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Lufthansa First Class and First Class Terminal

This is part one of my Barcelona trip – for parts two and three, please see below.

Barcelona – Lufthansa First Class and First Class Terminal
Barcelona – Mandarin Oriental, Gaudi and Mammoth Museum
Barcelona – The Food

Today I want to share the first segment of our trip to Barcelona – which actually doesn’t even take place in Barcelona! Instead, it will just cover my experience on Lufthansa First and their First Class Terminal in Frankfurt, which I was incredibly impressed with.

I’m not a plane or airline nut so I’ve never been super passionate about aviation. I just always try to get booked on an Asian airline whenever possible, and go with it. Mr. Feather however, has been super interested in planes since a young boy and from his time in the military, and as a fluent German speaker has always been a fan of Lufthansa. I finally got to experience their long haul product and I was so impressed that I wanted to dedicate a whole post to it, it’s such a slick, fantastic experience from a product and service standpoint. Bravo!

LH First

The Lufthansa first class cabin has a very spacious layout, in my experience it was very close to Asiana, with pretty large TV screens and a nice color scheme.

LH Seat

Mr. Feather and I were booked in the “couple’s seat” which was in the back of the cabin. I was very happy to be placed in this seat, when booked in these types of setups I always end up chattering and bothering my seat mate endlessly which in this case was my hapless husband. He was continually ordering me refills of Cuvée Louise, probably in an effort to put me to sleep!

LH Couples Seat

Shortly after sitting down, meal service began – which started with an amuse bouche of smoked salmon.

LH Amuse Bouche

Next came the appetizer portion, which was by far my favorite part. Caviar! I love caviar but rarely have it anymore since I’m a cheapie in restaurants and never want to pay the surcharge. Lufthansa starts all their meals with a rolling trolley of caviar and appetizers and you can have as much as you want. The only other airline I’ve been on that does this has been Cathay.

LH Caviar

Then after appetizers, came the entrees. Choices included lobster tail and a vegetarian choice which is the one I ordered. Below was Mr. Feather’s choice, a roasted chicken with bok choy and forbidden rice.

LH Forbidden Rice

Then came dessert, which was a chocolate lava cake with vanilla yogurt ice cream.

LH Dessert

Overall I was quite impressed with the food on Lufthansa. Honestly I’d probably rate it slightly below that of Asian airlines like Singapore/Cathay/Asiana, but only because my personal preferences are for lighter Asian food, especially when traveling. It was still great though and the caviar was fantastic.

After the meal came turndown, a service I always appreciate. United has started doing this as well – can you believe it? An American airline!

LH Turn Down

A photo of my husband sleeping, probably one of the few you will ever see of him on this site. Mr. Feather sleeps very cherubically which is unfair because I’m a tremendously ugly sleeper. Mouth open and everything.

LH Mr Feather

After we slept, we were woken up about an hour before landing for a light breakfast. After that, we landed in Frankfurt for our connection to Barcelona.

In Frankfurt, Lufthansa has quite a few first class lounges to choose from. The purser on board advised that if we had two hours or more, we should go to the Terminal. It was early morning when we arrived. As you can see, it’s a separate free standing building that has it’s own security check in. When you walk in, you’re met by a personal assistant who takes your boarding passes and escorts you through.

LH First Terminal

Once you’re through security, you enter the main lounge, which is pretty huge.

LH FCT Interior

Immediately on the right was the bar, which was very impressive. They had a great collection which included premium sakes and 86 different kinds of whiskey. They also made smoothies there which is what I ordered. If you put the world’s most expensive champagne in front of me and a good smoothie, well I’d actually probably pick the champagne because of the novelty but my heart would be with the smoothie!

LH FCT Bar

The terminal also had a large cigar bar…

LH FCT Cigar Lounge

..as well as quite a few private rooms, for you to take a nap, or get a massage…

LH FCT Private Room

And also huge bathrooms that came complete with large showers and a tub for you to refresh yourself.

