REVIEW: Lufthansa First Class Part 1 – the First class lounge and Terminal

This review is by regular contributor Jason. You can follow Jason on Instagram here @planejayds

Background and booking

First Class was once a fixture on nearly all long-haul flights, with the norm for an airline to offer First, Business and Economy Class. Until 1995, when BA launched the world’s first fully flat bed in business class, if you wanted a bed, it was the First Class you needed. Around the same time BA launched flat beds in the biz, most of the Western world saw an economic recession.

Gone were the high-spending eighties, with most companies limiting corporate travel to Business Class. Supply usually follows demand, so we began to see more and more airlines getting rid of the cabin as business-class products evolved. The former Air France CEO Alexandre de Juniac even said in a 2014 interview with The Times that ‘No one is making money with First Class’ Airline boss reveals la grande illusion of first ClassClass (thetimes.co.uk) and that more than anything, it is primarily featured as a marketing tool.

There may actually be some mileage in this statement as I had been monitoring frequent flyer redemption availability and jumped on it as soon as I found seats to redeem four days prior to departure. At this stage, I could tell by looking at the seat map to select my seat there was only one other traveller booked in First. On the day of travel, First was completely full. Six last-minute cash fares? I doubt it.

These days, only four European airlines and one US airline have maintained a First Class cabin: BA, Air France, Swiss and Lufthansa. American Airlines is the sole carrier from our US friends still providing a first-class long-haul product; however, this will be eliminated completely at the end of 2024. Yet, even amongst these airlines, the number of aircraft that feature First Class and/or the number of seats in the First Cabin has reduced over the past decade.

• British Airways is way in front in terms of a number of First-class seats in the market, including all A380’s, most 777’s, all 787-9’s, all 787-10’s. Total, 83.
• Lufthansa has 37 aircraft including all 747-8’s, all A380’s, all A340-600’s.
• Swiss. Their entire long-haul fleet of 30 aircraft features First class.
• America still has Flagship First on its fleet of 20 777-300s, although America plans to get rid of long-haul First Class Class altogether by the end of this year.
• Air France features a cabinet of four’ Le Premiere’ seats on a select number of 777-300 aircraft.

If you want to fly First ClassClass between Europe and the US, there are, however, a couple more options, with both Singapore Airlines and Emirates taking advantage of ‘fifth freedom’ rights. These two would likely offer the fanciest First-class products; however, the routes are very limited. SQ flies from Frankfurt to New York JFK (they also fly from my home airport MAN to Houston. However, the aircraft they use on this route tops out at Business), and Emirates shows off their First class suites between Athens and Newark as well as Milan Malpensa and New York JFK.

I booked this particular flight using 87,000 Avianca LifeMiles. LifeMiles is a good option for redemptions to the US as the UK to the USA is all in the same band with a flat 63K for one-way Business Class and 87K for one-way First Class. Of course, finding the availability is the tricky part; however, I noticed Lufthansa seems to release their premium availability around four days before a flight departs. I guess filling those last-minute empty seats.

I was super excited, having never flown First Class with any airline other than BA and also never in a premium cabin on Lufthansa. It was also exciting to be back on a 747, not to mention a variant I had never been on, the 747-8. What I did know about the product before embarking on this little luxury getaway was that 1) the hard product is old. 2) They serve caviar and First Class. And 3) the ground experience is top notch including a dedicated ‘First Class Terminal’ from where a car will then take you directly to your departing aircraft.

Manchester – Frankfurt A321. 18:00 departure. Economy

Lufthansa flies from Manchester to Frankfurt three times a day most days and I travelled in Economy on the last flight of the evening in order to overnight in Frankfurt. The weather in Germany had been awful, causing a lot of disruption, so I didn’t want to change a same-day transit.

I arrived by train at MAN, and I had a little giggle to myself as I made my way up the (not working) escalator to the sky link level to then walk to the five minutes to terminal 1 along the six (not working) moving walkways. Lufthansa, along with its little sisters, Austrian and Swiss, depart terminal 1, and check-in is in a little room at the back of the main check-in hall.

Due to delays to three of the departing flights (the agents were checking in Lufthansa flights to Frankfurt and Munich as well as a Swiss flight to Zurich), check-in moved very slowly as everyone seemed to have issues with onward connections.

