Review: Lufthansa Allegris First Class - San Diego to Munich

After years of anticipation and billions of Euros in investment, Lufthansa has finally unleashed its ultra-premium answer to Middle Eastern and Asian carriers with the brand-new Allegris cabins. 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 and service is an absolute home run, there are still technical kinks to be worked out on the hard product.

Flight Information

How I Booked Lufthansa Allegris First Class

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

I set a handful of custom alerts on Roame for Allegris Business Class and aimed to upgrade to first class at check-in. After receiving a flurry of real-time alerts from roame.travel as the date neared, I managed to book a direct business class seat to Munich for ~100,000 miles. Side note: I narrowly missed a connecting option for ~79,000 miles because I was too slow and the flight was booked by someone else.

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 under manage my trips. The bidding ranged wildly from €990 to €2,308.

Based on crowdsourced data from Reddit, I placed a bid of €1,800. While it was successful, I suspect a lower bid around €1,400 would have done the trick.

Check-in

Lufthansa's check-in counters open at exactly three hours prior to departure, which is a shorter window than the typical 3.5 to 4 hours before an international flight.

The First Class check-in agent was incredibly warm and proactive. She went out of her way to ask if I wanted to be the absolute first passenger to step on board and promised to meet me at the gate to personally escort me down the jet bridge.

Lounge Access at San Diego Airport for Lufthansa First Class

While there is no United Polaris Lounge at San Diego International Airport, we did have access to a United Club. Which surprisingly had a very similar interior design as a United Polaris Lounge.

The self-serve gelato and sorbet station was a fun surprise.

Boarding

Right before boarding, the agent came to lead me through the ticket check at the gate. 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 and implied it was through his Miles & More loyalty status.

Allegris Cabin & Seats

Upon boarding, we walked through the newly designed, staggered Allegris Business Class cabin before arriving at the First Class at the head of the plane. While there were only three suites occupying the space, the cabin did feel a bit cramped because the middle suite is technically a double suite.

I chose Suite 1A, which was gorgeous in the new Allegris design with dark blue hues, mood lighting, and wooden panelling. Turns out, I chose the only suite that was broken, which I did not find out until later.

The flight attendants, purser, and captain stopped by each of 3 first class passengers to welcome us.

There was only one person sitting in the middle suite plus and was super excited, taking lots of photos. We helped each other take some photos of each other sitting in the suites.

Shortly after settling in, the flight attendants, purser, and the captain made their rounds to individually welcome each of the three First Class passengers on board. It's always super cool to meet the captain before the flight.

The dedicated First Class lavatory located at the front of the cabin is compact yet well-appointed, complete with a padded toilet seat lid, fresh red roses, and complimentary Augustinus Bader skincare products.

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.

On the soft product side, Lufthansa outfits its Allegris First Class suites with premium amenities, including an onboard skincare menu featuring Augustinus Bader products, custom Van Laack loungewear, and wireless Sennheiser noise-canceling headphones. Beyond the physical amenity kit, Lufthansa offers on request skincare.

Drinks and dining

The Lufthansa drinks menu had a large selection and surprisingly included two really nice champagnes: Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame and Bollinger La Grande Annee.

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.

Sleep Experience

Unfortunately, as I got ready for bed, the flight attendant informed me that my suite was broken due to a software issue and the lights could not be turned off. They offered to turn off all power to the suite so that the ceiling light wasn’t shining directly on my face, but that would also mean no power for the screen and seat adjustments. In the grand scheme of things, not a big deal.

There was also an issue with my sliding felt doors. One of the doors would not stay closed and would always slide back open. The flight attendants spent a while trying to fix it, but ended improvising with towel looped between the handles of the doors and tied together. Otherwise, I had a great sleep.

I was later informed that Suite 1A was known to have issues and was surprised I was assigned to that seat. Jokes on me because I picked Suite 1A myself.

Final Thoughts: Stunning product with some 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.

Overall Rating (8/10)

• Food Quality: 8/10
• Drinks Quality: 9/10
• Cleanliness: 9/10
• Cabin Design: 9/10
• Seat: 5/10 (technical issues with power and door)
• Service: 9/10