The Introduction
LH 780 was originally meant to be serviced by the newer 747-8i but was switched to the older 747-400 since early this year. The main difference (besides the age of the plane) is the lack of a First-Class cabin in the 747-400. This is a 3-class plane (Business, Premium Economy, and Economy) in which the Business Class section is spread on the iconic nose cone and the legendary upper deck hump. Although dated, the nostalgia for flying on one of these rare planes more than make up for it.
Before the flight
The first leg of the flight was on LH 1250, which was operated by an Airbus A321 CEO. This is a typical Euro Business class flight where the center seat is blocked off. Being slightly less than 2 hours, a simple meal was served with beverage service.
The draw highlight however would be the Amex Platinum Lounge in Arlanda. Although Lufthansa Business Class passengers have access to the SAS Lounge, I chanced upon the Amex Lounge first and with an impressive lounge entrance I decided to hop into this lounge instead. Access is by virtue of Amex Platinum Card.
The lounge is divided into 2 segments, the Platinum area, and the Centurion Segment (for Amex Centurion cardholders). The main draw of this lounge is the cook to order hot food. The Swedish Meatball and Burrata was exceptional! One can order as many as they want. There were also paid options, but I did not go for any.
There was not much of buffet options in this lounge.
Senator Lounge in Frankfurt Airport
One fact that still amuses me is that someone traveling on Economy Class but is a Star Alliance Gold member can access the Senator Lounge which is a better lounge than the Lufthansa Business Lounge which is used by someone on Business Class.
In reality, the Senator Lounge is nothing to shout about (if compared to Silverkris Lounge) and is a mere shadow of their flagship First Class Terminal.
Nevertheless, I managed to access the Senator Lounge once again by virtue of my Amex Platinum Card.
For those flying on SQ First Class (SQ25/26) or Suites (SQ325), there is another Senator Lounge near the B gates while Lufthansa uses the one near the Z gates. The lounge in Z gate feels less crowded with a slightly better food selection (but still poor overall).
The lounge feels more spacious with more seats (subjective). Regardless, one still needs to queue up for the shower cubicle (took me 30 minutes, while last year I was not able to do it in the B lounge).
The Queen of the skies
Soon it was time for boarding and as I got nearer, I cannot help to feel amazed at the beauty of the 747-400. It may not be as modern or spacious as the A380, it still exudes its own charm.
Business Class is spread across 2 area – the forward area as well as the hump. I was torn between the nose area and the hump and after much deliberation, I chose the latter. The worst seats would be the 2nd section as the seats are in a 2-3-2 configuration (to think that such configuration still exists in 2025!).
The excitement I had walking up the stairs to the iconic hump!
I was in seat 81 H (bulkhead), just before the cockpit entrance. Upon boarding, there were 2 people waiting to visit the cockpit and right after putting my bags in place I became the 3rd in line! The pilots were more than happy to entertain the passengers and even allow us to sit in the main seat! In total, there were more than 10 passengers who visited the cockpit. To think that the last time I stepped into a 747-400 cockpit was in 1992! Once boarding was completed, the cockpit door was closed.
The Hardware
Being a 23-year-old plane (D-ABTL), naturally everything in the cabin looks old (seats, IFE, overhead compartment etc.). Don’t expect much comfort vs better and newer Business Class seats but it was still good enough to give me 6 hours’ sleep (interrupted).
This is a lie flat seat (and it does not give me the sunken feeling on some lie flat seats) which is long enough to fit my 1.9m height but it can be challenging for someone with a high BMI. Those seated in the window seat may find it challenging to climb over the sleeping passenger without disturbing them.
There is clearly a lack of storage space as I only have 2 storage compartments next to the foot well and none at the seat. The overhead compartment is also noticeably smaller than those on level 1. Those seated at the window will have an additional space by the side, but it is a shallow open storage space.
Each seat comes with only 1 pillow, 1 seat padding (which barely made a difference) and a blanket. The seat can be adjusted electronically, and it comes with a lumbar support option, but seat control is not very sensitive.
The remote control is tugged underneath the hand rest, and it is a cumbersome design as you will need to remove everything from the hand rest before being able to access the IFE remote control.
Although the upper deck gives you more privacy, there is only 1 toilet to be shared by 22 passengers. Looking at seatguru.com, the lower deck is not any better as 45 passengers share 2 toilets! Seats 81’s proximity to the toilet and cockpit entrance means there is a slightly more chance of being disturbed but it gives you the shortest distance to the toilet (and hence better priority).
The IFE screen is small by 2025 standard (unless compared to one in the Economy Class) with very limited selection. It is not a touch screen (as expected), and the IFE remote control has a mouse like joystick which I would say comes in rather handy. The Noise Cancellation headphones are from AKG and although lightweight, function well and provide adequate (but certainly not superb) noise cancellation.
The Software
If the hardware on the 747-400 is best described as Meh (expected given that this aircraft is earmarked for retirement soon), the service is best described as UNDERWHELMING!
There are 2 or 3 crew whom I would describe as friendly. As for the main crew in the upper deck, I felt like I was being served by THE TERMINATOR! Other than the post take-off supper service and pre-landing breakfast, I rarely see the crew. While Asian Airlines are more proactive in offering nonsleeping passengers drinks and snacks, Lufthansa will just leave a tray of drinks and snacks for passengers to help themselves to.
I have much better service on Singapore Airlines Economy Class!
It is unfair for me to use the Asian Airlines service as a yardstick for comparison but hey, this is something that all airlines should work towards to especially given the amount one forks out in Business Class.
Food
Food is perhaps the other aspect that can challenge the software aspect in inferiority. The supper service from Singapore Airlines and EVA Air is more substantial and better quality than what was being served on Lufthansa! There were no options for midflight delectables (or at least it was not written). At least this allows me to sleep and have much better glycemic control in flight! (lol).
The best item for my supper was Burrata. The salmon was oily and salty, so I only ate 1/3 of it.
If supper was bad, the pre-landing meal was likely worse. It was a single tray serving (SQ pre-landing meals usually comes in courses), something I would not expect on a long-haul Business Class. One can argue that it is to give passengers more sleeping time. This is of course subjective, and I am certainly not impressed by it.
Final Say
Hardware on the newer planes (747-8i and A350) would certainly be better (especially if one gets their new Allegris product). However, I wonder if their software would be any better. For those thinking of redeeming their Krisflyer Miles on Lufthansa Business Class? I would suggest to just stick to Singapore Airlines. I would certainly still want to try their First Class (especially trying out the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt). I was supposed to experience it on my return flight to Stockholm but due to the switch of 747-8i to 747-400, this is no longer possible, and I have since switched my return flight to Swiss Air.
That Time Of The Year! 