![]() Those foundations make the joy and privilege of traveling that much sweeter. Lufthansa’s first class has stayed the same for almost ten years, but that’s part of its appeal to me: there’s something truly timeless about a comfortable seat, substantial amenities, seamless service, and delicious food. ![]() With the privacy partition raised, the whole thing felt like a pod seat even without proper doors that you’d find on more updated first-class seats. (They have more recent movies, but I tend to stick to the classics while flying.) Fully reclined, the Lufthansa first-class seat was very comfortable, probably even more so on overnight flights when turndown service is provided with proper bedding. I was stuffed at that point, so I reclined in my seat while watching The Devil Wears Prada on the in-flight entertainment system. (Though I didn’t say no to a quick cognac tasting at the bar.) It was tempting to have more, but I wanted to save room for my meal on the plane. The whole meal, including the service, was on par with a Michelin-starred experience. Since takeoff wasn’t for another couple of hours, I indulged in an early lunch of a deliciously creamy parsnip soup, one of the best Wiener schnitzels I’ve ever had in my life, a stunning chocolate and beet dessert, a rosemary and bergamot cocktail, some rosé champagne, and a cappuccino. I took a quick shower-in a bathroom much bigger and fancier than my first bedroom in New York-then settled into the lounge's a la carte dining area. Then they checked me into the lounge, showed me the various seating options in the small but polished space, and pointed me toward the shower suites. To make up for it, the staff arranged for me to be driven to the gate for my connecting flight. Ortile, we’ve been looking for you.”Īpparently, I had gotten off the plane too fast: I was meant to be chauffeured in a car from the plane directly to the lounge. Kicking back in first classĪfter an uneventful flight out of Athens (the first leg of my trip was in Lufthansa’s regional business class, nothing to write home about), I landed at the airport in Munich and made my way to the Lufthansa First Class Lounge, where I was greeted by a pair of friendly ground staffers: “Mr. That said, if you’re ever stuck in a sudden emergency like I was, maybe a Lufthansa first-class flight is your best option. ![]() I like to book travel well in advance, and so trying to snag a ticket so soon before departure is, for me, cutting it a little close. Lufthansa only releases first-class award seats to partners like Aeroplan within, at most, two weeks of departure. I should say, I jumped on the opportunity as soon as I could because booking an award ticket for Lufthansa first class is something of a white rabbit. I called up customer service and was told that the award, in reality, didn’t exist. I once tried to book an award ticket with British Airways through their partner American Airlines, only to receive an error message on the website. Phantom awards appear more frequently than you’d imagine. When you’re looking to redeem your points for flights, airline search engines will sometimes turn up what’s called “phantom award space”-that is, award tickets that actually aren’t available or bookable. The next step I took was something I actually should have done before transferring my points: checking if the award ticket was actually available. Most transfers are instant, but some may take a day or more.) Booking the flight (If you’re making a last-minute booking, make sure that point transfers to your desired airline/ frequent flier program are instant. I transferred my points from Amex and CapitalOne, and they instantly appeared in my Aeroplan account. I didn’t mind cutting my trip short though, especially if it meant I’d get to fly in a first-class cabin I’d been wanting to try for years. The only caveat: The first leg was leaving the following morning-Thursday at 6 a.m.-rather than my original Saturday afternoon departure out of Greece. I went to the Aeroplan website, did some searching, and there it was: a Lufthansa award ticket from Athens to New York via Munich, with the second leg in first class. ![]() Aeroplan is something special: Not only does it allow you to book award flights with Air Canada itself, but it also has access to award seats with roughly 50 other airlines across the world. Which left Air Canada’s Aeroplan program. There was a great option with Air France, but the layover time was barely an hour and I worried that wouldn’t be enough time for a connection in case my flight was delayed. British Airways had some workable routes, but they charge an obscene amount in taxes on award tickets-roughly $700 for my routing. Flying in Emirates first class on their direct flight between Athens and New York would have been an utter delight, but they didn’t have availability for my dates. From there, I reviewed my options through each airline’s website.
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