Business Class

Seats

The seats onboard Lufthansa business class were amazing. Although the plane was a little older than the plane we took home, it didn’t matter. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Lie down seating! I am notoriously unable to sleep on any kind of flight, but this time I was actually able to doze off for a few hours. Although, honestly I didn’t want to go to sleep! I wanted to stay awake and savor being in business for the first time in my life. 

Service 

The service was amazing, and we had a dedicated flight attendant in our section. He was very attentive, and I have never experienced such good service on a flight before! He even introduced himself to us before the flight, which gave a personal touch. I even witnessed him set up a bassinet for the family with a baby across the aisle from us. I was amazed at the level of service! We were also given a hot towel before our meal, and overall it was a really luxurious experience.

Food & Drink

As soon as my mom and I took our seats, we were given a bag of warm nuts accompanied by a glass of champagne. It was a great way to start the flight! We were then given a full-sized menu where we were able to choose an appetizer, a main course, and dessert. What really impressed me though was the wine menu featuring a variety of European wines. I had a Sauvignon Blanc from the Wachau Valley onboard, and it was just as good as the wine served onboard AmaWaterways! For food, I opted for shrimp for the appetizer, salmon for the main course, and a cheesecake for dessert. Everything was very good! The best plane food I have ever eaten by far. (And I know choosing fish on a plane is kind of a risk.) The food was also served on actual plates and not in an aluminum tray, which elevated the experience. By the time breakfast rolled around, I decided to get the overnight oats which were also very good. I will say though that some of the food we were served as a side dish was traditionally German. For example, I received a side dish of dried meats and cheeses with my breakfast that I didn’t like. I think the German touch is nice, but not necessarily everyone’s cup of tea. Overall though, the food was very good, and it should be at that price point! 

Amenity Kits

We received an amenity kit that had a toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, a mint, an eye mask, chapstick, hand lotion and headphone covers. We also received a toiletry bag and a reusable shopping bag. For me personally, I only used the toothbrush and the headphone covers. It was a nice touch having some amenities included, but to be perfectly honest I didn’t use most of it, and left everything onboard because I didn’t need any of it. This might just be me though, because I pack everything, and I already had what I needed. I will say that the blanket and pillow that was provided were also very nice for the flight. The blanket was almost like a comforter and the pillow had a little more fluff than premium economy. I did use them both and enjoyed them.

Entertainment

I will say that Lufthansa's entertainment is not the best. I was able to find something to watch (I binged True Detective Night Country in one sitting) but compared to Delta’s or United’s entertainment options, I felt like it was a bit limited. There were movies and TV shows, but also a lot of travel guides to Europe all in German. The screen in business class was nice and big though with remote and over-the-head headphones built into the seat. (This is where those headphone covers in the amenity kit were a nice touch) Even though I brought my own headphones, I ended up using Lufthansa's because they were already connected. Personally, though, I think I would have liked using my own better. But if you didn’t bring any, it’s really nice to have included! 

Bathrooms

If you sit in business class, you have access to your own bathrooms, separate from economy. That was really nice! There was never a line to use the bathroom, and they had a few amenities like lotion, sleep masks, and mouthwash for us to use. Although they were small things, you will never see them giving out freebies in economy. Also, the bathrooms in business were much cleaner than the ones in economy. Maybe it was just that they weren’t used as much, or maybe the staff cleaned them more frequently. Either way, the bathroom experience was much more pleasant in business. ,

Overall Experience

I would say that my flight from St. Louis to Frankfurt was very pleasant, and I will definitely be taking this flight again to get to Europe as fast as possible in the future. (I don’t know if I’ll be in business class next time, but that’s beside the point…) Anyway it was the fastest flight I have ever done because I wasn’t crammed in economy constantly checking the clock. I do have to mention though that once we landed we were in a bit of a shock having to deplane on the tarmac and be bussed to our terminal. I have had to do this before, but not on a long-haul flight. And because I was traveling with my mom who has mobility issues, walking down those steep stairs after sitting for 9 hours wasn’t the best ending to our flight. Maybe deplaning on the tarmac is a European thing, but it was the worst part about this almost-perfect flight. 

