A First Class Flight: Tokyo to Munich LH F (PICS)
Sep 5, 11, 8:49 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: SZG/MUC
Posts: 345
A First Class Flight: Tokyo to Munich LH F (PICS)
Background
This is a recount of my flight with Lufthansa in First from Tokyo to Munich some time ago. After a year of non-stop travelling and then suddenly having to work 11 hour days for (nearly) free I haven't had much time to catch up on writing trip reports. Low and behold I have two days off and thought I'd finally post something. Enjoy!
LINK to Blog Post
One of 20 courses at Tapas Molecular Bar, The Mandarin Oriental
Enjoying a Martini and a Cigar with a smashing view of Tokyo!
After a wonderful stay in Tokyo including an amazing meal at Tapas Molecular Bar, I took the Narita Express to the airport and checked in 2.5 hours before my flight. The agent told me I had access to two First lounges (I already knew this). I also knew that the ANA Suite Lounge would be light years ahead of the out-dated United First Lounge. At least the "alcohol" was free!
This lounge must have last been refurbished in the 80s :-P
Meager offerings at the buffet
Greno what??? Where's the real Champagne!
Well, I decided to try the Champagne anyway since I consider myself to be an open-minded person. :-) However, I made myself a Campari OJ Chaser just in case!
Snacking and drinking at the United First Lounge
After a short stop at duty free to purchase more alcohol, it was off to the "real" lounge.
Entrance to the ANA Suite Lounge
Self-service Noodle Bar
I was actually quite surprised at how small the lounge was. Did I miss something or is it really that small? Anywho, I ordered some Tonkatsu at the Noodle Bar and went to the (drinks) bar for more bubbly, but got distracted by Sake and Japanese beer.
On my way to a food and alcohol-induced coma
Views of the tarmac
If I remember correctly, I was able to squeeze in another round of drinks before boarding, but hey, who's counting!
LH715 NRT-MUC
1230-1740
A340-600
Seat: 1K
Thank God I'm turning left!
Upon boarding I was shown to my seat by a very friendly flight attendant who would go on to become one of the best FA's I have ever had on a flight.
That's her on the right! Oh, and Lufthansa's (old) F product
Yes, I know, the F seats onboard the A340-600s are not up to scratch with other airlines and look more like alien pods waiting to be beamed up to the mothership, but anything beats a 12-hour flight in Economy!
Now...where's that drink?
Champagne and Macadamia Nuts? Don't mind if I do!
Bar setup. It would have been easier for everyone if they had just given me the bottle
Some people get excited about taking off and hearing those Rolls Royce engines roar at full speed. My excitement comes from a much less significant routine on a flight, and that's when the seat belt sign goes...*DING*...because that means service is about to begin. And I get more Champagne...
But first a Gin & Tonic with the Canapes
First Class Canapes
Lunch time
The table is set for a feast. Garlic Bread *drool*
Hey, hey, hey! Just a minute! Where's the Champagne? Luckily, the very attentive FA saw the look of shock in my face as my table laid there with a shortage of alcoholic beverages and promptly replenished my glass.
Not the whole bottle, but it'll do
I never pass up a chance to indulge in copious amounts of vintage Champagne paired with lashings of Caviar...is there really any other reason to fly First Class?
My magical FA at work. Don't be skimpy on that Caviar!
This is a recount of my flight with Lufthansa in First from Tokyo to Munich some time ago. After a year of non-stop travelling and then suddenly having to work 11 hour days for (nearly) free I haven't had much time to catch up on writing trip reports. Low and behold I have two days off and thought I'd finally post something. Enjoy!
LINK to Blog Post
One of 20 courses at Tapas Molecular Bar, The Mandarin Oriental
Enjoying a Martini and a Cigar with a smashing view of Tokyo!
After a wonderful stay in Tokyo including an amazing meal at Tapas Molecular Bar, I took the Narita Express to the airport and checked in 2.5 hours before my flight. The agent told me I had access to two First lounges (I already knew this). I also knew that the ANA Suite Lounge would be light years ahead of the out-dated United First Lounge. At least the "alcohol" was free!
This lounge must have last been refurbished in the 80s :-P
Meager offerings at the buffet
Greno what??? Where's the real Champagne!
Well, I decided to try the Champagne anyway since I consider myself to be an open-minded person. :-) However, I made myself a Campari OJ Chaser just in case!
Snacking and drinking at the United First Lounge
After a short stop at duty free to purchase more alcohol, it was off to the "real" lounge.
Entrance to the ANA Suite Lounge
Self-service Noodle Bar
I was actually quite surprised at how small the lounge was. Did I miss something or is it really that small? Anywho, I ordered some Tonkatsu at the Noodle Bar and went to the (drinks) bar for more bubbly, but got distracted by Sake and Japanese beer.
On my way to a food and alcohol-induced coma
Views of the tarmac
If I remember correctly, I was able to squeeze in another round of drinks before boarding, but hey, who's counting!
LH715 NRT-MUC
1230-1740
A340-600
Seat: 1K
Thank God I'm turning left!
Upon boarding I was shown to my seat by a very friendly flight attendant who would go on to become one of the best FA's I have ever had on a flight.
That's her on the right! Oh, and Lufthansa's (old) F product
Yes, I know, the F seats onboard the A340-600s are not up to scratch with other airlines and look more like alien pods waiting to be beamed up to the mothership, but anything beats a 12-hour flight in Economy!
Now...where's that drink?
Champagne and Macadamia Nuts? Don't mind if I do!
