Review of Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Singapore in Economy

INTRODUCTION

Hello everyone,
when Summer 2024 vacations approached I decided not to book anything in particular. I made this choice for two reasons: first of all prices were incontrolably high and second, but not less important, I wanted to spend my two weeks work-break in total relax
This choice had a result by the way: planning a trip for the following Spring.

Around September I realized I could merge Easter '25 vacations with Italian Liberation Day, respectively the 20th and the 2th April 2025. Four day-offs would result in ten days at home, giving space for a good vacation

At first I had two options:
1. A tour of the Pearl river's delta, visiting Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen and Guangzhou
2. Azerbaijian with the option of a few days in Istanbul
The second option was on stage in case the first one resulted too expensive

Searching on the internet and asking a couple of people I realized the first option presented an issue: both Shenzhen and Guangzhou don't prove too interesting to be part of a porpouse trip
My father suggested me to try visiting Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, stopping over in Malacca for a night. Even if the plan was interesting and I've always wanted to visit Singapore (being an F1 fan too) I wasn't so sure leaving HK and Macau apart. Specifically, I made a 2-hour layoover in Hong Kong in 2019, while going to Vietnam, but due to ongoing protests it was not wise to organize a couple of days there.

After a brief check on prices for Singapore to HK/Macau flights, which proved quite cheap, I ended up with this itinerary:
19th to 22nd April in Singapore
22nd to 23rd April in Macau
23rd to 26th April in Hong Kong

Due to flights' scheduled I was supposed to leave Italy in the afternoon of 18th April and return home in the early hours of the 27th.

BOOKING OPTIONS

As I was deciding the three cities to visit I tried to understand which sequence was preferred in term of price and "logistic"
Even if the prices was almost the same arriving in HK and leaving from Singapore has more cons. The return in the early morning of Sunday would have meant one more night sleeping in Singapore and would have force me to wake up very early. Moreover, departing from Linate and arriving back to Malpensa would have been quite a trouble, having a car to park somewhere

All the solutions with that price all comprises Air India for the return, which a dear friend who spent one year going back and forth to New Dehli for work warmly invited to avoid

After a few days of researching I ended up with this solution wholly handled by Lufthansa Group
Leaving on Friday late afternoon would have give me enough time to go to MXP, while the 23:25 return flight would have gave me the entire day of Saturday to stay around HK 

LH-website confirmed the price for the solution found on SkyScanner
I was able to choose the Economy Basic fare, which came with a checked-luggage and a carry-on
The total price was 959 euros

On October 10th, after speaking to my manager, I booked the flights

Here's the detailed itinerary and the fare:

Regarding the Singapore to HK/Macau flight SkyScanner gave me no doubt: flying into Macau with Scoot presented the cheapest fare, around 100-150 euros. Much lower than any flight between Singapore and Hong Kong with CX or SQ, rated around 1.5x more

According to my itinial plans I chose this flight, in order to have time to go with calm to Changi Airport and visit the Jewel

Since the far came with carry-on baggage only I added a checked 20 kilos one for 30 euros. I also selected the seat in advance for 10 euros, bringing the total to 177 euros

The flights in total costed me 1136 euros

18th April 2025 - Milan-Malpensa (MXP) > Frankfurt (FRA) - Lufthansa LH 255 - Airbus A319
18th April 2025 - Frankfurt (FRA) > Singapore (SIN) - Lufthansa LH 778 - Boeing 747-8
22nd April 2025 - Singapore (SIN) > Macau (MFM) - Scoot TR 904 - Airbus A321neo
26th April 2025 - Hong Kong (HKG) > Zurich (ZRH) - Swiss International Air Lines LX 139 - Boeing 777-300ER
27th April 2025 - Zurich (ZRH) > Milan-Malpensa (MXP) - Swiss International Air Lines LX 1612 - Airbus A320

ROUTING

Some stats:
6th out of 9 flights of 2025 (as of May '25)
First time on FRA-SIN route
First time landing into SIN
First time on a Lufthansa long haul flight
Second time on a Boeing 747

