Review: Lufthansa A380 First Class

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This Lufthansa A380 First Class Review is one of our many first class and business class airline reviews. Also see all our A380 first class and business class posts.

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Lufthansa A380 First Class Cabin and Seat Selection

The Lufthansa First Class cabin on the A380 has 8 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. If you're traveling solo or even if you're traveling with a companion but you both want window seats, you'll want to focus on 1A and 1K, or 2A and 2K.

Couples who don't mind not having a window seat can select 1D/1G or 2D/2G. Note that row 1 is close to the lavatories (although fortunately there's a curtain separating the cabin from the door to the lavatories that helps minimize the light interference) while row 2 is right in front of the galley. This wasn't so much of an issue on our daytime flight, but is something to be aware of for night flights.

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Lufthansa A380 First Class Seat

Seats are well padded, but not very wide; note that the 31 inch width is only really relevant when the seat is a flat bed and the arm rests are lowered; as a seat, the usable width is about 21 inches across.

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A power outlet and USB port were below the left arm rest for my seat 2A. Personally, I prefer it when the power outlet is closer to shoulder level, to avoid having to bend over and hunt for the outlet.

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There's certainly plenty of leg room between the seat and the ottoman, which opens up to reveal storage space for shoes or a small carry-on bag.

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Speaking of storage space, a nice feature of Lufthansa First Class on the A380 is that each seat has its own closet, to compensate for the lack of storage space for carry-ons around the seat (since there are no overhead bins above the seats).

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We were offered a pre-flight drink; I chose a little 2004 Laurent-Perrier Champagne, as well as a glass of water. A small bowl of salted almonds was also offered.

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Here's our Lufthansa A380 YouTube video review:

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Lufthansa A380 First Class Flat Bed and Amenities

Since we'd gotten a very early morning start in Milan, and in order to try to adjust to the time change, we decided to get some rest early on in the flight. The only problem was that of course the flight crew were busy with meal preparation, so it took some time before they could provide us with the mattress pads and duvets.

The Lufthansa First Class bed itself is quite long, ~84 inches, making it a good choice for tall passengers. And as mentioned above, in bed mode the arm rests retract, providing ~10 extra inches of sleep surface, so ~31 inches wide, unlike the narrow seat. I just wish that the mattress pad itself was thicker and more comfortable, as used in Singapore Suites, JAL First Class, and to a lesser extent, in ANA First Class.

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The amenity kit includes ear plugs, one of my favorite airline sleep masks with long, adjustable velcro straps, a brush/comb combo, dental kit, and Swiss La Prairie products.

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Slippers and Van Laack pajamas are also provided:

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Lufthansa A380 First Class Menu and Food, FRA-JFK

Menus were passed out after we boarded and were enjoying our pre-flight drinks. As ours was a late morning daytime flight, there was lunch service, with additional light meal/snack options.

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In addition to the Laurent-Perrier Rose Champagne that was poured as a pre-flight drink, the Cuvee Grand Siecle was on offer:

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White wine and red wine selections included:

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I'd asked the flight crew to save a few items for a meal after our nap. The best savory item was the caviar presentation.

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The caviar presentation was served with the requested appetizers, which were frankly not good at all taste-wise, even though they were presented well.

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I'd been expecting either tuna sashimi or possibly cooked fresh tuna with the green peas and mint, but it was neither; instead it was a kind of dried out smoked tuna. I ate the green pea mash with mint gremolata, which was fine, but the tuna had definitely seen better days.

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I'd also had higher hopes for the main course of scallop prawn skewer with curry sauce and coconut risotto. The prawns were ok, the scallops were overcooked, and the Thai curry sauce was weirdly bland for something with “Thai” and “curry” in the name.

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Fortunately I was able to nibble some of the cheeses that my son didn't care for in the cheese plate, which was missing the quince, saffron and pear chutney, but was otherwise very good, especially the Rosso di Langa cheese.

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The strawberry compote with ice cream and fresh blueberries were also good.

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The true and unexpected star of the show, however, was the apricot sorbet (on the menu as a palate cleanser). It was phenomenal, even if the flight crew looked at me quizzically when I informed them it was the best food of the flight. It's an unusual flavor that you typically can't buy, and the fresh tangy apricot flavor shone through. I liked it so much I asked if I could have some additional scoops, which the crew obliged with, since we were close to the end of the flight. It was pretty firm initially given the cold storage, but after a few minutes softened up to the perfect consistency.

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The Verdict

I'd been looking forward to our daytime flight in Lufthansa A380 First Class, to better enjoy the experience. In the past, I've flown Lufthansa First Class on the night flight to Europe, and slept as much as possible.

I did really like the open and airy look of the A380 first class cabin, since there aren't overhead baggage compartments. The individual closet space and ottoman storage provided ample room for our carry-on luggage. As always, the red rose by each seat, and the rose in the lavatory, add a very elegant touch.

I did really wish that the seat was wider (when seated, it's only 21 inches between the armrests, although the armrests do retract when it's made into a bed, making the sleeping width 31 inches) and that there was a better mattress pad for the bed–Singapore Suites and JAL First remain my favorite first class beds.

I also was quite disappointed with the food aboard our flight. The highlights were the caviar service and the apricot sorbet, especially the latter. Quite honestly I've had better meals from the frozen section of Trader Joe's. If in doubt, order the simplest things that don't require any cooking: caviar, cheese plate, fresh fruit, dessert.

Service was fine, but very perfunctory–it was a far cry from the better Asian carriers, such as Singapore Suites, JAL First Class, and depending on the crew, Cathay Pacific First Class.

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