The check-in agent who issued my boarding pass was amiable, and we had a little bit of banter. And he kindly put a Fast Track security sticker on my boarding pass. Security was, for once, a non-issue, and both my bags made it through HOORAH. Although it is still a pretty sad facility, terminal one is at least a step up from T3, where BA and Ryanair depart in terms of retail and dining outlets. I found myself at a table in Pret and had a coffee and something to eat before making my way to gate 29.

I arrived at the gate just as the aircraft had pulled onto the stand from its flight from Frankfurt, and as the sole contract agent arrived at the gate, the poor guy was swamped by customers wanting information about their connections.

He made an announcement basically saying that he had no information on connections and that there would be information when the passengers arrived in Frankfurt. He assured passengers in his announcement that if they did miss their same ticket connecting flight, not to worry; Lufthansa would arrange meals and accommodation for them. Boarding started at 18:15, with those requiring wheelchair assistance, those travelling with children under five, and anyone sitting at an emergency exit row invited to board first.

General boarding was done by group numbers although quite different to what I have seen other airlines do. Groups 1 and 2 were both priority boarding groups, and then groups 3, 4 and 5 were assigned by whether you sat in a window (3), middle (4) or aisle (5) seat. Boarding was accomplished fairly quickly, and the flight seemed completely full.

The aircraft has the same seats tip to tail with the usual ‘euro business’ with the middle seat blocked, occupying the first three rows. The seats are very slim but comfortable enough for a short flight, and leg room was decent.

There was no USB or power available, but I liked how there was an empty net where the magazine pouch would usually be where you could store bits and pieces you might need during the flight, in my case, specs and my earpods. It was a standard intra-Europe flight.

After taking off, the crew delivered a small bottle of water to everyone. A buy-on-board service followed, which actually had some fairly appealing food items for sale.

Following the buy-on-board service, everyone was given a ‘Seasons Greeting’ Lufthansa branded chocolate. The flight went quickly thanks to Netflix downloads, and we were on stand at Frankfurt at 9:30 pm 9:30 pm, 50 minutes late.

The majority of the passengers made a mad dash for their connecting flights. There was a bit of a wait at immigration now that with Brexit, UK passport holders cannot use the e-gates. I really don’t know why this is when some other non-EU nationals can use the gates. There was one solitary immigration officer manning the ‘all other passports’ desk, and although there were only around ten people in front of me, it was a good twenty-minute wait.

Thanks to the train strike, the usual 28-euro Uber fare was suddenly hovering around the 70-euro Mark, so I did what I often do when ride-share companies try to fleece arriving passengers at airports – I take any form of public transport a few miles away from the airport and order an Uber from there, the fare drops more than 50% in most cases. So, I took a rather packed bus to somewhere in suburban Frankfurt in the direction of the city and jumped in an Uber to my downtown hotel.

Day 2

My flight wasn’t departing until 4:30 pm, but wanting to sample the variety of First-Class amenities at FRA, I took the train from Frankfurt Central Station to the airport around 11 am, which takes only twenty minutes and costs 6 euros. Frankfurt Airport, like Paris CDG, has a fully integrated rail network with suburban and intercity trains serving the airport directly. Upon arrival, I made my way to Terminal 1, where all of Lufthansa’s flights depart.

Lufthansa’s First-Class ground product at its home hub is often regarded as amongst the best out there and I had read many a raving review of the airline’s lounges and facilities. Now, if I were an ordinary First-Class flyer departing Frankfurt and arriving as I did via train, I would have simply done what anyone would do: follow the signs to my correct terminal and then check-in, through security and on to the lounge. However, if originating in Frankfurt, you can use the dedicated ‘First Class Terminal’ or FCT as it is known. But more on that later and back to Terminal 1.

Frankfurt Check-in

Departures were easy to locate, and the First and Business Class check-in desks are at the far-right hand side of the terminal. I had already checked in via the app and could have proceeded straight through security, but in order to give this review of all journey touchpoints, I took one for the team and went to check in. I have to say, not a great first impression. The area is just a little sad, with the four First Class desks just being at the end of the seven Business Class counters.

I get that Lufthansa is similar to BA or KLM, with the majority of their passengers being in transit and remaining airside, but I really feel Lufthy could make a bit more of an effort here. No separate zone, no seating area, just regular run-of-the-mill desks that you expect to see at an outstation instead of an airline’s home hub.