BEFORE THE FLIGHT

In mid-January I received an e-mail from Lufthansa with minor changes in the scheduled of the two long-haul flights
Moreover the FRA-SIN route saw a small plane change. Initially planned to be operated with a Boeing 747-8 it was changed to a 747-400. Even if in general I was very happy to flight on the Jumbo Jet, I really would have tried the -8 version, having already ride the -400 one on an Air China SHA-PEK service in 2017
Better than nothing, also considering in the next years it will be more and more difficult to fly the Queen of the Skies

36 hours prior to the departure Lufthansa opened the web check-in
Their mobile app is really useful and user friendly, making the entire procedure quite quick
I was lucky in the automatic seat assignment, getting an emergency exit seat on MXP-FRA route and window seats on both legs

At first I had 36K assigned, in the first economy class cabin
By the way, checking on AeroLopa website, I decided to get one in the rear cabin. The reason is a bit childish, but functional to this report: 36K is on the wing, meaning less sight to the ground to take good pics XD

TRANSFER IN FRANKFURT

After disembarking from my previous flight from Milan-MXP the bus left us at the Terminal at 20:20, 50 minutes before scheduled boarding time
According to the FIDS I should point to gate Z69, at the far end of pier A-plus

Terminal 1A wasn't crowded as I expected, despite the good amount of flights departing

Passport control to exit the Schengen area and access Z boarding lounge

The process took zero-time thanks to eGates
Mandatory passage through the duty free as in most airports

Pier A-plus rotunda, I've seen it in so many Flight-reports it feels like I've been there already

I grabbed a sandwich since I expected to have a very late dinner while onboard before making my way to the gate

A good sight of the apron was ruined by those stripes on the window

The pier A-plus, opened in 2012, looks endless
But it offers better spotting opportunities than the previous window

Lufthansa A350 about to leave the stand on its way to Mumbai

Lufthansa A320 

Lufthansa A340-600 in older livery
I really hope to fly this beauty once before it's phased out

Lufthansa 747-8 bound to Johannesburg

Lufthansa A320

Discover Airlines and Lufthansa A320neos

Lufthansa A321 and A319

And finally, the beautiful ride for my tonight's flight
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome her Majesty the Queen of the Skies

Lufthansa Boeing 747-400, D-ABTK
First flight of the aircraft on 11st December 2001 (23.4 years), delivered to Lufthansa on December 2001. 7th Boeing 747-400 delivered to LH
Equipped with 371 seats: 67 in C (22 on the upper deck and 45 on the lower), 32 in Y+ and 272 in Y
On the 15th May 2006 it was involved in a front landing gear collapse while parked for maintenance in FRA. No one was injured

It's the second oldest plane I've ever flied with, followed by another Boeing 747-400 I flew with in 2017 on SHA-PEK route (22.6 years old at the day of the flight)

No need to say my excitement was beyond any level experienced before
When I traveled with Air China back in 2017 the flight was less than two hours, meaning I hadn't enough time to fully enjoy the experience
This time I'll have much more time…

BOARDING, THE CABIN AND THE SEAT

Two minutes after scheduled the gate was opened

Moments before the agents asked if anyone was available for a Premium Economy upgrade. I asked for curiosity and they told me the price was 390 euros, definitely too much

After pre-boarding was completed a bit of mess started
Even if the screen invited First and Business Class passengers also Economy class ticket holders were admitted onboard
Since I was standing right in front of the gate as the operations started I manage to get through the turnstiles among the firsts

Second jet-bridge also this time…

Ready to be welcomed onboard this old, but still classy, lady

Wings are massive

As I got onboard I handed the Flight Report form to the purser, which agree to bring it to the flight deck
I than made my way to my seat, located in the third (and last) Economy Class cabin

Premium Economy occupies the first four rows of the cabin between L2 and L3, followed by three rows of Economy. The separation is made with a soft screen

The second Economy Class cabin, between L3 and L4…

…and the last one, placed between L4 and L5 doors

Getting onboard among the first gave me the opportunity to take good pics of the cabin without people

My home for the next half-day
Every seat was already equipped with a pillow and a blanket, both of good quality. Just as side note, none of them was wrapped in plastic

The pitch was very good in my opinion and no IFE box was present under the seat, giving full room to extend feet

The seat is equipped with a tray table, a cup holder (only usable when the table is closed), a newspaper pocket and a coat hanger
The 9" HD touch screen display is powered by Zodiac Rave system and has a USB-A port for charging and connectivity
Each seat is also equipped with a power plug

