Lufthansa First Class Frankfurt to Newark 747-8i

Flying in the nose of the 747 is quite possibly the coolest experience in the air, and sitting in seats 1A/1K is the epitome of that experience.  Why? You’re sitting literally in front of the pilot ( they sit on the upper deck ), and from your seat you can see the curvature of the plane. I’ve been fortunate to do it a few times in my life, and the first flight I ever blogged was a Virgin Atlantic 747 in Upper Class. I’ve had the great fortune of flying Lufthansa First Class several times in my life ( A380, A330, A340) and this was my third time experiencing the 747-8i, but this time 1A/K was booked, and I decided to give 3K a shot.

It’s worth noting that Lufthansa has released a new First Class, and it’s light years beyond this aged first class. It’s on very few routes currently, but it looks stunning and I hope to experience and review it sooner than later.

Needless to say, the experience of flying Lufthansa First Class on the 747-8i is a real privilege, and definitely one that I’d never be able to do without points – Lufthansa regularly charges upwards of $10k if using cash, and one of the highlights of the experience, that I was fortunate enough to do again, was the tarmac car transfer right up next to the plane. Unreal.

Our other First Class Reviews:

• Emirates First Class on the 77W
• Singapore Suites on the A380
• Singapore First Class on the 77W
• Cathay Pacific First Class on the 77W
• Qantas First Class on the A380
• Japan Airlines First Class on the 77W
• Lufthansa First Class
  • A380
  • A330
  • 747-8i
• British Airways First Class on the
  • A380
  • 77W
  • 747-4
• Etihad Apartments
• Etihad First Class 77W

Certainly one of the coolest ways to fly is in the Nose of the Plane.

Flight Details for Lufthansa First Class Frankfurt to Newark 747-8i

There are many ways to book Lufthansa First Class, which you can read in the next section, but I ended up booking two days before the flight with 100k Aeroplan Miles + $320. This is arguably the most attracitve method of booking since it has lower fees and requires the fewest miles ( other than Lufthansa’s own Miles and More program which has no US transfer partners).

• When: Feb 2025
• Airline: Lufthansa
• Route: FRA-EWR
• Plane: 747-8
• Duration: ~9 hours
• Class: First Class
• Seat: 3K
• Program: Aeroplan 100k + ~$320

How to book Lufthansa First Class with points

Here’s a list of the programs that have access to Lufthansa First Class award bookings which you can book up to 30 days in advance. Don’t count on that window showing all the award space. Ordinarily, you’ll see more trickle in starting at the 14 day mark, then again  at 10 days , 7, 3, and finally the day/day of. That’s been my experience.

The programs you can use to book:

• Air Canada Aeroplan
  • 100k One Way
  • Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, Marriott
• ANA Mileage Plan
  • 165k miles and must be booked roundtrip
  • partner of Amex and Marriott
• Asiana Club
  • 50k one way
  • Marriott
• Avianca Lifemiles
  • 120k one way
  • Amex, Capital One, Citi Thank You, and Marriott
• Lufthansa Miles and More
  • 85k one way
  • Marriott Bonvoy
• Singapore Krisflyer
  • 107,500 one way
  • Amex, Chase, Citi, Capital One, Marriott
• United Mileage Plus
  • 140k one way
  • Chase, Marriott

The best 4 credit cards I’d choose to earn points for Lufthansa First Class

Amex

• American Express Gold
  • The Amex I use most with outstanding 4x dining and 4x US supermarkets

Capital One

• Capital One Venture X
  • $300 travel credit,
  • $200 Airbnb/VRBO credit,
  • 2x on everything
  • 10k anniversary bonus every year you keep the card

Citi 

• Citi Thank You Premier – arguably the most underrated credit card on the market
  • offers 3x dining, groceries, travel, and gas
  • $95 AF

Chase

• Chase Sapphire Preferred®  is a great starter premium card and one that I actually carry
  • 3x dining, 3x online groceries, great transfer partners and $95 a year.

Choosing a seat on Lufthansa First Class 747-8i

You can see the seatmap from Lufthansa down below, but there’s a total of 8 seats, and on my flight, just 2 others were occupied.

• Most Privacy: 3A or 3K
• Couples; 3G,D
• My fave: fly in the nose in 1A and 1K

Here you can pretty much see the full cabin.

