There are certain travel experiences that are almost a rite of passage once you spend enough time in the points and miles world. International First Class is one of them.

For years, this was one of the aspirational redemptions I kept coming back to. In fact, it was one of the redemptions that first got me excited enough to take the points and miles world seriously. Not just because of the seat, the champagne, or the onboard caviar, though all of those certainly help, but because Lufthansa has built an entire first-class ecosystem around the journey. The lounge, the dining, the rubber duck, the bath, the car transfer to the plane, etc. Together, they create the sense that you are not simply upgrading a flight but stepping into a different version of air travel.

We were fortunate enough to snag these seats on the exact date we wanted to cap off an incredible points-fueled honeymoon. This wasn’t about saving money in the conventional sense, as the cash fare would have been eye-wateringly unaffordable. Instead, it was about accessing an experience that we would never have been able to afford otherwise.

Our routing was MUC-BOS, flying Lufthansa First Class on the Airbus A380. Before the flight, we spent a few hours in the First Class Lounge in the Satellite Terminal.

Booking

Lufthansa First Class is one of the more famous aspirational redemptions available to Canadian points collectors, but it does require a bit of flexibility. Award space is only accessible close to departure, typically in the last 72 hours. That can make it less ideal for travellers who need everything locked in months ahead of time, but very compelling for those who can build some flexibility into their plans.

For this flight, we booked through Aeroplan for 90k points plus approx. $110 in taxes and fees per person. Cash fares for Lufthansa First Class on transatlantic routes retail around €10,000 per person, per direction. As you can imagine, this is entirely unaffordable for the vast majority of Canadians. And for those keeping track, that's a whopping 17.7 cents per point (cpp), though, you may well know that I have a deep dislike of cpp as a metric for value.

As always, I think it is important not to overstate the value of a redemption by pretending I would have paid the full cash price. I would not have. The value here isn’t the theoretical cents-per-point calculation, but the fact that points allowed us to turn a normal transatlantic flight into a memorable travel experience.

First Class Lounge

Before boarding, we had access to the Lufthansa First Class Lounge, which was a major part of the experience. Of note, there are two First Class Lounges in Munich, but the one in the Satellite Terminal is newer and, in my opinion, more closely approximates the experience of the highly lauded First Class Terminal in Frankfurt.

The entrance is quite understated with a quiet, polished atmosphere. The lounge offers à la carte dining, drinks, comfortable seating, private work areas, and one of the most charming first-class lounge traditions in aviation: the Lufthansa ducks. These are objectively ridiculous, and yet delightful. We were given the bride-and-groom ducks as a cute homage to the fact we were finishing up our honeymoon.

The food was excellent. We had a proper sit-down meal with wine, a level of service that felt more like a restaurant than a lounge, and the kind of pacing that allows you to actually enjoy the time before a flight rather than simply wait for boarding. This is one of the major differences between a strong business-class lounge and a true first-class ground experience. In business class, the lounge is often a pleasant convenience. In first class, the lounge is truly part of the itinerary.

One of the more unique features was the bathroom and bath area. This is the sort of detail that has become famous among points enthusiasts, and for good reason. Being able to take a proper bath before a long-haul flight is wholly unnecessary, but in exactly the way luxury travel should sometimes be. It’s not something anyone needs, but it makes the experience feel memorable and specific. Lufthansa understands that details like this are what separate a great premium product from one people talk about for years.

Boarding

Boarding Lufthansa First Class has its own sense of theatre that varies based on your routing/departure airport. The ground process can involve direct boarding support, private transfer elements, or simply a highly controlled and polished transition from lounge to aircraft. In our case, the transition from lounge to aircraft felt smooth and premium. By the time we stepped onboard, the experience had already been framed as something special.

The crew greeted us warmly and showed us to our seats. The cabin had an unmistakable Lufthansa First Class look: elegant, spacious, and slightly restrained. It doesn’t have the enclosed-suite drama of Emirates or the hyper-modern styling of some newer Asian and Middle Eastern products, but it will always have a place in our hearts.

Cabin

The Lufthansa First Class cabin is one of the more iconic ways to cross the Atlantic.

On the A380, the cabin is arranged across 2 rows in a 1-2-1 configuration with wide, open seats and a tremendous amount of personal space. It’s not the most visually dramatic first-class cabin in the sky, but it’s elegant, mature, and has a pleasant colour palette.

The open layout may be a small drawback for travellers used to fully enclosed suites. However, there’s enough space between seats that the cabin still feels private, and the small number of passengers keeps the atmosphere quiet. For couples, the centre seats are excellent because they allow you to enjoy the flight together without feeling separated into individual pods. For solo travellers, the window seats are probably the obvious choice.

What stood out most was the sheer amount of room. The seat doesn’t feel like a slightly enhanced business-class product. It’s clearly on another level. The biggest difference is the attention to comfort. For example, the ottoman across from the chair is motorized such that each passenger can personalize the distance so that they can rest their feet at the optimal place.

There’s something surreal about sitting in a cabin like this on a commercial aircraft. Of course, you know that you’re still flying on a “regular” aircraft but the experience is sufficiently removed from standard aviation such that it felt unlike almost any other commercial flying experience we had experienced.

