Lufthansa 747-8i gated at Frankfurt airport
Airline: Lufthansa
Seat: 3A
Equipment: 747-8 Intercontinental
Purchased USING: 110,000 UNITED MILES + $110.20
After a very long weekend visiting Restaurant Überfahrt near Munich, Da Vittorio in Northern Italy, and Schwarzwaldstube in the Black Forest (all in less than 40 hours), I was pretty excited for a relaxing flight home. Lufthansa's First Class product ranks up there with JAL, Singapore, and a few other international flag carriers as the best of the best, so expectations ran high.
My seat- 3A
I'm 6'3", so a comfortable seat starts with legroom. With over seven feet of seat pitch by 32" wide, Lufthansa's first class seats are some of the biggest in the business. For context, these sizes are similar to the Singapore Airlines A380 Suites or the Cathay Pacific 777-300.
Absurdly huge legroom and big screen!
I know what you're thinking: "Awesome socks, bro." And, of course, you are correct.
Nose Cone view looking back
What makes this particular Lufthansa flight really special is the location of the First Class cabin- right in the nose cone of the 747-8i.
Tons of open space
The effect is incredibly spacious, and makes the cabin feel more cruise ship than airplane.
Van Laack pajamas
The amenity kit was pretty boss- super soft, comfortable Van Laack pajamas, a bath kit from German leathermaker Braun Buffel that included your standard toothpaste, mouthwash, etc.
Braun Buffel amenity kit
Welcome drink and dried nuts
Lufthansa doesn't kid around with their champagne selections- they offered a delightfully bright, crisp Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle. A non-vintage champagne from the best 12 Grand-Cru villages in Champagne country, this guys scored as high a 97 points from Wine Enthusiast and costs about $130 a bottle on the ground.
Entertainment Center Controller
The entertainment system worked well, had an intuitive controller, and offered more or less every film or TV show one could possibly desire.
Fresh roses for each seat
Another incredibly charming touch- a fresh rose at each seat!
Bose noise-cancelling headphones
Like the entertainment system controller, these Bose headphones were 1) not for taking and 2) looked like they've been thrown down the stairs a few times, but worked well.
Slippers
Some fairly comfy slippers. They're so light, though, that they fall right off your feet, which isn't great.
First Class dinner and wine menus
Even after a full weekend of 3-stars, I was super excited to try out Lufthansa's food and wine selections. I was extremely pleased with most of what I encountered.
First bite- Scottish Salmon
First bite was some exceptionally fresh Scottish salmon, accompanied by a touch of dill. Just awesome, and paired great with the champagne.
Place Setting
Salad Course
A pretty ridiculously fresh salad, especially for being on an airplane.
Caviar + Onion + Lemon
Next, some truly Russian-style caviar service (complete with Vodka pairing).
Lobster + Mango Chutney
Next, lobster with mango chutney, tastefully decorated. Totally delicious.
Black Angus Beef + Mushroom Salad
The beef dish was a huge disappointment- tasted a lot like eating a pile of dense, damp rags. Veggies were decent.
White Tomato Mousse + Arugula Pesto
Soft textures, an a nice cleanser- some white tomato mousse and arugula pesto.
Lamb Chop + Tomatoes + Artichokes
The lamb chops were a serious disappointment- dry. overspiced. But, hey.
Selection of Chocolates
Not to be weird, but the bathrooms in the first class cabin was ENORMOUS and actually really nice.
And, of course, they had a rose in there. Beautiful.