Prologue:

Welcome to this last segment of my CDG trip that I took last November.

We decided to upgrade this leg of the trip at the last minute since it was the longest one with a flying time of 12:05 hrs. Back when I booked this trip LH was offering an upgrade from PEY to J for USD 750 (EUR 675). When I decided to inquire at the lounge in MUC the agent told me that it was now USD 440 (EUR 399). Sold!

There is no denying that MUC is a great airport - clean spacious plenty of natural light and little lines. The process to connect at MUC is pretty smooth and I enjoy transiting here often.

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LH Senator by "K" gates I am very familiar with this lounge and it's a compact all around corner offering showers resting areas bar and buffet. It is not very big but very well appointed.

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Bar.

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Buffet.

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A new favorite drink.

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My snack.

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Second serving.

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On the way to the gate one need to go through a second security clearance for all flights departing to the USA. Once at the gate the agents were getting ready for boarding. It's nice to see at least 4 agents working a flight without seeing them stressed out like most flights out of US airports.

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Premium line.

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As we enter the J cabin located entirely on the upper deck several FA's greeted us as we walked towards our seats in the rear cabin. The J cabin on the A380 is looooong.

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Rear cabin.

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Festive decoration on the wall.

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I arrived at my seat and thankfully the seat next to me remained empty throughout the flight.

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Mattresses at each seat but I never saw anyone use them nor did I see any FA helping to set them up. I think it is a waste.

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IFE with our destination as the cover.

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Controls inside the armrest.

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Amenity kit. There were two different colors - a tanned and a dark brown one. I preferred the one on the empty seat next to me.

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Seat controls.

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Pre-departure drinks offered. I had water.

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Followed by printed menus. Appetizer and main course offer 3 choices each which is good. However the second meal service before arrival is still the soup/salad combo.

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Wine menu.

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After take off FA's started the meal service with beverages and a hot towel.

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I had mango and passion fruit juice with cold nuts. One difference between U.S. carriers and foreign ones is how U.S. carriers warm the nuts before serving.

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Appetizer - smoked salmon and trout with gin fennel salad and eldelberry yogurt. Miam!

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Bread basket.

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More bread to go with the salad which was served separately.

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Lamb's lettuce salad.

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I noticed that LH now serves the main dishes individually instead of stacking them up on a cart and going down through the aisle with it. Such an ugly sight back then. That's an improvement.

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Main dish - roast goose with red cabbage and potato dumplings. One of my favorites during Christmas time. Miam!

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I asked for cheese plate and dessert. :P

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Dessert - Stollen mousse with plum compote.

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Tea given with chocolates after the meal.

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WC

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One set of WC's is separated by a wall.

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During the middle of the flight I decided to take a walk and check out the snacks in the galley. Big improvement in the way snacks are offered compared to the last time I took LH in J out of YVR.

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Galley snack for Y cabin.

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My snacks.

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I was not interested in watching too many movies so I just tried to take a nap. Soon the cabin lights were turned on for the pre-arrival snack.

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Hot towel.

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Getting the tray table out.

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Pre-arrival meal - there was a choice between mushroom or ginger lemongrass soup. I had the mushroom soup.

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Salad.

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Soup.

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Cherry chocolate cake with vanilla cream.

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========== Munich Intl Arpt (MUC) - ==========



Security/Immigration efficiency: 10/10
Access and parking: 10/10
Services and activities: 10/10
General cleanliness: 10/10

========== Lufthansa Senator Lounge Satellite Non-Schengen ==========



Staff Service: 9/10
Entertainment: 8/10
Business Center: /10
Food: 9/10
Lounge Design: 9/10
Spa and Bathroom: 9/10
Wifi: 10/10

========== Lufthansa - Airline ==========



Cabine comfort: 10/10
Crew: 10/10
Entertainment: 9/10
On-time performance: 10/10
Appetizer: 9/10
Starter: 0/10
Main Meal: 8/10
Main Meal-2: 0/10
Cheese: 8/10
Desserts: 8/10
Alcohols: 8/10
Mid-flight snack: 10/10
Breakfast or light meal before arrival: 7/10

========== San Francisco Intl Arpt (SFO) - ==========



Security/Immigration efficiency: 9/10
Access and parking: 9/10
Services and activities: 9/10
General cleanliness: 10/10

Summary:

The cost to upgrade from PEY to J was reasonable and it was worth it for a flight of this length.

I was glad to see noticeable improvements on LH J from the last time I flew them. The individual delivery of the courses feel more personal and the selection of mid flight snacks and their presentation have been greatly improved. In addition I like the comfy duvet blanket but I think that the extra mattress is an unnecessary addition.

Crew was attentive and always had a smile which made the flight much more pleasant.

