Lufthansa brings First Class back to Singapore

Airlines are gradually restoring their Singapore flight schedules to pre-COVID levels recently, including a return of their most luxurious cabin products on larger aircraft, as we recently reported with the return of Air France First Class later this month.

Star Alliance carrier Lufthansa is also ramping up capacity to and from Changi from the start of the winter season, with what will become Singapore’s only passenger Boeing 747 flights to and from Frankfurt.

This will be the first time the airline has used the relatively new Boeing 747-8 on this route, and the good news is this will also mark the return of the carrier’s well-regarded First Class cabin here in Singapore.

The schedule

Here’s how the airline’s Singapore – Frankfurt schedule looks from 31st October 2022.

Singapore    Frankfurt

31st October 2022
to 25th March 2023

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	LH779 747-8
SIN 23:55		FRA 06:00*

* Next day

Frankfurt    Singapore

30th October 2022
to 25th March 2023

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	LH778 747-8
FRA 21:55		SIN 17:00*

* Next day

Provisionally, Lufthansa is retaining Boeing 747-8 operation on its Singapore – Frankfurt route for the summer 2023 season.

Lufthansa also operates daily Singapore – Munich flights (LH791/790) using three-class Airbus A350-900 aircraft, which do not feature a First Class cabin. Timings are almost identical to the Frankfurt service.

Lufthansa Boeing 747-8

Lufthansa has 19 Boeing 747-8 aircraft in its fleet, a rare operator of the type, which has been more popular as a freighter and is only operated in a passenger configuration by two other airlines – Air China (7 aircraft) and Korean Air (10 aircraft).

With the iconic Boeing 747s still in service globally now largely repurposed for cargo operations, this will be the only opportunity to board one as a passenger travelling to or from Singapore this coming winter season.

The aircraft is configured with 364 seats across five cabin sections:

• 8 First Class seats in the nose section on the main deck
• 32 Business Class seats on the upper deck
• 48 Business Class seats on on the main deck
• 32 Premium Economy seats on the main deck
• 244 Economy seats on the main deck

Lufthansa First Class

Lufthansa First Class is one of the more sought-after premium cabin experiences among European carriers, and its Boeing 747-8s have a capacity for eight passengers in this cabin.

These seats are situated in the nose of the aircraft, with those in Row 1 actually sitting further forward in the aircraft than the pilots, who are located on the upper deck approximately above those in Row 2.

Fine dining is obviously a big draw for the passenger experience, and two passengers can eat together at the same table, thanks to an ottoman seat.

Rather than enclosed suites, the cabin has a rather ‘open’ design, however each seat does have an extendable privacy screen, which is especially useful while sleeping.

You can read more about the Lufthansa 747-8 First Class experience in this recent review by One Mile at a Time.

Lufthansa recently announced that it will launch a brand new long-haul First Class product, which will also make its way to the carrier’s Boeing 747-8 jets in due course.

It will also be installed on some Airbus A350s and all Boeing 777-9s, so hopefully it won’t be too long before this stunning-looking cabin makes its way to the carrier’s Singapore routes.

Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt

If you’re lucky enough to be departing from Frankfurt in the Lufthansa First Class cabin there’s another added treat – their First Class Terminal.

That’s right – an exclusive terminal building dedicated to First Class passengers. You’re greeted by your own personal assistant who escorts you through security and looks after your travel documents, then within minutes you’re enjoying an extensive bar and exquisite à la carte dining.

The added touch comes at the end of the visit – your assistant will come to collect you for your chauffeur-driven limousine ride straight to the aircraft door, when it comes time to board.

You can read more about the experience in this review.

Award redemptions

As many of our readers will know, Lufthansa offers award space in its First Class cabins only to its own Miles & More members until around 15 days prior to departure.

At that stage, some award space is then released to members of other Star Alliance frequent flyer programs, like KrisFlyer.

Even then it is usually slim pickings, especially on popular routes like Singapore to Frankfurt, where you have to be very flexible with dates to secure an award seat – and good luck securing two on the same flight!

This often means camping out on the KrisFlyer site and securing a seat just a day or two before departure (or even on the departure day itself).

Unfortunately Lufthansa imposes significant fuel surcharges, which KrisFlyer passes on when you book an award ticket, meaning that in addition to the miles used you’ll fork out the following in cash for a First Class redemption on these flights, at the time of writing:

• SIN-FRA: S$432.30
• FRA-SIN: S$491.40

Alternative frequent flyer programmes you can use to redeem Lufthansa First Class to and from Singapore, with one-way pricing shown, include:

• Aegean Miles+Bonus: 90,000 miles
• Air Canada Aeroplan: 100,000 miles
• Avianca LifeMiles: 102,000 miles
• EVA Air Infinity MileageLands: 108,500 miles
• Miles & More: 111,000 miles
• United MileagePlus: 159,500 miles

For redemptions using Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles and United MileagePlus, no fuel surcharges apply when redeeming Lufthansa award tickets.

Here are the award rates in all cabin classes using KrisFlyer miles to redeem awards between Singapore and Germany, either on the carrier’s own flights or on Lufthansa services.

KrisFlyer Award Rates
Singapore to/from Germany

	Saver (SQ)	Advantage (SQ)	Star Award (LH)
Economy	42,000	70,000	49,500
Premium Economy	71,000	n/a	n/a
Business	103,500	123,000	103,500
First / Suites	141,000	225,500	158,500

Where else can you find Lufthansa First Class?

Lufthansa is currently operating only two aircraft types with a First Class cabin installed, the Airbus A340-600s which are based in Munich, and the Boeing 747-8s which are based in Frankfurt.

Here’s where the aircraft are flying in the northern winter season, for the opportunity to experience the airline’s First Class cabin.

Frankfurt (747-8)

• Buenos Aires
• Chicago
• Johannesburg
• Los Angeles
• Mexico City
• Miami
• San Francisco
• Sao Paulo
• Seoul (selected days, First Class sold as Business Class)
• Shanghai
• Singapore
• Tokyo (Haneda)
• Washington

Munich (A340-600)

• Boston
• Miami
• New York (JFK)

Lufthansa will reactivate up to five of its Airbus A380s next summer, but will base them in Munich, so we don’t expect to see these back on the Singapore route like we did pre-COVID.

Though it’s not cheap at 158,500 miles, plus hefty fuel surcharges, Lufthansa has restored full pre-COVID service in its First Class cabins, and its amazing First Class Terminal at Frankfurt Airport reopened its doors last year, so for some the experience is definitely worth forking out for.

Unfortunately, award space is still very hard to come by, and the best ground experience (i.e. including the First Class Terminal) is only possible in the Frankfurt – Singapore direction.

Deployment of the Boeing 747-8 on this route will also provide the rare opportunity to fly on one of these iconic aircraft to and from Singapore again, including an upper-deck Business Class cabin that should provide a nice experience for couples.

(Cover Photo: Lufthansa Group)