Cargojon

This.

Just returned last night on LH C FRA - PHL and it was crap. Service and food were good - seat is awful

NewbieRunner

Really? So they covered the old blue material with grey, arranged them in reverse v-shape and let them recline a bit futher?

Of course I've only seen photographs and read comments by people who've flown on one of those birds which claim to come with the new C. There are two 748s and 3 A333s with these seats so far by the way.

entropy

UA C > LH C for the seat; which is all that really matters on the overnight.

F is a wonderful experience on LH, but more wonderful ex-FRA with the excellent ground product and not wanting to rush through dinner to sleep.

ijgordon

Oh, yes, based on what I've read about UA F (and what I've experienced on its closest peer, AA F), I'd say that the LH soft product in F is much better than UA.

But the LH old F hard product is awful. I do not find it comfortable to sleep on; on 2 of my 3 flights in that product the seats didn't even go fully flat (apparently a tech issue), and heaven forbid you're traveling alone and get stuck in a center seat where you're practically on top of your seatmate. For a day flight, it'd be fine though (except for the center seat issue).

sannmann

My concern about the new LH C seat is the very small foot partition between oneself and his/her seatmate and the shared footrest. From the pictures I have seen of it, the partition looks thin and flimsy. I'd be concerned about ending up inadvertently playing footsy with said seatmate.

http://konzern.lufthansa.com/en/them...business-class

Flyer IAH

What are you referring to with 'center seat issue' in LH F? All LH F have direct aisle access, there is no middle seat

Back on topic, based on my experience LH F (new and old) is superior than UA F.

5khours

Basically agree, although I would rank UA F above old LH F primarily because of better seat comfort especially if you're doing a red-eye. New LH F is miles ahead of UA. Also in some U.S. airports, check-in, TSA and boarding are not great when flying LH F.

ijgordon

I never once said "middle" seat. I am referring to the two seats in the center of the aircraft, in the 1-2-1 configuration. They are very close to one another; minimal privacy for an F product.

You will be touching elbows:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Lufth...0-642/2002759/

And in the sleeping position, you may very well be staring in your seatmate's face (or he in yours). This is from a 744 across the aisle on the upper deck. You can see how the seat doesn't go fully flat (as I mentioned this seems to be a technical issue, but is alarmingly common), and the privacy screen doesn't screen anything.

TGGDEL

So, I have a related question - am looking to fly NYC - CPH, currently I have two options.
UA F through BRU, or LH C (748i) through IAD and FRA.
I'm torn - UA is only one stop, in F, overnight, bigger seats etc. LH is new C, which is fun, but longer trip, is the soft product that much better on LH?
Thanks

StingWest

Avoiding a 2nd stop-over, esp IAD, should be a priority! (and FRA's not fun either) Given these choices, there's really no contest: UA F, meaning the new UA F (not the old F still out there on some 777's), is great! The seat is huge and comfortable, lots of storage space and privacy. The service is generally good, occasionally great, and once in a blue-moon poor. They have improved the food a lot in my opinion, since June 1.

Flyer IAH

I know you did not mention 'middle seat', but I just do not understand why you would be 'on top of your seatmate' on someone sitting next to you

All I am saying is I have experienced LH F and I find it superior to UA F, and my seat was fully flat. But great, you prefer UA, then fly them on F.

Zoui21

Just as a note to OP:
Wait and see if LX C opens up, or even better if LX/LH F open up, definitely the better options. In my experience LX C> UA C> LH C

Haven't flown LH new C, but sounds better than UA C, especially considering you get to go on the brand-spanking-new 747-8i.

From what I've read, definitely take LX/LH F if you can, although as mentioned, LH F could go bad if you get old F.

Cheers

AggieTraveler

I just flew LH C IAH-FRA in May, and I did not like it at all (I assume it's the old product). It was one of the most uncomfortable seats I've had, even just for sitting in. Maybe it's because I'm short, but it just hit me in all the wrong places. I couldn't find a comfortable position. Also, it was the angled lie flat, which affected my sleep a lot more than I thought it would. Service and food weren't that great either, even though I normally like LH service.

I flew UA C LHR-IAH returning, and thought it was awesome - both the hard and soft product. I've never flown F, so I can't compare to that, but it was the best service I've ever had on a plane.

weero

Yes I agree that they are not physically the same seat as on the older planes and the arrangement is indeed nicer.
But they are still the same narrow stretchers, you still have to climb over your neighbors at the window seats ... so still a long, long shot from anything EK or SQ have on the newer - i.e. 5 to 7 year old - birds.
The insanely long conversion periods for the new F and the new C were circulated in the LH fora ... it for once is not my speculation.

You want to go where?

Agreed, but we are comparing LH to UA not to EK or SQ in this thread.

My thoughts -

Hard product

New LH F > UA F > Old LH F > UA Biz > New LH Biz > Old LH Biz >old UA Biz.

Soft Product

LH F (either version, big time) > UA F (barely beats LH C) > LH Biz > UA Biz

Various Comments:

Old LH F hard product - I found the bed perfectly comfortable, better than the UA bed which I found narrower, because of the sloping sides. I have never encountered the problem which ijgordon refers to of staring into someone else's face. As to the seat not going fully flat, this slight incline, counteracts the angle at which the plane is flying. Inflight entertainment has never meant that much to me, so old LH F smaller screen wasn't a big problem.

New LH C Hard product. In the angled version, there isn't a problem with the foot separator being effective. It may appear flimsy, but it isn't. My problem is that the space that is left for the feet, is just a bit too narrow. it is ok as a food rest, but not good for sleeping.

Soft Product -

Unlike, some, I find UA's food mediocre and their wines are the basic plonk which are served in chain restaurants, no matter what the class of service. Occasionally, I feel that way about LH C, but am, more often than not satisfied.

Service levels on LH are consistently better than UA. Very rarely, you will get a great UA F crew, but most are just going through the motions. In LH it is the reverse - very rarely you will get an LH crew that is going through the motions, but most of the time, they are really on top of their game.