This Lufthansa Business Class flight LH 781 oscillates between nostalgia and comfort: their 747-400 will take you to Frankfurt with plenty of charm and some little quirks. Couples and families in particular will find their favourite seats here, while business travellers can discover the upper deck as their favorite part of the aircraft. If you fancy a mix of classic Lufthansa flair and an authentic travel review you should stay tuned and read on.
Review #84
| Departure – planned (actual) | 05.05.2025 – 23:40 (0:13) |
| Arrival – planned (actual) | 06.05.2025 – 6:35 (6:52) |
| Flighttime – planned (actual) | 12:55 (12:39) |
| Delay | 33 late minutes at departure 18 late minutes at arrival |
| Aircraft type (call sign) | Boeing 747 – 400 (D-ABVW) |
| Class | Business |
| Seats | 81 A & 81 C |
Content
Getting there
We arrived to Singapore from our island hopping trip in Thailand, where we visited three very different resorts: The Racha, Naka Island and Anantara Rasananda. Our short stopover gave us a rather controversial stay at the St. Regis Singapore, from where we took a grab to the truly amazing Changi Airport. The drive took us just over half an hour on this late Monday evening.
Of course, you can also get there by public transport. Singapore has an excellent network of underground trains and buses. Unfortunately, although the airport is connected to the metro network, the journey there always involves at least one change and is, of course, much more time-consuming than going there by car.
Departure Airport
Changi Airport in Singapore is one of the most modern airports in the world and currently consists of four terminals connected by an efficient Skytrain system. Particularly well-known is Jewel, opened in 2019, a glass-domed structure with shops, restaurants and the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. Terminal 4 relies on modern self-service technologies, while Terminals 1 to 3 are undergoing continuous modernisation. The new Terminal 5 is currently under construction and, according to current plans, is scheduled to open in the 2030s, significantly expanding the airport’s capacity.
Check-in
We checked in via the app 23 hours before departure and were able to select the seats by our selves. The check-in counter at Changi Airport Terminal 2 handles all Lufthansa Group flights, including those operated by Swiss. The queue at the check-in counter was simply too long for our liking, so we just dropped off our suitcases at the fully automated bag drop which works really well and is very quick. Just a few minutes after dropping off our suitcases, we received a push notification and an email stating information about our baggage drop and presenting an electronic receipt.
Incidentally, HON members and First Class guests can check in at a separate lounge.
Departure – Passport control
The central departure point at Terminal 2 is fully automated with double gates where you simply scan your passport, hold your face up to the camera and place your thumbs on a scanner at the second gate. After that you’re through. Fully automated and super fast. There is a whole phalanx of gates available and usually there are never more than a few other passengers in front of you. So we were through passport control in a maximum of 5 minutes!
Lounge
As Lufthansa Business Class guests, we are entitled to use the Silver Kris Lounge of Star Alliance partner Singapore Airlines. Although the lounge has recently undergone extensive and lengthy renovations, it unfortunately offers no changes apart from a slightly fresher look. The seating is new, but there are still not enough seats to cope with the evening rush, just as there were before the renovation. However, compared to the Lufthansa lounges, the buffet is of excellent quality and offers a very wide range of dishes. There is even a live cooking station for traditional Asian soups, and champagne (not just sparkling wine) is also on offer.
Guests can also freshen up in a total of eight showers before embarking on their long-haul flight.
The lounge is available to all status holders and premium guests of Star Alliance partners Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss, ANA and Thai Airways. All of these airlines operate long-haul flights from Singapore with large aircraft, resulting in the fact that all those guests can only just about fit into the lounge.
First Class and Star Alliance Gold Status members have their own lounges right next door.
The walk from the lounge, which is centrally located in Terminal 2, can be quite long, so we made our way to the gate early. Please keep this in mind when departing from Changi.
