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Home » Trip Reports » Review: Lufthansa A380 First Class Munich To Los Angeles
Flight ReviewsLufthansa

Review: Lufthansa A380 First Class Munich To Los Angeles

Matthew Klint Posted onOctober 24, 2018November 14, 2023 19 Comments

Lufthansa A380 First Class Westbound Review

My Lufthansa First Class flight from Munich to Los Angeles provided the ultimate gift: uninterrupted rest.

I’ve reviewed Lufthansa First Class three times during the last year in the eastbound direction, but this will be my first westbound review in a couple years.

I wrote about my first impressions of the flight here and will expand on that below. Put simply, I flew this flight on my schedule. That makes this report unique from my other Lufthansa trip reports.

After landing in Munich from Nice I was picked up by a Mercedes van and transported to the first class lounge. I’ve reviewed the lounge before and won’t do so again here, but I appreciated how nicely the lounge was decorated for Oktoberfest. I also appreciated the Oktoberfest-themed rubber ducks, which are smaller in Munich than in Frankfurt.

the inside of a car

a black van parked under a white and yellow pole

an elevator in a building

a bar with a bar counter and a bar with a bar and a sign

a group of pretzels from the ceiling

a couple of rubber ducks

a couple of rubber ducks

> Review: Lufthansa First Class Lounge Munich (MUC)

Wanting to sleep right after takeoff, I enjoyed a filet mignon in the lounge with fresh orange juice and cappuccino. This is my go-to meal at in a Lufthansa First Class lounge no matter the time of day.

a plate of water and a glass of orange juice on a table

a plate of food on a table

a piece of meat with sauce on a white plate

a bowl of salad on a white plate

a plate of food on a table

a cup of coffee with a spoon and a matchbox

> Read More: Dinner for Breakfast in Lufthansa First Class Terminal

Since we were not departing from a remote gate, there was no chauffeur service to the plane. But it was a short walk and I was not hassled by extra security checks. Munich makes transit so easy. I ended up being one of the last onboard.

an airplane at an airport

a sign on a wall

a long hallway with windows and a plane in the background

Lufthansa 452
Munich (MUC) – Los Angeles (LAX)
Friday, October 05
Depart: 12:00PM
Arrive: 03:05PM
Duration: 12hr,05min
Aircraft: Airbus A380
Seat: 2K (First Class)

First class was booked only 5/8 today. The A380-800 is always such a spectacular aircraft to fly and I made myself comfortable in seat 2K. I began the flight with a bowl of macadamia nuts and a glass of Champagne.

Lufthansa A380 First Class Westbound Review

a white object on a wall

a tv on a stand in a plane

a glass of champagne next to a bowl of food

For more details on the seat, read this report.

Pajamas, slippers, and a special-edition Oktoberfest amenity kit were also distributed. Lufthansa has updated the pajamas and slippers since I last flew in first class…the slippers are quite plush and the I like the new blue/white pajama tops, still from van Laack.

a folded shirt wrapped in a blue and white striped cloth

a blue pillow on a tan surface

a folded shirt on a table

a black pillow with a white label on it

a brown pouch with a black strap on top of a silver object

We pushed back on time and were soon in the air. Not much commentary from the captain today. Immediately after takeoff I changed into my pajamas while the FA prepared my bed for rest. I love the rose and real towels in the lavatory.

a bathroom with a sink and a bench

a red roses in a white pot

a stack of white towels in a cabinet

Today’s plan would be simple: sleep for 8-9 hours then enjoy a meal before landing. I had stayed up the entire night before, partially by choice (I could have taken a nap), but mostly because work kept me busy. At noon CET it was 3:00 A.M. on the West Coast. Sleeping, or even a long nap, would position me nicely to avoid jet lag after landing in Los Angeles.

