Lufthansa 747-8 Business Class FRA-LAX: Good for Couples

We found business class on the Lufthansa 747-8 to be a good experience but the cabin layout is best for those traveling in pairs.

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Booking the Lufthansa 747-8 business class

Naturally, after spending a week in Europe, we needed to get home somehow. The criteria that Jenn gave me was to prioritize lie-flat seats. Thankfully, finding lie-flat seats from Europe to the US isn’t too challenging. Some of that is because Europeans have fewer miles and points than Americans. Another reason could be that it’s a daytime flight and having a lie-flat seat just isn’t as necessary.

I booked the seats for 73,000 Miles and More miles per adult (or 54,750 per child with the 25% discount). Back when we booked, we could spend extra miles to offset the fuel surcharges, which is what we did. Thus, while the price seemed high from a miles perspective, the cash component was just the small taxes and fees. Sadly, spending extra miles to avoid the fuel surcharges Lufthansa imposes isn’t possible anymore.

Earning Lufthansa Miles and More miles

If you reside in the United States, you’re going to be limited on how many Lufthansa Miles & More miles you can earn.

Apply for the Miles & More credit card credit card (not sponsored) and earn 60,000 miles for $3,000 spend in the first 90 days.
Of the US-based bank programs, only Rove transfers to the Miles & More program.
Purchasing points packages directly from Miles & More is otherwise the fastest way to earn miles.

While you could also credit your Star Alliance flights to Lufthansa to earn miles, we wouldn’t consider this to be a quick method to earn more miles in their program.

First impressions of Lufthansa 747-8 business class

We arrived at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) about two hours before our flight. Since we stayed the night at the Hilton Frankfurt Airport Hotel, it was actually quite simple to check in our bags. Once we left the train station where the Hilton was at, we were right where we needed to be. There is a dedicated business class and first class check-in counter just to the right when you enter the airport.

Up on the wall is a beautiful departures board where each letter flips as though you’re in a European train station. While it took some time to check in our bags, I didn’t mind too much because I got to see the letters flip every minute or so.

From there, we spent some time in the Senator Lounge by the Z Gates. However, if you have children, you might be more interested in spending time outside the lounge. There are small play structures that would work well for younger children in the terminal.

You can also find plenty of areas where you can play some video games. They had many consoles set up around these accordion walls. Our nine-year-old son Alex was a bit sad we didn’t have time to play before our flight. Blame that one on me.

Soon enough, we made it over to our gate (Z58), which was packed. The Boeing 747 is a very large plane, so perhaps it shouldn’t be too surprising that there are so many people around.

Onboard the Lufthansa 747-8

Once it was our turn to board, we headed onto the jet bridge to get onto the plane. While the 747-8 has two stories, all passengers seated on the second story still enter the plane from the first floor.

That’s exactly what happened to us. Our seats were up on the second floor, but to get up there, we needed to pass by the lower business class section.

Lufthansa 747-8 business class main level

And then we made it up the stairs to get to the second floor. The second floor on the Lufthansa 747-8 is exclusively business class. Meanwhile, the first floor contains the rest of the cabins (first class, another business class section, premium economy, and regular economy).

The Lufthansa 747-8 business class seat

The business class seats on the Lufthansa 747-8 are arranged in a 2-2-2 format on the main floor and a 2-2 format on the upper floor. No matter which floor you take, you’re going to need to get comfortable with whomever you sit next to. People flying solo or in odd numbers might not like the lack of privacy you get from this setup. That said, for couples and families, I could argue this is the preferred setup–at least if you like your partner. I can’t speak for those who are married but want extra “me time”.

Lufthansa 747-8 business class upper level

Remove the pillows and you could see that there’s just no place for a privacy shield of any kind between the seats.

Across from the seats are the footwells. It’s convenient that the area for your feet are open, which makes it feel far less cramped. However, again, privacy is going to be limited on this plane.

There’s a small compartment in the seat in front of you that holds your business class amenity kit (more on that later).

Next to your seat are the controls, which are intuitive. It’s nice that you can also adjust the lumbar support if needed.

And just underneath the center arm rest is a small storage compartment, the TV remote, and the tray table.

