Lufthansa Buenos Aires to Frankfurt Review (747-8 Business Class) [2023]
A few days ago, I returned to Sweden in one of my favorite airplanes, the 747-8. Check out this post covering Lufthansa Buenos Aires to Frankfurt Business Class on the queen of the skies! The flight was LH511, and I had seat 83A on the upper deck!
Let’s dive in 🙂
Lufthansa Buenos Aires To Frankfurt Review (2023)
Booking
I booked this trip using EuroBonus points. I used 198k EuroBonus points and paid 3138 SEK in taxes for two people. Note that this is not a round-trip ticket, so the one-way fares are more expensive. I also didn’t use any Amex Fly 2-4-1 voucher, because I needed the flexibility to return the tickets if I needed to change dates.
Flight Details (LH511)
- Airline: Lufthansa, LH
- Aircraft: Boeing 747-8I, D-ABYN
- Flight Number: LH511
- Seat: 83A
- Origin: Ministro Pistarini Ezeiza (EZE), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Destination: Frankfurt (FRA), Germany
- Date: March 6, 2023
Check-in
Check-in went smoothly; almost no people were waiting in line for business class / first. When checking in, I asked if it was possible to upgrade to first, but there were no seats left. The whole process took about 5 minutes. We checked in two pieces of luggage in total. We were invited to the Star Alliance Lounge.
Star Alliance Lounge Buenos Aires
Right after security and immigration, you walk about 100 meters, and close to Gate 9, there is the newly renovated Star Alliance Lounge Buenos Aires. The Lufthansa 748-8 almost always stands in gates 8 and 9, so exactly in front of the lounge.
We visited the lounge about an hour before the boarding time.
Boarding
Boarding started on time, and they used two gates in parallel. Business and First were using a separate path.
Seat
We were in seats 83A and 83C upstairs on the upper deck of the 747-8I. The cabin is very intimate and quiet. It was the third row behind the cockpit and close to a toilet. These seats are comfortable but not as private as other new cabins like in AirFrance, KLM, or Delta.
Lufthansa recently announced a revamped cabin with more private seats and direct aisle access.
We were welcomed with a drink (water, juice, or champagne). The crew was nice, but the whole service felt rushed as if they were trying to “do their job,” and that’s it. It didn’t feel genuine at all, maybe because they had lots of passengers in business class.
Amenity Kit
I really liked the new amenity kit they handed out by Porsche Design. It definitely had fewer amenities than before (no earplugs, lip balm, etc.). However, the more flexible bag is more reusable than those harder or rigid cases, usually smaller.
Toilet
A quick tour of the upper deck toilet on Lufthansa’s 747-8.
Dinner
The dinner service was solid, although it felt rushed. You couldn’t really take your time to “enjoy” the meal, as the crew was always coming up checking if you had finished or removing things from your tray. They also forgot to offer us bread or drinks in the beginning.
The meal was tasty. We ordered both the steak and the pasta to try them out.
After dinner, we watched a movie and got a decent 5-6 hours of sleep time.
Breakfast
One and a half hours before arrival, the crew started to turn on the cabin lights and prepare for breakfast. It was already bright outside. The breakfast option was quite poor compared to the business class service pre-pandemic: there was a light breakfast (yogurt), or a hot meal (scrambled eggs).
Landing
The approach was smooth and quiet, a cloudy morning at Frankfurt. The plane landed on time and we taxied for about 20 minutes to the gate.
LH511: Conclusion
Overall, Lufthansa business class on the 747-8 in 2023 is a solid option to travel long routes, like Buenos Aires to Frankfurt (LH511) or any other across the Atlantic. However, IMHO, it’s not worth what they charge. If you pay cash, there are better options, like KLM or Air France, typically with better prices. The meals were rushed, and the service by the crew wasn’t genuine, caring, or authentic.
I believe that when you have four classes onboard (first, business, premium economy, and economy), then Business Class gets eclipsed by the exclusivity of First. Other airlines manage to deal with that without sacrificing any of the classes (like Etihad, Emirates, or even American Airlines on their Flagship First). On the other hand, Lufthansa doesn’t do a good job of providing an unforgettable experience to their business class passengers.
It used to do; back in 2019, I even got a Lufthansa branded pajama with my mattress and pillow! The meals were outstanding, and the experience was sublime. Now, it is more like a generic product. It gets the job done at lower costs for Lufthansa (but at a high price for us!).
In my case, I paid for the flight using SAS EuroBonus points, so it was still a no-brainer. I didn’t have other cheap or solid options to travel from Argentina to Sweden. However, if I had to pay for the full ticket, I would have chosen KLM or Air France from Buenos Aires.