Premium Economy

Seats

The seats in premium economy were surprisingly really nice. And maybe the newer plane we were on played a part in the overall experience, but off the bat, I would say that premium economy is worth it for how much more legroom and elbow room you get. I never felt crammed in my seat like I do whenever I’ve been in basic economy. I had plenty of room to stretch out my legs, but I obviously wasn’t able to lie down like in business class. I will say that the only downside to premium economy is that the people in front of you can still recline pretty far back into your space. I was loving my seat almost as much as business class until the couple in front of us went full-recline for hours. That’s not really their fault, but I was a little disappointed to lose so much of my space.

Service 

The service in premium economy was very nice, but not as nice as business class. This is to be expected, but I will say it was slightly better than basic economy. We did not get a glass of champagne or a bag or warm nuts like in business, but the flight attendants were very attentive. It just wasn’t as personalized in business class, where we had only one flight attendant who introduced himself to us before the flight. I also noticed that we were served first before basic economy, but to be honest, the service in premium economy is not that much different than basic. What I thought was funny though, was that we weren't given hot towels in premium economy, but rather hot wet wipes. I honestly felt like they could have skipped that part!

Food & Drink

The food and drink were definitely a step down from business class, and obviously so. I thought the food was about the same as regular economy, but the food wasn’t served in an aluminum tray. I was only able to choose my main course this time, and I went for the curry. It was surprisingly good. The other food that was served was just okay. After being on our trip and having authentic Bavarian Crème, the Bavarian Crème served on the plane just did not compare. Also, the wine was a big step down from the Wachau Valley Sauvignon Blanc I had on the way over. We were only given the choice of a red or a white house wine, and to be honest I have no idea what kind of red I got. Maybe a cabernet? I’m not sure; we didn’t have a wine menu or real wine glasses. Also, because of the time of our flight, we didn’t get breakfast, but we did get a snack before landing. The snack was really gross and I didn’t eat any of it. Boiled pumpkin, quinoa, and plain yogurt. It might be a German dish, but I thought it was an odd choice and I noticed most people didn’t eat it either. Overall, the food was okay for airplane food, but it just does not compare to business class. 

Amenity Kits

The amenity kits that we received were about the same as the ones in business except there wasn’t any hand lotion, a wet wipe, chapstick, headphone covers (there aren’t headphones built into the seats of premium economy) or the reusable tote. But again, I don’t think any of the stuff they give you is that great besides the toothbrush. I didn’t end up using any of the other stuff just like in business. I did use the pillow and blanket they give us though. It wasn't the best pillow, but the blanket was very nice and soft.

Entertainment

The entertainment was exactly the same in premium economy as it was in business so that wasn’t any different. We didn’t have the built-in headphones like I mentioned before, but that didn’t bother me at all. The screens were nice and big, but that also was most likely because of the newer plane we were on. 

Bathrooms

The bathrooms were a big drawback for me. I didn’t like that I wasn’t able to use the business class bathrooms, and there weren’t bathrooms specifically for premium economy. Meaning we had to share with basic economy. Also meaning that they were used a lot more frequently, and were not nearly as clean as the business bathrooms. Also, with the couple reclined completely on top of us for hours, I had to basically crawl out of my seat to use the restroom. I would say the bathrooms were the worst part about being in premium economy. And even though it wasn’t that big of a deal, I was clearly spoiled after experiencing business class! 

Overall Experience

I thought that premium economy was worth the money just for the amount of extra space that you get. However, I think I would rather sit in bulkhead so that I wouldn’t have the issue of anyone reclining on top of me. I can deal with the shared bathrooms too, it’s just not as nice as in business. Overall though, I thought premium economy was much more enjoyable than regular economy for the seats alone.

In the future, I definitely want to upgrade to at least premium economy for flights over 6 hours. I just get so uncomfortable and go a little stir crazy in basic economy, that I think spending the extra money is worth my sanity. I don’t know that I would spend a ton of money on business class unless there was a great deal to upgrade or if it was a special occasion. If you’re thinking about upgrading to premium economy on Lufthansa, just do it! Because if my mom and I had not initially upgraded to premium economy, we wouldn’t have had the option to upgrade to business class. Who knows, you could get lucky and get the experience of flying in luxury when you weren’t planning on it. 

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