The Transfer in Frankfurt is Decidedly not First Class…
I step off the plane from Amsterdam and follow the signs to the Z concourse, where the flight to Bogota will be boarding.
Frankfurt may be a rathole, but the views outside are stunning.
I go through passport control and head one floor up. I find the Senator lounge and inquire about the whereabouts of the First Class lounge. To which the lounge attendant tells me “it‘s not here”. M‘kay, figures. So I try again, “how do I find the First Class lounge?”. She explains to me that I have to head to the start of the Z concourse, go down to ground level and then take a shuttle bus to Terminal B. I may or may not have to go through security again to get back, or there may or may not be a car to take me from the lounge to the aircraft. But she’s not sure, and obviously not interested in finding out for me.
Honestly, I think I won’t bother. So I decide to stay at the Senator lounge here on the Z concourse. Too bad the place is so crowded it’s standing room only.
I give up. I might as well go in search of my departure gate.
Sadly, getting a clear short of my chariot is impossible.
Just my luck. Why does my aircraft have to be parked on such an inconvenient stand to photograph?
This side is no better either.
Boarding
The gate area is a mess. The announcements are so quiet that they‘re barely audible. Apparently, the flight is leaving a few minutes late. But I don‘t know how long the delay is – because I can’t hear. Which is, of course, rather inconvenient because there isn’t any place to sit while we wait.
By this stage, I’m inclined to give Lufthansa zero points for the First Class experience on the ground – because there is none, except that you get to board the aircraft with Group 1. I would have thought that at a horrible airport like Frankfurt, the advantage of First Class would be having the opportunity to avoid the crowds and the horrific queues. So far though, it’s basically an outrageously overpriced Economy Class experience.
Eventually boarding starts with a delay of thirty minutes.
I take a left and head down the airbridge attached to the L1 door.
I‘m greeted by a charming middle-aged woman who shows me to my seat on 1A and helps me store my things.
The Cabin
The current Lufthansa cabin hardly needs an introduction. A new First is in the pipeline, but I‘m not sure they‘ll actually roll that out before I die of old age.
Speaking of age, the Lufthansa First Class cabin has aged moderately well. The velvet on the cabin walls is stained in places and even torn in others. And there‘s a bit of grime and old dirt around the seat controls.
The overhead bins are quite small and storage space is quite limited.
The red rose is a nice touch, I guess, albeit also rather pointless.
A bar is set up at the front of the First Class cabin.
I like the way the logo is presented on the forward bulkhead.
Compared to other First Class seats and onboard products, Lufthansa‘s is a bit dated now.
The ottoman isn’t large enough to hold my backpack and the overhead bins are very narrow.
The divider than can be raised around the back of the seat helps, but you‘re still pretty exposed.
There’s hardly any privacy.
There are two lavatories for the First Class cabin, one on either aisle of the cabin. They’re rather small, which makes changing into my pjs rather interesting.
I feel like The Great Houdini!
The faux-wood finish looks nice at least.
And another red rose in the loo.
The Amenities
When I reach my seat, there‘s already an amenity kit and a pair of slippers waiting for me.
The slippers are great and really comfortable.
A short while later the crew also bring me a pajama.
The vanity kit is more practical than elegant, which is my way of saying that it’s rather ugly but at least useful.
The Service & Crew
The crew on this flight are lovely, I must say. They’re genuine and very engaging. Really just great, and very nice!
The service on the ground begins with a ramekin of nuts and mint infused still water.
Once the doors close, the crew also hand out the food and wine menus.
The menus are quite extensive and described in detail.
The selection is very German.
Eventually, by the time we push back we‘re running 60 minutes late.
But the flight time is announced as eleven hours and thirty minutes, so we should still get there on time.
“Imagine there’s no heaven, above us only sky…”.
Once we‘re airborne, the service resumes with a warm towel served on a plate.
Not sure what good a single rose petal is supposed to be.
The Meal
The meal service starts ninety minutes after takeoff, mainly because there are only two crew working the First Class cabin, one in the galley and the other in the cabin.
For the amuse bouche there‘s a goat cheese cream with grapes in ginger sauce.
The table is then set for the meal.
The crew place some whipped butter and a small dish of olive oil with balsamico on my table.
The cute little salt and pepper mills.
There‘s a large selection of breads and rolls, including garlic bread.
The variety of available breads is excellent.
The first course is the caviar service with trimmings and toast.
The toast was, unavoidably, a bit dry.
This is followed by a trio of dishes:
shrimp with grapefruit,…
… a small salad with Caesar dressing,…
… and pickled kohlrabi.
And some more garlic bread. Just in case, you know.
This is followed by the soup:
a lovely spinach soup with lobster and potato.
For the main course I have the fish:
fillet of turbot – the fish and the accompanying pearl pasta are lovely. But the veg has been cooked to death. It’s limp and has zero flavour.
By this time, I’m already pretty full. So when the cabin crew asks me if I’ll be having cheese, I ask her for clemency and tell her I’ll just have the warm Pflaumenkuchen with ice cream and warm custard.
Clearly, the light option for dessert.
With that I have an espresso with a shot of milk.
And then I go off the sleep.
Second Service
Ninety minutes out of Bogota the lights go on again and the crew prepare for the second service.
There is yet another hot towel.
And then the table is set again.
I have a lovely minestrone with black olives.
The dish may look like a bit of a mess, but it’s a lovely soup.
And for dessert I have a small plate of fruit.
Arrival
Eventually, we land one hour behind schedule. I thank the crew and disembark. I then make the long schlepp to immigration, which isn’t busy at all.
Thirty minutes after landing, I’m already queuing for a taxi.
Conclusion
It’s been nine years since my last First Class flight on Lufthansa. The ground experience in Frankfurt was a bit of a let down, especially if you compare it to the elegant and seamless ground experience you get in La Première on Air France. De facto, the First Class experience was diminished to what happened aboard the aircraft and that, I think, is a mistake. Especially at a hub like Frankfurt.
The seat is now getting a bit long in the tooth. Overall, I think it’s aged surprisingly well. But it’s now old-fashioned, it lacks privacy and any decent storage space. The catering was fine, but it’s clearly oriented to quantity rather than quality or finesse.
The redeeming feature of this flight were the really lovely and very charming cabin crew. All in all though, this felt more mid-range than first class.
I saw the great RM Williams boots. Great to fly in and get through airports
Absolutely! I never leave home without them. I’m considering getting a black pair on my next visit.
Very disappointing with regards to the ground experience. Given that the Z First lounge was downgraded to a Senator Lounge, you’d think LH staff there would escort people to the B First lounge, at least I definitely wouldn’t expect an escort to the FCT, but at least to the lounge…
The seats are outdated but I do still find the cabin to still both elegant and cozy at the same time. And the seats themselves are still comfortable. Not Cathay comfortable, but good enough lol