New York John F. Kennedy

We took the subway from Times Square to Jamaica and changed to the JFK AirTrain, which brought us to terminal 1 of New York’s JFK Airport, where the flights of Lufthansa departed. The counters were not very busy and the dedicated Senator / Star Gold / First Class Counters were not busy and without any wait the check in agent served us. Our luggage was checked to Düsseldorf and we also received the boarding passes for our flights to Frankfurt and then on to Düsseldorf.

To me, this was the first time since 2008 that I departed from JFK. This means, I had not seen the new Senator Lounge since this visit. Back in 2008 the lounge was landside, which means one had to pass security after the lounge which was still a time factor. During my last visit in March 2008 the lounge was already in the process to be renovated and in the finalization the entrance was moved to the security area just behind the security checkpoint.

At the security check point was a dedicated line for passengers traveling in Business and First Class and those holding elite status. The regular lines were also not very long, but the elite line had only one passenger ahead of us. The wait at the security checkpoint was not that long and after 15 to 20 minutes we had passed it. The officers were relaxed and friendly and in good mood, which made the whole process much more relaxed compared to what I have experienced in peak times with frustrated and annoyed officers as well as not overly prepared passengers who are unable to follow the standard procedure. After we had packed everything back we entered the combined Business / Senator / First Class Lounge. At the entrance is a desk, at which the boarding passes are checked. Since we were flying in Business Class but it was only me who was holding Senator Status, the agent put my colleague as my guest and we could take the stairs up to the upper floor where the Senator Lounge is located. On the ground floor is the Business Class area.

The first floors hosts the Senator Lounge which the First Class / Hon Circle area with restaurant on the second floor. In this part of the lounge, First Class passengers find a restaurant styled area and could enjoy a pre-flight meal and maximize flight time for sleeping.

The Senator Lounge offers huge window overlooking the tarmac and is designed like the most Senator Lounges around the globe. At the entrance is a bar (drinks are served) and the buffet offering cold and warm dishes as well as non-alcoholic beverages. We spend the next two hours in the lounge and had something to eat and a few glasses of wine. I did not want to have dinner on the flight but to relax or even sleep, depending on the flight.

While we were waiting in the lounge, I received a text message indicating that our flight was delayed due to an occupied gate and also due to headwinds. So we had some more time in the lounge before we finally had to go down in the zoo of the terminal.

Our flight for today was a Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental or short 747-8I with registration D-ABYH name state of “Thüringen”. It was delivered to Lufthansa on March 27, 2013 and equipped with four GEnx 2B67 engines. Unlike for its Dreamliner, Boeing is using the customer code for the 747-8I, so it was a 747-830 with 30 being the customer code of Lufthansa.
Lufthansa was launch customer for the passenger version of the 747-8I and I had seen the first aircraft being built during a visit at Boeing factories back in November 2010.
There is a passenger version, named 747-8 Intercontinental or 747-8I and a cargo version, name 747-8 Freighter or 747-8F. The passenger version was formally launched on November 14, 2005. It was designed to carry up to 467 passengers in a standard configuration with three-class-configuration and a flight radius with over 15000 km. The 747-8I can carry up to 51 more passengers and two more freight pallets compared to the 747-400. If one see the freighter version and the passenger version one has the slightly impression, that the freighter version is shorter, but this is not the case. This impression might be from the circumstance, that the upper deck of the 747-8I is slightly longer than those of the 747-8F.
Boeing has made some changes in regard to the design and technical features. Most noticeable is the wider staircase and curved stairway to the upper deck and a more spacious main passenger entrance. The main cabin of the 747-8I uses an interior design similar to the design of Dreamliner. Overhead bins are curved. The windows are also of similar size to the type used on the 777, which are 8% larger than those on the current 747-400s but smaller than those of the 787 and could not darkened by the push of a button. The 747-8 also features a new LED lighting system, which can create mood lighting and better adjustable than regular lights. It has also lower maintenance costs than those system installed in the 747-400.

It was also possible to move air condition unit and other technical installation from its places and position on the ceiling of the 747-400 to other places on the 747-8I to be able to increase the headroom at the upper deck. This makes is also possible to increase the size of the overhead bin in the upper deck, which have been on the 747-400 much smaller than those in the lower deck.

The first order for the 747-8 Intercontinental was placed by an undisclosed private customer in May 2006, but Lufthansa became the first airline to order the 747-8 Intercontinental on December 6, 2006. Three years later, in December 2009, Korean Air announced the order of five 747-8Is
Major assembly of the first 747-8I began on May 8, 2010 and the final body join occurred on October 15, 2010, slightly ahead of the projected schedule. This was the version I was able to see in Everett during the Star Mega Do Event. The assembly of first 747-8I was completed in February 2011 and the rollout ceremony took place on February 13, 2011. Lufthansa received the first Boeing 747-8I on April 28, 2012

The 747-8I has a length of 76.3 metres and a wingspan of 68.5 metres. There is currently only one engine type available, the General Electric Next Generation (GEnx) 2B67 engines with a maximum thrust of 67,400 lbf. This is a variant of an engine type, also used for the Dreamliner.

