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On our very first trip to Italy in November 2015, we flew from San Francisco in Lufthansa Premium Economy to Genoa, Italy via Frankfurt and returned from Florence via Frankfurt. Why Premium Economy? Well, my husband is a big guy, clocking in at nearly 6’4″. He really needs the extra leg room! This is the main reason why we opted to pay the extra bucks for Premium Economy.
Let’s face it, it’s a long flight to Europe and you want to be as comfortable as possible. The extra money is worth it, if you can spare it. One of these days, we’ll figure out a way to travel in Business Class but for now, Premium Economy gets the job done!
Here’s a rundown of how our flight in Premium Economy went with Lufthansa. Keep in mind this was back in 2015 so things could have changed a bit since then but the basics should be similar!
Our Flight Facts
- Our flight to/from San Francisco was on an Airbus A380. This was a pretty big plane with two flight decks! The top deck was reserved mostly for first class and business class passengers, with a small section of economy seats towards the back.
- Premium Economy was located at the front of the plane on the lower deck.
- Being a German airline, all announcements to passengers were in both German and English, and the pre-flight safety videos were pretty entertaining!
What’s Included in Premium Economy
Welcome Juice
Once we boarded, we were welcomed with a glass of orange juice served in a plastic cup with the Lufthansa logo on it. Though it’s not a huge perk like getting bubbles in Business Class, it was a perk nonetheless. Hey, we’ll take it!
Bottled Water
Also waiting for us at our seats were chilled bottles of water. Even though we typically purchase our own bottled water before we board the plane, its nice to know there’s a little extra waiting there for you. It can certainly come in handy after you’ve hoofed it through a large airport!
Personal amenity kit
We didn’t use the little kit but it was nice to have, just in case. Included in a kit was a sleep mask, earplugs, toothbrush, and a moist towelette.
Hot towel before meals
I really don’t know if they do this for every passenger or not, but it was nice to get a hot towel to clean your hands off before digging into your meals.
2 x 50lbs Luggage
I do not recommend taking more than one suitcase to Europe per person…I repeat…do not do it. If you must, you do get two checked bags included with Premium Economy. However, speaking from experience, lugging around big bags when traveling in Europe is tough (especially if there is train travel involved)!
Power outlet
If you use electronics a lot like we do, this is a nice perk. It’s a universal outlet, so you don’t have to worry about using any adapters. Plug your phone in or your laptop without any battery worries!
Meal menu & dinnerware
I ordered special vegan meals ahead of time (back before I started eating meat again), but my husband was able to choose his meal from a special menu (except the first meal of the trip). They also serve your food on “fine china tableware” in Premium Economy. I’m not so sure about the fine china part, but it’s definitely not plastic or paper! See below for all the meal details.
Larger entertainment screen
Though I can’t compare it to regular economy class, since we’ve never flown Lufthansa’s regular economy on an international flight, you allegedly get a larger entertainment screen to watch movies/TV shows on in Premium Economy. It was very suitable!
Extra Legroom
The single biggest selling point for us to book Premium Economy seats on Lufthansa was the extra legroom. We had plenty of room to stretch our legs out, which is much needed on long-haul flights.
There are, of course, a few other perks to flying Premium Economy, but the above were most notable to us. If you’re interested in learning more about what Lufthansa has to offer, check our their website: https://www.lufthansa.com/us/en/premium-economy-class
Vegan Meal Options
I had our travel agent pre-order the “Western Vegetarian” meals for me since I was a non-meat eater at the time. Western Vegetarian means they come vegan – no dairy/no meat. Overall, the meals were pretty tasty and inventive (at least for airplane food).
Here’s a rundown on the vegan meals:
To Germany – Dinner
My first meal on the flight was dinner, which was a chickpea vegetable medley with spinach and steamed rice, a chilled vegetable salad with potatoes, peppers, and corn, fresh fruit, a dinner roll with Smart Balance, and a packet of crackers.
The main course was a little bland but tasted just fine after adding a little salt and pepper. The chilled veggie salad was delish, and while fresh fruit is yummy, it was mostly honeydew and cantaloupe (two of my least favorite fruits, lol – those were handed over to the hubby).
