• Intro: Visiting the Christkindlemarkets of Mainz
• Review: Hyatt Regency Mainz
• Wandering Mainz, including the Christkindlemarkets
• Review: Lufthansa First Class Terminal and Lounge (yes, both!)
• Review: Lufthansa First Class 747-8 – Frankfurt to Washington Dulles
• Conclusion: Visiting the Christkindlemarkets of Mainz

The First Aircraft

We were driven to our first aircraft, pictured below, and had a few minutes to settle in before having to switch planes. I thought I’d cover the first part, just because the pre-departure experience on the second aircraft was a bit rushed.

While we got settled, we indulged in some bubbly.

and some macadamia nuts.

And I went on taking photos of the cabin. The screen is a good size in Lufthansa’s First Class cabin.

But really, my favorite part is the seat. I call it the Captain Picard chair, because each of the armrests flip open with controls, a la the Captain of the Star Trek’s most timeless starship’s seat.

The cabin feels pretty open, with only 8 seats. I think its very tastefully done, with the creams and grays.

But alas, we were told at one point or another that the plane was not going to work, the crew apologized and passed us off to the ground crew to get us to the Lufthansa First Class Lounge.

Second Plane

Our second plane was at a way remote gate, over near the end of the runway, so it was a decently long drive. It was also the retro livery which was a nice surprise.

Inside, the cabin looks the same as the non-retro liveried aircraft, but, some photos just for completeness.

Besides, that is such a great seat…

We skipped the pre-departure beverages and pretty much beat feat to get in the air. The crew wanted to make up as much time as they could, and we were happy to oblige.

Once we reached cruising altitude, the flight attendants quickly set up our trays.

Something I tend to enjoy, is that Lufthansa imprints “First Class” on the butter, its just cool.

My father was already enjoying the experience (his first time flying Lufthansa First Class).

The crew brought out appetizers on display on a tray, as is customary. The typical Caviar, a salad dish, duck, and a handful of seafood options.

Duck

Salad

The palate cleanser was particularly nice, with some champagne poured over it.

Sorbet palate cleanser

I ended up trying two entrees, they just sounded interesting. For one reason or another, I’ve misplaced my notes from the flight and can’t for the life of me remember the first entree, but here it is:

The second was Goose, and shall we say, it was well cooked. Not the most to my tastes, but the accompanying potatoes and cabbage were wonderful.

Desserts were soon brought around, options included cheese and crackers, and a very nice Christmas treat, ice cream and a kind’ve doughy pastry.

The Christmas Dessert

After dinner, I requested my bed be made up. At the same time, the crew distributed an extra little Christmas gift, an advent calendar.

My bed, made up beautifully.

Another picture of the bed.

I probably rested for about four or five hours, and then it was time for a pre-arrival meal. Again, my table was prepared, but this time, with an added candle and the silverware had an extra little Christmas touch.

That little touch of Christmas.

The pre-arrival meal’s appetizer offerings included a salad, and quite a bit of seafood. Of course, my father and I both avoid seafood, so there were slim pickings for us.

We had both chosen the carnivore option and salad, but there wasn’t enough salad, so I gladly just chose the meat, not wanting to be a trouble (and making sure my father had a more filling meal).

For the entree of the pre-arrival meal, I had a nice sausage dish, which was quite taste.

Due to the slight delay for the flight, we were treated to some beautiful dusk sights.

And of course, just before arrival, they flashed the standard “Thank You” screen on the monitor, a nice touch I think.

We arrived with no issue, and were quickly to the gate, where we were met by a very nice gentleman with a sign for the First Class passengers.

The gentleman escorted us down to a waiting Mercedes mini-bus, for the ride over to the customs facility. In addition to this, he had proactively procured my father’s new boarding passes (which were on American, no less!), and provided them. This was a really nice touch, I have to say, this way my father didn’t have to worry about checking in again or anything.

As we were getting onto the mini-bus, I grabbed a shot of the retro-liveried 747-81.

Perhaps the biggest perk of flying Lufthansa First Class into Washington Dulles, is that they drive you separately to the Customs hall, and you get to go in this “Secret Door.”

Wrapping Up

Overall, the flight was great. It was a bit delayed, but the crew took it in stride. The food selection was tasty, if unique, which can sometimes work and sometimes not. In this case, I felt like it worked. I particularly like the special touches that Lufthansa includes around Christmas time, and definitely will incorporate that into my thinking for future Christmastime flights. An area where I felt they really went out of their way, was the gentleman (I didn’t catch his name), who had proactively gotten my father’s onward boarding passes.