In our series of airline checks, Penny Russell samples the business-class product of: Lufthansa First Class
Check-in Absolutely faultless. It was a bank holiday so there were no queues. Check-in was completed in seconds. I was given my boarding card for both legs of the journey and my luggage was checked straight through. I was then pointed in the direction of the business class lounge.
On the ground Again, because of the bank holiday, I pretty much had the spacious Lufthansa Business Class lounge at Terminal 2 to myself. I settled down in front of the satellite TV to enjoy having the remote control to myself. Due to the time constraints of my connection at Frankfurt, I did not risk testing out the first-class lounge at the airport.
Aircraft type Boeing 737/Airbus A300 London to Frankfurt and a Boeing 747-400 Frankfurt to Johannesburg.
Seats The new First Class seat is superb. The in-flight entertainment system is easy to operate and the seat adjustments are clearly marked and worked properly. At night the stewardess converted my seat into a bed and provided me with a comfortable pillow and duvet. I had one of the best night’s sleep that I have ever had on a flight.
Food With four choices of hors d’oeuvre and four choices of entrée, it was easy to find something I liked. I chose asparagus and smoked beef crepes followed by German-style ravioli with wild mushroom. Both were tasty and well presented. But the meal fell down when the tea was served. It was cold and weak and perhaps one of the worst I have ever had on a flight (and I’ve had some bad ones). Not what you’d expect from First Class.
In-flight service The service was efficient and the stewardesses were pleasant enough, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say friendly.
General impression Petty as it may seem, my whole experience of Lufthansa’s First Class was spoiled when it came to cleaning my teeth. The toothbrush (and most of the other items in the amenity kit) was of the standard I would expect from economy class. When I tried to use it, all the bristles came out. Furthermore, the sinks only have hot water and the taps are operated by a heat sensor which didn’t seem to sense when my hands were placed under them. Eventually I gave up and had to poke my head around the door and ask one of the crew for a cup of water. According to the stewardess, I am not the only person to have experienced these difficulties.