I had flown into Frankfurt airport from Buenos Aires on a Lufthansa Boeing 747-8, arriving in the late morning. And my flight home on an Air Dolomiti Embraer E195 (see review) was only scheduled for late afternoon. However, having flown from Buenos Aires in First Class (see review), I could visit Lufthansa’s First Class lounges in Frankfurt.
The 747-800 from Buenos Aires landed in Frankfurt at 11:03 (3 minutes late), but we ended up being 23 minutes late because we had to park at one of the most remote areas of Frankfurt Airport. The landing itself was fine, but they didn’t pull up air stairs to the exit near First Class, so we also had to wait until the lower classes disembarked and took the buses.
Two vehicles were waiting for First Class passengers, a car to take passengers to connecting flights, and a van to take the other First Class passengers to Terminal 1 Concourse B. I and an other passenger had a late connecting flight, and there was someone waiting to walk us to a First Class lounge.
Frankfurt Airport has two main terminals, Terminal 1 used by Lufthansa and Star Alliance carriers, and Terminal 2 for non-Star Alliance airlines. In Terminal 1 there is Concourse A and Concourse B for both Schengen and non-Schengen flights (Concourse B is for Gates B1–B59). There is also Concourse C, for a limited number of long-haul and non-Schengen flights, and a Concourse Z, located above Concourse A, also for non-Schengen flights.
In Frankfurt Lufthansa has three First Class lounge options around the airport. One of the lounges is in Concourse A, near Gate A13, and one is in Concourse B, near Gate B22. Lufthansa also has a standalone First Class Terminal, a separate building near Terminal 1.
Arriving from Buenos Aires were had to disembark in Concourse B. I, and the other passenger, were then walked out through the automatic passport control, and then again through passport and security control to get to the First Class lounge in Concourse A, near Gate A12.
I was immediately informed that a car (this time a Porsche Cayenne) would take me to my connecting flight, approximately 30 minutes before take-off. This happened like clockwork, and I was able to board before the bus arrived with the other passengers.
First impressions
First impressions were very positive. The colours are warm, with a mix of beige, grey, and earth tones. Around mid-day it was a bright and airy space, enhanced by the fact that throughout my stay the lounge was almost empty.
There were plenty of plush leather armchairs and low-profile sofas, surrounded by minimalistic coffee and side tables in wood and glass.
For those who still needed to work, there are five private workstations right by the entrance. Additionally, there are nap rooms and shower facilities. I didn’t use these facilities. Perhaps I should have, but I was only a 25 minute flight away from my own shower and bed (albeit with a wait of another 4 hours).
The one area that was noticeably empty during our visit was the cigar lounge. I’m told that there are high-quality cigars on offer. I find the link between First Class and cigars a little dated to say the least.
I also didn’t bother collecting a Lufthansa First Class rubber duck. I find it a stupid idea, and if one had been forced on me, I would have chucked it in the nearest bin.
Getting settled
I installed myself in the very elegant, and extremely comfortable, loungers overlooking a number of aircraft waiting at their gates.
If I had to find one little criticism its that the windows that overlook the gates, are not just clear glass,… shame.
In the above image we see side-by-side the modern Lufthansa livery and in front the so-called “retro livery“.
The retro livery is a design reminiscent of Lufthansa’s earlier aircraft, and in particular the 747. The aircrafts featured a prominent crane, the airline’s symbol, on a dark blue tail, and the fuselage displays the airline’s name in a Helvetica Bold (slightly modified), tight spacing, and the characteristic skyline of ascenders (I think the Futura typeface is incorrectly mentioned in some texts). This is an explicit repaint that probably cost around $200,000, the usual cost of a complete repainting. However, it’s not an exact replica, since the original design would have had a true bare metal underbody finish. Modern aircraft construction utilises composite materials, so Lufthansa opted for a painted grey underbelly, offering a close homage to the original look.
In February 2018 Lufthansa introduced a new livery, marking the airline’s first major design change in nearly three decades. Behind the retro livery, we can see the updated design of a deep blue tail. The iconic encircled crane logo remains, but now set against a dark blue background without the old yellow circle. Lufthansa claims that this change emphasises a more streamlined and modern appearance. Shortly after the initial rollout, Lufthansa had to adjust the shade of blue used in the livery. The original colour appeared almost black under certain lighting conditions (as seen above), which prompted the airline to adopt a brighter blue. The redesign also involved extending the blue paint from the tail onto the rear fuselage.
Lufthansa’s crane logo dates back to 1918, when it was designed by German graphic designer Otto Firle for Deutsche Luft-Reederei (DLR), a predecessor of Lufthansa. The idea was that a crane had a graceful appearance and was always associated with flight. When Lufthansa was formed in 1926, the airline adopted the crane logo as a continuation of its predecessor’s branding.
The font used for the word “Lufthansa” on the aircraft was also updated to a more modern typeface, aligning with the overall contemporary aesthetic. They replaced the previous sans-serif Helvetica typeface with something called Lufthansa Corporate Type, a sans-serif style designed specifically for the airline by Hannes von Döhren of HvD Fonts.
There is alway a question about the need to change a recognised corporate font. One of the issues is that the font originally used might now be considered old-fashioned. Another issue is how the font works across a multitude of different modern-day media, in particular how it scales on computer screens. Lufthansa wanted to “own” a font that would work on headlines and larger text, but could be tailored for text in smaller sizes, and would have a monospaced variant used for specific applications like aircraft registration codes. As such the new font is seen as a “better Helvetica”. It very informative to see how HvD Fonts explain their design evolution on their website. For example, the typeface has been manually hinted and optimised for screen use, ensuring clean and sharp rendering across different digital platforms.
Food and drinks
I know, I should call this section Gourmet Dining and Beverages, First Class obligee.
The First Class lounge has a separate bar, a buffet, and à la carte dining.
There was an excellent buffet with breads, charcuterie, salads, and antipasti. The antipasti were Grilled Chicoree with a Kumquat Compote, Grilled Bellpepper Artichoke, Smoked Swordfish, Scampi Cocktail sauce, Truffled Mozzarella Cheese, and Duck Sesame Sauce. Salads included Matjes salad, Minced Beef salad, Thai Quinoa salad, Caesar Salad, and a Chickpea salad.
Hot dishes included Königsberger Klopse (meatballs), Fried Potatoes (Bratkartoffeln), Thai Wildreis, Thai Shrimp Curry, Asia Vegetables and Grilled Tofu, and Truffled Ravioli Pasta with Baby Spinach.
I picked the Thai Scrimp Curry, which was excellent.
But what I enjoyed the most was finding some young (24-month) Parmesan, my all time favourite food.
There was also an à la carte option, a menu prepared on the spot. For December 2024 it was:-
- Chestnut “Espuma” with truffle, Cognac and chervil
- Pan-fried Salmon, with a passion fruit sauce, mashed potato and basil
- Roast Duck Breast, with red cabbage purée, duck praline and a purple curry jus
- Hazelnut Gâteau, with beetroot & raspberry coulis, Mascarpone cream, and a raspberry gel.
Fnal comment
The Lufthansa First Class was certainly a great experience. There are many elite-style elements, but how does it equate to the price? I don’t know, but I would certainly consider it an option on long-haul flights or with prolonged stopovers.
I think next time I will have a shower, and try the á la carte.
One thing I found amusing was that Lufthansa always presents the First Class experience as seen above. Well-dressed young, dynamic couples striding from their plane to a Porsche Cayenne.
The reality is that I don’t think I saw a suit in my entire First Class trip with Lufthansa, and the vast majority of the people were men over 50, often looking tired.
