Flight Info
- Flight Number: LH 490
- Seat: 1K
- Aircraft: A330-300
- Departure Time: 10:52 AM
- Arrival Time: 12:15 PM
- Flight Time: 10 hours 23 min
- How I Booked: 63,000 Avianca miles transferred from Amex + $179.95 in taxes
Check In And Arrival Process
Checking in at Frankfurt Airport was pretty straightforward. There is a dedicated business check in line with multiple agents working several counters so the wait wasn’t very long. Quick process and after checking in we’re on our way to the lounge.
Lounge
Business class passengers get access to the Lufthansa Senator Lounge which is located in terminal 1, departure area A near the A50 gate. The lounge was pretty big and offered a good array of seating options for guests to get comfortable. The food selection wasn’t the greatest but it’s always nice being able to enjoy a hot meal before the flight. Another plus is that the lounge offers showers!
Boarding
The boarding process was overall pretty smooth. There were 2 boarding lines: 1 on the left and 1 on the right of the check in desk. The left side was for business passengers and the right was for premium economy and economy passengers. It was a little hard to understand when was the proper time to line up as they announce in German first but I eventually got it figured out.
They began boarding families with little children first and then those with status. Afterwards they opened it up to business class passengers and we proceeded down the jet bridge. Towards the end of the jet bridge, you are met with a fork directing business passengers to enter near the front of the plane and the other side of the fork directing economy and premium economy to board near the middle of the plane. Upon entering the aircraft you are greeted by the flight attendants who thank you and welcome you onboard, which is a nice touch.
Seats
First impression of the cabin and seats is that they’re definitely on the older side. There isn’t much of a wow factor and you can tell that the cabin is in need of a refurbish. The seats are arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration with 11 total rows for business class. There are actually 2 sections comprising business class with the first section having 9 rows followed by the galley and bathroom, and then the last 2 rows of business class. Most airlines have transitioned away from the 2-2-2 configuration in favor of 1-2-1 configurations as the 2-2-2 configuration isn’t very private and the window seats don’t offer direct aisle access (there are exceptions to this like Apex Suites).
I was seated in the window seat 1K which was nice because row 1 is actually the row of bulkhead seats. This means that I had a larger footwell compared to the rest of the business class seats. As for the seat itself, it comes with a pillow and blanket which definitely help make the flight more comfortable. The seat cushioning is quite comfy but the material looks worn down and on the cheaper side.
The recline buttons are found on the left or right armrest depending on which seat you’re in and are pretty straightforward. The nice thing is that you can control the backrest or footrest independently so you have the ability to find a customized reclining position.
The seats come with several charging ports located below the armrest and also at the bottom of the seat divider.
The bottom half of this armrest also flips up to reveal the remote control and the dining table. The TV remote extends and retracts via a cable and is easy to use. Interestingly, it uses a mini trackpad button that you use to move the TV cursor while navigating the entertainment options. The dining table will pull out and fold out to become your eating surface later on in the flight. The TV itself looks old fashioned and isn’t that big at 15 inches. I felt that the position of the TV was a little low when in the full upright seat position. You have to angle your gaze downward to watch. However, when reclining, you are able to get your eyes level with the TV and it feels more natural. There is also a flexible reading light which is nice for those night time flights.
Business class passengers are provided a headset to use for the flight and it is stowed away in the other armrest of each business class seat. The headset is very dirty and feels unsanitary so I would highly recommend wiping it down with a wet tissue or just using your own headset instead.
Overall, despite being an older seat, it was still quite comfortable and I enjoyed the recline options.
Amenity Kit and Pajamas
Unfortunately there were no pajamas or amenity kit on this flight 🙁
Pre Departure
When most of the business class passengers were boarded and we were waiting for the rest of the flight to board, the flight attendants came by offering a pre departure drink. The options we had were sparkling wine, orange juice, or water. I opted for the sparkling wine which was pretty good. This was the first interaction I had with the flight attendant serving my side of the plane and while he was kind, it didn’t feel special as he never introduced himself or made me feel particularly welcomed.
I noticed that the flight attendant on the other side of the plane took the time to greet the other passengers personally and this just shows how much the soft product can vary, even on the same flight. Soon after receiving my pre departure drink, the flight attendant came by again to offer us assorted nuts as well as the menu to choose our lunch courses. It was also pretty cool seeing the Lufthansa fleet of Boeing 747s which very few airline carriers actively fly now. The 747 is a double decker plane characterized by its hump near the nose of the plane!