With the delayed boarding, we decided to leave the lounge at 21:15, which was 15 minutes after the originally scheduled boarding time. My colleague wanted to walk a few steps and also was eager to get on the plane and leave the lounge. So we took the stairs down and walked through the somewhat full terminal to our gate. There was already a long line at the Economy Class line, while the Business Class line was not very long.

While we waited, a Lufthansa agent checked the boarding passes and later an security agent checked them again later. All passenger, who are not eligible to use the Business Class / First Class / Star Gold Line were directed to the Economy Class line. The security agent also directed passenger flying in Economy Class but holding Star Gold Status to the Economy Class Line but did not enforce it, when the Card was shown. I am sure he did not understand the concept of elite status and just looked for the class of service.

As usual it was passengers or families traveling with small children were allowed to board the aircraft followed by passengers in First Class and Hon Circle Members. It caused a small confusion, that Hon Circle Members in Business Class were also allowed to board (the personal assistant let them pass; the security agent did not want to let another Hon Circle Member pass). He did not enforce it and waited with us. I had a few word with him about the procedure and we agreed that it was somehow confusing. He mentioned that he skipped the lounge and therefore was not brought to the gate and now had to wait as the personal assistant only accompanied those passengers, who had been in the lounge. A few minutes later it was our turn and we were among the first Business Class passengers to board the waiting aircraft.

27 August 2014
JFK – DUS
[New York John F. Kennedy International Airport – Düsseldorf International]
LH 405 (Lufthansa); Boeing 747-8I (D-ABYH / “Thüringen”)
Gate 6
21:45 – 11:20 [effective 22:15 – 11:29)
Business Class
Seat 81 C

We used the first door and passed the Business Class Cabin between first and second door, where the stairs to the upper deck are located. For my colleague it was the first time in the upper deck and I was not sure, if it was a good choice. As I booked the flight in April the flight was scheduled to be operated by a Boeing 747-400 and our seats had been in the front section of the (old) Business Class Cabin. On the one hand, I was excited to noticed that our flight was now operated by the new 747-8I, on the other hand I was not sure, if the upper deck was the best place for someone being afraid of flying. Our seats had been automatically transferred to the preferred seats in the upper deck due to my Senator Status, but I could have requested seats down. I did also a research and it also seems, the seats in the middle section of the lower deck are the better option. But I also thought it would be a nice experience to fly in the upper deck and the boyfriend of my colleague was quite excited as he heard that we had seats in the upper deck, something he wanted to experience himself at least once in his life. Anyway, my colleague had no preferences and so I kept our seats in the upper deck.

We stored our belongings in the overhead bins and the smaller bins between seat and window which my colleague thought was nice to have as this means she had everything right at her side without need to ask me to get her bag down from the overhead bin.

Pre-Departue Drink

Orange Juice / Champagne Jacquart Brut Mosaique

While we took our seat, a flight attendant offered a pre-departure drink and it was a choice between orange juice, water and champagne. I went with the later one, while my colleague took a glass of orange juice. While I was sipping at my pre-departure drink, the upper deck was already quite full, but the boarding of economy class passengers was still in full swing and this give me the opportunity to give a few facts about the 747-8I configuration.

Lufthansa‘s 747-8 Intercontinental is either equipped with 8 seats in First Class, 92 seats in new Business Class and 262 seats Economy Class or 80 seats in new Business Class and 298 seats in Economy Class. Since Lufthansa is adding Premium Economy to its fleet, it will soon be still 8 seats in First Class and 92 / 80 seats in Business Class, but 32 seats in Premium Economy and 244 seats in regular Economy Class or 32 seats in Premium Economy and 208 seats in regular Economy Class. In so far adding Premium Economy Class will reduce the number of seats in Economy Class while the premium cabin remained unchanged.

Passengers flying on all of Lufthansa’s 747-8 Intercontinental will experience Lufthansa‘s new First Class and Business Class.
The First Class is in the nose section of the 747-8I and has only 8 seats, among those are six single seats at the window and two seats in the middle section. First Class offers a seat pitch of 85 inch and a seat width of 31.5 seats. All seats go fully flat. The seat cushion is design to mold to every sitting / recumbent position but has no possibility to adjust the durability of the seat cushion. This part of the cabin benefits also from additional sound proof by adding additional sound isolation and extra thick curtain which should further reduce the noise. All window shades are electronically operated.

