Lufthansa Business Class

[ellen10]

I am looking at some business class flight options to Europe next year.

One of the options is a SQ flight to Singapore and then connecting with a Lufthansa long haul to Europe, to Munich and then a short hop, Lufthansa to our final destination. The return flight is the same Lufthansa via Munich and then SQ from Singapore to Aus.

I've tried to search on AFF for Lufthansa reviews but couldn't find anything. Does anyone have any experience, thoughts, reviews of their business class product?

 

[bam71]

There’s quite a few on YouTube, and it appears to be rather hit and miss, with the majority of reviews negative due to older style seats/aircraft. We looked at it a few months back and decided against Lufthansa business for now.

 

[ellen10]

There’s quite a few on YouTube, and it appears to be rather hit and miss, with the majority of reviews negative due to older style seats/aircraft. We looked at it a few months back and decided against Lufthansa business for now.

Thanks for your reply @bam71

Yes I did have a bit of a look at the reviews. Even the reviews of their new Business class product they are rolling out is strange, with about 5 different style business class seats on offer, in the new A350 Allegris. Not very positive.

So I am a bit reluctant to pursue further, even though their airfares are probably a bit cheaper than the rest at the moment.

 

[SYD]

I did a work trip a few years ago using a LH RTW J fare (so I could at least fly QF to the US and back from Asia). YUL-FRA-AMS-FRA-SIN all on LH. The intra Euro stuff was typical Euro Biz and not standout nor bad (relatively speaking).

Avoid FRA all cost unless it’s one’s destination or starting point. It’s a “hot mess” of a place to transit and best avoided.

@Mattg probably has more recent experience but I believe LH still have a range of biz seats from the good, the bad and the ugly. I had the misfortune of flying the A380 FRA-SIN with the original fitout (think QF Skybed Mk1 but zero privacy shield and less comfortable), which was an embarrassment. I can only assumed LH ordered those seats at the same time as the planes and never thought to update before introducing into service. Worst J flight ever but they’ve at least replaced those with fairly standard direct aisle access, full flat seats.

YUL-FRA was in “footsies” seats. 2x2x2, full flat but the seat pairs angled so that travelling pairs feet are strangely close together - albeit in their own little foot well. I believe these are still out there flying on some routes.

From memory, the F&B was ok but who knows what post COVID enhancements have crept in.

If you can get to SIN separately, QR often has decent J fares to Germany.

 

[gaz0303]

I did LH J from FRA to SIN last year as I wanted to be upstairs on a 747 at least once. The Senator lounge was fantastic and the 747 looked great from its window. The rest of the experience was meh. Food was well below SQ standards, seat layout meant access to aisle over somebodies legs. Issued pyjamas are a top only. Service was friendly. Unless you specifically want to fly in the 747 or need the LH timings, SQ is the choice. If flying SQ codeshares, I don’t think the legs will credit to Velocity.

I’m currently having to make the same decision but for Y. The kids have never been in a 747.

 

[Mattg]

I like the service on LH but you'd have to be a real fanboy/fangirl to argue that it's objectively better than SQ.

The hard product on most of LH's long-haul jets is still 2-2-2 in J, which isn't particularly private although the seats are lie-flat and comfortable enough.

I wrote about LH J in a trip report back in 2017, and to be honest it hasn't really changed much since then.

E.g. this was the post covering HKG-FRA on the A380:

Post in thread 'Astounding Astana: Kazakhstan, Georgia & more'

Jul 29, 2017

LH797 Hong Kong - Frankfurt
Departure time: 23:05
Arrival time: 05:20 (next day)
Airbus A380
Business class

The HKG-FRA flight was the longest of this trip so I was pleased to be flying Business class.

This was my first time on a Lufthansa A380. Business class on this plane takes up much of the upper deck, with seats in a 2-2-2 configuration.

I was seated in 20H, an aisle seat in the last row of the main Business class cabin and in front of a galley. When I boarded there was a pillow and blanket on the seat, both welcome sights ahead of an overnight flight.

I was promptly greeted by...

• Mattg

• 

Later in that trip I flew FRA-ALA on the A330:

Post in thread 'Astounding Astana: Kazakhstan, Georgia & more'

Aug 5, 2017

LH646 Frankfurt - Astana - Almaty
Departure time: 13:20
Arrival time: 01:30 (next day)
Airbus A330-300
Business class

Lufthansa operates daily flights from Frankfurt to Almaty. These run via Astana 3x per week, including on the day I took the flight. My flight was completely full for the first sector, but around 100 passengers left in Astana. Lufthansa does not have rights to carry passengers on the domestic leg between Astana and Almaty, so no new passengers joined the flight during the transit.