Bar setup. It would have been easier for everyone if they had just given me the bottle
Some people get excited about taking off and hearing those Rolls Royce engines roar at full speed. My excitement comes from a much less significant routine on a flight, and that's when the seat belt sign goes...*DING*...because that means service is about to begin. And I get more Champagne...
But first a Gin & Tonic with the Canapes
First Class Canapes
Lunch time
The table is set for a feast. Garlic Bread *drool*
Hey, hey, hey! Just a minute! Where's the Champagne? Luckily, the very attentive FA saw the look of shock in my face as my table laid there with a shortage of alcoholic beverages and promptly replenished my glass.
Not the whole bottle, but it'll do
I never pass up a chance to indulge in copious amounts of vintage Champagne paired with lashings of Caviar...is there really any other reason to fly First Class?
My magical FA at work. Don't be skimpy on that Caviar!
Last edited by QFBoy; Sep 13, 11 at 3:10 pm
Sep 5, 11, 8:50 pm
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: SZG/MUC
Posts: 345
An extremely modest portion of Caviar
After inhaling the Lilliputian amount of Caviar on my plate, I was about to put on my best puppy dog face and ask for more, but the FA must have seen the disappointment in my face and gladly offered me a second helping.
I decided to take the Japanese Style Starters and Mains, which I would regret in the end. The Braised Veal Cheek with Dumplings and Broccolini smelled soooo good! I blame the alcohol for the lack of judgement.
Lufthansa has started offering customers marijuana to help them relax on long-haul flights
At least the one piece of sushi was good...everything else was not
On paper it sounded quite reasonable:
Grilled Pepper Beef with salted Plum, grated Radish Sauce, cooked Eggplant and green Pepper Manganji
It turned out to be a disaster. Please do not judge me on my food choices.
Gross
I eat anything. But there was no way I was going to eat this! The beef was chewier than a Michelin tire, the yellow goo had the consistency of a well-known bodily excretion and tasted like glue (as far as I can remember from my kindergarten days) and the vegetables had been in the oven since the last flight to Munich.
I later found out that the FA in the Galley was pretty new at Lufthansa, mid 20s, blonde hair, 6"1, bit of a lisp, nice guy. And I thought only senior crew work in F? Interesting...anyway, I had a pleasant chat with him in the galley after the meal, trying not to comment on his cooking skills. Getting back on track....
More Champagne please!
Prost!
And then dessert...
Cute, pink Japanese sweet
Dessert? Looked more like a teenage girl's hairpiece. Or a novelty button. I didn't know whether to eat it or use it as a flying weapon to stop J and Y passengers from sneaking into First.
She offered me something more substantial for dessert...
That's more like it
And a few truffles
By this time, I needed to rest my head so I ordered something non-alcoholic (first one all day) to prevent a painful hangover. Gotta keep up the fluids!
Green Tea, Glee and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc (don't know how that got there)
I ended up snoozing for a considerable amount of time until the overhead lights woke me up (rude!), but for a good cause. The gorging would continue...
Delicious Marinated Prawns with Avocado Sauce and more of that Garlic Bread!
Roast Chicken Breast filled with White Bread Mushroom Stuffing
Banana Trifle with Chocolate Sauce and Almonds. A real dessert + dessert wine!
Aside from the first main course, it really was a fantastic flight! The service was friendly, efficient and attentive and my FA was a gem! There truly is "No Better Way To Fly". Thanks Lufthansa!
"I only drink Champagne when I'm happy, and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I am not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty." -Lily Bollinger
My other Trip Reports:
The Good Life Part I : The Westin Sydney, ARIA Restaurant, SYD-SFO QF J (pics, long)
The Good Life Part II: The Westin Market St, Gary Danko’s, Las Vegas and SFO-MUC LH J
The Suite Life: Istanbul and Tokyo in TK F, TG F/J, LX F (pics)
Last edited by QFBoy; Dec 21, 12 at 5:51 pm Reason: Just because...
Sep 6, 11, 1:37 am
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Fairfield County, CT USA
Programs: AA PLT+2MM / DL DM+1MM / A3 *G / Fairmont LT Plat / Ritz Gold / SPG Gold
Posts: 4,077
Nice
Very nice report. Thanks for taking the time to prepare it.
Classic!
Lufthansa has started offering customers marijuana to help them relax on long-haul flights
Sep 6, 11, 2:09 am
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: SZG/MUC
Posts: 345
Originally Posted by Azulcactus
Amazing pictures! The picture of the FA is really great, it looks like something LH could use in a company promo.
Originally Posted by NYBanker
The links to the other trip reports aren't working for me.
Last edited by QFBoy; Sep 6, 11 at 3:59 am
Sep 6, 11, 2:04 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: IAD/DCA/FLL/MIA
Programs: UA*Lifetime GS, SQ*PPS, AA*EXP, Hyatt*Globalist
Posts: 11,001
Very nice photos indeed!
I love seeing good photos in TRs. They help me to improve my own photo skills!
I hope you do more TRs whenever you have the opportunities.
I love seeing good photos in TRs. They help me to improve my own photo skills!
I hope you do more TRs whenever you have the opportunities.
Sep 7, 11, 10:45 am
#15
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Iver
Programs: BA GOLD/OWE BA Amex Prem Plus Tesco Airmiles Qantas Bronze IHG SPG Eithad
Posts: 2,879
Well what can I say, i sat at my desk drooling over those lovely pictures on LH F, and what a lovely seat, you certainly looked extremely happy the food looked amazing just wish i could have been sitting there as well having all the different course, they looked so well presented, they almost jumped out at me. They were so clear and sharp, what camera do you use, like the fact also that the trolley comes round, was the F section full!
