Lufthansa First Class with Separate Seat and Bed, Frankfurt to Toronto

Lufthansa First Class is a relatively attainable luxury for those who play in the miles/points world. Its not easy to get, but its doable. For this flight, I was excited to finally be able to enjoy the ‘seat and a bed’ cabin upstairs on the Lufthansa First Class 747-400. I’ve flown Lufthansa First several times, and have reviewed it here(including the first longhaul flight of this trip), and there are some other excellent reviews on this site. (Here are a few links: Lufthansa old 747 First Class, Lufthansa 747-8i First Class, Lufthansa A380 First Class, Lufthansa A340-600 First Class, and even Lufthansa First Class lost for love). As far as I know, this is the first review of this unique product, .

Lufthansa First Class, seat and a bed

After my predictably awesome visit to the First Class Terminal and the Porsche ride to the plane, I was ready to just relax and enjoy the flight. Once seated, I noticed there were 3 of us in the cabin, so there were 5 open seats. Not bad at all, but this was the 2nd busiest cabin of the longhaul flights on my trip. I don’t think it was the best Lufthansa service I have experienced in flight, but it was still very good.

In the first few minutes of being seated, several things were offered. Macadamia nuts (yes, in a bowl), plus a drink, duty free catalog plus reading materials, pajamas, and an amenity kit. The amenity kit from Escada is the same as I received on the outbound flight I took from Toronto to Munich. Strangely the pajamas were only available in size XL…

Lots of goodies in Lufthansa First Class

Lufthansa used to have 16 First Class seats upstairs on the 747-400. Eventually they started only selling 8 seats, and each person got 2. Eventually most of these planes were converted to the current format with a version of their First Class recliner with a separate bed which I will review here.

In my opinion this is one of the most comfortable beds in the sky. Unlike many other products, it is not a seat that converts into a bed, rather it is a full time bed. If this weren’t a daytime flight, I’d likely have taken more advantage of it and spent more time sleeping. That’s really the ultimate dilemma when flying First Class, at least for me; with a really comfortable bed, do I want to just sleep away the time on board?

The most comfortable bed in the sky (a least of those I’ve experienced)

Lufthansa First Class Meal Service

Eventually we the flight began, and soon after, another drink was offered and meal orders were taken. This flight had a lunchtime meal, and then a “Special Moment” served before landing. On this flight, the theme was “Summer in the Mountains”, which was quite unique. Here are the menus:

Caviar from Service Cart
Caviar with the traditional Garnishes

Choice of Appetizers
Canadian Lobster with Trilogy of Beetroot and Hazelnut
Slow cooked corn-fed Poulard, Waldorf Cream, roasted Nuts
Tomato Salad 2014, marinated Pineapple
Wild Herb Salad, Oyster Mushrooms, Olives, presented with Basil or Balsamic Dressing

Soup
Cherry Gazpacho, Crayfish, Red Radish and Fava Beans

Choice of Main Courses
White Asparagus served with Sauce Hollandaise, Black Forest Ham, boiled Ham and Parsley Potatoes
Monkfish, Chervil Bulgur, Fennel and Celery Sauce
Breast of Guinea Fowl Indian Style, curried Lentils, Carrot, Saffron Mayonnaise, Naan Bread
US Black Angus Beef Neck Steak, Eggplant and Achiote Potatoes

Selection of Cheese and Dessert
Gorgonzola, Bosina, Banon, Reblochon and Walnut Cheese with Fig Chutney, Grapes and Celery
Whisky Mascarpone Cream, Confit of green Tomato and Pineapple
Green Shiso Sorbet, Lychee, Hibiscus Infusion

Special Moment

We wish to surprise you with an extraordinary culinary experienc3e on board Lufthansa First Class today. Let us treat you to an especially delicious momoent before touchdown. You can find a list of the specialties we have selected for you in our Special Moment menu.