LH FCT Bathroom

Unfortunately I didn’t get to have a massage or take a shower, I was too lazy and just wanted to curl up in a chair and drink my smoothies (I had two!).  About fifteen minutes before our flight was supposed to be departing, our assigned assistant came up to us with our boarding passes and asked us to go with her to the carport.

LH FCT Carport

Because the First Class Terminal is in a separate building next to the airport, Lufthansa actually drives you right up to your plane. They have a whole lot filled with Porsche and Mercedes sedans.

LH FCT Carport 2

You pile in, and then the driver takes you through all the runways to your plane. This was such a fun experience, I loved seeing all the planes up close from the car.

LH Planes

Finally you arrive at your plane, typically after most of the other passengers have already boarded, and the driver walks you right up to the boarding queue.

LH Plane

And then we were off…just a few hours away from Spain! What an amazing product from Lufthansa, from start to finish. I was very happy to have had the chance to experience it, and of course I hope one day the First Class Terminal and I will meet again (with massages and all). I hope you enjoyed this very aviation heavy trip report, and my next few travel pieces will be in actual Barcelona of course. Thank you for reading!

45 Comments

  • Reply
    Lili
    January 7, 2013 at 7:37 am

    so impressive!!!! im taking notes!!!

  • Reply
    Ammu
    January 7, 2013 at 8:03 am

    Sounds dreamy! I love your travel posts. Glad you had such a good time!

  • Reply
    Annabelle
    January 7, 2013 at 9:04 am

    Wow, that’s pretty impressive all around! Makes me want to take another trip myself.

  • Reply
    Hilary
    January 7, 2013 at 9:06 am

    Amazing!! Thanks for sharing (since I will probably never see that terminal) 😉

  • Reply
    Linda
    January 7, 2013 at 9:24 am

    That must for sure have been a first class experience! I don’t think that I will be able to experience this but thank you so much for sharing. I enjoyed this blog post a lot! Cheers, Linda

  • Reply
    Whitney Worthington
    January 7, 2013 at 9:25 am

    What an impressive way to travel. I will have to think about Lufthansa the next time I am going international!

  • Reply
    Mrs C
    January 7, 2013 at 9:38 am

    Wow! Personal car to the aircraft? Now that’s something 🙂 Thanks for sharing this fabulous pictures, Kat!

    Greetings from:
    MRS JACK OF ALL TRADES DAILY
    http://mrsjackofalltradesdaily.blogspot.com/

  • Reply
    adele
    January 7, 2013 at 9:53 am

    I agree with you, this does look a good standard of 1st class. I think all the airlines are currently fighting it out over who’s got the best facilities & on board cabins!!
    Happy Monday Hun xoxo
    http://www.intotheblonde.com/

  • Reply
    Jan
    January 7, 2013 at 10:12 am

    So nice! On a trip back from Stockholm many years back we flew first, but it was NOTHING like that!

  • Reply
    Maryana
    January 7, 2013 at 10:17 am

    What a wonderful service. Smoked salmon, and dessert… Um-m… Good. How much does it cost to fly First class Lufthanza?

  • Reply
    Marlene @ chocolatecookiesandcandies
    January 7, 2013 at 11:07 am

    Oh wow! That’ll be my dream. To travel first class long haul!

  • Reply
    Atiqa
    January 7, 2013 at 11:10 am

    Wow these are amazing …can’t wait for the rest of your pics

  • Reply
    Anouka
    January 7, 2013 at 11:24 am

    I love Lufthansa! The food looks amazing. Thanks for sharing.

    LUXESSED

  • Reply
    DSK Steph
    January 7, 2013 at 11:31 am

    Now that is traveling in style!!

  • Reply
    Beau
    January 7, 2013 at 12:25 pm

    Everything looks so lovely! Is youe spouse Russian?

    • Reply
      Katherine
      January 7, 2013 at 1:45 pm

      Hi Beau, no he isn’t, he just speaks a few languages 🙂

      • Reply
        Beau
        January 7, 2013 at 2:34 pm

        … and he knows how to take care of his lady.