In general the plane doesn't look so aged in its interior
Cabin panels looked quite new and no apparently wear was visible and the newer seat product contributes to make the cabin feel fresh
The contrast was made by the old-style overhead lockers and the galleys' equipment

The newspaper holder contained the in-flight shopping magazine, the safety chart and a sick bag 

The views from my seat as boarding continued

5 minutes before 22, at the scheduled departure time, boarding was called "completed"
Soon after the safety video was played

TAXIING AND DEPARTURE

At 22:15, twenty minutes later than scheduled, we pushed back

Minutes after the four General Electric CF6 came to life with a deep noise
The massive flaps were lowered for take-off

Discover Airlines A320 on the way to the runway

Condor A330neo in green-striped livery
I wanna be 100% honest when I say this livery is a punch in the eye, no matter which color it carries

Lining up on runway 18, taking off towards south

LH 780 FLIGHT FROM FRANKFURT TO SINGAPORE

38 minutes after scheduled engines went full power 
I expected them to be noisier actually

The take-off run was pretty long 

Right after leaving the ground the plane entered a thick layer of clouds, which made impossible to spot any landmark
Moreover as soon as the cabin crew was allowed to walk around they invited the passengers to close the windows' shades
Some of them appeared to be a bit rude asking it, maybe because they're afraid some passengers would fall asleep until sunrise

Maybe that's the only "spot" on the entire service, which was overall very good and polite

1st SERVICE: THE DINNER

The beginning of the service was delayed to a light turbulence on climbing

Half a hour into the flight a bottle of water and crackers were delivered
The crackers were salty enough, but too baked in my opinion
A second round of it was given soon after

The proper dinner service started a bit more than one hour after departure

As the food trolley approached the row before mine I heard the cabin crew member telling a passenger "…that's the only food option left", realizing the others had been finished
I don't know what the alternatives were since no menu' or explanations were give

The food tray was well presented

The appetizer was a vegetable mix with vinaigrette, which was refreshing and rightly acid
The main course was ricotta filled ravioli with tomato sauce and spinach. The quality of pasta was good and the course itself was tasty
The dessert was a lemon cream with chocolate crumble. The cream was not sweet enough

The tray was accompanied by some bread, which seems to be have taken out of the bridge too late, some butter and brie cheese

I really appreciate metal cutlery, they're very useful and give a classy touch to the tray

During the service drink were provided with a good rate, I got a Coke Zero

Overall the dinner was good, the quality of the main course was prominent
In general I think some "details" are perfectible, but the impression was in line with what I expected from an airline as Lufthansa

As the dinner service was ongoing I watched the American comedy "We're the Millers"

Meanwhile we're flying above Far-East Europe

DISCOVERING THE IFE

As the journey continued I spent some time exploring LH's In-Flight Entertainment, which is available in 10 different languages

The main menu features quick access to Wi-Fi connectivity and in-flight shopping, as long as all the entertainment categories

Movies
I was really impressed by the number of titles (almost 400) available
The movies were divided in many categories and research for language was available
Around 200 had "Italian" as language

TV Series
As for movies, the selection was impressive, with a large span of Paramount+ titles and TED Talks too

Other categories features Music, Audio-books, Podcasts, Games, Contents for Kids and Meditation Audios
The last page contained info about Lufthansa, transfer and arrival guides for FRA and MUC airports and a showcase of the new Allegris product

In general the system worked very good, the touch screen was intuitive and categories were easily to navigate

The airshow was maybe the worst part of the IFE, no great views were available and it worked much more as a screensaver

The only bad note regards provided earplugs
Even if the screen featured a single-hole port, the plug was made by two spikes, one of which was foldable
However, connecting only one of it resulted in only one earplug working
A bit annoying, but nothing shameful

I finished to watch the movie around 4 hours into the flight, as we approached Caspian Sea
I put my blanket on, set the cushion on my back, reclined the seat and felt asleep, cradled by the deep noise of the engines

2ND SERVICE: THE BREAKFAST

Thanks to the fact I was tired for the entire day, the comfort of the seat and the generally low noise into the cabin I slept around 5.5 hours
I woke up while crossing the Bay of Bengala, two hours and half to Singapore

