DALLAS — In December 2024, I flew into Frankfurt (FRA) from London Heathrow (LHR) on a Lufthansa (LH) A320neo to catch another LH flight to Newark. 

My inbound flight to FRA was delayed by an hour, so my layover was shortened to two hours and 25 minutes. 

Initially, this flight was supposed to be operated by Lufthansa’s Boeing 747-8i, and it was the aircraft that I was expecting. I was sitting at Gate Z66, waiting for my aircraft to turn up. 

By some luck, a Boeing 747-400 was towed in instead! So what is the Economy class experience like aboard the world’s largest 747-400 scheduled passenger operator? 

Frankfurt Airport

Frankfurt Airport is LH’s main base of operations and one of Europe’s busiest hubs; it handled almost 60 million passengers in 2023. FRA’s airside has all the necessities of a major hub: plenty of seating, charging points, and duty-free shops. 

However, during my transit, I found a lack of dining options. I only saw one hot dog stand, a few cafés, and a bakery. 

Frankfurt Airport's interior design is rather exposed, with plenty of pipes and tubes visible through the ceiling. I did not enjoy this feature.

However, most passengers and AVgeeks will appreciate the large, clear windows at the gates where the aircraft park up close. These offer an excellent, obstruction-free view reminiscent of the 1970s, which travelers love. 

Boarding 

Through Lufthansa’s brilliant and convenient app, I discovered that my connection to EWR would be departing from gate Z66. Gate Z66 is located down a long hallway with plenty of side views of LH’s diverse fleet on display and several smoking lounges. Boarding was scheduled to commence at 12:45 for our 13:30 departure.

 However, with the aforementioned aircraft swap from a 747-8i to a 747-400, several passengers were called to the gate for seating changes, which created a delay when combined with the ground and flight crew’s pre-departure duties, which had already been pushed back.

LH’s gate team for this flight worked well under the limited time, keeping restless passengers informed and maintaining a polite and professional demeanor. This was a slightly different story for who I assumed was the gate supervisor, who, when I said “excuse me” to enquire about which boarding group Star Alliance Gold members would be in, said, “No. Wait.” 

After a few minutes, she circled back and asked me in an irritated tone, “What do you want?”

I presented my question, and she said, “What group is on your boarding pass? Then you follow that number.” 

Understandably, she may have been stressed due to the time pressure. Still, as a former airline passenger service agent, I know this is a bad example of dealing with a passenger query as it did not answer my question and gave me a negative impression of the airline.

Boarding finally started at our original departure time of 13:30, with pre-boarding for wheelchair passengers, passengers with children under five years old, and other special service request passengers (SSR). 

After this, passengers boarded by group, where I found out that Star Alliance Gold members boarded with group two. Boarding was a very smooth process; everyone filed on board quickly. 

Welcome Aboard

D-ABVZ operated today’s flight, or “Victor Zulu” for short, a 24-year-old Boeing 747-400. Victor Zulu is painted in the “Lufthansa Blue” livery, introduced in 2018. Upon entering the cabin, I received a friendly welcome from one of the two Pursers on board and another Cabin Crew member. 

Before turning right, I saw the Business class cabin and the stairs leading to the upper deck, where the Business passengers were seated.

From the short walk from Premium Economy to the Economy cabin configured 3-4-3 to get to my seat, it was evident that the cabin was worn out and made the age of today’s aircraft more obvious. 

This cabin was visibly dated, with details showcasing the previous generation of aviation: the overhead lockers were dark gray, matching the color of the seats; the passenger service unit (PSU) had older square lights and still had a minuscule cylindrical crew call bell.

Information screens were throughout the cabin, and individual air vents were absent. Older cabins delight aviation enthusiasts but annoy other travelers. 

The Seat

Middle seat 35B was my home for the eight-hour trip. Waiting on each seat was a pillow and blanket. The blanket had a paper band around it but no plastic packaging. Although this may be more eco-friendly, it does not offer the peace of mind that the blanket has been washed, and this seemed to be the case with mine as I found multiple white hairs on it. 

Each seat came with the expected combination of a (surprisingly) modern IFE touchscreen, a tray table, a decent recline, a seat pocket, an adjustable headrest, and a broken coat hook. Seat pitch, legroom, and width were all adequate but not anything out of the ordinary.

It is important to note that due to the presence of the IFE’s component box, legroom on the window seats is slightly restricted but not bothersome.  

The seat pocket included a safety card, a duty-free magazine, and an air-sickness bag. There are two universal power outlets between a row of three seats, and for a row of four seats, there are three. Unfortunately, the outlets in my row dangled from the seat frame and only worked for around five minutes. 

Even though the seat was comfortable, there were several problems with it. My travel companion and I discovered that the 35 A and 35 B seat cushions were broken. The cushion was placed loosely on the seat frame, and when I sat down, the cushion tipped backward and fell off the seat. 

A second problem I discovered was when I opened my tray table and was met with some off-putting crumbs and sticky coffee stains. Finally, upon further exploring my seat area and the cabin, I concluded that this aircraft had not been cleaned properly. 

Fancy a Film?

Each seat has a highly responsive, reflective touchscreen that grants you access to Lufthansa’s extensive IFE selection. Plenty of new-release films and TV series, music, audiobooks, podcasts, a kids’ section, relaxation features, and games exist. 

Earphones were handed out after takeoff. The aircraft operating the flight had WiFi capability. It was available in a messaging-only package for US$10, full two-hour internet access for US$22, and full flight internet access for US$35.

Catering service

Shortly after wheels-up, a snack service started, offering cheese biscuits and beverages. LH’s excellent mobile application allows travelers to view their flight’s menu before their trip, and for today’s flight, the options were beef goulash or pasta with spinach. I opted for the pasta. 

Each meal tray consisted of the entrée, a bread roll with cheese and butter, a carrot side salad, and a cheesecake for dessert. Everything on that tray was delicious, and I finished it. The lunch was accompanied by another beverage service, where water bottles were handed out afterward. 

I was pleasantly surprised by metal cutlery on an economy-class tray. Despite its simplicity, it elevates the onboard experience.

An hour and a half before reaching New York, a pre-landing meal service started, where a tomato and mushroom calzone was served. 

Another detail LH includes to give economy class a more premium feel is the hot towels that were handed out after the pre-landing service. Lufthansa-branded Lindt chocolates were also handed out before we began descending. 

The Service

The cabin crew working on this flight were excellent as they were attentive, friendly, and professional. They were constantly present in the cabin and frequently kept the lavatories in good shape. I have not met a more enthusiastic team of crew on a European airline before.

Arrival

45 minutes before our scheduled arrival time, the Cabin Crew collected litter and secured the cabin, and our 747-400 descended towards Newark Liberty International Airport. Before we went under the clouds, the descent was beautiful; the sunset cast an orange hue across the clouds.

Touching about an hour behind schedule into a foggy New Jersey, we taxiied to a gate where the announcement bid us a “bye-bye.”

Since this was my first, and possibly last, time aboard a Boeing 747-400, I asked the purser if I could see the cockpit; my request was approved! 

After my short visit to the cockpit and the upper deck, I also disembarked and made my way through Immigration, which took no less than 15 minutes.

Like FRA, EWR’s arrivals area was dimly lit and muggy, making it quite a depressing airport; it did not seem like a modern airport either. I picked up my bags, exited the airport, and entered a very cold New Jersey. 

With the 747-400 becoming increasingly rare when catching a flight, I was extremely grateful to the crew who let me visit the cockpit after landing.

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