Each screen has a TV monitor but I should point out it’s very reflective. If the window shades are open, it might be tough to actually watch what you want to watch. I guess in some ways that adds privacy so that the person next to you can’t easily see what you’re watching but at the same time you might not be able to see it as well!

Lufthansa 747-8 business class seat monitor

As you would expect, the seat reclines to a fully-flat position. The crew has some mattress pads to make it a bit more comfortable (more on that later). But as you can see, if you’re in an aisle seat like I was, privacy is limited.

An extra incentive to take the window seat is that large compartment you have access to (at least on the upper deck). Have valuables that you don’t want to risk someone stealing while you doze off? This might be the best spot for them.

Between the seats are two universal power outlets (sorry for the blurriness of the photo).

There are also no individual air nozzles above the seats. Thankfully, the cabin didn’t get overly warm during the flight to avoid becoming a problem. That said, the temperature was a bit inconsistent.

Amenities in Lufthansa 747-8 business class

Shortly after arriving and getting settled in, the flight attendants came around asking if we wanted water, champagne, or a glass of Avionic. Their Avionic aperitif is a cocktail that’s citrusy and a little on the floral side. We’re not that big of a fan of floral drinks but this one wasn’t too overpowering.

The kids naturally chose water and they were getting quite comfortable before departure.

As for us, we were happy to be on our way back home.

We all ended up with their special limited-edition amenity kits that celebrates 100 years. I thought these were coming later in April, but apparently they decided to start them right around the start of April.

Inside the kit are the usual suspects. You have a dental kit, ear plugs, mouthwash, ear cushions for the headphones, lotion, wet wipe, socks, and eyeshades. About the only thing it’s missing is a pen in case of immigration forms to fill out (though many of those are moving digital).

On top of the regular amenity kits, the kids also received these awesome Lufthansa waterproof bags.

Inside these kits are all kinds of entertainment, including books, more socks, a small stuffed plane, smaller eyeshades, gummies, and straps for the bag. This is arguably the most elaborate kids amenity we’ve received on any flight up to this point. It’s impressive!

Already at our seats were some comfy blankets to use during the flight. It does a good job at keeping you warm.

Flight attendants also can distribute some mattress pads, which adds a little extra comfort to the seat. It’s not that thick and I feel that mattress pads on other airlines are a bit better. But it’s still better than nothing.

The food in Lufthansa business class

The menu

On this route between Frankfurt, Germany and Los Angeles, California, you’ll have both lunch and a light second lunch given the timing of the flight. The menu itself is written in both German and English, with meal options additionally written in Spanish.

Lufthansa business class menu — *Menu cover*

Lunch

About 20 minutes after departure, we received a hot towel to mark the start of meal service. Unlike Singapore Airlines, which has incredibly hot towels that run the risk of scalding you, these aren’t that hot.

About 10 minutes later, the purser stopped by to have a chat with us for a few minutes to make sure everything is going well and to reach out if we need anything during the flight.

A full 20 minutes after that (a full hour after departure), we finally received our drinks (champagne for me and a Riesling for Jenn). Service is a bit slow, but given we just ate in the lounge and this is a daytime flight, we didn’t mind.

The drinks came along with an amuse bouche of olives, hard cheese, and sundried tomatoes. It works as an amuse bouche though the kids understandably not too interested.

Appetizers

After this, it was another 25 minutes to get the appetizers and a refill of drinks. There was a choice of the following appetizers:

Marinated beef filet on celery puree with mushrooms and pickled onions
Tuna tataki with vadouvan curry, pineapple jelly, olive oil caviar, and saffron mayonnaise
Burrata with tomatoes, basil, and arugula

I chose the tuna tataki, which was nice but I found it a little too firm/chilled. It’s not quite frozen but it tasted close to that state. Not ideal but also not bad.

Jenn instead opted for the burrata. We both thought that was the better choice. The burrata was nice and smooth and the salad it came with was also nicer than the default provided with all appetizers.

The flight attendants also came around to distribute bread–that’s right. You get a roll on top of the loaf that’s already on your tray. Hope you’re hungry! The downside, though, is that the bread isn’t warmed.

