind the toilet.  However, it would even be cooler if the toilet faced the window.

Seat Comfort (5/5)

This seat is like a barcalounger in the sky, providing complete comfort and plenty of seating adjustments to ensure you find the right position.  The seat was sturdy with strong quiet motors.

Many times when I’m in first/business class on other airlines, the seats are wobbly and the motors struggle mightily to move my fat torso.  Sometimes the motors are so loud it sounds like Optimus Prime is walking around.  Not the case here.

One thing I really appreciated was the pause button built into the armrest.  Can’t tell you how many times the flight attendant jumps out of nowhere with a question and I start fumbling around looking for the remote attached to some wire.  Good design idea to have it so accessible.

When its time to sleep, the flight attendant adds a mattress and some sheets.  The width and length of the bed were more than enough space to get a good nights sleep.  I’m about six feet tall and still had about an additional six inches of room while laying down.

Lufthansa provides complimentary pajamas for First Class passengers and these by far are the best PJs I have ever received in First Class.  The PJs even included a scarf! I didn’t even know that was a thing.

One slight negative is the size of the TV.  Since there is so much space between the chair and the screen, it appears pretty small, especially in comparison to the Qatar Airways First Class screens.

Food (5/5)

The quality and quantity of food provided was above average and delicious.  Unlimited Dom Pérignon throughout the flight was very much appreciated.  Meal service was provided promptly once at cruising altitude and a separate menu was available for food orders at any time during the flight.

I don’t often eat caviar, in fact, I only eat it when I’m in First Class since I find it bizarre to eat such a thing on an airplane.  However, I’m not sure what Lufthansa is doing since this caviar was so damn delicious I now want to have it all the time.

Also, when I ordered the caviar, the flight attendant recommended a class of Grey Goose Vodka.  Wow, what a sublime combination.

Service (5/5)

By far, the service aboard this flight was the best I have ever experienced.  The staff was professional, well trained, friendly, attentive, efficient, and on top of everything.

For instance, as I was taking off my jacket, a coat hanger emerged in front of my face along with a, “we can store that away for you”.  Another example was that throughout the flight I was addressed by my name.  When my glass was empty, it was refilled within seconds and when my plate was empty, it was removed promptly.

On other airlines during long haul flights, it seems like all the flight attendants disappear for hours at a time.  On this flight, staff was always around making sure passengers were attended to, which was impressive.

I’m starting to have a nice collection of amenity kits from all the business and first class flights i’ve flown.  I have them on a shelf as a sort of display of trophies for successful mileage award redemptions.

However, the Lufthansa amenity kits have a practical secondary function other than storing sleeping masks.  For the male kits, it is actually a watch holder that can store about four or five watches.  For this trip, I actually wanted to bring my diving watch but didn’t because I was worried it would get damaged in my luggage.  Its like Lufthansa is Nostradamus or something.

For the female amenity kits, it converts into a purse and comes with straps.

Be sure to wait for the flight attendants to hand out the free Wifi vouchers in first class.  I was not aware WiFi was included and already paid the $15 for WiFi literally seconds before the vouchers were handed out.  No worries since the vouchers are good for a year on other Lufthansa flights.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Lufthansa seemingly flies to just about every destination on just about every type of long haul aircraft.  Even though some flights are not on the ultra modern A350, Lufthansa still keeps their older aircraft well maintained and in great condition.  While Lufthansa First Class is not all blinged out with showers like other airlines, the service is incredible with ultra comfortable seats.  Finally, the Lufthansa First Class Terminal with direct transport to the plane via Porsche is truly a unique experience worthy of using large quantities of flier miles.

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Related Posts:

• Flight Review: Qatar Airways First Class A380
• Flight Review: Etihad Airways First Class A380
• Flight Review: Emirates First Class A380
• Flight Review: South African Airways Business Class A340