Review: Lufthansa First Class A330 Dallas to Frankfurt

Lufthansa 439
Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Frankfurt (FRA)
Airbus A330-300
18 June 2016

Lufthansa First Class is my favourite way to fly. Lufthansa’s consistent professionalism and excellence make if one of the world’s best airlines. I continue to be loyal to the German airline as there really isn’t a better way to fly. While the U.S. airlines are in a “race to the bottom”, other airlines are taking this as an advantage and actually innovating to gain more passengers.

I’ve flown Lufthansa First Class on all aircraft it is offered on:

As you all know, I live in Seattle most of the year during the months of October – June when I study at university there. I spend my summer months visiting all of my family in Europe and travelling all around the world. This summer isn’t different in that I will be travelling to Asia, Australia, Africa, etc. and I can’t wait to review new airlines, lounges, hotels, and most importantly, enjoy new places in various countries.

My third year of uni ended during the first week of June this year and therefore I booked myself a ticket to Poland for the middle of June, in Lufthansa First Class. Since I live in Seattle and there is no LH First Class from there, I have to fly to some other Lufthansa destination in America. I really wanted to fly from San Francisco or Los Angeles as those routes are “premium” and offer the longest First Class service from North America to Europe; award availability, however, is very limited on those flights.

I ended up booking the following for 80k Aeroplan miles (from AMEX MR points) and about ~$480 USD in taxes/fees and fuel surcharges: Seattle – San Francisco – Dallas – Frankfurt – Kraków. The first two flights were in United domestic First Class, Dallas to Frankfurt in Lufthansa First Class, and Frankfurt to Kraków in Lufthansa Business Class.

The Dallas – Frankfurt flight is usually wide open in First Class and it isn’t rare to see 4-6 award seats per flight on that route.. so it is really easy to book. I actually had to wait a bit for the United flights to have availability before I could book and ended up ticketing about 10 days before departure. The Lufthansa First Class flight had availability exactly two weeks prior to departure.

The United flights from Seattle to San Francisco to Dallas were relatively boring and average, so I won’t be reviewing those (just look at my trip reports page for similar reviews). I landed in Dallas about two hours prior to scheduled departure time of the Lufthansa flight and headed to the First Class check-in to receive my boarding passes on Lufthansa card stock.

I had to wait in line for about five minutes (shocking!) before being helped. I was printed my boarding passes and showed the way to security a few minutes later; the check-in agents weren’t very friendly as they’re probably contract workers. Once airside, I enjoyed the AMEX Centurion Lounge where I was able to shower and relax a bit before my flight.

Boarding began promptly at 15:25 for the 15:55 departure to Frankfurt. The Dallas to Frankfurt flight is operated using Lufthansa’s Airbus A330-300 (A333) with four classes of service: First, Business, Premium Economy, and Economy. I was among the first passengers to board and was immediately welcomed by the fantastic flight attendants.

Lufthansa’s First Class seating is in a 1-2-1 configuration across two rows, for a total of eight seats. Only three seats were taken a few days prior, but eventually, seven seats were taken by the time the doors closed.

I introduced myself to the crew, told them how much I love Lufthansa, and quickly stored my baggage in the overhead bins above my favourite seat, 2A. The crew asked how it was possible for me to fly Lufthansa First Class so many times and to be a Miles & More Senator at such a young age, I simply told them I love to travel and fly with Lufthansa and the Star Alliance.

After a warm welcome from the flight attendants, I was offered some champagne and macadamia nuts. I should note that the flight attendants working First Class were truly amazing and were somewhere between professional and extremely friendly – we constantly talked during the flight about my travels, Lufthansa, etc. The purser, on the other hand, wasn’t the nicest and she didn’t introduce herself until after we were in the air. She spent the majority of the flight in the other cabins and briefly passed through First Class a few times to reset some system as it wasn’t working for a few hours.