Bathroom
There wasn’t anything special about the bathroom here. It’s just your normal airline lavatory with a few extra containers containing some toiletries.
Wifi
Unfortunately, Wifi isn’t free for business passengers. They offered a tiered plan depending on how much internet access you want. Messaging was $10, full internet for 2 hours cost $22, and full internet for the whole flight cost $35.
Lunch Service
After ordering, the flight attendants kindly asked us to pull out the dining table so that they can set it with a dining cloth and the silverware. They then came by with a hot towel service which is a nice touch. After collecting the hot towels, the flight attendants came by with a bread basket of assorted breads and rolls. I chose some kind of dinner roll that was decent but wasn’t spectacular. For the appetizer, I ordered a tuna tataki with various pickled vegetables. The tuna tataki came with a garden salad and was pretty good.
Following that was the main course consisting of a veal steak with polenta bar. Unfortunately, I felt this was a little bit of a let down as the steak didn’t have that much flavor and the polenta was a little too salty for my liking.
Finishing up, we had a cream tartlet with orange compote. It was tasty and I have no complaints there. We also received a mini box of 2 chocolates which were quite good. Later on we also received a bowl of fresh fruits to cleanse our palates.
After the main dining service, I did ask for some coffee and juice. The coffee was pretty cool since the sugar packet had the Lufthansa logo on it. The juice was mango-passionfruit flavor and was actually very good, would recommend trying it out.
Bed
There wasn’t any turn down service to set up the bed, everything was self service. The seat reclined very easily into the lie flat bed and honestly the bed was pretty comfy. I didn’t feel cramped or restricted by the footwell and I managed to nap twice for an hour each and it was pretty high quality sleep. It felt like I had just slept in my own bed at home. The blanket provided is pretty thick and the pillow is soft which helped add to a pleasant sleeping experience.
Refreshment Service
About 2 hours from landing, the flight attendants once again came by asking if we would like to order anything for refreshments. After taking our order, the attendants came by with a second hot towel service. They also came by with another bread basket but this time it included soft pretzels which I thought was pretty cool. It’s always nice to see airlines serving delicacies local to their home country. I happily took a pretzel which was pretty good but I felt would have tasted better if it was warmed. I ended up ordering the ricotta filled ravioli for the main course and the cream yogurt with fruits for dessert. The ravioli was pretty mediocre and nothing special. The dessert was pretty tasty and was a nice closing to the dining service on the flight.
Landing in Seattle
About 30 minutes from landing, the crew politely asked us to set our seats back to their upright positions and thanked us for flying with them. We landed in Seattle about 30 minutes ahead of schedule which was great. The exit process was quick and efficient and it was nice being able to be one of the first few passengers to exit the plane.
Overall Service
I’ve heard numerous reports on the inconsistency of Lufthansa’s soft product and having now experienced it, I have to agree. There was nothing that really stood out to me as being top notch service. The flight attendants were nice and polite but other than that there was no real effort to make the experience more personalized or enjoyable. The attendant serving us never addressed us by name or introduced himself which I feel would have made the service more memorable.
In addition to that, aside from the dedicated meal times, the attendants only came by if you requested them. I will say that they were prompt when requested though as I never waited more than a minute for someone to arrive. But the whole experience just felt shallow as there wasn’t that much that really left an impression on me. For the soft product it’s really the little things and attention to detail which really create a great lasting memory and I feel that Lufthansa missed that on this flight. It was still a very comfy flight but I was just expecting a little bit more from the business class product.
Conclusion
Overall, it was a comfy flight but pretty forgettable. There was nothing that wowed or impressed me from the hard or soft product. The biggest sell of this flight is the lie flat bed which does give one some much needed quality sleep on a long haul flight across the Atlantic. Although the cabin is outdated and the soft product is not spectacular, it was still a pretty pleasant flight despite being 10+ hours long.
The dining service and ability to sleep in a proper bed really do help to make you feel comfortable and to make the flight feel not that long. However, I’d recommend going for other carriers or trying to get a first class Lufthansa seat if possible as that will probably yield a more memorable experience.