The cabin temperature was ice-cold. Traditionally, Lufthansa has been known to keep its cabins warm, but this flight was quite the opposite. In fact, I usually stick my bare feet outside the blanket, but the cabin was so cold I curled up in a fetal position to sleep. And let me add, I slept very well. What a blessing it was to sleep after being up for more than 24 hours.

a bed in an airplane

a tv in a room with a person in the background

The Feast

I woke up with about two hours of flight time left and immediately hit the FA call button to order a cappuccino. I just feel funny–guilty really–ever pushing a FA call button on a U.S. airline (especially with sentiment like this). But not on Lufthansa. A FA cheerfully appeared and was happy to prepare a cappuccino for me and also bring more macadamia nuts.

a bowl of food and a cup of coffee on a table

In first class on Lufthansa, you can eat when you want, what you want. On westbound flights, the menu contains an elaborate lunch/dinner menu as well as many a la carte items geared toward snacking or the pre-arrival meal service. Here’s the menu and wine list:

a menu on a table

a close up of a paper

a menu of a restaurant

a menu with black text

a letter from a wine company

a menu of a champagne

a book with text and images

a page of a book

a book with a picture of grapes

a page of a book

a menu with black text

a page of a book

The Feast

As my tray table was set for lunch, I let the FA know what I wanted, though I had already ordered my main course earlier. I appreciate that before I went to sleep the FA asked if I would like her to hold any entree for when I woke up. Lufthansa loads enough first class meals for everyone to have their choice, but crew eat the remaining meals, typically in the middle of the flight. Had I not “reserved” a meal I may have ended up with my second or third choice.

a plate and knife on a table

I began with caviar, which is always appreciated when I fly on Lufthansa. During lunch I enjoyed watching Ocean’s 8.

a table with plates and food on it

a plate of food on a table

Next I enjoyed a very delicious potato cream soup with shrimp and dill oil. Very tasty.

a bowl of soup with a spoon

That was followed by a simple green salad with herb dressing.

a plate and bowl of salad on a table

a bowl of salad on a table

Before my main course, I requested a peach sorbet palate cleanser, but it arrived so frozen that I just skipped it (well, I eventually enjoyed it after my main course).

a glass with pink food inside

For my main, I ordered saddle of veal, served in cream sauce with cabbage and Spätzle. Very German and very tasty.

a plate of food on a table

a plate of food on a table

a plate of food on a table

I should have skipped it, but I opted to sample the cheeses, which were excellent.

a plate of food with a fork and knife

a plate of food on a table

Finally, I finished off my meal with another cappuccino as well as warm plum strudel with ice cream.

a plate of food and a cup of coffee

a plate of food with sauce

a cup of coffee with foam and a spoon

a plate of food and a cup of coffee

This was an exceptional meal. Well done Lufthansa, and I don’t mean how the veal was cooked!

One complaint about the flight. The internet did not work, at least before I went to bed and after I woke up. First class passengers receive free wi-fi vouchers, but they were pointless on this flight.

a close up of a card

a white paper with black text

By the time I finished my strudel and coffee, there was only 30 minutes prior to landing. I changed out of my pajamas and took my seat, enjoying the view of Los Angeles as we approached LAX.

a tv on a wall

an airplane window with a city in the background

CONCLUSION

The Lufthansa first class experience was once again lovely, although this time for a different reason. Try to sleep in business class for eight hours then ask for the full meal service that had been served hours earlier to everyone else. It’s not going to happen. I appreciated the chance to customize this flight to ensure that I encountered no jet lag after arriving home. It worked like a charm.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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19 Comments

  1. Gene Reply
    October 24, 2018 at 1:43 pm

    @ Matthew — Love LH and LX F….

    • Matthew Reply
      October 24, 2018 at 1:44 pm

      How was your LX F flight?

      • Gene Reply
        October 24, 2018 at 1:59 pm

        It was lovely. I am looking forward to the return in a few days! The LX 777-300 F is so nicely done. Love the seat, IFE, food, service, and the La Prairie facial lotion that the Queen can magically produce from three $1 boxes of chocolate. Maybe one day I can look as young as HRH. 🙂

  2. Alan Brint Reply
    October 24, 2018 at 1:46 pm

    What a shame that you feel bad pushing the call button on United or other US carriers. You’re a prime advocate for change, so that actually really, really surprised, and disappointed, me. I can assure you, if I need something, I won’t hesitate to hit it, even if its “rude” “unappreciated” or “not an emergency.” The only way we will change that culture is if we continue to practice it.

    • Matthew Reply
      October 24, 2018 at 2:14 pm

      I do feel bad. I just cannot get over the looks I get when I use it. So I don’t bother.

