What is it like to fly business class in the nose of a Boeing 747 directly below the pilots? I’ve always dreamed of sitting up front in the gracefully tapered nose of the Iconic Boeing 747. I finally got that chance on my recent April flight in Lufthansa 747-400 business class from Toronto to Frankfurt while travelling to the incredible, historic city of Krakow, Poland.
One of my most desired flight experiences has been to fly in the lower deck nose of the 747, and I was excited to finally have the opportunity after previously getting the chance to fly in the upper deck of Lufthansa’s newer generation 747-800.
Incredibly Unique seat: I jumped at the chance when I saw that I could also pick the most unique seat on the plane – or any plane for that matter, seat 4D, a single seat directly in the center of the lower nose in business class. This was such a unique place to fly. No neighbours, no one climbing over me, or vice versa.
This specific Lufthansa Boeing 747-400 aircraft was a 371-seat aircraft configured in 3 classes, and one of the most recognizable airplanes ever made. With its distinctive hump at the front of the plane, and four engines, it has long been affectionately called the ‘queen of the skies’.
The upstairs hump is accessed by a very cool, elegantly lit straight staircase. The upper deck houses the cockpit and an additional 2×2 business class configuration, adding to a total seating capacity of 371 seats, which includes 67 Business Class, 32 Premium Economy, and 272 standard economy seats.
Pre-boarding and Business Class Lounge Toronto, Canada
Before boarding this leg of my trip, I had access to the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge at Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ) located in the international departures area.
Even though I was flying on an Air Canada ticket, the flight was a code share, and therefore, I was not entitled to use the lovely Air Canada Signature Suites lounge, which requires you to be flying on an Air Canada mainline internationally bound aircraft. That is sad, as the Signature Suites lounge is one of my absolute favourite lounges.
The Air Canada Lounge was comfortable, and offered a light hot meal, snacks and a full complement of Canadian beers, wines and a well-stocked bar, which are all self-service and free to lounge guests. Showers are available, as are quiet areas for business travellers to get work done. I’ve been to this lounge many times, and it has been consistently good.
Boarding the Lufthansa 747-400 in Business Class
I was the first to board, and very quickly had a cold glass of Champagne in my hand upon getting to my seat. I was seated just steps from the front Business Class entry, in this very cool, single middle seat. The tip of my seat housed the little front cabin bar with all of the bottles for pre-takeoff drinks. The Purser joked with me that my seat even came with its own bartender!
Lufthansa Buiness Class Seat and Bedding
The seat that I chose was quite nice. You are guaranteed not to have a chatty seatmate in seat 4a with this unique seat, which is the only one of its kind on the whole aircraft (see the seating chart above with my seat marked DK). There was a solid wall to the right of my seat that provided a good sense of privacy while maintaining access to both aisles, which was nice.
A comfy pillow and bedding were provided for the fully lie-flat seat. I also had a slightly different entertainment system from the other seats on board (this seat had one similar to the bulkhead seats in row one).
My overall impression of this aircraft is that it has a fairly old business class product, which is pretty much the same as most of the Lufthansa mainline aircraft now, except for the new Airbus A350 and Boeing 787. I’ve flown in this same cabin for years on Lufthansa’s A380, A340 and 777. It is fine as far as side by side configurations go, but newer generations of business class have all seats with aisle access, which is much more desirable.
What is not so desirable about the other seats on the plane is that window seats do not have aisle access, and behind the first cabin is a not-so-desirable 2-3-2 business class configuration. I would not enjoy being in a middle seat in business class with two people sleeping beside you! Pick your seats carefully with this configuration.
It is a charming aircraft, though. My purser said it’s like a lovely old Volkswagen, “sometimes you have to kick it, but it always keeps going”. I love that sentiment, especially as I was here for the experience of flying this specific aircraft type, and I have to say I loved the experience!
Tip: stay in the front cabin to avoid the 2-3-2 layout; avoid row one on the bulkhead, they are not the best seats.
If you love business class reviews, check out these recent articles:
One of my favourite carriers KLM 777 Business Class Review, a detailed look at Delta A330 Business Class and Qatar Airways A380 Upperdeck Business Class Experience Reviews (check out the upper deck bar!). Also, compare United Polaris Business Class and Air Canada Signature Business Class reviews.
Lufthansa Business Class Amenities Kit
The Amenities kit provided on this flight to Business Class passengers came in a stylish Porsche Design clear vinyl case, with L’Occitaine and Lufthansa branded amenities including a wooden toothbrush with toothpaste, earplugs, socks, ‘refreshing towel’ and eye mask. Some flimsy covers for the headset are provided in lieu of sanitizing the headset.
747 Entertainment System
The entertainment system on this Lufthansa 747-400 is a bit antiquated. It uses a roughly 15″ LCD panel that has a good level of brightness but uses a tethered remote and touchpad to control the system without a touchscreen. The selection seemed somewhat limited for English language content, but it does offer a wide selection of other languages for movies and TV.
There are categories of TV, movies, documentaries, moving maps, audio, and games available.
The provided AKG headphones have good sound, but lack adequate noise cancelling, which is typical for business class headsets. Headphones were not sanitized on my flight, which was a bit of a turnoff, but they did seem clean.
What I watched and listened to in-flight
On this 8.5-hour Frankfurt flight, I watched ‘Saturday Night’, the story of Saturday Night Live, which I found quite entertaining as a longtime fan of the show. From the movie soundtrack, the signature saxophone sound of Lenny Pickett made me want to find some jazz to unwind, and I found an awesome album, “Keeping Company” by Bill Laurence and Michael League, playing stripped-down jazz piano and bass. I always love to find new artists and TV shows on airplanes.
Food and Drinks On Board the 747-400
Meals on this flight were very tasty, with fresh, high-quality produce. I opted for a starter of Seared Scallop and poached prawn, with a salad of mixed vegetables.
For my main course, I chose a Pan-seared Sea Bass in Vanilla sauce with green olives and tomato, served with vegetables.
The Champagne available on this Business Class flight was the 2009 Champagne Grand Cru Royal Brut, Pommery, France. This Champagne was a tasty blend of 50%-50% Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at 12.5 ABV. It was delicate and refreshing.
In-flight experience and Ambiance
It was quite and ultra smooth takeoff in the 747-400, with such a gentle hum of the engines, you would never know there were four big engines pushing this massive aircraft into the sky.
Sitting right up front in the 747 feels like you are in the bow of a ship. The graceful curves of the ceiling above come together over row one, with a design that seemed quite nautical in feel. This front cabin was like a little oasis upfront, as there was no galley or washrooms in front of the cabin and therefore no noise and very little traffic
Conclusion
Even though the 747-400 aircraft is getting somewhat dated, you are flying a beautiful piece of aviation history. It’s a regal aircraft, with comfortable seating, pleasant service and, for aviation buffs like me, the aircraft is simply awe-inspiring. I hope Lufthansa doesn’t do away with these beautiful 747s any time soon!