I enjoyed some champagne and macadamia nuts and decided to explore my seat a bit. I know Lufthansa First Class very well and therefore I won’t go over the features of the seat too much as I’ve done that in past trip reports. Basically, the seat is very comfortable and one of the best in the sky.

The champagne was the standard for Lufthansa: Taittinger, Brut Millésimé 2007.

Each seat features a personal reading light, many stowage compartments, noise-cancelling headphones, a variety of catalogues, and an ottoman with more stowage.

IFE controls and seat controls are located near the armrests. Power is also available near the seat, and most plugs from around the world are compatible.

I want to emphasise at just how friendly the crew were, they genuinely cared about the passengers and also shared a bit about their stay in Dallas – they were just perfect. We had many occasions to chat about how awesome Europe is, how horrible U.S. airlines are, our summer plans, etc. While I’ve had many perfect flight attendants, I think these were just the best!

We pushed back from gate D11 about five minutes prior to scheduled departure time and made it to the runway about ten minutes later, where we were number one for departure. Not surprisingly, the view from the sky wasn’t that exciting (as is the case in the majority of the U.S.)

The seatbelt sign was turned off about fifteen minutes after departure, at which point, the purser welcomed the First Class passengers to the sky and gave everyone a menu and wine list. The FAs also offered pyjamas, slippers, and amenity kits to each of us. The pyjamas and slippers remained the same, while the amenity kit was different and wasn’t a Rimowa – rather a Bogner one, which was equally nice.

Lufthansa First Class Pyjama and Slippers

I changed into my pyjamas immediately and when I returned to my seat, a glass of water and Champagne were waiting for me. In addition, I was presented with a hot towel.

About ten minutes later, the amuse bouche was distributed. I found it perfectly edible, though it was “basic” and lacked any sort of flavour.

The meal service began about forty-five minutes into the flight. Each passenger’s table was set, consisting of bread, butter, olive oil, salt/pepper, and cutlery atop a white linen cloth.

The menu was as follows:

Menu

Choice of Appetizers

Caviar with the traditional Garnishes

Seared Scallops, Jicama Ponzu Slaw and Pumpkin Seeds

Juniper dusted Venison, marinated Yellow Beet Salad and toasted Pecans

Marinated Feta Cheese with sweet Peppers

Seasonal fresh Salad with shaved Fennel, Pine Nuts, roasted Red Tomato and Parmesan Cheese presented with Dressing

Per Lufthansa’s tradition, the caviar is always presented as the first course. As usual, it was delicious and accompanied by some onions, egg yolks, egg whites, and crème fraiche.

The second course of the meal consists of various appetisers. I opted for the feta cheese, salad, and venison. The remaining appetiser, which I declined, were the scallops.

Juniper dusted Venison, marinated Yellow Beet Salad and toasted Pecans

Seasonal fresh Salad with shaved Fennel, Pine Nuts, roasted Red Tomato and Parmesan Cheese

Marinated Feta Cheese with sweet Peppers

The salad and feta cheese were excellent appetisers. The juniper dusted venison wasn’t ideal, though edible. The salad was presented with Italian dressing, which was tasty, and ranch dressing, which I didn’t try.

The choices for the main course consisted of:

Choice of Main Courses

Smoky Dry rubbed Beef Filet with Chili Sauce, mixed Vegetables and Pancetta and Sage Grits

Guajillo Chili Pepper Salmon with Tomato Sauce, grilled Vegetables and Wild Rice Pilaf with Corn and Black Beans

Artichoke Ravioli and sautéed Spinach accompanied by grilled Trumpet Mushrooms

Herb roasted Chicken Breast with Baby Carrot and Brussel Sprouts, Quinoa and Barley

Lufthansa usually has a delicious fish for the main course in First Class, and this time wasn’t any different. The Guajillo Chili Pepper Salmon with Tomato Sauce, grilled Vegetables and Wild Rice Pilaf with Corn and Black Beans was mouthwatering. I spent a long time enjoying and consuming the salmon, which was deliciously presented with grilled vegetables. I requested some tea to go along with my meal.

