Arrival at the First Class Terminal

After a very nice and tasty breakfast in the first class lounge I decided to stretch my legs a bit and head for the famous Lufthansa First Class Terminal.

To get there you have to go airside (in my case through most of the A-pier), then down the escalator to the arrivals level, through the doors to the taxi stand/hotel shuttle bus stop, and then to the left.
It is quite obvious the terminal was originally meant for passengers starting their journey in Frankfurt, arriving at the terminal by taxi or car, and not really for passengers in transit.
However there is no problem walking to the first class terminal from the regular terminal 1, but you have to walk through the taxi waiting area where the taxi drivers have their breaks, followed by some maintenance areas. It is not a particularly enjoyable walk.

After having passed the small shop/cafeteria in the taxi area I could see the terminal right in front of me on the opposite side of the small road.
There is a small staircase leading to the upper floor where the entrance and the car/taxi drop off area are located.



There were no staff waiting outside the terminal when I arrived, so I just walked in.
The first thing inside is a rather large lobby with a nice-looking Lufthansa reception desk to the right and a seating area to the left. However there was not a person to be seen there either.
I had used the first class terminal once before. At that time I arrived at the terminal by taxi from downtown Frankfurt and I was met outside by both a personal assistant and a porter, they arrived before I had even got out of the taxi. So this was of course slightly different...

After a few moments a man showed up and apologised for the wait. Fair enough, I got the chance to take a few extra photos in the lobby instead, so not the end of the world.
He was to be my personal assistant during the visit, a very sympathetic and pleasant man.

He had a quick look at my boarding pass to make sure I was entitled to terminal access and then escorted me the remaining three meters to the dedicated security control in the terminal.
With only me passing it was obviously a very quick and pleasant experience and the staff working there were both friendly and helpful.



Straight after the security control is a small duty free shop on the left side. They have most of the standard products: perfumes, cosmetics, alcohol, chocolates and of course some luxury goods.
I read somewhere that if there is anything in particular you are looking for that they don’t have they can get it for you from one of the larger shops in the regular terminal while you wait, of course assuming there is enough time.

Once inside the main lounge my personal assistant gave me a brief introduction to the first class terminal and the facilities available. Furthermore he said I could naturally approach him at any time if I had any questions or requests during my stay.



He invited me to take a seat and then said he would be back with my boarding pass in a few minutes.
All passengers have to be registered in the terminal upon arrival so the staff can keep track of departure times and arrange the limousine transfers.
After you have been registered your flight also appears on the departure monitors with the appropriate “gate” in the basement to use for the limo.
There are three different “gates” in the basement and I believe the reason for that is to separate passengers based on where they travel to and what immigration/security checks they need to pass.

Inside the terminal



The first class terminal is quite large, especially considering the limited number of passengers who are entitled to use it. The terminal definitely never felt crowded and each passenger had plenty of personal space. And there was certainly no wait for anything, whether it would be a drink order or a visit to the restroom.

There are plenty of seats by the window facing the apron, mostly very comfortable light brown leather seats.
Unfortunately there is not much of a view from the terminal though, most of the view is obstructed by office and maintenance buildings. In that sense the first class lounge in the A-pier had an advantage over the terminal.



The first class terminal has similar facilities to the first class lounge in the A-pier, including a sit-down restaurant, a very extensive bar, a cigar lounge and great shower facilities.
There is also free WIFI available, although you need to ask the staff for a voucher which will give you two hours of access.
If you don’t have your own laptop I believe you can rent one (for free) in the terminal.



There is also a very extensive selection of newspapers and magazines in the lounge, there are easily magazines to cover most people’s interests.



The bar

The Lufthansa first class terminal has a wonderful bar with an incredible selection of premium champagnes, wines, spirits, liqueurs and soft drinks.
Just to mention a few examples there are 6 brands of champagne, 8 types of red wine, and something like 80 types of whisky including some rare and vintage ones
The staff can also mix a large number of cocktails and prepare coffee drinks.
And of course everything is available free of charge and you can mix and match and try as much as you want.



I took photos of all the pages in the drink list as I think it is quite spectacular. I have actually taken the time to type all of it, you’ll find the full drink list below for your enjoyment.
I wonder how many bars in the world can match this selection....

There were several bartenders who frequently passed through the terminal to take drink orders. The drink list is available at every larger table where there were also some snacks available on a nicely decorated tray.
Then of course you can always go to the bar yourself to have a look at the amazing display of bottles and discuss the selection with the staff. From my experience many of them are quite knowledgeable about what they have on the shelves.



I decided to give the champagne selection a try and started off by taking the advice from my friend and fellow FT-member View to try the more unusual Mandois Blanc-de-Blanc, which was quite tasty.
The other champagne brands included Taittinger, Bollinger and Ruinart.



The drinks selection is almost the same in the terminal as in the first class lounges in the main terminal.

The restaurant

Just like the first class lounge the first class terminal has a very nice restaurant where guests can choose from a very extensive buffet selection and have a seat at one of the nicely decorated tables.

The chairs and tables in the first class terminal are basically the same as in the first class lounge, but the restaurant in the terminal has a more modern and contemporary feeling to it.
There is no natural light in the restaurant, but some nice lighting effects instead.



There was a menu available on every table describing the food available in the buffet.
As I had a seat in the restaurant just before 11 am the breakfast dishes had been replaced by a proper lunch buffet with plenty of cold cuts, hot dishes, soups, vegetables, breads and desserts.

Here is the menu for the buffet:

There were plenty of nice dishes available, all looking very appetising, fortunately everything is available for self-service so you can try a bit of everything if you want.
However the main problem for me was that I had a first class meal to look forward to in the afternoon and needed to save some room for that.

Here are a few photos of the very extensive lunch buffet:


The self-service buffet


Some of the food, including the pasta, the Asian dishes, and the lovely smoked salmon


Cold cuts


Cold cuts, breads, fruits and desserts


Selection of wines in the restaurant

I got some food the buffet, it ended up being a little bit of everything, and had a seat at one of the tables.
A moment later one of the lounge attendants arrived and asked me if I wanted anything to drink with the meal. I decided to have some red wine and she asked me if there was anything in particular I wanted to try.
To make it easier we went just around the corner to the drink trolley and I had a look at the drink list which included a list of all the wines available.
The choice fell on the 2005 Marchese Antinori, a Chianti wine from Tuscany in Italy. I usually like Italian wines and this was another nice one!
The pleasant attendant brought the bottle to my table and let elegantly let me taste the wine properly before she poured a glass for me.



After a tasty meal I asked for a cup of black coffee, which was prepared for me at the bar.
I also got some fresh fruits from the buffet and eventually could not resist trying one of the very nice desserts. The chocolate mousse dessert was delicious!



I was very full but incredibly satisfied when I had finished the meal. The food was very tasty and filling and so was the wine.
Just as I had finished my cup of coffee my personal assistant arrived, it was time to go downstairs, the limo transfer was waiting...



Verdict

The first class terminal is a truly fabulous place to kill some time inside.
The facilities are great, the terminal is in an excellent and spotless condition and the selection of food and drinks is simply mind-blowing. The main problem is that you simply cannot eat or drink too much as you probably have a first class flight coming up with an extensive meal service onboard.

The service is also very good, however I did get the feeling it has declined a little bit since the terminal opened a few years ago. I seem to remember it as slightly more attentive when I visited the terminal last time.
Still the Lufthansa first class terminal and first class lounges in Frankfurt are easily some of the best first class ground facilities around.

Next: Finally time for some more flying, and a fun limousine transfer...