Entrees

Another 25 minutes later (1 hour, 50 minutes after departure), we received our entrees. If you wait to order your meal on the plane, you only have three options:

Corn-fed poularde breast on carrot cream with pickled sherry shiitake mushroom and broccolini
Halibut and prawn in a fine shellfish sauce, served with potato gratin, swiss chard, and carrot
Spinach and ricotta-filled raviolini served with tomato gravy and bechamel sauce

However, you can pre-select meals if you order in advance (between 42 days and 24 hours in advance on our flight). Unfortunately, I appear to have lost the screenshots on what those unique options are. Whoops!

I ordered the beef, which came overcooked. In fact, it was so overcooked that the meat itself was pitch black. I imagine some of that is due to the sauce that they used, but still. Not a trace of red in sight. Aside from that, it was fine but not really what I was hoping for.

Alex ordered the shrimp pasta, which he enjoyed. The shrimp wasn’t overcooked and the pasta was good enough. It’s hard to get that al dente texture on a plane, so I can’t fault them for that.

Jenn ordered the chicken, which had plenty of earthy flavor thanks to the mushrooms mixed in. Jenn is a big fan of mushrooms, so this dish was right up her alley. In conclusion, avoid the beef and you’ll be fine.

Char ordered the kids meal, which came with “the octopus” (a poultry meatball with avocado cream legs and olive eyes on orzo). There was a “white brownie puzzle”, which was in the shape of Lego piece. And it also came with a box of apple juice. They put some effort into creating fun-looking kids meals. Sadly, Char wasn’t in the mood to eat, having already ate in the lounge. I don’t want to force my kids to overeat when they don’t want to, but it’s good to have options in case they change their mind.

Desserts

Another 20 minutes later (2 hours, 10 minutes after departure), the dessert cart came around. On the cart were a few options:

Cheese plate with mango chutney
Almond financier with apricot and nut-butter crunch
Fresh fruit

First up is the cheese plate, which had your typical assortment of cheeses (one hard, one soft, one blue). After a filling meal, it’s the perfect size.

And there is the almond financier. It’s actually not too memorable, sadly. The cake is plenty moist but otherwise it doesn’t stand out much one way or another.

Since we were flying back shortly before Easter, the flight attendants handed out some chocolate rabbits to each customer. Cute!

Mid-flight snacks

During the middle of the flight, there is a tray of chips, Oreos, and drinks set out in the middle of the cabin if you’re on the upper deck. I imagine a similar spread is there on the main level. Since our kids were sitting right in the center, this display was right in front of them, making it convenient if they wanted something outside of meal service.

The crew also came along with a cart midflight to ask if we wanted any snacks. There were both savory and sweet options, including cakes, pastries, fruit, sandwiches, and other skewers. This ranked among the most elaborate options for midflight snacks that we’ve had. We stuck to the sweeter items and they were as tasty as they looked. The good news is these cakes were much better than the one from the main meal course.

Second meal service (second lunch)

At about 2 hours before landing, the second meal arrived. We had two options to choose from:

Tataki of salmon filet with root vegetables, bergamot, and corn
Vegetable ravioli with rapeseed blossoms

We all ended up ordering the salmon, and it was pretty good. The bergamot that came with it has a nice burst of citrus and the salmon itself didn’t suffer the same fate as the tuna tataki–it was the correct temperature. This is a simple meal that came with another course of bread (this time they had pretzels). Everything you see here is the second course, so it’s much lighter than the main meal but it’s honestly better that way.

The kids meal was also pretty simple. Just some chicken and rice with veggies and another Lego brick dessert. Simple but hits the spot for kids.

Wi-Fi and Entertainment

So, Lufthansa has inflight Wi-Fi, and I tried to log in during the flight. As you normally would do, it’s simple enough to enter via the splash screen.

But once there, there wasn’t anything to direct me anywhere beyond this initial screen. You need to just click on that “HotSpot Access” button in the upper right to select a plan or get free messaging. But for some reason, it never worked for me when I was on a mobile device.