  • Reply
    irugnotmis
    January 7, 2013 at 1:06 pm

    thank you for sharing! it was such an interesting read!

  • Reply
    Bel
    January 7, 2013 at 2:43 pm

    What a great experience; I love your travel posts! I’m surprised there wasn’t a red/black carpet from the car to the plane 🙂

  • Reply
    NewPetite
    January 7, 2013 at 4:40 pm

    That is first class!! Interesting post but then again I love all your travel posts!

  • Reply
    Kl
    January 7, 2013 at 5:20 pm

    Loved reading this post Katherine. I doubt I will ever see personally first class travel arrangements so I loved peeping yours! Amazing!
    X kl

  • Reply
    T
    January 7, 2013 at 9:52 pm

    I love your blog!!
    Thanks for the post, the first class cabin looks so luxurious!

    May I ask if you pay full price for all your first class flights or do you use a special website to find discounts? I would love to fly first on long haul but sadly it is usually an arm and a leg! Vancouver to HK is about $8,000-$10,000 (business class is about $6000) via Cathay. I usually just fly economy so I can put the savings towards shopping or a nice hotel.

    Also, do you think you can do a post about what to pack while travelling? I know you wrote a post about only bringing a carry on and packing pjs for the plane, but I would like to know what you specifically pack on your trip to keep it down to a carry on. What do you bring for shoes, clothes, bags, makeup and toiletries?
    Lately I have discovered packing cubes, and those help keep things neat and orderly and take up less space, but I always have trouble deciding on shoes, bags and toiletries take up so much space!! I would be so grateful if you can share your tips!! 🙂

    Oh and any specific carry on that you recommend?

    • Reply
      Katherine
      January 7, 2013 at 10:00 pm

      Hi T, we almost never pay full price. I have a friend who lets me know about good discounts and will typically help us book, and we also try to upgrade from biz to first whenever possible, or from economy to biz as well. If I’m flying domestically, I almost always just book economy, the price difference (unless it’s teensy) isn’t worth it to me for the hours in the air. We also fly a very disgusting amount for work (especially my husband) to the point where we have GS status on United which helps us get upgraded domestically. We don’t use special websites to book, I think it is more about timing and grabbing fares when they go on sale so just keep checking periodically.

      I use packing cubes too 🙂 Thanks for your travel request, I’ll try to do a post on that one day in the future and show you all what I actually pack for a trip. Our next one is probably a beach one so I’m not sure how useful it will be but I will try to include details on toiletries!

      For carry ons I use my little Globe Trotter and have had no issues with it so far – I’d also recommend Rimowa! My husband loves his Tumi and for trips where a light bag is needed I use my little Le Sportsac.

  • Reply
    Amy
    January 7, 2013 at 10:11 pm

    Katherine, can you take me on your next trip? :p Just kidding! I just love the photos you share of your flights!

    Lufthansa looks like it was an amazing experience. By the time I got to the end of your post, I’d forgotten that you were on airplane, and not a hotel lobby or restaurant. Thanks for sharing this with us!

  • Reply
    retrodaze
    January 8, 2013 at 1:45 am

    Wow what a great post! Thanks for taking the time to write that and the pics too, I loved the insight into first class – unlimited caviar sounds amazing and what a nice touch with the personal drive to the plane. More pics of the hubby please – he seems really nice! 🙂

    • Reply
      Katherine
      January 8, 2013 at 10:36 am

      Thanks retro! Hubby is very shy to be on the site 🙂

  • Reply
    guest
    January 8, 2013 at 10:36 am

    This is how the other have lives…love it!

    On my vacation flight home, a dude went bezerk and was duct-taped to his seat. I’m living vicariously through this 🙂

    • Reply
      Katherine
      January 8, 2013 at 11:55 am

      OMG you were on that flight? I’d love to hear details!