Lufthansa runs a 4-class configuration on its A330-300. For this flight I was in 4C, an...

• Mattg

• 

I flew ALA-FRA on the A330 again earlier this year, and the experience was basically the same. Except that I slept (very comfortably, I might add) for most of the flight.

Lufthansa is now finally starting to roll out its new Allegris business class seats which are much better, but that will take a while.

 

[RooFlyer]

YUL-FRA was in “footsies” seats. 2x2x2, full flat but the seat pairs angled so that travelling pairs feet are strangely close together - albeit in their own little foot well. I believe these are still out there flying on some routes.

From memory, the F&B was ok but who knows what post COVID enhancements have crept in.

I flew on of those! And zero places to keep stuff around you but IIRC there was a control where you could make the seat softer/harder which was a really neat feature.

But on all my LH flights, both the service and F&B have been good to excellent. This from a TR of the above flight

Once settled in, two things became apparent. The seat was VERY comfortable and the FAs were VERY good. The seat firmness was adjustable. Having a 'fuller figure', I like soft seating when in the bed mode and this one was possibly the most comfy I've had in business. Somewhat narrow in bed mod, and little privacy, but pretty good. Feet went into an open cubby hole, right next to your seat-mates (see RH pic above), but it was manageable.

I can't speak more highly of the FAs. Clearly assigned to sectors in the J cabin, the lady for my sector addressed me effortlessly by name from the first time she spoke to me and was helpful and engaging the entire flight. Really, really good.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I’m with RooFlyer on this one!

Did my first trip on the ‘footsie’ seats a couple months ago from Bangkok to Munich and was really surprised at how comfortable they were. Perhaps I had low expectations? But at 6’3 the bed was certainly long enough for me, it was wide enough, and I got a good 7 hour sleep.

The lack of privacy wasn’t an issue for me. I exchanged a nod of ‘hello’ with the passenger sitting on the other seat and that was it. Certainly less intrusive than the ying-yang BA set up!

The food was good! Personally I rate it above SQ J. LH’s food feels more ‘contemporary’.

As for the new business class, it’s only just being introduced, so don’t expect it on many aircraft yet. There are indeed lots of options, but I think even the ‘basic’ is still going to be pretty good. I’ve done several flights recently on the ‘aisle’ seat… as in the one closest to the aisle rather than the window. TBH, I’m fine with those now! Yes the ‘true’ window is nice, but it’s no longer a deal-breaker for me.

 

[SYD]

As for the new business class, it’s only just being introduced, so don’t expect it on many aircraft yet.

Didn’t the A380s leapfrog from abysmal to best in class (for LH)? But a next gen seat coming as well?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Didn’t the A380s leapfrog from abysmal to best in class (for LH)? But a next gen seat coming as well?

Many years ago lufthansa has angled lie-flats. That got changed to their ‘footsie’ seats… across the entire fleet.

The brand new ones are the Allegris, which are all individual, but some longer, and some more private.

 

[RooFlyer]

Many years ago lufthansa has angled lie-flats. That got changed to their ‘footsie’ seats… across the entire fleet.

In fact, they introduced their A380s with angled flat - I flew on one of those too. Bonkers.

 

[SYD]

In fact, they introduced their A380s with angled flat - I flew on one of those too. Bonkers.

That was my comment earlier. Shocker of a seat but probably the latest when ordered but didn’t account for the 10 year delay in the airframes taking flight…

 

[p--and--t]

Despite them being fitted to a fleet of new 787 jets soon to be delivered, their new much hyped Allegris seats are not yet approved

https://loyaltylobby.com/2024/12/20/lufthansa-is-running-into-more-trouble-with-allegris-seats-b787-seats-not-approved-by-faa/

 

[MELso]

There are some fairly compelling J fares on LH at the moment.

I was looking at MEL-SIN-HEL and MXP-SIN-MEL on SQ/LH and it was a smidgen over $7k out 29 March back 28 April. (Need to book as MEL-SIN and SIN-Europe and vv legs separately for this fare to show up.)

I ended up plumping for a $5.5k QF and AY mixed class fare as I wanted to try the Airlounge seat on AY's A350 rather than the uninspiring 2-2-2 seats on LH's A350, AY is non-stop SIN-HEL, my dad and his partner are in Y on the same flights, and there are lots of sweet, sweet QF SCs to be had.

If LH's $7k fare is still around though if/when Allegris finally arrives on the planes to SIN, I'll give it a go.