All four of the First desks were occupied with passengers, and despite only one other passenger in front of me, there was a wait of about ten minutes for an agent to become available. Every single person being checked in seemed to have some kind of issue with the agents, either on the phone or conferring with a colleague over a passenger’s predicament. When I was called forward, the agent was a little brusque, and all the staff seemed a little frazzled. The agent issued my paper boarding pass and directed me to security and the lounge.

Security

At this point, I missed the BA First Wing. I am certainly no BA Flag flyer, but the First Wing is probably the Gold Card Holder benefit I value most. Back in Frankfurt, I passed through passport control at Z gates and reached security. Oh my. There was a ‘Gold Lane’ for First, Business and Star Alliance Gold card holders, but the queue was absolutely ridiculous.

It took me 38 minutes to get through security, although the Economy looked far worse. Once through, I followed the ‘Lufthansa Lounge’ signs and walked and walked until I finally reached the first class lounge. To say that Frankfurt Airport is a bit of a rabbit warren is an understatement. Anyway, from check-in to passport control to security to the lounge, it took an hour, which, in my opinion, is not great.

First Class Lounge B gates

I was excited to see what Lufthansa’s First-Class lounges would offer as I had read many good things online. I entered and had my boarding pass scanned, and from there, I was passed to a contract security agent who completed the pre-flight security questions for passengers departing for the US.

As I entered the main lounge, the first thing that hit me was how quiet it was. I was one of only five people in the lounge, which isn’t so surprising given Lufthansa’s strict entry and guesting rules.

The lounge is essentially a rectangular room divided into several seating areas: a dining area, a bar, some work booths, and a cigar lounge. Most of the seating is leather armchairs in groups of four around a table, which feature drinking water, glasses, and snacks.

There were also some along the floor-to-ceiling windows, which gave great views of the aircraft parked outside.

I guess you could describe the lounge in this way – when you think of the most OTT bling lounge possible, Lufthansa is kind of the opposite end of the scale, understated yet elegant. Or I think my other half’s response to the little video tour that I sent him might sum it up: ‘Is that the First Class lounge or Business Class’? I made a beeline to the dining area and took a seat. A server greeted me and offered me a menu, and needing a caffeine fix, I ordered a macchiato.

I was a little surprised when she didn’t know what a macchiato was, so I said just a double espresso with a little hot milk. Before ordering anything from the a la carte menu, I had a quick peruse of the buffet, and the options were excellent, along the same lines of what I have experienced in very good hotels.

When the server returned to take my order, I just asked for two poached eggs, confident that I would enjoy the items from the buffet alongside. A few minutes later, the server returned, asking when I said poached, did I mean scrambled or boiled eggs.

A quick Google Translate resolved the issue. Everything I ate was well presented and tasted fresh and delicious. Despite the minor hiccups with ordering, the staff in the lounge were incredibly friendly, proactive, and well-intentioned. I sat in the central area of the lounge and was immediately approached by one of the personable staff who asked if they could get me something to drink, but despite the impressive drinks menu, I just stuck to coffee and water; I had a long day ahead.

After wandering about and taking a few snaps of the aircraft movements outside, I thought I would make a slow walk over to the first-class terminal. To do this, I had to clear passport control again to re-enter Germany, which was a non-issue with the immigration officers. It was then quite a few twists and turns through the Schengen departure area until I found myself in arrivals.

Lufthansa First Class Terminal

I knew from reading other blogs and trip reports that it was possible to walk to the First Class. Terminal from arrivals; however, it is really only designed for those being dropped off at FRA by car. It thankfully appeared in Google Maps because there is absolutely zero signage or indication of its existence on the walking route. Which is a little odd; it is supposedly the jewel in the crown of the Lufthansa First Class ground experience, so you’d think they would want to shout about it? But the reality is if you were arriving by train at the airport or simply entered ‘Frankfurt Airport’ into the Uber app, you’d likely end up at the main terminal departures and never know about the FCT. Anyway, after a seven-minute walk passing the taxi parking area and the Lufthansa Crew Centre I could see a building with ‘Lufthansa First Class’ adorned on it.

At the ground floor level, there is simply an elevator that takes you up one floor. When the doors opened, a member of LH Ground staff was there to check my passport and boarding card. She was very friendly, introduced herself as ‘my personal concierge’ for the duration of my stay in the FCT, and escorted me to security.

