volta

Seats are the same. I like upper deck a bit better, because of extra storage room by window seats.

NewbieRunner

You get extra storage space only if you choose a window seat on the upper deck. Rows 81 and 84 are considered to be best on the upper deck.

Although the seats themselves might be the same, middle pairs of seats on the lower deck have a wider angle between the seats as you see in this photo.

flyercity

So finally got to fly on the 747-8 IAD-FRA the other day. Here is my Y-class report:

Overall, this is a very nice plane, although not as innovative or nice as hoped for.

The pluses are the high ceilings, mood lights, sense of space, decent seats and quieter environment.

The biggest minus IMHO are the IFE boxes. Why can some airlines on some aircraft, e.g. SQ 777-300 ER, provide a fantastic IFE system without obstructing every other person's feet but LH cannot?

I also noticed that while the overhead bins are very roomy (overall the cabin is very 777-esque), the bins get a lot smaller from row 44 onwards, and the ceiling is not as high as in the rest of the plane. That is because of the crew rest area above. Not a big deal but someone could definitely have thought this through a bit more, not least for aesthetic reasons.

As with all LH IFEs the touch screens are very cumbersome, not responsive and just very annoying.

The armrest buttons are not very well thought through either. There is no remote as you will find with many other airlines. Also, although the attendant call button is 'protected' by a tiny plastic rim which is supposed to stop people's elbows etc. from accidentally pressing it, the sheer amount of accidental activations tells me that this solution does not work.

For the Airshow, LH came up with a FS type of display where you can see the plane in sort-of 3D and also some cockpit view simulations. The problem with this 3D effect is that it often makes it difficult to pinpoint exactly where you are. I guess it is supposed to look flashy but it's just not very functional. The other issue with this software is that it keeps showing earth as dot in space on which it then zooms in. Is LH trying to go intergalactic?

The aircon vents are pretty loud in Y-class. Also, while the noise levels are far better than on older aircraft such as the 747-400, the 747-8 is definitely louder in the cabin than the A380, especially during take off.

The bathrooms are nice but nothing special, no real innovation apparent. They also don't have the foot pedal for the trash bin - really missed a trick there.

If I was flying on my own in Y-class and no front row seats were available, I would probably go for 47 B or J as - unlike row 56 on the LH 747-400 - you can actually slip out on the side and to the back without having to wake up the person in C or H. So you get a window, no one has to climb over you, and you don't have to climb over anyone else either. Being in the last row is not as annoying as usual since there are two more middle rows behind. I would definitely avoid those, though.

One last observation is that the 747-8 is very nimble. After take off, the pilots did a few turns, banking here and there, and you just felt the plane loved it and that the pilots loved it too. So whereas with the A380 you always get the feeling that the plane is very reluctant to turn, climb, or move much at all, that 747-8 is very different in this regard.

So overall, I think this is a wonderful plane and I will make every effort to fly on it whenever possible. Having said that, I really think that Boeing missed a few tricks here. There is nothing at all which is innovative in the sense that I haven't seen it before. If it had been introduced 10 years ago, the 747-8 would have been fantastic. Now it seems as if it is too little too late. Of course the 747-F will ensure that the 747 will go on for a long time, but sadly I do not think that many airlines will go for the passenger version.

mlm

Would love opinions both good and bad of Lufthansa's 747-8 in Business Class ?

Thank you.

UAPremExecflyer

Did you try looking in this thread http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...-reports.html?

flyercity

One more thing: I was on D-ABYF, Sachsen-Anhalt, and someone had manually drilled holes into the overhead panels above the aisle. 2-4 holes per panel. The location, size and appearance of the holes left no doubt that they were DIY. No idea why they would need these holes but that is the sort of thing that tells me Boeing assigned their B-team to the 747-8 and that things just weren't properly thought through.

enki

While the allure of flying on the 748i for the first time might end up being the deciding factor in a chance, I'm hesitant to give up my currently booked ZRH-YUL on LX in C. So my question is this: For those of you that have flown both, which do you prefer in C, LX on the 333 or 343, or LH on the 748i? The 748i route has one distinct advantage -- I've already paid for F (award flight), so if F space opens up on either FRA-IAD or FRA-LAX next April, I'd jump right on that. But in the meantime, without that guarantee, should I keep my LX flight, or switch to this one?

NewbieRunner

If you are travelling alone (and have one of the single window seats) LX C is definitely preferable to the new LH C. I was also curious but the 748i does not fly the routes I regularly fly. So I planned a trip to experience the 748i. I was in 84A and it would have been ideal if the seat next to me remained empty but somebody must have upgraded himself at the last minute.

The seat itself was fine but if you want a window seat there's no way you can climb over your seat neighbour without disturbing them if the seat is in sleeping mode unless you have very long legs! The huge storage space by the window on the upper deck is great. If you don't mind not having a window seat you can try one of the middle seats on the lower deck. The 748i might be actually better for a couple travelling together because the only good C seats on LX for two people are rows 4 and 6.

But I understand why you want to try the new C on the 748i because I wanted to try it too. It’s a hard decision. Having tried the 748i C once I'm not in a hurry to try it again.

TRAVELSIG

+1

enki

I am traveling alone, so this might make up my mind, barring an opportunity to book F close-in. I would certainly prefer something that gets a bit closer to SFO, rather than connecting to AC in YUL as I am currently scheduled, but will "settle" for LX C for the 8 hour-ish flight I'm on now. Thanks!

NewbieRunner

Presumably no awards on ZRH-SFO or ZRH-LAX? They seem to be very difficult to get.

malgudi

Why does LH show 83A and K as "Preferred Seating" on their seatmaps? This is the seatmap that shows up when you want to choose seats, not this one.

NewbieRunner

On the 748i? I think they may be seats blocked for SEN/HON but not sure why. I can see them on some seatmaps when I try to choose seats.

enki

Not yet. I'd love to find some close-in availability, but when I booked, my only two choices were ZRH-YUL and ZRH-MIA. MIA definitely didn't work, so booked YUL. Then I'm on AC in J from YUL-LAX, then UA Y from LAX-SFO. Definitely not ideal.

northernlights1

Exactly my issue. Seat map on LH showing Y starting at 16. Four of us are traveling and so picked 18 but if thats the usual bulkhead seat with limited leg room then I'll pass. Does anybody know anything about this "new" config on this "new" plane?