To Germany – Breakfast
Breakfast was a little more flavorful than my dinner, with veggies (zucchini) in a red marinara sauce, potato patties, and steamed broccoli. The fruit selection was also way better – pineapple, kiwi, blueberries, and watermelon! My meal also came with a dinner roll, Smart Balance, and strawberry preserves. A little salt and pepper was needed again just for some extra flavor – it’s amazing how a little salt goes a long way!
To San Francisco – Lunch
Potato dumplings with a red marinara type of sauce with veggies and crumbled tofu, a cold veggie salad with tomatoes, zucchini and peppers (which was actually very tasty), the best assortment of fruit (raspberries, grapes, and kiwi) and a dinner roll. It was my favorite meal of all the Lufthansa meals (who can really resist potato dumplings).
To San Francisco – Dinner
My final meal was was stuffed zucchini (with tofu and marinara sauce), orzo, and steamed veggies, with a side of kiwi and grapes, and a dinner roll. This one definitely needed a little salt and pepper but it was pretty tasty. Good use of marinara sauce in all these dishes.
Standard Meal Options
To Germany – Dinner
Funny thing is…the first two of my husband’s meals were actually vegetarian! They were out of the salmon for the first choice (but hey, doesn’t the movie Airplane come to mind where everyone gets sick from the fish dish?!). So, he had the cavatappi pasta with roasted red pepper and pesto, a side salad, dinner roll with brie cheese spread, and a brownie with whipped cream and strawberry for dessert. The brownie was super tasty, but the pasta was just okay – it needed salt for flavor.
To Germany – Breakfast
For breakfast, the only option was a cheese omelet with “potato crowns” aka tater tots, fresh fruit (pineapple, watermelon, blueberries, and kiwis), and a roll. Flavor-wise, it was meh – needed salt and pepper – but overall, not bad for airplane food.
To San Francisco – Lunch
Lunch was roasted turkey with gravy, carrots and spaetzle (gotta have a little of that German flare), a roll, side salad, and an apple pudding/cake. This was Micah’s favorite of the Lufthansa meals by far.
To San Francisco – Dinner
Finally, for dinner, it was shrimp win a sweet chili sauce with rice, and steamed veggies, fresh fruit and a dinner roll. The shrimp were slightly overcooked (though one might expect that with seafood on a plane), but overall, it was alright.
Entertainment Selection
They have a TON of stuff to choose from as far as current movies go; TV show episodes; documentaries; etc. You definitely won’t get bored, even with a long flight like that. You can even access a section where they show you camera views from different fixed positions on the outside of the plane! Though, that really won’t provide you with much “entertainment.”
Dealing with Airline Strikes
This doesn’t have to do with flying Premium Economy, but rather Lufthansa in general. 2015 was apparently a year filled with strikes…and had we known that, we may have booked with a different airline. We spent the week prior to our flight biting our nails, wondering if we would make it to Europe because the airline cabin crew went on strike, and flights were getting cancelled all over the place.
We checked flight statuses and news reports daily, and finally, the strike ended the day before we flew out. Whew. Then, before we were supposed head back to the U.S., they announced another possible strike for our return flight home. Seriously?! Thankfully, they nixed that. Still, it was an incredibly stressful experience (on top of the fact that we flew to Paris the day after the November 13th terrorist attacks).
Lesson learned? Always make sure you purchase travel insurance. And, book with a travel agent who can take care of you in your dire time of need (i.e. when your airline crew decides to strike).
Overall Assessment
Premium Economy on Lufthansa is the way to go! It’s comfortable and the crew is super friendly. I would also like to mention that on international flights, you get free alcoholic beverages! I think they might also do this in regular economy too, though? I recommend sipping on gin and tonics while enjoying your in-flight entertainment. They also offered after meal drinks of coffee, tea, and brandy.
If you’re flying to/from Europe on Lufthansa, we definitely recommend checking out what Premium Economy has to offer!
Oh, and don’t forget to look out the window! You can catch some beautiful views.
Safe travels!!!
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