Security was the usual remove laptops and liquids, but they also asked me if I had any shoes in my hand luggage. As I did, they advised these would have to be removed and scanned separately, which I thought I was odd. The LH staff member was waiting on the other side of security for me and advised me she would hold onto my passport and that it would be returned when I was driven to the plane.

She asked me if I had been to the FCT before, and when I said I had not, she gave me a run-down of the facilities, also explaining that the terminal was at its peak and ‘very busy’ but would quieten down in about an hour. Bidding me a pleasant stay, she said not to worry, she would find me around 4:20 pm. My first impression of the terminal was that it was much smaller than I expected. Maybe because they call it a ‘terminal’ or maybe because I thought the lounge in the main terminal was on the small side, but I just expected the FCT to be larger. It certainly seemed at full capacity as well, with the majority of the seats taken, which is perhaps why Lufthansa does not encourage its use for transiting passengers or those arriving by train. I ordered a coffee from the bar, found a recliner in a corner, and caught up with some emails.

I then had a little exploration, and the aesthetic, facilities and food and beverage were virtually identical to the lounge I had visited in the main terminal. The seating in the main lounge was the same type of sofas arranged in the same fashion; the bar looked the same, the dining room identical, even down to the cigar lounge and two nap rooms.

This wasn’t a bad thing; I guess consistency is what a lot of airlines strive for. Personally, though, I prefer the approach Cathay takes with its two first-class lounges at their HKG hub, both of them offering a completely different vibe. Unfortunately, the FCT lacks any views except for the Lufthansa Crew Centre or the airport approach road. The crowd did thin out considerably, so I took the opportunity to check out the ‘rest of the day.’ menu in the dining area. I took a seat, and the menu was presented.

There were only three main course options, which were a burger, veal schnitzel or a beef fillet, so I went with the beef. Although a modest a la carte selection, the buffet offerings are really quite vast, so it isn’t an issue.

I was expecting the server to ask how I liked my steak cooked (rare), but she didn’t, and I was dreading it would be cremated. I was pleasantly surprised when a perfectly cooked medium rare fillet was presented.  The meal was delicious, and by the time I finished, I still had around two- and a-bit hours until I would be collected for boarding.

I was starting to feel a bit tired, so I thought I would give one of the nap rooms a go, which, in line with the rest of the lounge, has more of a functional than luxe aesthetic. Probably down to the four or five coffees I had had by this point, I just could not nod off, but it was pleasant to just relax in a nice quiet, dark room for half an hour in a comfy bed.

I am not a big drinker, but ‘what to do now’ was kicking in, so I decided to have a flick through the cocktail menu and settled on a margarita, which I really enjoyed as it was made with Don Reposado tequila and fresh lime juice.

Around this time, my concierge located me and advised me there would be around a thirty-minute delay to my flight, and her shift was ending; however, she introduced me to her colleague who would take over. At 4:40 pm my new concierge came to get me and three other passengers for the Chicago flight and escorted us in the elevator to the ground floor. Here, there is a desk staffed by an Immigration Officer (who was probably the friendliest and chattiest I have ever encountered) who stamped me out of Germany and returned my passport. The four of us were then handed over to our driver, who loaded us all up in a Lufthansa BMW minivan.

Our driver was someone who obviously enjoyed her job; she was extremely friendly and chatty, even advising us of the weather we could expect in Chicago. It felt surreal to pull up under the nose of the huge 747, where we then entered the gate at ground level and escorted in the lift all the way to the door of the plane where our driver handed us over to the waiting crew.

Thoughts on the First-Class ground offering

I enjoyed the ground experience overall, although the check-in and security experience at FRA could definitely do with some work. I understand a BA-esque’ First Wing’ would be a large investment; however, what I experienced in Miami with American Airlines also worked – the agent that checked me in simply escorted me to the front of the security queue. Basic, yet effective. The lounges themselves were very nice, with the main benefit being no crowds due to the strict access requirements.

I thought the First Class Terminal would blow me away, but I actually enjoyed the First-Class Lounge B more; it offered exactly the same facilities as the FCT, yet was quieter and had fantastic runway views. In terms of aesthetics, the lounges are definitely elegant and immaculate, and the food was plentiful, varied and of a high standard.

Like our writer’s Lufthansa First Class Review? You can also visit our other flight reviews here.