Outside it was full day

One hour and half before landing breakfast (or lunch, due to the time) was served

The tray, despite looking a bit messy, contained the main course, bread with strawberry marmalade and butter, a blueberry yogurt and a cocoa-and-cereal bar

The main course was scrambled eggs with chives and mushrooms

The eggs were well cooked and good in taste
The bread was a bit warmer than the one served on the lunch 
The yogurt and the cereal bar were both very good in quality

This time paper cutlery was used and perfectly fit for the kind of meal

During the service hot and cold beverages were provided continuously

I got an orange juice and a coffee, both decent in quality

Corporate shot

Meanwhile we started to fly over the Strait of Malacca

After breakfast I make a walk around the two economy cabins of the 747
Most passengers were already awake and enjoying the IFE
Even if the economy class section is equipped with 8 lavatories (4 in the front, near L3-R3 doors, and 4 at the far back), some people were waiting in the aisles

Meanwhile we approached Malaysian airspace

After returning to my seat the Purser handed me over the Flight-Report form
I asked him if it was possible to thank the flying crew and he told me to show up to him after landing

ARRIVAL IN SINGAPORE

Half a hour before scheduled arrival the cabin was set for landing

While descending we passed through a thin layer of clouds

Entering a holding pattern over Great Karimum siland, which we overflew twice before heading again towards Changi

Lining up to runway just west of Bulan Island

Some last route adjustments over Indonesian islands
It's so impressive how huge those flaps are compared to the wing

Last minutes in the air crossing the Strait of Singapore

And finally…Singapore in sight, with the Marina Bay Sands, Gardens of the Bays domes and Singapore Flyer ferris wheel welcoming me in the city

The sea traffic floating in and out the harbour is impressive

Returning above land just a few meters before the runway edge
We'd land on runway 02C

Light rain was falling over the airport
Being welcomed by three masters of the house: Scoot A320 and 787 and Singapore Airlines 787

At 16:31 local time, only six minutes later than planned, we smoothly touched down at Singapore-Changi Airport
The brake run was a bit rough 

Meine Damen und Herren, willkommen in Singapur

As we vacated the runway rain started to cover the window, making impossible to take good pics
However the taxi to Terminal 2 was pretty short and no interesting encounter was made on the way to gate

GOODBYE TO THE QUEEN

We docked at gate E11 five minutes after touching down
Doors were opened moments after

After about half of the passengers had disembark I mad my way to the Purser asking him to visit the cockpit
He escorted me upstairs and introduced me to the Captain and the First Officers

I spent a few minutes chatting with them about "the Queen of the Skies" and what a pity is seeing here disappearing from the skies as passenger plane
I thanked them for the report and they asked me a couple of questions about my reviews, showing genuine curiosity

One of the F/O was very kind taking me a picture

"Selfie" time

As soon as I greeted the cockpit crew the plane was empty
Upper class business class feel very intimate, however I find the 2-2 layout a bit old-style, especially for a 12-hour flight

Getting downstairs to reality

The main Business Class cabin features 28 seats in 2-3-2 configuration
Seeing other products worldwide I think would be a bit strange and cramped flying in the middle seat

The iconic nose section features 17 seat, would be cool flying in the "throne" in the middle (but an avgeek like me would still choose the window)

Goodbye Her Majesty
Thank you for bringing me on vacation and made a dream come true 

SINGAPORE AIRPORT

Disembarking right inside the departure corridor in the E-pier of Terminal 2

Singapore Airlines Boeing 787

Swiss Air Lines Triple-7, just arrived from Zurich

And my bird

Curious to see three LH-group flights landed in a span of twelve minutes

The immigration hall was empty
I was directed to a self gate having filled the SGArrivalCard the day before
The passport control took less than one minute

Baggages were already spinning on the belt, I got mine in a couple of minutes

I got off the baggage claim area at 17:15, 45 minutes after touching down and just twenty minutes since I disembark
Surely it's a short time for an international flight, surely helped by the automation of the passport check and the smart layout of Changi Airport

In order to get to my hotel in Bugis I immediately head to Changi MRT Station, located between Terminal 2 and 3
It took me around one hour, changing in Expo station 

Stay tuned for the next leg to Macau…