Lufthansa
First Class Lounge
Now this is where my trip gets a little interesting
and is the reason my family and friends think I am a little bit crazy. My original plan was just to do a quick trip
to Frankfurt for a mileage run. Then I
started to get into the whole award redemption madness and started researching
options of where I might be able to go from Frankfurt. ANA had announced that they would be flying
their new Boeing 787 from Tokyo Narita to Frankfurt. I was able to find a business award seat that
fit my timetable on the return and managed to also get a business class award
seat on Lufthansa’s A380 on the outbound.
It wasn’t until a few weeks before this trip that a first class award
seat on the A380 opened up and I snapped on the chance. Not only did it get me into one of the best
airline seats out there but also gave me access to Lufthansa’s First Class Terminal.
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| The Terminal Building (Picture Stolen From Another Blog) |
The First Class Terminal is a separate terminal,
outside of the main terminal serving Frankfurt.
You have to walk out of the main terminal, turn left, and then walk
about five minutes to the building. On the
lower level there is a small lobby space with an elevator up to the main floor
where you are greeted by a personal liaison who takes your passport and checks
you in. The security checkpoint is a
breeze with much more professional and friendly staff than in the US and there
are no lines. My liaison gave me a tour
of the terminal since it was my first time and she pointed out the office
space, lounge area, bar, restaurant, cigar lounge, and restrooms. I grabbed a seat as she went to get my
boarding pass and a few minutes later she returned. My passport was still held until I actually
left for my flight. My boarding pass
even came with a fancy first class folder.
The backpack in the photo below is the only “luggage” I brought along
with me; hopefully I can manage with just that.
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| Very Cool Boarding Pass Sleeve |
One of the benefits of having status or airline
lounge access is the ability to get cleaned up and take a shower. I was able to get into one of four shower
rooms in the Terminal. The shower room
had the same décor and feel of the overall Terminal with a toilet behind the
wall on one side and shower on the other.
The shower even had a rain-type nozzle with the water falling from the
ceiling. There is nothing like a shower
to get you refreshed after a long day of travel.
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| First Class Terminal Wash Room |
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| First Class Terminal Wash Room |
I went back to the lounge area and grabbed one of
the seats to relax in for the next few hours while I waited for my flight. There were thirty or so other people in the
lounge scattered throughout. I was
tempted to try out the restaurant but I knew I would be getting a big meal on
my flight so I passed. I did get a
rather nice glass of Bordeaux which came with some olives, prosciutto,
sun-dried tomatoes, and breadsticks.
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| Bordeaux and Snacks |
The bar area also had a self-serve sweet section
with candies and pastries. The powdered sugar covered pastries with chocolate inside were delicious.
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| Sweets! |
The Terminal was great. It has to be one of the highlights of travel
to enjoy this type of experience, and I’m grateful that I have the miles to
make it happen as there is no way I will ever be able to afford to actually purchase
a ticket. The seating was comfortable
although I wished more power outlets were present. The view wasn’t the greatest looking out over
buildings versus the airport but that is a small gripe. The food menu as well as drink menu looked
very good. The alcohol list in
particular was extremely long with varieties of wine, beer, whisky, vodka, rum,
etc.
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| Nap Room |
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| One of the Seating Areas |
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| Restaurant |
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| Cigar Lounge |
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| More Seating |
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| Snacks |
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| Sweets |
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| Wine Menu |
When your flight is ready to board, your liaison
returns and greets you by name before escorting you downstairs to the departure
area. There you are given your passport
back then taken to your plane by Mercedes.
One other passenger in the Terminal was on my flight so I shared the car
ride with him. It turns out that he was
a fellow award ticket holder starting his trip in Atlanta and going all the way
to Sydney. Once in the car, we headed
onto the airport tarmac and drove by the various gates at Frankfurt. We passed by planes pulling out and getting
ready to take off, and then passed by the larger international flights of 747s
and A380s.
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| My Ride to the Plane |
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| Driving by an A340 |
We were dropped off just outside of the plane. I stood there for a minute just looking at
the mass of the A380 I was about to board.
It is a four engine beast to say the least. It’s not as elegant as a 747 but I was very
much looking forward to heading up and trying out my first international first
class experience. The driver took us up an elevator to the third level where
the jet bridge connected to the upper deck of the A380. I will admit to being just a tad bit excited
about getting on board the plane.
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| My Ride to Tokyo |
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| My Two Rides |
And here is a sneak peek at what was waiting for my when I boarded.
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| First Class on the A380 |
OMG. I'm going to fly first class to Tokyo someday even if it means I have to mortgage my house to do it.
ReplyDeletePictures are great Matt! Have an awesome time! As usual... I hate you so much... I'm filled with much jealousy! The loving kind of course.
Has my blog convinced you of the value or at least a few benefits of flying in first or business instead of economy??
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