Lufthansa’s First Class from the West Coast to Europe is one of the best ways to travel. Regardless if you want a good night sleep, delicious airplane food, fabulous service, or a lux experience, Lufthansa’s First Class is perfect. As Europe only Skytrax 5 star airlines, Lufthansa lives up to their rating, providing a top notch inflight experience.
Vancouver to Munich on Lufthansa’s A340-600 is Lufthansa’s only route which offers First Class from the Pacific Northwest. Otherwise, First class is available on other West Coast routes such as all flights to LAX and SFO. Vancouver also has daily service to Frankfurt. However this is on a 747-400 which does not offer First class.
Vancouver Ground Experience
The flight experience is important to First class flyers, but the ground experience should matter too. In Vancouver, there is no extra perks of being a First class passenger. Lufthansa does not operate their own lounge in Vancouver and instead passengers are directed to the Air Canada Maple leaf lounge. The lounge is nice, but it’s no First class lounge. It is important to note that Air Canada also does not operate a First Class cabin, nor offers an Ultra premium lounge at YVR.
At the gate, First class passengers are called with Honor circle members. This created a rush to the gate, as many other elites and business class guests rushed the queue one boarding begin. The agents tried to redirect people but it was nearly hopeless.
Once on the plane, the a340 jet bridge connects to door 1L & 2L. This means Business and First class passengers enter through door 1L and then Business class passengers walk through the First class cabin. This takes away from some exclusivity of the cabin. Flight attendants work around boarding passengers to serve pre-departure beverages and snacks. In addition, before takeoff amenity kits, headphones, pajamas, and menus are provided.
I changed into my Pajama’s while still on the ground and my friendly flight attendant was waiting for me outside the bathroom to hang my clothes!
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Fantastic service with a smile! She also noticed I finished my first glass of the 2004 Cuvée Louise and she quickly refilled it without hesitation.
Inflight experience
Once inflight, diner and beverage service started promptly. Lufthansa has enough dishes for first class passengers to ensure that everyone gets their first choice. I opted for the poached lobster. As I ate just about everything on the menu, my flight attendant was fantastic at spacing out my meal and pairing wine with each course (Wine Menu).
(L)Bresaola, Capocollo, Prosciutto, Quince Paste, pickled red Onion and Kalamata Olive, Gherkin.
(M) Marinated Feta and red Pepper Salad, grilled Baby Zucchini, Olive.
Dinner choices include:
- Grilled Tenderloin of Beef, braised Pork Belly, served with Burgundy Sauce, Patty Pan Squash, buttered Asparagus, braised green Lentils with Vegetable and Pecan Nut Queso Gremolata
- Poached Lobster Tail and Claw, seared Prawn, Lemon Parsley Scallop enhanced by Cioppino Sauce, Zucchini and Pepper Ribbons, Saffron Onion Basmati Pilaf
- Artichoke Ravioli, Mushroom Bolognese, Fava and Wax Bean, Peas, sautéed Spinach, grilled King Oyster Mushroom
- Roast Chicken Breast Supreme accompanied by Jus with Dijon Mustard and Cream, roasted Brussels Sprout, buttered Baby Carrot, sautéed Spinach with Fontina, Barley and Red Quinoa Pilaf
The lobster was speaking to me. It was good, but not the best lobster I’ve had. But I liked it better than Singapore Airlines Lobster thermidor.
Believe it or not, I still wasn’t done! A sweet treat to finish off my dinner! I opted for the Hazelnut dessert and skipped the Apple Crumble Tart with Vanilla Ice Cream. Remember it took me over 2 hours in total to dine.
Delicious! Ten pounds heavier I was ready for bed!
After dinner, she made my bed and I took a nice long 5 hour nap! When I woke up, it was time for breakfast. I didn’t opt for the entire breakfast but instead just ate a little bit. I was trying to be “healthy” at breakfast.
Final Thoughts
Enjoying Lufthansa First class for 8+ hours from Vancouver is completely worth it. Although the A340-600 is an older airplane, they offer similar amenities as Lufthansa’s’ A380 and 747-8i fleet. Sure the air pressure is different and the windows are smaller, but the seats and service is identical. I thoroughly enjoyed Lufthansa’s 5 star service and I cannot wait to spoil myself again in First class with this lovely airline.
My only complaint, the cabin was freezing! The heat was not working in the forward cabin. To combat the cold, every passenger was given double blankets and hot pads.
Although it was cold, I sleep better when it’s cold and most airlines run hot. So this was a blessing to my opinion! Plus now I have a cool new souvenir!
Have your flown Lufthansa in First class? or any other airline? What are your thoughts?