  • Reply
    tiffany
    January 8, 2013 at 10:49 am

    amazing! Now that’s the way to travel! Love this post and can’t wait to see the posts of your actual trip! 🙂

  • Reply
    Call me M
    January 8, 2013 at 2:55 pm

    So this is first class! I’ve never traveled first class, and it really seems like an amazing experience. I wanted to ask a few things too, but reading your answers above, covered all of them! 🙂
    Thank you for taking these pictures and letting us take a look on what it feels like to fly first class. I love these kinds of posts.

  • Reply
    Trey
    January 8, 2013 at 4:57 pm

    I love how the big red rose sets off the soothing colors of the cabin. Elegant! It almost seems a shame to go to sleep with such great food, drink and atmosphere! Thanks for another great travel post, K.

    • Reply
      Katherine
      January 8, 2013 at 6:05 pm

      Hi T! I hope you had a great holiday, wishing you the best for 2013 🙂

  • Reply
    Florence
    January 8, 2013 at 11:50 pm

    I think your husband is a cutie haha! 😉

    Great post, thanks for sharing!

  • Reply
    stina auer
    January 9, 2013 at 2:21 am

    Wow, it looks like you’ve travelled in style for sure. Done that a couple of times in my life and always been impressed by the impeccable service and food abroad. Very often though, I don’t feel the enormous price different is worth it, but when traveling very far I would love to do it every time.

    Very nice post! Thank you!

    Best,
    stina auer

  • Reply
    anonymous
    January 9, 2013 at 4:09 am

    I’ve always wondered what first class was like on international flights and this is amazing! I loved the blog post, it was specific and had lots of great pictures as well.
    Would love to see more reviews of planes/terminals/lounges the next time you fly!

    • Reply
      Katherine
      January 9, 2013 at 9:30 am

      Thank you, I’ll definitely try to include more, I’ve been lazy about taking photos on our trips!

  • Reply
    Christine Brightside
    January 9, 2013 at 3:14 pm

    LH is the best airline there is. I had a lot of international and also inner-Europe flights last year and my hoice was always LH. Munich also has an own LH terminal at the airport. I also think they have the best reward programme (I am “just” a Senator though, being a Hon must be awsome!).

  • Reply
    Diva In Me
    January 18, 2013 at 11:14 am

    All I did was Ooo and aahh..through the browse from the start of your post till the end =D
    My bf usually will not pay for 1st class. He will only go up to business class as he think it’s definitely not worth to pay for a 1st class seat when one can enjoy the comfort of business class. I can only wish to have a friend like you have! LOL!
    Lufthansa looks like a great airline.

  • Reply
    Embla
    January 25, 2013 at 9:03 am

    Yay! I love Lufthansa’s first class terminal! Next time, be sure to get a shower! They have rubber duckies that are fun to collect – this past winter/holiday duck was pretty cute. 🙂 If you have any upcoming travel, be sure to check out Thai’s first class lounge in Bangkok and Emirates’ new first class “lounge” (it’s really its own floor in the Emirates terminal – it’s huge!).

    I second the request for a travel post! Would love some tips on how/what to pack for utmost efficiency. 🙂

    • Reply
      Katherine
      January 25, 2013 at 9:49 am

      Hi Embla! Is the Emirates one in Dubai? I’d love to try it, I’ve seen the one in Bangkok. And I’d love to fly Thai sometime, I love Asian airlines.

      My husband actually collects those rubber duckies from his trips and was quite annoyed a while ago when I threw them out – LOL! I felt so bad and tried to get him another holiday one this time around but they were already out. I’ll have to go back again!

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  • Reply
    MightyTravels
    January 14, 2014 at 3:28 pm

    Nice post! I wonder how many people are waiting for January 15th to book the last possible Lufthansa First Class award. I’m certainly hoping I can make one last trip happen with United Miles before the February 1st deadline!

    • Reply
      Katherine
      January 14, 2014 at 8:09 pm

      Oh my..what is January 15th??

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