The Details
- Flight: LH430
- Aircraft: B747-8I
- Class: First
- Seat: 1K
- Route: Frankfurt (FRA)-Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
- Distance: 4,483miles
- Duration: 8hrs 17min
- Departure: 11:47AM
- Arrival: 1:04PM
The Preflight
After arriving in Frankfurt from Berlin, I had the option to either visit the Frankfurt First Class Lounge or utilize the First Class Terminal (FCT). The First Class Lounge is located airside while the First Class Terminal (which offers car transfers directly to your aircraft) is located landside. Having heard a great deal about the luxurious experience of the Lufthansa First Class Terminal at Frankfurt Airport, I decided to leave the terminal and make the short walk outside to the FCT, which took about five minutes from exiting the doors.
Upon entering the FCT and taking the elevator to the main lobby, attendants checked me in individually at a desk and collected my passport. There were two security scanners in the lounge for First class passengers, and after I passed through, the attendant escorted me into the lounge.
Immediately upon entering the lounge to the right was the main centerpiece, which was a very well-stocked bar and counter space.
The bartender immediately asked me if I wanted a drink, and I had a glass of Laurent-Perrier Rose Champagne. I also asked for a classic Lufthansa Rubber Duck and was provided one.
Along the bar counter, there was also a variety of liquors from the Zeigler distillery.
Immediately to the left of the bar was the main dining area with an à la carte menu and buffet. Since I was traveling during Oktoberfest, there was a special menu on offer.
Next to the entrance were two buckets of self-serve Laurent-Perrier champagne.
A selection of cold-cut cheese, hot sausage, beans, and hashbrowns were also available at the buffet.
There was also an extensive breadboard as well as a dessert selection. I decided against eating in the lounge, knowing that a feast awaited me on board.
Further into the lounge was a smoking room dubbed the Cigar Lounge. In the past, Lufthansa used to offer passengers complimentary cigars or cigarettes, which they no longer do. Across the hall from the Cigar Room were two individual nap rooms. Both of these rooms were occupied during my time in the lounge.
At the end of the hallway from the Cigar Room were the restrooms and the four shower suites. One of the shower suites also features a bathtub, but that one was also in use during my visit.
Shower amenities included Balmain-branded soap, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.
The First Class Terminal was very busy during my time there, and almost all of the seats had been taken in the dining room. To the left of the entrance to the lounge, there were three daybeds (all occupied), five private workstations (all occupied except one), as well as a few sofas.
On my boarding pass, boarding was scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM, but in the First Class Terminal, the attendants collect you personally when they are ready to transfer passengers to the aircraft via vehicles. At 10:20, the lounge attendant who checked me in collected me and escorted me along with three other passengers down to the parking area.
While some passengers were lucky enough to get to ride in a Porsche, since there were four of us requiring a transfer to our B747-8I, we were all loaded into a Volkswagen van.
Nevertheless, it was an amazing experience getting driven across the tarmac along rows of Lufthansa wide-bodies right up to the engines of our awaiting B747-8I.
Once we had arrived, and all the other passengers in the van had gotten their pictures as well, we were all escorted up into the jet bridge and welcomed on board.
The B747-8I we flew today, registered as D-ABYC, is one of the 19 B747-8Is in Lufthansa’s fleet. It was delivered to the airline in July 2012 and has been flying for Lufthansa for the past decade.
The Flight
At the entrance to the aircraft was a very nice display with two signature Lufthansa First Class red roses. Upon boarding the aircraft, the purser warmly greeted each passenger, and a flight attendant escorted me directly to my seat.
Lufthansa has a total of eight First-class seats on their B747-8I in a single cabin at the nose of the B747. Along the sides were three seats with a pair of seats in the middle. I was lucky enough to select 1K, one of the seats directly in the nose of the aircraft.
Each seat is 30.5” wide and has a pitch of over 83”. When completely flat, the bed length was 81”.
I found the seat incredibly well-padded despite the fabric appearing slightly worn down.
Already at the seat were a pair of slippers, the amenity kit, and a Wi-Fi voucher. Despite the general lack of privacy, I still found the seat to be elegant and well-designed.
Built into the bulkhead was a 17” HD touchscreen display which was not the most high definition. The screen was faded and the anti-reflective coating not really working as intended in the bright sunlight shining through the windows.
At the front of the seat was a large ottoman which had a storage compartment. The ottoman itself was on an electric track and could move forward and backward for resting my feet on top of it.
On the right-hand side was a small cocktail tray as well as a total of four windows to look out of.
The massive sturdy tray table was stowed underneath the cocktail tray.
Along the windows, there were also two thin storage compartments underneath the leather upholstery.
The armrest on the right side had a few built-in IFE buttons as well as the IFE remote.
Each first-class suite also had two USB-A ports and two 110V universal outlets beneath the armrest.
Within the armrest on the left side were the seat controls including buttons for recline, ottoman, headrest, and full flat position. There was also a built-in privacy screen that could be raised or lowered with the push of a button.
Awaiting each passenger at the seat was a pair of nice Bose headphones hard-wired into the seat. Each passenger was also given a Wi-Fi voucher for complimentary internet use throughout the flight.