Seat

The seat itself is spacious, comfortable, and highly functional.

It offers a wide sitting area, a large ottoman, generous legroom, and the ability to engage in “buddy seat” dining with your partner. This is one of the biggest differences between Lufthansa First Class and even very good business-class seats. In business class, you are usually comfortable within the architecture of the seat. In First, the seat feels more like a personal zone.

The controls are intuitive, the recline is smooth, and the seat can be adjusted into a wide range of positions. There is also an incredible amount of storage. The ottoman is large enough to hold a carry-on bag, and, shockingly, there are individual lockers for each passenger.

Amenities

Shortly after boarding, the crew distributed the first-class amenities, including pajamas, slippers, and an amenity kit.

The amenity kit on our flight included Augustinus Bader products, which was a nice touch and felt appropriately premium. The facial spray, cream, and hand treatment were especially welcome on a long-haul flight, where the cabin environment is never particularly kind to skin.

The pajamas were comfortable, as expected, and are one of those things that have become hallmarks of international first class. Even though this was a daytime flight, we took the opportunity to change and lounge properly, because, why not?

Food and Drink

The food and drink service was one of the strongest parts of the flight. Like any good first-class experience, it all starts with champagne and caviar. The 2008 Cuvée Alain Thiénot was particularly crisp, and the crew laid the table carefully, with proper linens, glassware, cutlery, and bread service. This is one of those small but important distinctions between business class and first class. In business class, even excellent food can still feel like airplane food served nicely. In first class, the pacing and presentation make the meal feel closer to a restaurant experience.

The main meal was also strong. We opted for the half-chicken, which was plated attractively. The food itself was better than what one reasonably expects at altitude, though I would still say the magic of the Lufthansa First Class dining experience is less about any one dish and more about the totality: the pacing, the setting, the table, the wine, the service, and the novelty of eating this well at 35,000 feet.

The drink selection was similarly premium, with champagne, wines, spirits, coffee, and digestifs available throughout the flight. Notably, I appreciated that the wine list included a 2018 Château Brane-Cantenac from Margaux. The step up in wine quality is one of my favourite differences between business and first. Overall, we kept things relatively simple, but the crew was proactive with refills and happy to pace the service according to how we wanted to spend the flight. The service was structured, but not rigid. You can make it a long, drawn-out dining experience, or you can move through it more quickly and prioritize rest. The crew adapts.

Bathroom

The first-class lavatory deserves its own brief mention because it was noticeably more comfortable than a standard airplane bathroom. The bench was so long that I could lay down on it despite being 6’2”.

It was still, fundamentally, an aircraft lavatory, so I don’t want to overstate this. But it was more spacious, better stocked, and more pleasant to use than what most passengers experience onboard. The finishes were clean, the amenities were well presented, and having more room to change into pajamas made the experience feel more fun. No one books Lufthansa First Class because of the lavatory, but when you are actually onboard, small details like this add up.

Bed and Sleep

After the meal, the crew prepared the bed. The bed is wide, the bedding is excellent, and the seat converts into a comfortable sleeping surface. The mattress pad, duvet, and pillow all felt high quality, and the amount of space made it easy to settle in without feeling boxed in. The cabin was quiet, the lighting was soft, and the bedding made the seat feel much closer to an actual bed than a reclined airplane seat.

Even though we were taking a daytime, westbound flight, it’s easy to see how much this would matter for the overnight transatlantic flights.

The only caveat is that Lufthansa’s cabins, like many EU-carriers, can sometimes run warm, depending on the flight. That is always a risk when sleeping onboard, and travellers who are sensitive to cabin temperature may want to dress accordingly. Additionally, we brought personal fans, which is one of my greatest travel tips when flying a European airline. I’ll link the ones we used below for reference. This is not an affiliate link, and I do not receive any monetary compensation from your purchase. It’s just an addition that made this flight, along with travel in general, more enjoyable.

Jisulife Life 7 Handheld Fan

Bed and bedding set up in Lufthansa First Class

Entertainment

The entertainment system was functional, though not the highlight of the experience.

The screen was perfectly adequate, and there was enough content to pass the time, but Lufthansa First Class is not really an entertainment-led product. This is not like some of the modern first-class cabins where the massive screens, suite doors, and tech features are central to the experience. Here, the focus is more traditional: space, service, dining, bedding, and ground experience.

That said, we were able to watch content comfortably, and the setup worked well enough. With a glass of wine, a fully made bed, and a quiet cabin, the entertainment system did not need to do much heavy lifting.

Service

Service was polished, professional, and very Lufthansa. In fact, one of the flight attendants was working her first day in First Class as a more senior attendant had fallen ill. She was one of the highlights of our experience with proactive, warm, and thoughtful interactions throughout. She made such a positive impression that, after our honeymoon, we reached out to Lufthansa to share our feedback in the hopes that it might help her career progression. Overall, the crew made the cabin feel relaxed and well managed, which is exactly what I want on a long-haul first-class flight.