Vinothek

(identical to drinks list on outbound flight)

Champagne
Cuvée Grand Siècle, Champagne Laurent Perrier, Frankreich

Apéritif
Campari
Sherry ,,La Guita”

Cocktail des Monats
Caiprinha

White Wine
2012 Iphöfer Julius-Echter-Berg Riesling Großes Gewächs, Weingut Dr Wirsching, Deutchland
2012 Elgin Chardonnay, Paul Cluver, Südafrika
2012 Châteauneuf du Pape, Domaine du Vieux Lazaret, Frankreich
Off the beaten track
2012 ,,Nussbaumer” Gewürztraminer, Kellerei Tramin, Italien

Red Wine
2006 Château Olivier, Cru Classé de Graves, Frankreich
2007 Casalferro, Rosst Toscano, IGT, Barone Ricasoli, Italien
2009 Barcolobo Crianza, Castilla y Leon, Finca La Rinconada, Spanien
Off the beaten track
2008 ,,St. Henri” South-Australia Shiraz, Penfolds, Australien

Dessert Wine
2010 Bacchus Trockenbeerennauslese Weingut Peth-Wetz, Deutchland

Liqueur and Port
Baileys Irish Cream
Niepoort Portwein LBV

Monthly Proposal
,,Harald” Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Schottland

Spirits
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey Old No. 7
Johnnie Walker Blue Label
Bushmills Malt 10 Years Old
Grey Goose Vodka
Bombay Sapphire Distilled London Dry Gin
Cognac Lhéraud Cuvée 30
Calvados Pays d’Auge AC, Daron
Averna
Etter Zuger Kirsch
Walcher Williams Exclusiv

Cold Beverages
Apollinaris, Sparking natural mineral water
Elisabethenquelle, natural mineral water
Wellness water
Assorted Juices
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola light
Coca-Cola Zero
Sprite
Goldberg Tonic Water
Goldberg Bitter Lemon
Goldberg Ginger Ale
Warsteiner Premium Verum
Warsteiner Premium (0.0% alc. vol)
Frankenheim Alt
Erdinger Weissbier

Hot Beverages
Coffee – Dallmayr Premium Selection
Nespresso Espresso and Cappuccino, the ,,Grand Cru” of coffee
Ristretto
Volluto
Decaffeinato
Darjeeling Royal First Flush Leaf Tea
Earl Grey Premium Leaf Tea
Green Tea Asia Superior Leaf
Organic Peppermint
Organic Rooibos pur
Bio Relax Ayurvital

The Grand Siècle Champagne was tasty

As we leveled off, I opted for another glass of Champagne. Lufthansa uses etched glasses for their Champagne, which makes it continuously bubble. Presumably this makes it easier to smell the drink. Not sure how much that matters in the dry air of an airplane, but the geek in me likes it.

As always, the meal service in Lufthansa First begins with an amuse bouche. This time it was decent, with some salmon and cream.

pre-meal starter in Lufthansa First Class, pretty ‘normal’ compared to some I’ve seen

Next was a place setting for the main meal service

I went with the usual from the bread basket; Hard to go wrong with pretzel and garlic bread. Next up was caviar. I’m not really a big caviar person, but for some reason the flight attendant gave me 2 servings.

Lufthansa First Class caviar

Next was the appetizer selections. One can partake in all options, although I think the intent is to make selection from the various offerings. I opted for the Poulard, Tomato Salad and the green salad.

Lufthansa First Class appetizer selections

Next was the soup, a cherry gazpacho. The combination of the tart cherry flavor with crawfish was interesting, but it tasted quite good.

Cherry Gazpacho with crawfish and fava beans.

For my main course, I opted for the Guinea Fowl. Lufthansa is (in)famous for overcooking red meat, I don’t like hollandaise sauce, and don’t usually do fish on planes. Since I enjoy the savory flavors of Indian spices, especially on planes, since it seems like flavors stand up somewhat well even at altitude. I think I made the right choice.