If you’re interested in full internet beyond the free messaging, the cost on this route will be:

2-hour access costs about €15.99
Full-flight access costs about €23.99

That said, Lufthansa is in the process of rolling out free Starlink internet for Miles and More members. In the meantime, only first class passengers and HON Circle members receive free internet.

As for the entertainment system, I already mentioned that the screen itself is a bit too reflective when the cabin windows are open. The glare is real.

In terms of variety of entertainment, it’s fine. If I had to peg it somewhere in the range of systems, I’d put it around average. There’s a good variety of movies and shows, both old and new, and some decent children’s programming. You’ll probably find enough to keep you entertained through the flight. There weren’t enough episodes of the same show to allow you to binge a series.

Service

We thought the crew did a good job with providing service. We had a nice chat with the purser towards the start of the flight though I’m tempted to say she stayed downstairs mostly as we didn’t see her again until landing. The crew upstairs taking care of us were efficient and still always helped us with a smile. And they liked chatting with our kids from time to time to make sure they’re fine.

Admittedly, this wasn’t the best crew we’ve had crossing the Atlantic, but don’t take that to mean it wasn’t good service by any means. Perhaps we’ve just had good luck with our transatlantic flights, but service generally hasn’t been a problem for most airlines on this route.

Shortly before landing, we each received a box of chocolates as a parting gift. Germans sure do love their chocolates as we left the plane with both a box of chocolates and a chocolate rabbit.

Timing of flight

This flight left Frankfurt at 10:40AM and arrived into Los Angeles at 1:10PM. Including the time change, the flight is booked at 11.5 hours. It’s a long time to stay awake if you’re waking up in Germany and going to sleep at a normal time in Los Angeles. Some people did just that–and it’s much easier to do if you’re going ot the east coast. But to a west coast destination like Los Angeles, you might want to consider taking a nap on the flight.

That’s exactly what we did, and thankfully the kids are used to it. After meal service ended, I told the kids to get about 3 hours of sleep. By my math, that would get us to about the right amount of time so we could fall asleep normally at home.

I haven’t talked about it much, but what is my math for calculating sleep? It’s overly simple and not that scientific since I don’t consider deep sleep cycles where the true rest happens. But if you sleep roughly 8 hours a day, it powers you for 16 hours of awake time. So you get a 2:1 return on any sleep you get. Sleeping 3 hours means it should allow you to “stay awake” for another 6 hours afterwards. The time difference between California and Germany is 9 hours, so add the 3 hours of sleep with the 6 hours of awake time and there you go.

As I said, not complex, but it works well enough. It could mean that we still go to sleep a little earlier than normal because sleep on a plane isn’t as fulfilling as sleep on the ground. But that’s fine by us to go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier.

Arrival to Los Angeles LAX

We had a comfortable landing into Los Angeles and before we knew it, we needed to disembark. That meant going down the stairs in the plane and then leaving the plane from the main level. The kids got one more chance to use the stairs and we were on our way.

Thankfully, we didn’t land at the Midfield Satellite Concourse, so it was a quicker walk over to customs and immigration. Los Angeles always has a large American flag welcoming everyone to the country. And thankfully, the Global Entry process is so smooth these days that you pretty much just walk through. If only we could say the same about the baggage claim process!

Recommendation: Yes and no

I feel like we got a decent deal on the flight when purchasing it. Spending a total of 255,500 miles for our family of four to fly in business class with no fuel surcharges to the west coast is a good price in our minds. However, with the dynamic pricing Miles & More has in place now, it might not be so cheap. Plus there is no way to avoid the fuel surcharges in the Miles & More program anymore. The highlight of the flight for us was how easy it was to talk to each other because the seats are so close together.

But where we found enjoyment from the seating arrangement, we could easily see others disappointed by it. If you’re flying solo, you might feel exposed to the person you’re sitting next to. It really does feel like the cabin is more geared to couples and families. On top of that, the food in Lufthansa business isn’t a selling point. We found it good enough to eat but it’s not something we’d chose in a restaurant, if that makes sense.

Thus, our recommendation would be to consider this cabin if you’re flying with a partner and avoid it if traveling solo. Lufthansa has other planes that likely would work better for you (or pay the upgrade fee for first class).

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