Lufthansa 1st class to Sweden: The planning & changes – Part 1
Lufthansa 1st class to Sweden: Outbound from South Bend – Part 2
Lufthansa 1st class to Sweden: The Westin Chicago & UBER Black & SUV – Part 3
Lufthansa 1st class to Sweden: Outbound from Chicago & United Global 1st lounge Chicago O’Hare International Airport – Part 4
Lufthansa 1st class to Sweden: The brand new and amazing Boeing 747-8 & 1st class seating & experience – Part 5
Lufthansa 1st class to Sweden: The 1st class terminal in Frankfurt – Part 6
Lufthansa 1st class to Sweden: A Porsche ride & domestic business class – Part 7
Lufthansa 1st class to Sweden: Outbound from Gothenburg Sweden & business class to Munich Germany- Part 8
Lufthansa 1st class to Sweden: A Mercedes ride and the 1st class lounge in Munich – Part 9
Lufthansa 1st class to Sweden: The Airbus A330 & 1st class experience – Part 10
Lufthansa 1st class to Sweden: An overnight in Toronto Canada at the SPG Four Points by Sheraton – Part 11
Lufthansa 1st class to Sweden: The Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge- Part 12
Lufthansa 1st class to Sweden: United business class back to Chicago & South Bend Indiana – Part 13
Lufthansa 1st class to Sweden: Final thoughts & Delta comparison – Part 14
I ask you, what is wrong with getting to the airport early; I mean really early. Oh, maybe it could be that there will be no one to check you in and take your bags and you have to stand in the 1st class line for an hour because you are way too early!
This after I had already checked in online, including filling in my Trusted or Known Traveler number on the Lufthansa web site, printing my boarding passes and just needing to “offload my luggage” to proceed to the United Global 1st lounge for lunch. No one was helpful enough to open early and get us on our way. So we waited.
After the bag drop opened up, we went to TSA pre check line since I had entered all that info in on Lufthansa.com. Nope! The number, I found out later, does not stick with Lufthansa and at the gate was confirmed with a Lufthansa rep that they do not take part yet (then why have the field to fill it in?)! I opted out and put up with the man-massage, as I always do, when there is no TSA pre check and then after that on to the Global 1st lounge one concourse over from our gate.
Finding the lounge was not easy as it is hidden from view quite well and is tiny (it is near gate C18 btw just left of the service desk area). If you want to find it, look for the doors that look like some kind of prison gates (a quote from a rep when I asked for directions – I kid you not).
The club reps at the desk seemed courteous enough, welcomed us, and we settled in. As you can see it really is small and basically just one big room. There is a tiny eating area and seating area on the other side of the room. The snack choices were fine and a big step above any Skyclub as well as the free drink choices.
The view, since the lounge was so teeny, was of a gate. I know, one does not go to a lounge for the view that is unless there is a Skydeck and definitely not so with this 1st class lounge.
The food options were not all bad and the self serve area reminded me of a very small buffet at some hotels or club floor lounges.
The bar area, if you really want to call it that, was also help yourself to whatever drinks you wanted to mix yourself.
In addition to what was open to help yourself there were menus on the tables in the “eating area” of the open plan room.
We sampled some shrimp and they were fresh and good. I was happy to see some food covered and you will see why coming up.
I did not want to spoil my dinner (since lunch was out after waiting for the bag drop to open up) and was really looking forward to the 1st class Lufthansa service so only room for a cookie and some bubbly wine!
The biggest problem with the visit was bugs. Yeah bugs! They had left an old fruit bowl out for way too long and it was just swarming with gnats that seemed to all want to drown themselves in my wine. Sigh. They were everywhere and I had to get a second glass; one for them to enjoy and one for me to wave away the rest from mine!
I mentioned the swarm and the lounge reps came and tossed out the fruit and that did help a bit and we “enjoyed” our time chasing away the bugs till time to depart. Maybe my next visit through on the return leg will be better and pest free?
A quick chair massage next to our gate (since there was no spa in the lounge) is always nice and was refreshing before or after a long flight right?
The last time I had boarded from this gate area there was a line for 1st class only. This time the jet was a 747-8 with even more business class seating and yet 1st was mixed in with business. Disappointing but a minor issue. Nothing, not even bugs doing the backstroke in my wine, could curb my excitement to ride this brand new jet I had never been on as well as the new Lufthansa 1st class product. That part is next up! – René
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Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer.
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Hey, Rene, are you sure those bugs weren’t doing the Butterfly in your wine?
@Greg D – never thought about it but you are probably right. I will look closer next visit!
When I flew LH F out of ORD, there is a LH representative that stops by the lounge and walks with all the F pax to the gate. The rep just led us to the front of the queue at the gate so no need to wait in the F/J line…have they stopped this or did you happen to leave the lounge before the LH rep arrived?
@Andy – news to me. I did not “rush” off but left in time to make it in time for boarding according to the boarding pass.