All seats have a 17 inch screen and a power outlet

The Business Class Cabin is located on the upper deck and lower deck. In the upper deck are on all configurations 32 seats in a 2 – 2 configuration, while the lower deck has a 2 – 2 – 2 configuration. The seats offer a seat pitch of 64 inch and a seat width of 19.7 inch up to 26.4 inch if the armrest is lowered. Those seats also go fully flat to a 78 inch bed.
The seats are of different comfort. Due to the size of the upper deck, the seat there from my impression closer together and especially the footrest is quite narrow and small, for my taste even a bit too small. On the other side, this part of the plane is quieter than the lower deck and also offers additional storage space at the space between seat and window. The relation of restrooms to seats is also better on the upper deck than on the lower deck (32:2 vs. 60:2 or 48:2). But you have to wait longer to de-board the plane.
The seats at the window A/C and H/K are similar to those on the upper deck also due to the cabin walls cabin ceiling is does not look as small as the upper deck. The footrest is also quite small. The middle seats offer significantly more space at the footrest and also have more space between the seats. Especially in the small Business Class Cabin behind the second door, one has through traffic of Economy Class passenger boarding the plane, which is not so much a problem in the front cabin. Therefore one could usually de-board the plane faster if sitting on the lower deck compared to those passengers in the upper deck.
All seats offer enough storage space; there is especially a larger compartment at the bottom of the seat in front and also a place to store shoes. Headphones are either in the middle console or at a small compartment at the side of the seat.
All seats in Business Class have a 15 inch screen and power outlets.

Business and First Class passengers could listen to over 100 films, feature films and international TV series as well as selected videos and listen to over 200 CDs and 30 radio channels.

Economy Class is in the usual 3 – 4 – 3 configuration offering a seat pitch of 31 inch and a seat width of 17 to 18 inch and a recline of 6 inch (or 113°). There is a power outlet at every second seat. All seats have an in seat monitor and access to the AVOD system with a reduced number of only 100 CDs (compared to 200 for premium passengers). Therefore multi-player video games are offered.

In the meantime the safety video was shown and the captain has welcomed us on board. He mentioned that we will have a strong tailwind and he hope to be able to arrive in Frankfurt on time despite our late arrival. My colleague already had feared we would miss our connection, but it seems that this would not be the case. Unfortunately, the tailwind also means a bumpier ride, which my colleague was not very happy about.

We were pushed back at 22:15 with a delay of 30 minutes and taxied for our runway. It took some time before we finally arrived at runway 22R. At 22:54 the captain powered the four powerful GE engines and we accelerated toward the Atlantic Ocean before we made a turn to the Northwest and flying along the coast to Nova Scotia.

Round about ten minutes in flight, the seat belt signs were turned off and the crew began the service. The purser came and welcomed me on board thanked me for flying Lufthansa and told me, I should contact her, if I needed anything.

I skipped through the menu while the seat belt signs were still on (click on icon, opens new window).

The crew served the usual round of aperitifs and I choose another glass of Champagne but decided to skip the meal service instead I lowered like quite a number of passengers my seats and decided to get some rest.

My colleague also skipped dinner on this flight and tried to sleep. I think we both get a round about an hour of sleep, but I was woken up by the flight attendant as she put some pralines on the storage space at the seat. I noticed that my colleague was also awake as the flight was bumpy and I noticed that she was not really comfortable. I switched the screen on and we already had a nearly on time arrival time, which means it was round about three hours before the lights were switched on again. So I decided to stay awake with her. The flight was a bit bumpier but nothing to worry and even the seat belt signs were not turned on. While the flight to Newark was really smooth, this flight was not that smooth but certainly nothing to worry about. But I can fully understand it, being in a plane, tired after a long day in New York and wanting to get the ride over as quickly as possible. In so far the tailwind was in her favour, but it did not come without occasional bumps. At least this gave me the opportunity to get a glimpse on her skills in playing Tetris, which were quite good.

We crossed the Atlantic Ocean quickly. I passed a few visit to the galley and asked for a coffee and a sparkling water for my colleague and exchanged a few words with the flight attendant about the 747-8I but decided not to walk around but to return to my seat. The most passengers slept with a few working on their laptops or watching a movie. Round about 70 minutes before scheduled arrival time the breakfast service started. The tray tables were laid with linen. While my colleague did have breakfast; I only asked for a refill of my coffee and a croissant. Breakfast was served on a tray and I have to admit that the options and arrangement was quite basic.

It seems nearly half of the passengers skipped breakfast as the most passengers was still sleepingtrying to get the most sleep on this short flight to Frankfurt. Soon the trays from the breakfast service were collected and the rush for the lavatories started and those passengers which had changed into pyjamas changes back in their regular clothes. We had already passed Great Britain and were flying over the Netherlands as the captain came again over the microphone and announced the remaining flight time with only 20 minutes which seem to catch the flight attendants by surprise. We had already begun our descend and were able to get a direct approach flying over Mainz, i.e. from Western direction. There was no need to pass Frankfurt and then make a 180 turn back.

It was the first time that the “cabin crew prepare cabin for arrival” was 30 seconds later answered with a “cabin not ready”. It seems that there was some rush on the lower deck and one flight attendant from the upper deck went downstairs to help and 2 minutes later we were ready. I think my colleague would not have been happy if we had to abandon the approach. We touched down at 11:17 on runway and taxied to our gate at Terminal A, where we arrived at 11:29.

It took a while before we were able to deboard the plane, but Passengers on the Economy Class in the aisle between seats C and D were hold back until we were out of the plane while those on the aisle on the other seat could already disembark through the first Business Class door.

In the terminal we turned left and headed for the immigration counters close to gate A 25.

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