In addition, each passenger was given a pair of well-padded Cumuli branded slippers and Van Laack branded pajamas.
A special edition Oktoberfest amenity kit was also provided which resembled a small tablet/document sleeve. Contents included socks, eye mask, comb, earplugs, mint, toothbrush kit, as well as Augustinus Bader branded cream.
Upon taking my seat, the flight attendant came by and offered me a glass of Champagne. Lufthansa had on offer both the excellent Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle as well as a special edition 2007 Laurent-Perrier Grand Curvee Rose Alexandra. I had a glass of the fantastic rose with a ramekin of macadamia nuts.
The food and beverage menus were presented next. On this flight, both a lunch service and a light pre-landing snack service were offered. My order for lunch was taken on the ground.
The First-class cabin ended up full on this flight, but the flight attendants never left me feeling unattended. Fortunately, a few passengers had not shown up to the gate for boarding, and their luggage had to be offloaded from the aircraft, which delayed our flight 50 minutes from 10:45 to 11:32 AM. However, I didn’t mind the delay, enjoying an extra glass or two of champagne and the additional time in Lufthansa’s First Class.
We finally pushed back at 11:32 AM and had a 13-minute taxi to the runway before taking off at 11:45 AM.
The full Lufthansa first-class onboard service started 30 minutes after take-off with a hot towel service.
It was followed 12 minutes later with an amuse-bouche of a slice of duck with cream and couscous. I decided to switch my champagne to the Grand Siecle.
Next, the table was meticulously set, and a warm bread basket was offered. I had two slices of delicious garlic bread.
To start, I enjoyed the signature Lufthansa caviar service. Accompaniments included sliced onions, diced egg white, and diced egg yolk. Additional bread options included a potato latke, white bread, and more garlic bread.
A few things missing to perfect the caviar service would have been chives, crème fraiche, as well as blinis.
My next course was a sampling of a trio of appetizers.
The first appetizer was a tataki-style salmon trout over a bed of crunchy pickled Kohlrabi, celery, and cashews, which was divine.
I also tried the marinated carrot rolls with lemon gel and acai berries, which was tasty as well. The final appetizer was an excellent slice of veal with pickled radish on top of a pretzel dumpling. These three appetizers were the best I have ever had on board an aircraft and rivaled restaurant quality food on the ground.
After the appetizers, I decided to skip the soup course, which would have been a poultry consommé, and proceed into the main course. For the main dish, I opted for the herb-crusted beef fillet served with thin slices of crispy apple over asparagus and wild mushrooms.
While the flavor profile was fantastic, I had originally asked for medium-rare, but the steak was overcooked to well done.
The cheese course included an excellent selection of six different cheeses along with walnuts, grapes, and mango pepper chutney.
Finally, for dessert, I had the Tarte Tatin with Vanilla.
After the lunch service, two hours and 30 minutes into the flight, the flight attendants dimmed the lights and proactively offered to make my bed.
I went to the lavatory to change into my pajamas as the bed was being set up. On the Lufthansa B747-8I, there are two First-class lavatories immediately behind the cabin next to the galley.
Each lavatory had a window as well as mood lighting to make this lavatory more upscale compared to the business-class lavatories. In addition, the seat cover was well-padded leather and there was a small bench next to the toilet seat for more room to sit down and change.
Amenities included razors and shaving cream, facial wipes and makeup remover, mouthwash, Evian branded facial spray, Augustinus Bader hand cream, and a deodorant spray.
When I returned to my seat, the flight attendants had also provided a bottle of water.
Lufthansa’s First-class bedding includes a very well-padded mattress pad, a temperature-regulating duvet, and two thick pillows. Despite being a daytime flight, I managed to sleep for three hours due to the comfortable bedding and seat.
Just for comparison, the entire surface area of the bed was similar to that of a twin-size bed with a width of 30.5” compared to 38” of a Twin while the length was 81” compared to 75” of a Twin.
The pre-landing meal was served 90 minutes before landing. To start, I had the Oktoberfest special of a Brotzeitbretti (charcuterie board) which consisted of black forest ham, liver sausage, blood sausage, pepper sausage, Bavarian style cream cheese, pickled rashi, cauliflower, grapes, and pickle. I also had an excellent cappuccino. Another bread basket was offered and I had a slightly stale Bavarian pretzel.
Next, I enjoyed a hearty parsnip soup with fried spinach and crispy potato straws. At this point, I was too full to proceed with the gourmet salad or dessert options.
As we approached Chicago, the flight attendants also passed out a special Oktoberfest celebration cookie and a bag of candied almonds.
We landed in Chicago at 1:04PM local time and had a relatively quick 10-minute taxi to Terminal 5. Flight attendants blocked business class passengers from deplaning until all First-class passengers had the opportunity to deplane first as the doors opened.
This flight was truly unforgettable. The B747-8I holds a special place in my heart as one of my favorite aircraft, thanks to its rich history. Flying in First class was a privilege I’m grateful for. While this flight ranks as one of the best, the Etihad A380 Apartments still claim the top spot on my list of First-class experiences.