Guajillo Chili Pepper Salmon with Tomato Sauce, grilled Vegetables and Wild Rice, Pilaf with Corn and Black Beans

There were breaks between the various courses of the meal, which I liked, since I could relax a bit before continuing to enjoy the delicious food Lufthansa provided.

The options for cheese and dessert were:

Selection of Cheese and Dessert

Cave aged Cheddar and Blue, La Cocina Caciotta, Hoja Santa and Coulommier Cheese served with Mostarda Puree

Fruit Sabayone with frozen Yogurt

Hazelnut Pot du Crème

I skipped the cheese since I was so full at that point, and decided to try the Hazelnut Pot du Crème. It was perfect and I wish it was a bit bigger since it was so tasty.

The meal concluded with pralines, which were phenomenal. The entire meal was excellent and I found all of the components to be delicious, tasty, and edible. The amuse bouche was perhaps a “false” introduction to the meal, since nothing tasted like it.

While not as big as on the A380, Lufthansa’s First Class lavatories are equally gorgeous on all other aircraft. The lavatories feature additional amenities such as mouthwash, refreshing towels, shaving kits, and la prairie lotion. Lufthansa’s signature rose is gorgeously displayed next to the mirror.

My comfortable bed was waiting for me upon my return.

The meal service concluded about three hours into the flight, with six hours of flight time remaining to Frankfurt. I slept for three hours and woke up to watch the sunrise somewhere above Iceland.

I was getting a bit hungry and asked for a snack and was able to enjoy the other dessert choice, which was not as great as the one I had, though still good; I really wanted more ice cream and was brought some vanilla ice cream from Business Class.

After my snack, I watched a few films on the IFE and slept for a bit more.

The breakfast service began about ninety minutes before landing, with a hot towel, followed by fresh orange juice and tea.

The breakfast menu was:

Cold and hot Specialties

Fresh Orange Juice

Fruit Smoothie

Fresh Fruit

Muesli with Milk or Yogurt

Fresh Berries

Smoked Salmon

Ham and Genoa Salami

Emmental and Brie Cheese

Scrambled Eggs freshly prepared upon your Request with your Choice of grilled Bacon and Chives

A Selection of different Breads and Rolls, Croissant, Muffins and Danish Pastry

Butter, Jam, Honey and Nutella

After the large dinner and snack, I wasn’t particularly hungry and therefore simply enjoyed a bit of salmon for breakfast. A small dessert consisting of berries was included in the breakfast. The salmon and toast bread were perfect for the small breakfast. I was planning on enjoying more food in the Lufthansa First Class Lounge.

As I’ve mentioned, the flight attendants were just phenomenal. We talked for quite a bit and I was sad to leave them once we arrived in Frankfurt, they were that amazing. I was gifted a Lufthansa signature rose before landing by one of the fabulous flight attendants, which was a nice touch and really shows how much dedication Lufthansa has towards premium passengers.

We landed in Frankfurt about twenty minutes ahead of schedule and parked at a remote location, which might sound like bad news for some… but not if you’re in Lufthansa First Class! Two Mercedes vans were waiting for the seven First Class passengers.

Upon exiting the aircraft, I thanked the flight attendants for the incredible, attentive, and amazing service they provided during the flight, and they mentioned it was their pleasure and wished me a safe onward journey.

Our drivers were waiting at the bottom of the aircraft when they introduced themselves, informing us they would be taking us to the main terminal. I asked to be taken to baggage claim as I was planning on going to the Lufthansa First Class Terminal and it seems like the other passengers also wanted to visit the First Class Terminal after hearing me talk about it.. and eventually we all met up at the FCT.

All in all, another great flight in Lufthansa First Class. There’s just something amazing about Lufthansa’s consistency, professionalism, and excellence from flight to flight that makes me fly with them more than with any other airline. I’m happy to be loyal to an airline that looks after their premium passengers with care and provides comfort from flight to flight. There’s no better way to fly!