Comparison to Business Class

One of the questions people often ask is whether first class is really that different from business class. In general, I tend to say the difference is as stark as going from Y/PY into business class. A strong business-class product can give you a lie-flat seat, good food, lounge access, and enough comfort to arrive relatively rested. This is often the “suite spot” and how we typically travel. That said, the opulence of First is welcome on occasion.

The lounge experience is more refined, exclusive, and tends to carry far higher quality items. The cabin is quieter. The seat is more spacious. The dining feels more like an event. The bedding is better. The service is more personalized. And the rarity in the points world keeps it feeling extra special.

As alluded to earlier, this doesn’t mean first class is always the rational choice. If you’re choosing between one first-class flight and multiple business-class flights, many people would reasonably choose more trips. But if you have the points, the flexibility, and the opportunity, it’s absolutely worth experiencing First at least once.

High Yield Points Tips

For Canadians, Lufthansa First Class is especially interesting because it can be booked through Aeroplan when award space is available. Additionally, they are one of the only airlines known to release multiple seats in first class (sometimes even the entire cabin) which makes sharing with those you care about possible. The challenge is availability. Lufthansa often releases first-class award seats close to departure, which means this is not always the easiest product to plan around.

My tips for snagging these seats for yourself

Choose the right direction: Personally, I strongly prefer booking First on the westbound flight returning home as I want to stay up and enjoy the experience. Others may prefer to try for both directions, but if I had to choose only one, I would choose the daytime return. It also adds a special end to the vacation.
Departure planning: It’s best to leave some inherent flexibility in the portion of your trip that you want to get into First such that you can take advantage of what is offered. One approach is to use our two annual Marriott Bonvoy free night certificates at a lovely hotel called the Falkenstein Grand in Frankfurt. This creates a small window at the end of the trip where we can reliably grab anything that comes available. The other option is to end your trip within driving distance of Frankfurt or Munich to have maximum flexibility (which is what we did on this occasion).
Placeholder bookings: It’s best to have a “back-up flight” with a favourable change/cancellation policy such that you are ready to make the audible if seats become available. Ideally this is already within the Aeroplan ecosystem so that my changes into Lufthansa First can be done via the app, without needing to call in. If you have a second points ecosystem that you use regularly, you could have your placeholder booking in that program as well. The main concern here is that, after changing to LH First, those points will be “stranded” so you’ll want to have some kind of future use-case for them.
Finding the seats: One can simply just check the Aeroplan app across each route maniacally as the intended dates approach, which is what we did on this trip. However, there is a better way – Roame Alerts. Roame is our favourite award flight searching tool and has a highly functional alert system that allows you to set things like “FRA/MUC – North America in First Class” and limit it to the dates that you can work with. Then you can sit back, relax, and wait for a push notification to your phone allowing you to simultaneously improve your experience on your vacation while also increasing the odds you beat others to the punch.
Return to Canada: Lufthansa currently does not run any first-class seats to Canada, so you will likely be taking a pit stop in Mexico or the United States. Aeroplan itineraries made entirely of partner flights price according to the fixed partner award chart. However, once any Air Canada segment is added, the itinerary becomes dynamically priced. To avoid sending the price sky-high, we typically book a separate refundable repositioning flight from a convenient U.S. gateway back to our home city. That way, we can snag LH First to Mexico or the United States, add a partner connection with an airline like United, and then transition to our separate itinerary to get back to Halifax. Typically, we are looking at EWR or BOS to YHZ. Sometimes we do this all on the same day, which is riskier but more efficient. Other times, we plan a small weekend in NYC to allow more time in case of delays or issues with checked baggage.

If you don’t already have a Roame Pro account, please consider using my referral link below where you will get a 25% discount and I will earn a small commission. As always, we appreciate the support, as it helps make this content sustainable.

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What Could Be Better

No product is perfect, and Lufthansa First Class does have limitations. The hard product is spacious and elegant, but not as private or updated as some newer fully enclosed suites. Lufthansa is addressing this with the new Allegris First Class product, however, at the time of writing, those seats are not eligible for rewards redemptions. Travellers who prioritize doors, ultra-modern tech, and complete visual privacy will find Lufthansa’s cabin more traditional than cutting-edge.

The entertainment system is also not the star of the show. It works, but it doesn’t feel especially modern compared to even a newer business class product.

That said, none of these issues meaningfully undermined the experience for us. Lufthansa First Class may not be the newest or flashiest product in the sky, but it remains deeply compelling because the total experience is so enjoyable.

Bottom Line

After envisioning this trip for a year, Lufthansa First Class on the A380 lived up to the hype. The lounge, the dining, the ducks, the onboard service, the caviar, the spacious cabin, and the excellent bedding all worked together to create a travel day that felt genuinely special. This was the crowning points achievement on our honeymoon, rivaled only by our stay at The Gritti Palace (review coming soon). We were able to access a flight experience that would have been impossible to justify with cash. In doing so, we turned what could have been a routine transatlantic crossing into one of the most memorable parts of the trip.

For Canadian travellers with Aeroplan points, flexibility, and an appetite for aspirational redemptions, Lufthansa First Class remains one of the most iconic ways to cross the Atlantic.

Lufthansa First Class Review: Our Honeymoon Flight on the A380

In This Review

Introduction