Security Check
At Singapore’s Changi Airport, security checks are carried out at each gate, so you should definitely allow extra time for this, as it can take a while and there may be long queues – so don’t arrive at the gate at the last minute. Before the security check, access is checked and your boarding passes are compared with your passports. Your boarding pass is then again checked directly at the actual security check point just in front of the scanner. Here, you have to take all liquids and electronic devices out of your bags – just like in the old days. Unfortunately, this results in queues being correspondingly long.
Boarding
Boarding at Gate E12 began on time with families with children under the age of 5 and passengers requiring assistance boarding. Which was followed by boarding group 1, consisting of first class passengers and the infamous HONs. Although there were many families, group 1 was quite small. Immediately afterwards, it was the turn of all Lufthansa Senators and business class passengers.
At the actual gate, our boarding passes were scanned again and after that we were on our way to boarding. We turned left and found ourselves in front of the two entrances to the aircraft. All (First) and Business Class passengers went to the left. Premium Economy and Economy passengers went straight on.
Welcome
We were greeted warmly at the door and sent straight through the front business class cabin to the second door, where the famous staircase of the Boeing 747 family leads to the upper deck.
A small bag of salted almonds was waiting at our seats, and we had barely sat down before we were offered a drink. As is customary with Lufthansa, we could choose between sparkling wine, orange juice, water and the new in-house drink Avionic.
Start & Routing
This Lufthansa flight LH781 from Singapore to Frankfurt actually flew in a straight line from its departure airport over the Indian Ocean, India and the Arabian Sea, along the Red Sea, through Iraq and Turkey, then across Europe to its destination airport. Only a small detour around Iran and Syria was to be taken.
source: flightradar24.com
Cabin & Seat
Lufthansa has been flying the queen of the skies – the Boeing 747-400 and 800 – successfully for decades, and the upper deck has always been legendary. Until the A380 was built, there was no other aircraft type with two decks.
Lufthansa equips these aircrafts with three classes. The main deck has 30 rows of Economy Class at the rear and 4 rows of Premium Economy Class just in front of it. The cabin in the front is Business Class, which is equipped in a 2-3-2 configuration that is no longer really up to date. At the very front of the aircra#ft, the seating arrangement is 2-2 with a single seat in the middle of the fourth row. The upper deck offers a 2-2 configuration with only 5 rows and a 2-seater in the 6th row. So it’s really very intimate, relaxed and quiet up there.
source: aeroLOPA.com
You are probably already familiar with the Business Class seat from some of our other Lufthansa reviews, but here is a brief introduction nonetheless. On this flight to Frankfurt, we both sat at the bulkhead for the first time and were able to test whether the seating experience really is that much of a difference.
The actual seat at the bulkhead is no different from the others and is slightly angled towards the cabin wall. This front row of seats offers a little more legroom, but the seat somehow feels shorter in length. The storage options at the front of the bulkhead are slightly better, although this aircraft type does not have the extra storage options on the upper deck cabin walls. The upper cabin is actually narrower than the larger version of the Boeing 747-800, not only in length but also noticeably in width.
The overhead bins are really old and angular. They offer plenty of space, but make the cabins even lower and therefore more cramped. Like all other Lufthansa Business Class seats, these also offer an individual reading light and a lamp that illuminates the entire seat and can be adjusted individually. Unfortunately, this seat does not have its own air vents in the ceiling.
The headphones are stored in the central console, which also houses the table and charging options. Next to the footwell is a magazine rack, and underneath it is a small flap that stores the amenity kit and a bottle of water.
Of course, the seat can also be moved into different positions at the touch of a button. This includes, of course, a completely flat bed surface. The mattress topper was already available for all guests upon boarding, and with the blanket and pillow, the seat is transformed into a rather comfortable bed.
Entertainment
Like all airlines, Lufthansa naturally offers an entertainment system that runs via the monitor built into the front cabin wall. In addition to flight information and the flight map, you can also watch movies and series, listen to music and play games. The system is controlled via the touchscreen or the wired remote control. In addition, you can download newspapers and magazines to read via the app from three days before departure.