      • Alan Brint Reply
        October 24, 2018 at 8:07 pm

        That might explain why I don’t care, because being blind means that I don’t see those looks 🙂

  3. Lara S. Reply
    October 24, 2018 at 2:05 pm

    I am interested to know, with so many airlines, and US carriers in particular (United partnered with LH etc) moving away from first to a business-class only, how do you think the EU carriers will move forward? Follow suit? Or stay the course with coach, premium economy, business and first? It appears first class on LH is quite luxurious in service (even if the seats aren’t the most lux or private) and that is how they differentiate it from business class. Is this enough to carry it forward? Thank you!

    • Matthew Reply
      October 24, 2018 at 2:42 pm

      Lara, a great question. At this point, it is too early to tell but I predict Lufthansa and eventually British Airways will eliminate first class. Lufthansa’s new 777X business class is very spacious and those aircraft will have no first class. Lufthansa already ripped first class out of its A330s, some A340s, and all 747-400s. The A350s have no first class either. I think Lufthansa will be the first to go, followed by BA, and maybe one day even Air France.

      • Justin Reply
        October 24, 2018 at 4:47 pm

        By Lufthansa eliminating First Class are you including Swiss?

        What about the Middle Eastern and APAC carriers? Do you think any others will drop First?

        • Matthew Reply
          October 24, 2018 at 7:19 pm

          I don’t think SWISS will eliminate first class. They guard it closely and it seems to sell better than LH F.

      • Richard Reply
        October 25, 2018 at 9:53 am

        BA won’t remove first class for a long time. They need it whilst club world is industry lagging – and it isn’t in the managements pysche for the club world replacement to be anything other than about average for a business class seat these days which won’t be good enough to become a “first-like” product. And Premium revenue to/from London will sustain it.

  4. Justin Reply
    October 24, 2018 at 4:45 pm

    Do you think there’s some differentiation to using the call button depending on what class you’re in? I can see how U.S. flight attendants can give off a snarky air if an economy class passenger uses the call button, but in business class? Surely, it’s expected in the higher class of service?

    • Matthew Reply
      October 24, 2018 at 7:20 pm

      I do think it is easier to use the call light in business/first than in economy class. But on AA/UA, I am very hesitant to use it.

      On JetBlue, totally different story.

  5. Donald Reply
    October 24, 2018 at 8:25 pm

    Hi Matthew,
    I noticed in the first meal picture, the salt & pepper shakers DO NOT have the LUFTHANSA name facing you, but in subsequent pictures they are rotated and ARE facing toward you (the proper way).

    Did you turn them, or did the FA notice her mistake and correct it?

    Just curious about this completely trivial observation. 😉

    • Matthew Reply
      October 24, 2018 at 11:07 pm

      What an astute observation! I should have mentioned that in my review. You might recall that in a previous trip report I criticized the FAs for being sloppy and not rotating the S&P shakers to face me:

      https://liveandletsfly.boardingarea.com/2018/07/05/lufthansa-a380-first-class-review-2018/

      Here, the FA noticed that they were not perfectly placed and adjusted them herself! I really appreciated that.

      • Donald Reply
        October 25, 2018 at 5:25 am

        Of course I recalled that trip report! The precision of my dining tray setup always makes me smile when done correctly and carefully by any flight attendant. In my thinking it really is a telling nonverbal sign of their attention to detail and their care for their passengers. I had noticed the forward-facing S&P’s myself after flying
        First in LH. So when YOU mentioned it, I was gratified to know someone else shared my detail orientated obsession.

        Glad to hear shakers were proactively corrected here. I kinda figured that was the case, since you were glowing in all other aspects of the service. 🙂

  6. Abba Zabba Reply
    October 24, 2018 at 10:11 pm

    Hey there,
    Whatever happened with your dispute with Swiss and Aeroplan?
    Did they end up reimbursing you for the out of pock expenses?
    Thanks

  7. Mick Reply
    October 24, 2018 at 11:15 pm

    I think LH has one of the biggest gaps between biz and first. I’d rather fly united j than Lufthansa j (although not in the 2-4-2). I wonder if they’ll wait to get the new business class seats in before completely eliminating first. Anyone who regularly travels for work in LH first will not go down to biz. I’d much rather fly Austrian, American or Swiss over the Atlantic. I’d even take BA biz upstairs over LH.

    Btw I almost feel ashamed looking at revenue passengers who paid $10k for their flight that I “bought” for $1250 using lifemiles

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