It doesn’t look like much, but this main course was excellent

The meal was far from over: Cheese and Dessert

Cheese course

sorbet

Pralines

Dessert wine

Lufthansa First Class 747 seat and bed

The flight attendant encouraged me to have an digestif. I don’t normally choose this, but after so much food, I decided to go for it. Very sweet, and sure, it helped me digest the meal

After the meal, I reclined my seat and explored the IFE.

the IFE remote is under an armrest

Basic seat controls on the console. The seat doesn’t recline a lot, but that’s what the bed is for.

Lufthansa 747-400 First Class cabin mid-flight

After the main meal, a water bottle is provided.

I did decide to rest for a bit, and take advantage of this excellent bed in the sky. The cabin was a little warm, but not as bad as sometimes. From the bed, it is easier to see out the windows, and I got one of my favorite views, from upstairs somewhere over Canada.

A view from the Upper deck

Pre-arrival meal

Eventually the second meal service was offered. I wasn’t exactly ready for another full meal, but I was interested to try out this unique concept I hadn’t experienced before.

Here is the menu:

Summer in the Mountains

Today’s special Moment: hearty and savory, delicious and strong. Indulge in typical mountainous region delicacies.

Cold and Warm Specialties

“Brettlijause” served on a Wooden Board with Mountain Farm Ham, Wild Boar Salami, Mini Pepper Salami Sausages, Country Liverwurst, Hay and Wine Cheese, Alpine Cheese garnished with Grapes and Cornishons
Obazda Cheese spread with Sliced Bell Peppers and Chives
Brown Trout Tartare

Summer Salad with Wild Herbs and Pumpkin Seed Oil Dressing
Radish Salad
“Herrengröstl” Diced Beef Fillet fried with Belly of Pork, Green Onions, fried Potatoes and fresh Marjoram
Valais Rye Bread, Walnut Tin Loaf, Farmhouse Rye Bread and Sprouted Grain Rolls, Pumpkin Seed Rolls, Sourdough Rolls, Lye Rolls.

Dessert
From the cast-iron pan: “Kaiserschmarrn” Iced shredded Pancake with Rum-Soaked Raisins, we recommend Strawberry Compote with Cream and Violet Blossoms on the side
“Topfenpalatschinken” Baked Pancake filled with Apricot Compote, topped with Powdered Sugar and served with a Truss of Redcurrants
To drink, we recommend: Almdudler – the iconic Austrian Herbal Lemonade!

I went with Brettlijause, aka meats and cheese. It was a bit of an odd sensation having basically picnic food on a starched white tablecloth, but it was a nice break from typical airplane food, even in First Class.

The Special Moments meal

When dessert came around, I just said yes please, and went for the Kaiserschmarrn. I also made a mental note to add a few more miles on my run the next day. Here you can see some of the decor, the picnic napkins, and the little plastic goat with edelweiss to make it seem like we really were dining in the mountains.

Kaiserschmarrn; sugar overload, but so good.

Final moments onboard

There was an additional gift that was provided to passengers given that the World Cup was going on at the time. They gave out CD’s of Brazilian music. It was a nice touch. I can only imagine how festive Lufthansa flights were later in the summer as they made their march to winning the World Cup Final.

We were soon approaching Toronto, and the last few luxurious moments of my journey were finally ending. It was really another great experience in Lufthansa First Class. It was my last redemption at the old rates, so when I do this again with United miles, it will be much more expensive.

Lufthansa First Class 747-400 Upper Deck

Bottom line

This was a excellent trip, and ultimately a marathon trip report. There were great new experiences including magical Cambodia, Asiana First Class, and the “seat and bed” on this flight. There were also some familiar things that were great to experience again, from the ground experience at a First Class passenger in Bangkok and Frankfurt, and great longhaul flights on Thai and Lufthansa. I’m glad to finally have finished this long series. As time allows I have lots more travel to talk about. Thanks for following along.

Review: Lufthansa First Class with Separate Seat and Bed, Frankfurt to Toronto