Lufthansa First Class Summer 2019 Schedule

 

What better way to start your summer than by flying Lufthansa First Class, one of the world’s best First Class products?

Lufthansa’s First Class cabin is incredible – from the ground services in Frankfurt and Munich, to the amazing experience in the sky; LH F is something everyone needs to fly at least once in their life… the only problem is that Lufthansa’s F cabin is becoming increasingly harder and harder to book due to a variety of factors:

• less routes with First Class cabin
• less aircraft configured with a First Class cabin
• more availability for Lufthansa Miles & More elite members

If you want to redeem Star Alliance miles for Lufthansa First, you will have to wait until around 2 weeks before departure… at most. The most popular routes only become available 1-3 days prior to departure… if the cabin is around half full, if it isn’t, then chances of an award seat in First Class is slim.

Best Ways to Redeem Miles for Lufthansa First Class

You can redeem any Star Alliance miles for Lufthansa First Class when it becomes available around 2 weeks prior to travel, at most. That is to say, not every single route will open up exactly 2 weeks prior to departure – it all depends on the availability and the current load factor in First and in Business Class.

You should book Lufthansa First Class through the following Star Alliance FFPs:

• Air Canada Aeroplan
  • fuel surcharges
  • very flexible routing rules
  • transfer from AMEX
• Asiana Airlines Asiana Club
  • must book over phone
  • fuel surcharges
  • transfer from Marriott
• Avianca LifeMiles
  • no fuel surcharges
  • hard to book and availability sometimes does not show
• Lufthansa Miles & More
  • fuel surcharges
  • more award availability
  • transfer from Marriott
• United Airlines MileagePlus
  • no fuel surcharges
  • easy online booking
  • transfer from Chase

My favourite way to book Lufthansa is through Aeroplan when departing Europe for lower fuel surcharges and through Avianca when departing North America for no fuel surcharges. Aeroplan is probably the best program to use, in terms of flexible routing rules – since you can transit through a third region, have multiple segments, etc. – all as long as you stay within the maximum permitted mileage.

Lufthansa Aircraft with First Class Cabin

Not every Lufthansa long-haul aircraft is created equal. Lufthansa has been removing First Class from a number of aircraft and this therefore leads to a reduction on First Class award availability overall. Aircraft with F cabin:

• Airbus A330-300
  • select (maybe) aircraft feature First Class
• Airbus A340-600
• Airbus A380-800
• Boeing 747-8

The A333 is a mystery – there are reports some aircraft feature a First cabin, while other reports that there is no First cabin. If your desired route is operated with an A346, A388, or B748, then there will be a First cabin 100%.

Lufthansa First Class Routes Summer 2019

Lufthansa frequently changes their mind which routes feature First Class and which ones don’t. This of course is determined by the type of aircraft which will be operating that route. For Summer 2019, Lufthansa has published the following schedule of flights with a First Class cabin:

from Frankfurt (FRA):

• • • Boston
    • Chicago
    • Detroit
    • Houston
    • Los Angeles
    • Mexico City
    • Miami
    • New York
    • Newark
    • San Francisco
    • Washington

     

    • Bogota
    • Buenos Aires
    • Sao Paulo

     

    • Johannesburg

     

    • Dammam
    • Kuwait

     

    • Bangalore
    • Bangkok
    • Beijing
    • Hong Kong
    • Mumbai
    • New Delhi
    • Seoul
    • Shanghai
    • Singapore
    • Tokyo Haneda

     

from Munich (MUC):

• • • Boston
    • Chicago
    • Los Angeles
    • Mexico City
    • Miami
    • New York
    • San Francisco
    • Vancouver

 

• • • Cape Town

 

• • • Beijing
    • Hong Kong
    • Shanghai
    • Tokyo Haneda

As you can see, that is quite a mix. There are more First Class flights from Frankfurt as FRA is Lufthansa’s biggest hub and features the most aircraft with an F cabin.

Routes with Most Award Availability

Some routes just simply have more award availability as First Class isn’t usually full on these routes… usually the shorter routes, sadly. When redeeming to/from North America, the following are the easiest routes in terms of finding award availability:

• • • from Frankfurt (FRA):
      • Boston
      • Detroit
      • Mexico City
      • New York
      • Newark
      • Washington

 

• • • from Munich (MUC):
      • Boston
      • Chicago
      • Mexico City
      • New York
      • Vancouver

Boston and Washington are probably the easiest routes to redeem miles on – these routes often have more than 1 or 2 First Class seats most days of the week. Again, it depends on the current load of the First Class cabin and also what the load of the Business Class cabin is.

In Conclusion

Booking Lufthansa First Class is all about knowing which routes have the best award availability and when that availability will open up. The above information is accurate in most cases, however, it is possible that there are days with zero award availability even if the cabin is empty.

Lufthansa First Class is incredible and everyone should fly it at least once – it is an experience you will never forget. From the delicious dining options at the First Class Terminal to the Porsche Transfer to the actual onboard experience – Lufthansa First Class is completely different than just regular “flying”.

Happy Booking!