Lufthansa First Class DEN-FRA
From the nicely refurbished United Club West, I watched our 744 pull in to its gate.
At T-45, we took the train to the A concourse and walked over to our gate.
As I stood by the window, a gentleman asked me to take his photo with the 744, and it turned out to be another miles junkie who snatched 83C before I got a chance at online check-in
It was a first for both of us -- my first LH F flight, and his first on the 744 -- and we laughed giddily and geeked out for a bit while my fiancee looked on with her best “I’m marrying
this?” expression.
Of course, that all changed once boarding was called and we walked up the steps to the upper deck.
The bed, even a tad bigger than I expected:
Plenty of storage in the seat:
And I was able to fit my entire carry-on in the drawer (there was a closet in the back of the cabin for rollaboards):
The purser came by to introduce himself, and Krug was poured as we sat at the gate.
Pajamas were passed out, along with amenity kits:
While the Rimowa cases were very cool, the contents were a bit underwhelming:
We got underway at about 5:35PM, and were soon at 36,000 feet.
While I waited for dinner service, I watched a movie about an airplane over Nebraska.
I must say, the service did feel a bit slow. But to be fair to the crew, one of the FA’s apologized to me for it (proactively, I didn’t bring it up). She mentioned that three passengers bought upgrades at the gate, which is why we were flying at 8/8, and they weren’t fully prepared.
In fact, they ran out of my first meal choice (lobster) before they got to me, though I tried my fiancee’s, and I didn’t regret going for the steak
Dinner started with a delicious salmon amuse bouche:
Followed by excellent caviar service:
And three appetizers -- beef tataki (tender and fantastic), beet ravioli (a bit too salty for me) and scallops (didn’t try these). Unfortunately, I was about five glasses of champagne in by dinner time, and I forgot to turn on my overhead light. Thus, the first few photos didn’t come out well at all. By the time I realized it, the tataki and ravioli were long gone. Our photos pick back up with entrees.
My tenderloin was terrific -- tender, juicy, flavorful, and actually medium rare.
The fiancee preferred her lobster, but I thought the steak was better. Of course, that didn’t stop me from happily finishing her food.
The meal was followed by a choice of desserts. I passed on the cake and flan, but I did partake in the cheese plate.
And while I claimed to have no more room, the FA tempted me with some incredible chocolates, washed down by a glass of J.W. Blue.
After some after-dinner carousing with our friend in 83C, we went to bed.
I fell asleep for around five hours, waking up 50 minutes before arrival. The bed was comfortable and firm, and the pajamas very soft. The comforter, though, was a bit much in an already-warm cabin.
Much to the disappointment of our FA, we both declined breakfast on the grounds of still being far too stuffed from dinner, and it wasn’t long before we landed in foggy Frankfurt.
My takeaways? Lufthansa has an incredible first class product, hands down. That’s no secret.
I’m still undecided on whether the bed-and-seat is more of a gimmick than a true advantage, as I’m not sure I found it any more comfortable than other lie-flat products I’ve tried.
However, the seat, the service and the food were the best I’ve experienced in flight. Easily.
But what really put the experience over the top was where we headed next...