One of the coolest parts of Lufthansa First Class in the 747 is having 4 full windows to yourself. I truly think this is one of the brightest cabins I’ve ever flown on. The absence of overhead bins gives a very open and bright ambience.

Now, you’ve booked and picked your seat. The experience begins at the Lufthansa First Class Lounge ( and sometimes First Class Terminal )

While I’ve flown Lufthansa First Class multiple times, it’s almost always been via transit. Here’s a pic of me ( with a matching suitcase lol – not intended ) about to enjoy the exclusive Lufthansa First Class Terminal back in 2021

It’s a gorgeous lounge featuring dining, a full bar, bedrooms, showers, and of course Miles got his duck.

Don’t forget to check out the showers and…tub. I mean, honestly, who is taking a bath? Maybe if you have a small child, or baby, and they need a thorough washing, but seems a bit over the top lol.

The coolest part…a tarmac transfer to the plane.

When boarding begins, you’ll be found in the lounge and whisked down to a waiting chauffeur to drive you to your plane.

Yes, Miles is a sucker for a staged photo and YES, that’s my big bird in the background from my first ever flight on Lufthansa First Class in 2016. Those first 4 windows, in front of the captain, are 1A.

My most recent time flying Lufthansa First Class Feb 2025 – I was transported in a BMW 7 Series

Boarding

After going up an elevator, cutting in front of the coach passengers ( very naughty that I enjoyed that so much muhahaha), down the jetway and turning,  I boarded.

If you fly in 1A and 1K is empty, you can have a living room and bedroom

This time I chose 3K – it’s much, MUCH more private than 1A/K since it sits further back in the cabin and is next to the lockers.

Get settled in and Sipping some Champers.

As soon as you land at your seat they are all over you with the finer things in life like Champagne, silky Pajamas, and warm nuts. Every time I have warm nuts it reminds me of Ernest Borgnine. I shot a movie a few years back with Ernie and he was one of the most amazing people.  He told me the story of a New York chestnut-roasting street vendor who was always happy. Ernie asked the guy why he was so happy roasting chestnuts, and the guy said, “I’m not trying to set the world on fire, I’m just trying to keep my nuts warm.” Ernie laughed and laughed and loved it so much that he actually titled his autobiography after the exchange.

They were serving two some fantastic champagne ( Grand Sicele Laurent-Perrier – this used to be featured on British Airways First Class for eyars )  and I ended up having a crisp, pre-departure glass.

The Seat

If I’m being very honest, the seat isn’t really anything to write home about when compared to what’s currently offered on Emirates, Etihad, Singapore, etc, but it is very comfortable. In fact, I’d say in bed mode, its one of the most comfortable I’ve flown on.

1K

3K in bed mode

There is an ottoman that opens and slides back and forth for you to put your feet up on.

The seating and IFE controls are in the armrests as well as a nice amount of storage between you and the windows.

The IFE

This is the biggest downside to flying Lufthansa in general – atrocious IFE and one of the most limited selections of entertainment.  .

Amenity Kit

Lufthansa does a fantastic Porsche Design amenity kit that is not only filled some with great products, but the design is meant to store your electronic cabins, etc. I use it for a portable hard drive now.

They also provide pajamas – super comfortable and a much better design than they had in prior years.

 

If you wondering if I took more than one of those shave kits, the answer is yes…don’t judge me – free stuff is so hard to pass up!

 

Wifi:

Passengers in first class get free Wifi by using the code in the upper right hand. In years past, it was 17 Euros.

Food

One of the quintessential items to order if you’re flying Lufthansa First Class is the caviar plate. The serving was enormous and a true treat when paired with an exceptional rose and fine white wine.

 

I had the fish which were completely ordinary and unremarkable. Honestly, I could have had the caviar and been done, but I always feel compelled to overeat when in first class.

The Bed

As I mentioned earlier, Lufthansa offers one of the most comfortable beds in the sky.

 

Even though Lufthansa First Class doesn’t offer doors like Qatar Airways Qsuites, British Airways Club Suites, Emirates First Class, Etihad Apartments, Singapore Suites, the list goes on… it does have a very large divider.

Overall:

There’s nothing quite like starting your day in a fabulous lounge, getting chauffeured to your plane, and sitting in the nose of a 747-8i for 9 hours to you destination. I’m really looking forward to checking out the new Allegris Business and First Class sooner than later.

 

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