Amenities
On this flight, we were given a transparent amenity kit, which can certainly be very useful as a sturdy version of a Ziplock bag in which you can store your liquids for air travel. It contained the standard Lufthansa amenities: socks, sleep mask, toothbrush with toothpaste, earplugs, lotion and lip balm, as well as hygiene covers for the headphones and a refreshing towel.
On this night flight, there were of course also the famous sleep shirts from van Laack for every passenger provided in sizes S/M & L/XL.
Food, Drinks & Snacks
The dinner service began almost immediately after reaching cruising altitude with a hot towel, followed directly by the amuse-bouche and the first drink service. That evening, we decided to skip the starter and dessert and just have the main course before going to bed. So we ‘only’ had the cannelloni and the sliced veal zurich style. Our drinks were refilled repeatedly, so our glasses were only empty when we wanted them to be and after the service, we were each given two chocolates.
At 2:20 a.m. German time, the lights in the cabin went out abruptly and we were all put to bed, so to speak.
In the morning, breakfast service began about two and a half hours before landing, and virtually all of the passengers were already awake at that point – according to our internal clocks, it already felt like mid-morning for everyone on board. What’s more, we had already had a good eight hours to sleep and rest.
As always, there was a selection, and Fabi and I each opted for the sweet and savoury Asian options. There was also a smoothie, fruit, various baked goods and, of course, coffee and juice.
Washrooms
For Business Class passengers on the upper deck, there is only one toilet, located at the very front. Compared to the rest of the aircraft, it is rather small and cramped. As is usually the case, queues tend to form during the evening and morning rush hours. Unfortunately, the toilet was not really clean throughout the flight. This was the one place where the age of the aircraft was particularly noticeable – its better days are definitely long gone.
Service at Lufthansa
At first, the two flight attendants responsible for the upper deck did not come across as friendly as they actually were. As is often the case flight attendants tend to be tense during the first hour as there is so much to organise and prepare. But once the initial rush of work was over, their faces relaxed and their smiles return immediately! Both were extremely friendly and relaxed for the rest of the flight.
Arrival
Thirty minutes before landing, there was a brief greeting from the cockpit, as always, with an announcement of the remaining flight time, the current weather and the temperature at our destination, Frankfurt. This was accompanied by a thank you and wishes for a safe journey home or onward. Upon arrival, we also received a push notification on our mobile phones informing us of the arrival gate.
Arrival Airport
Frankfurt Airport is Germany’s largest airport and one of the three largest in Europe in terms of passenger numbers. It has two large terminals with several piers connected by the ‘SkyLine’ train. Four runways enable over 1,000 flight movements per day. In addition to more than 300 shops and restaurants, there are numerous lounges, conference areas and even airport hotels. The building complex has been continuously expanded and is now an international aviation hub with over 70 million passengers per year.
Conclusion
This Lufthansa flight LH 781 from Singapore to Frankfurt was quite uneventful in the best sense of the word. The service was a little stiff at the beginning, but then became all the better later on. The aircraft is simply getting on in years, but doesn’t have to last much longer. The airline is working hard to rejuvenate its fleet, so the old ladies of the skies will slowly be retired in the medium term.
Points
We can award this flight a well-deserved 9 out of 10 possible points.
Everything was fine. The service was excellent, as always with Lufthansa, and the food was delicious. Only the aircraft itself received one point deduction. The 747 – 400 fleet is simply getting really old – our aircraft already served for 26 years, and you can tell. The truly outdated seating in Business Class adds to this impression. Nevertheless, I must emphasise again and again that I generally like this configuration as well as the seating!
Recommendation
We can recommend this Lufthansa flight to everyone – but especially to families and couples, who are really well catered for in this configuration.
The popular double seats, which are recently getting rare in the industry, are a perfect fit for travellers travelling in pairs. Business travellers and solo travellers should be aware that they will almost always have a direct seat neighbour, so it is best to choose the middle seats, where the distance is greatest. Families will have to spread out a little across the cabin, but in our opinion this is not a real problem. All in all: a solid business class that works for many types of travellers.
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YouTube Review
If you would like more information about this flight, please take a look at our YouTube review. Enjoy!
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