Flight Review: Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 Business Class – YYZ-FRA

After arriving on a WestJet flight from Tampa International Airport (TPA), we made our way from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1 in Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) for our Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt Airport (FRA). It has been many years since I flew Business Class on Lufthansa’s aging Boeing 747-400 aircraft. It feels dated, but we had a decent experience, overall.

Anthony’s Take: I have flown Lufthansa Business Class many times. While it is not as luxurious as its First Class offering (see my review of one of those flights here), the product is fairly solid. The seats on the Boeing 747-400 are getting a bit long in the tooth and do not feel modern. I prefer the Boeing 747-8 or Airbus A350-900, but this got us to Europe fairly comfortably. The food was decent and the service was efficient/robotic after initially being forgotten.

Booking

This flight was booked as a roundtrip ticket through Lufthansa with the routing YYZ-FRA-FCO | FCO-ZRH-MIA. I paid $1,760 per ticket. This was a great bargain as flying from Tampa or other US airports was twice the price. I have flown to Europe from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) several times now and while immigration and security can take a lot of time, the savings are well worth it.

Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)

Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) has two terminals (Terminal 1 and Terminal 3). Terminal 2 was demolished in 2007 when Terminal 1 was expanded. The airport is fine. There are a decent number of lounges. When flying Lufthansa Business Class, passengers are invited to use Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge (review here). Aside from this lounge, there is also a Plaza Premium Lounge in Terminal 3.

Boarding

The flight boarded 30 minutes late as the crew was behind in getting onto the aircraft. The boarding area was packed with people who were anxiously awaiting getting on the plane. The gate agents kept it orderly as we boarded first in Group 2 (Group 1 is for HON Circle and First Class passengers).

On-Board

We selected seats 3A and 3C as the rest of the cabin was booked. I love the seats in row one, but they were taken. This front cabin feels intimate as there are only 17 seats in the downstairs nose section. There are 67 Business Class seats in total spread across the two levels. The cabin behind the one where I was seated is packed into an awkward 2-3-2 configuration.

The seats are decently spaced and when fully reclined provided enough space for my six-foot-five-inch frame (the seats are 78-inches long). I love that there is no center section and the overhead bins are small and feel tucked away. The cabin feels light and open.

A blanket and a pillow were waiting at the seat upon boarding.

An amenity kit and a bottle of water were tucked into the cabinet at the foot of the seat.

The amenity kit was branded Porsche Design, but felt rather cheap.

Seat Features

The seat controls are also rather dated. It was not easy to control the seat position or the entertainment system.

The seat controls would either move too quickly or too slowly.

The display was average and not a touchscreen.

Headphones were found in another compartment. Outlets were on the front of the center divider between the seats.

Food

Menus were brought shortly after we boarded. The meal choices were rather limited. Dinner was okay, but breakfast was disappointing. I did not like the single, cold selection.

Pre-departure nuts were brought around.

Beverages were served to every other passenger except us. I got up and asked the flight attendant. She had her colleague then bring us drinks. I don’t think we were purposely skipped, but it was annoying. Service improved after this, but it was not particularly warm. We selected a glass of Champagne and Lufthansa’s signature Avionic cocktail.

Once in flight, we were given a smoked salmon amuse bouche.

Meal and beverage orders were taken and both came out in short order. I had my favorite: Bitter Lemon.

A choice of three appetizers came next. These included:

• Smoked Duck Breast with Asian Sesame Dressing
• Sesame-Crusted Ahi Tuna
• Ricotta Cheese with Grilled Mixed Zucchini

I chose the duck and it was delicious. This was served on a tray with a green salad and a choice of bread (the pretzel rolls are consistently good).

Main courses also offered three choices, including:

• Seared Tenderloin of Beef with Chimichurri Sauce
• Tandoori Jinga Shrimp
• Penne Pasta with Peppercorn in Tomato Sauce

For my main, I went with the Tandoori Jinga Shrimp. It was served with sugar snap peas and Basmati rice. The dish was meh. The shrimp were flavorful, but there was not enough sauce. The rice was bland and the peas were way overcooked.

For dessert there was a choice of cheese or a Banana Cheesecake. I had the cake and it was tasty.

A small box of chocolates was provided after dessert was cleared.

Breakfast was served around 60 minutes prior to landing. It was Chia Seed Pudding with Figs. The tray also had a croissant and some fruit. I took a few bites and was done.

A larger box of chocolate was given to us as we were about to land.

Wi-Fi

The Wi-Fi cost €25 for the flight and was speedy. It stayed connected the entire time. It’s pricier than some other carriers, but I was happy to have it for the entirety of this transatlantic flight.

Lavatory

Business Class has two dedicated lavatories between the two lower cabins. These were pretty standard size and quite dirty early into the flight.

There was water and I’d guess urine on the floor. Papers and water were on the counter.

I did appreciate that several amenities were offered in the lavatory.

Service

The flight attendants were fairly cold and robotic. I felt like we were initially ignored and skipped for beverages. Service got a bit better as the flight went on, but it was never warm or in any way personable.

Overall Impression:

We departed late and arrived on time. Flying Lufthansa Business Class is a way to get from point A to point B in relative comfort. Service was lacking a bit as was the food. That said, I’d fly it again based on price and schedule.

Anthony’s Credit Card Pick: I love the lounges where The Platinum Card® from American Express grants me access. It has had a prominent place in my wallet for many years now. While it does have an annual fee of $695, it provides many travel benefits and will always be my go-to for lounge access (both Delta Sky Clubs® and Centurion® Lounges) and booking airfare from the airlines to earn 5x points (up to $500,000 per calendar year booked directly with passenger airlines or through American Express Travel). Learn more. Rates & Fees. Terms apply.

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.