Flight 8: LH717 Haneda - Frankfurt
Boeing 747-8
Departure time: 14:05
Arrival time: 18:45
I flew Lufthansa for the long leg to Europe in Premium Economy.
Before this flight I visited the ANA international lounge. This was a pretty nice lounge with plenty of seating, runway views, a selection of buffet food and a noodle bar.
This was my first time flying a Boeing 747-8. The interior was modern and it semeed a little quieter than the 747-400, although still a bit noisy. It might have been my imagination, but from looking at the economy seats I got the impression the cabin was a little narrower than the 744 - but I could be wrong.
For this flight I waa in 21A, an exit row seat at the front of Premium Economy. This seat had basically unlimited legroom.
The seat was wide and comfortable, with good recline and a fold-out legrest. That said, I’m not sure how I’d go sleeping in it as it’s still a recliner seat. As this was a day flight I stayed awake the whole time - so this was a great seat for my purposes.
Lufthansa’s 747-8 cabin has a bit of a strange configuration. Behind Business class is 4 rows of economy. The Premium Economy cabin is located behind there, and Economy continues after that. There are no curtains separating Economy from Premium economy and the toilets are shared. Here’s the seat map to explain what I’m talking about:
On some airlines, Premium economy is more like Business class but without the lie-flat beds. I consider the Qantas and
Virgin Australia service to fall into that category. But I would say Lufthansa’s soft product is was more like Y+ than J-. The crew, entertainment, meals and overall service were all very good. But it wasn’t that different from Economy. Indeed, the only difference in the meals was that PE had them served on real plates with real cutlery. We were even served after the mini-economy cabin in front of us.
We did get a bottle of water and pre-departure fruit drink. Warm towels were provided prior to both meal services. A pillow, blanket, slippers and small amenity kit were also provided.
For each meal there was a Japanese and a western option. Here’s what was on the menu:
I had the pork ginger bowl for lunch:
...and the beef sukiyaki for dinner:
A choice of onigiri or cake was also served mid-way through the flight, and there were regular drink runs.
We arrived in Frankfurt half an hour early.
This was a very pleasant flight, although the main benefit of Premium Economy seemed to be the seat. The soft product could be better differentiated from economy, and it also wouldn’t hurt to offer priority check-in, boarding and luggage to Premium Economy passengers.