16 Comments

  • Casper


    400e is much more reasonable than the previous price. Have you had the chance to pick your seat?
    Indeed, the catering is better from what I've seen years ago. Was the cabin full?
    Gracias for the review Adan. See you soon for another great report.
    Casper

    Reply
    jetsetpanda
    Hola Casper,

    Yes we were able to select our seats at the lounge when the upgrade was processed. The cabin still had a few empty seats so it was not full at all.
  • AntoinePil


    Hi Adan! Thanks for the new YTR! both lounge and flight looked great! The catering onboard looked tasty!

    Reply
    jetsetpanda
    Hi Antoine,

    Both lounge and inflight had decent food indeed. It helped that i had one of my favorite dishes. ;)
  • Thomas


    Thanks Adan for this very good review ;)
    Good you were able to snag a seat in Business for a discounted price. When I lived in China, I once paid 900e for HKG-LHR to upgrade. Something I regret given the price tag.
    The meal looks fine and not having a seatmate is good. Was the soup hot ? Too bad not to provide a hot second meal.
    Cheers and see you around ;)

    Reply
    jetsetpanda
    Hi Thomas,

    Wow EUR 900 is a lot. You live and learn. ;)

    The soup was lukewarm at best but at least we were given a choice.
  • Emile


    Back to SFO in style. 12h in business it's a bliss. Agreed for MUC much better than FRA. Thanks again for sharing this great report.

    Reply
    jetsetpanda
    Salut Emile,

    Worth every penny of the upgrade for a flight this long. ;)
  • GG_007


    Thanks for sharing this TR

    A rather good fare for the update

    "Second serving."
    A Leberkäse lover ;)

    "thankfully the seat next to me remained empty throughout the flight."
    Maybe you could have a nice neighbor to play footsie footsie with ;)

    "I think it is a waste."
    It's not a waste but people are lazy

    "I had water."
    The orange/mint beverage is rather good : it's the same in Y+

    "smoked salmon and trout with gin fennel salad and eldelberry yogurt"
    It looks good but one or two more pieces and it would have been perfect

    "One of my favorites during Christmas time. Miam!"
    You're German in heart (and stomach !) but I already knew that

    "My snacks."
    Fruits are always good but the choice could be wy better

    "Salad."
    Not appetizing :(
    What dressing is it ?

    "Soup."
    It looks so fresh and natural ;) like Campbell's

    " the extra mattress is an unnecessary addition."
    Because your back is strong enough but personally it is fragile and requires something soft

    See you soon for another report

    Reply
    jetsetpanda
    Hello GG,

    "A rather good fare for the update"
    - I was very happy. ;)

    "A Leberkäse lover ;)"
    - Among other things. :P

    "Maybe you could have a nice neighbor to play footsie footsie with ;)"
    - Would you like to volunteer? :P

    "The orange/mint beverage is rather good : it's the same in Y+"
    - But never like TK. I only drink the original. ;)

    "It looks good but one or two more pieces and it would have been perfect"
    - It's an appe(teaser), not a meal. ;)

    "You're German in heart (and stomach !) but I already knew that"
    - Nein!

    "What dressing is it ?"
    - Balsamic, just the right touch of sweetness. ;)

    "It looks so fresh and natural ;) like Campbell's :
    - Like wine in a carton box. ;) You should try it when you come to the US. I bet you can not tell the difference.

    "Because your back is strong enough but personally it is fragile and requires something soft"
    - You need support from behind? :P

    A plus tard .
  • AAFlyer


    A brilliant review Adan. LH offers a well rounded product even if it's not leading by any means. Still a disappointment to such such a layout in Business.
    Thanks for sharing and see you for another report.

    Reply
    jetsetpanda
    Hey AAFlyer,

    LH has made improvements in this cabin and it shows. I've heard the layout if changing with the new 773's. Thanks.
  • Vendredi13


    Ouaf ! Panda;))

    You did well to give in temptation for this upgrade !
    LH product is solid, over the Atlantic Ocean.
    This appetizer should be more generous

    Thanks, Panda, for sharing this so enjoyable YTR. See you soon:))

    Reply
    jetsetpanda
    Ouaf!

    You need to splurge from time to time. ;)

    Glad you liked it.
  • Capoune


    Hello Adan!

    Really nice flight and a good price for this upgrade.
    The main meal looks good.

    Thank you for sharing my friend!!

    Reply
    jetsetpanda
    Salut Seb,

    It paid to wait until the last minute to inquire about the upgrade fee. ;)

    The meal was decent except for the pre-arrival snack which is a bit cheap. I remember back in 2001 when I flew LH J from FRA-MIA the second meal was a hot one. This soup/salad combo is not the most premium meal.

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