Review: Lufthansa Allegris First Class - Munich to Los Angeles

Lufthansa's multi-billion euro gamble on its brand-new Allegris cabins marks a massive watershed moment for European aviation. After years of anticipation, the German flag carrier has finally unleashed its ultra-premium answer to Middle Eastern and Asian legacy carriers. But does this shiny new hardware live up to the astronomical expectations? I recently stepped on board their freshly configured Airbus A350-900 from San Diego to Munich to find out firsthand. While the aesthetic is an absolute home run, early tech kinks proved that perfection is still a work in progress.

Flight Information

How I Booked Lufthansa Allegris First Class

Securing a seat in Lufthansa's elusive Allegris First Class using points directly is notoriously difficult right now, as availability is tightly managed. To pull this off, I leaned heavily on award alerts.

I set a handful of custom alerts on Roame for Allegris Business Class, hoping that an upgrade opportunity would present itself closer to departure. After receiving a flurry of real-time alerts from roame.travel as the date neared, I narrowly missed a connecting option for ~79,000 miles, but managed to lock down a direct Business Class seat to Munich for roughly 100,000 miles. To figure out which credit card points transfer into Miles & More before you book, consult our transfer partner cheat sheet.

Shortly after ticketing, the option to bid for a First Class upgrade appeared in my Lufthansa app. The bidding spectrum ranged wildly from 990 to 2,308 Euros. Based on crowdsourced data from Reddit, I placed a bid of 1,800 Euros. It was successful, though looking back, I suspect a lower bid around 1,400 Euros would have done the trick.

Check-In and Boarding

The premium ground experience at San Diego was seamless, albeit strictly timed. Lufthansa's check-in counters opened exactly three hours prior to departure, resulting in a brief queue before the premium lanes opened up.

The First Class check-in agent was incredibly warm and proactive. She went out of her way to offer a highly personalized touch: if I wanted to be the absolute first passenger to step on board, she promised to meet me at the gate to personally escort me down the jet bridge. True to her word, she was there. We waited on the jet bridge for about five minutes while the crew completed their final safety checks, during which I chatted with a fellow First Class passenger who had been upgraded via operational loyalty status.

The Allegris Cabin & Suite 1A

Upon boarding, we walked through the newly designed, staggered Allegris Business Class cabin before arriving at the ultra-exclusive, single-row First Class section. With only three suites occupying the space, the cabin feels remarkably intimate, spacious, and private.

I selected Suite 1A, a window seat on the left side. My first impression of the design was overwhelmingly positive. The aesthetic perfectly balances corporate elegance with residential luxury, boasting deep navy blue upholstery, striking acoustic felt walls, subtle mood lighting, and warm wood paneling. To my right, the traveler occupying the massive "Suite Plus" middle seat was completely awestruck, and we spent the first ten minutes taking photos for each other to commemorate the experience.

Shortly after settling in, the flight attendants, purser, and even the captain made their rounds to individually welcome each of the three First Class passengers on board—a phenomenal touch that set a highly professional tone for the flight.

The suite features an enormous 32-inch 4K inflight entertainment screen, a personal wardrobe, and an ottoman across from the seat that doubles as companion seating. Storage is cleverly tucked beneath the ottoman, which lifts open like a clamshell. However, the mechanical execution here left a bit to be desired; the triangular latches are surprisingly sharp and awkward, and I actually managed to bruise my hand while trying to open it.

Lufthansa pairs the hardware with exceptional soft touches, including their signature fresh red rose in the suite and lavatories, alongside a dedicated skincare menu from which passengers can order complimentary premium products on demand.

Dining & Champagne Service

Lufthansa's premium culinary game was on full display. The beverage menu featured an exceptionally curated wine list, highlighted by two top-tier prestige cuvées: Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame and Bollinger La Grande Année.

Dinner service was an elegant, multi-course affair paced beautifully by the crew:

• Amuse-Bouche: A delicate seasonal bite to kick off the service.
• Caviar Service: Traditional caviar with classic garnishes. While Lufthansa doesn't offer the unlimited caviar flow of some Middle Eastern peers, the flight attendant noticed my enthusiasm and graciously offered a second helping.
• Appetizers & Intermediate Courses: A fresh salad and a beautifully cleared soup course.
• Main Course: I opted for the Veal Osso Bucco, which was exceptionally tender, rich, and perfectly reheated for an inflight meal.
• Cheese & Dessert: A curated selection of European cheeses followed by a decadent sweet finale.

The Sleep Experience (and the Technical Kinks)

When it came time to rest, the cabin crew transformed the seat into a fully flat bed outfitted with three pillows of varying firmness and a plush, breathable blanket. Passengers are also provided with high-end wireless Sennheiser noise-canceling headphones and premium pajamas.

Unfortunately, this is where the early-generation tech kinks of the new Allegris cabin reared their head. My suite suffered from a system-wide software glitch, meaning the ambient suite lights refused to turn off. The crew was incredibly apologetic and offered a workaround: cutting all electrical power to my suite. While this meant losing the ability to adjust my seat or use the 4K screen, it extinguished the overhead lights so I wasn't sleeping in bright glare.

Additionally, the manual sliding felt privacy doors had a mechanical fault where the latch wouldn't engage, causing the door to constantly slide back open. The crew tried to troubleshoot it for a while before improvising a brilliant, old-school solution: looping a towel tightly between the inner and outer door handles to tie them shut. Despite the tech mishaps, the bed itself was incredibly comfortable, and I managed a fantastic, uninterrupted sleep across the Atlantic. I later found out that Suite 1A had a reputation for these exact software issues, making my self-assigned seat selection a bit of an ironic joke.

Final Thoughts: A Stunning Product with Early Kinks

Lufthansa's Allegris First Class is an undeniably beautiful, massive leap forward for the airline. The cabin design is drop-dead gorgeous, the catering is high-end, and the crew's proactiveness and problem-solving skills were genuinely flawless. However, the seat technology and mechanical components are clearly still suffering from growing pains. I would absolutely fly this product again without hesitation, but I'll probably wait for the software updates to roll out—and I definitely won't bid quite as high next time.

Final Scores

• Food Quality: 8.5/10
• Drinks Quality: 9.5/10
• Service: 9/10
• Cabin Design: 9.5/10
• Seat Comfort: 9/10
• Tech & Reliability: 5/10
• Overall Rating: 8.4/10