Lufthansa Business Class Philadelphia-Frankfurt-Berlin

After two weeks skipping across the USA to visit and spend time with friends and family, it was time for our Lufthansa Business Class flight from Philadelphia to Frankfurt connecting to Berlin.

And we were SUPER excited to have Lisa’s parents Jake and Marlene in tow!

Thanks to our cheap business class fare hacks we would fly to Berlin in comfort and style.

Wondering how we find cheap business class flights? Check out our Cheap Business Class Fare Guides:

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From there the plan was to drive southeast through Germany and then into Poland.

Check-In Lufthansa Business Class Philadelphia-Frankfurt-Berlin

Despite getting a flat tire on the drive to the airport, we arrived at Philadelphia International Airport with time (but no more tires) to spare.

Here are our suggestions for tours, activities and things to do in Philadelphia.

So I dropped Lisa and her parents off at Lufthansa and returned the car to Enterprise. The Enterprise check-in lady was impressed that we changed the tire ourselves (so was I!!!). She knocked $20 off our rental for the trouble.

By the time I got back to Lufthansa check-in I got a text from Lisa saying she was already at the lounge with her parents. So I just had myself to get through check in.

Which should have been quick and easy.

But wasn’t because the two groups at the counter in this photo were there for 10 minutes while I and the rest of the business class passengers waited.

Turns out the ladies on the left had been there the entire time Lisa and her parents were checking in as well.

Sigh.

Lufthansa Business Class Lounge PHL-FRA

The Lufthansa Business Class Lounge at Philadelphia airport is, randomly, the American Airlines Admirals Club.

Which is weird because Lufthansa is Star Alliance and American is Oneworld.

But it’s the closest lounge to the Lufthansa gate so I guess they make do.

Thanks to Lisa’s time-management and planning skills we still had some time to relax and get some food in the lounge before we headed to the plane.

Gate and Boarding

Boarding was announced in the lounge so we made our way to the gate.

It was a madhouse.

There were only 2 boarding groups. Business class combined with star gold and above status on one side, everyone else on the other.

Half the plane was star gold or above. So there was no business class benefit and we queued for 10 minutes to board.

Quite a difference from what we experienced with Hong Kong Airlines.

Aircraft and Seats Lufthansa Business Class PHL-FRA

Although I’ve flown well over 3 million miles in my life, this was my first time on an Airbus A340.

It’s a sleek-looking plane with four engines.

Inside, though, the cabin is similar to other Lufthansa business class configurations we have used.

Lisa wanted her parents to get the full benefit of Lufthansa business class seats.

So she took plenty of time to demonstrate the function and features of the seats and personal space to her parents.

They were excellent students. In no time they became experts at telling each other that their seat was in the wrong position! 😉

As you see in this video, Jake wanted Marlene’s friend Donna to know that the seats were ok..but they could have been better! 🙂

Going to the beach or pool? Lisa designed and sourced these Large Mesh Beach Totes while we were digital nomading in Chiang Mai, Thailand! They come with blue or cranberry pink straps:

Flight

We all settled in for the 7-hour flight once the training session was finished. Selfie time!!

The flight took off about a half an hour late.

We ate dinner, watched movies, followed our progress across the Atlantic and slept.

Connection in Frankfurt

We woke up about 30 minutes before landing. And realized that our flight time to Frankfurt had taken a bit longer than expected.

Combine that with the late departure and we were slightly nervous about making our relatively tight connection to Berlin. Particularly since Frankfurt is such a sprawling airport.

Then we realized we were arriving at a remote bus gate rather than a proper jet bridge. So a little more stress piled on.

But the bus dropped us off at the immigration point in the A Terminal – which happened to be about 100 yards from our connecting gate!

So we had worried for nothing!

In fact we had to cool our heels at the gate for 15 minutes before boarding!

Soon boarding was called.

Lufthansa Business Class Frankfurt to Berlin

Business Class in Europe gives you a blocked middle seat, a slightly upgraded meal and that’s about it.

But we were happy for the space and the food on this short flight!

Unfortunately, Jake started to have a dental issue on this flight.

Luckily we were starting this adventure in Berlin, a place where we could easily find a dentist to get it sorted.

Soon we landed in Berlin and took a taxi to our homestay.

Here are our suggestions for tours, activities and things to do in Berlin.

Bottom Line Lufthansa Business Class Philadelphia-Frankfurt-Berlin

Business class on Lufthansa is great! The seats are really good. And the service is both good and consistent (few airlines achieve both in business class).

And it was really, really fun exposing Jake and Marlene to their first widebody international business class experience.

They sure did seem to like it. A lot!

Of course, we dodged a few bullets on the way: the flat tire and/or late arrival in Frankfurt could have been disasters. But fate was smiling on this trip.

So far….

But it was time to explore Berlin…and see a dentist!