Welcome to my part 2 of Lufthansa's Boeing 747-8 trip report!
This is my ride: D-ABYC
It's funny because after commenting about the D-AYBA to D-ABYL (excluding D-ABYE which is not registered as the airline rejected the aircraft that was assigned this registration) haven't been operating on the FRA-EZE route, this aircraft appeared on Flightradar24 as it replaced D-ABYO which was originally supposed to operate my flight. I was hoping for the retro livery jet, D-ABYT but unfortunately that aircraft was on route to Johannesburg on that day.
Introduction
For the return flight, I prayed hard that I would fly back to Frankfurt on D-ABYT and I would get the information a few days ago from Flightradar24 as Lufthansa released the information on which aircraft would be deployed and usually that aircraft would be deployed if there is no technical issues with it. Some of you must be wondering, what is special about this aircraft? Let this photo below speaks for itself.
Photo of D-ABVT (Photographer: Juan Carlos Guerra)
This is the only 747-8 in the fleet painted in the airline's famous retro livery.
Initally, D-ABYO appeared on Flightradar24 to operate on my flight until the day of departure for LH510 when I did a check on both Flightradar24 and Flighty, I noticed a change of aircraft, D-ABYC was operating on this flight instead. This is the 2nd Boeing 747-8 in the fleet (D-ABYB registration was skipped due to a plane crash involving the Boeing 747-100 after take off at Nairobi, Kenya and as a result, this registration was retired permanently.)
At this time of blogging (March 2026), the airline is now left with 18 Boeing 747-8I with D-ABYD recently left the fleet (Sold) to join the U.S Air Force fleet and later on, D-ABYG will leave Lufthansa's fleet in the middle of 2026 to do the same. Lufthansa must have gotten a great deal to sell off these 2 workhorses.
So for this trip report, I will focus on the premium economy class. I took advantage of the airline's upgrade offer to make the long flight from Buenos Aires to Frankfurt more comfortable. 13 hours plus in economy class is not a joke at all and I thought to myself I didn't want to to go through that again for the return flight.
So without further ado, let's begin this trip report of the Queen of the Skies!
About the airline's seating configuration
I settled for seat 25K for this premium economy class cabin, the last row.
Lufthansa's Premium economy is positioned between the economy class cabin as shown below, quite an unique configuration if you ask me.
Photo: Aerolopa.com
Airline's mobile app
There is no charges for the seat selection.
I decided to fork out Euro $390 for the upgrade. This was a 12 hours flight. So if you take 390 divide by 12, you are paying around $32 extra an hour for better comfort.
With this seat upgrade, I was able to earn more miles with my choice of airline's frequent flyer program (EVA Air).
Inflight menu is available on the mobile app.
I did consider the business class upgrade and a chance to sit on the upper deck but in the end I felt the extra cost was not worth it as I still had to climb over someone in the 2-2 layout on the upper deck and for the lower deck, 2-2-2 seating configuration. Not only that, the Inflight Entertainment system was quite outdated and so are the seats.
The information of my flight including given baggage information.
On the day of departure
After the pleasant stay at the hotel, I called for Uber which took me to the airport within 10 minutes.
This would be my last stop in South America and by then, I was quite familar with this airport's layout.
No prize for guessing which airline dominate this departure board.
I like the check-in desk design but I wonder whether the maintenance cost is high.
Doesn't this design reminds you of the old Changi Airport Terminal 2 departure hall check-in area?
It was Christmas Day at Buenos Aires!
This is the older terminal at the airport, it was not in operation at the check-in area but there are some shops opened in this part of the building.
The second level is not opened to the general public.
The closed airline offices
The view of this terminal building
The last time I was at this airport, I was able to access the 2nd level and rested for a while, waiting for my flight to Santa Cruz (Bolivia).
I tried the Dubai Chocolate ice cream at Macdonald's, let's say it was too rich for my liking.
Here it is - the Lufthansa's boarding queue
Unfortunately, there is no dedicated check-in desk for premium economy class passengers and we have to join the economy class queue.
The interior of the terminal
By the time I reached, it was this crowded.
The waiting time was terrible as intitally only 2 check-in desks were available for the economy class passengers. What made it worse is that some from them lining up at the check-in groups (with only one counter opened at that time) cut into one of the check-in desks dedicated to us, despite some protests from the passengers in front of me, they waved it away. As there was no airport staff managing the queues , there wasn't much we can do. So for a short period of time, we had only 1 check-in counter. Fortunately, once the business and first class check-in desks were free, they opened up the check-in for us but that happened after an hour later which by then the queue for the economy class check-in was very long. That is why it is important to arrive early at the check-in counters.
After 70 minutes of waiting, I received my boarding pass and got my baggage checked in.
You can see how long the queue is from the photo below.
Once done, I made my way to the airside.
You take the escalator up and this is how it looks like from the international departure hall.
Once the immigration and security check were done, I had to pass through the duty free shop to get to the departure gate area.
This leads you to the departure gate area.
The departure gate area at the international side has a lot of shops and eateries.
I was able to walk around to check out the shops and also do some plane spotting.
Thanks for the memories, Flybondi!
Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus A330-200. There are rumours that the airline is looking the A330-800neo to replace the fleet of A330-200. Watch this space!
This KLM's Boeing 777-200ER was bound for Amsterdam.
I had a couple of memorable flights with this airline but for the airline's website on the other hand, the experience was not pleasant.
I made my way to the assigned gate..
Here it is, I was in group 2 and the first in line.
Before I started queueing up, I did a check on the gate area
There are a good number of seats including charging ports available.
The cockpit photo of the Boeing 747-8I on my Ipad and the actual aircraft itself in the background.
It was quite busy at the departure hall at this time.
The view outside the airport
These are the other passengers from my flight.
Time to board!
Look at how massive this Boeing 747-8 aircraft is.
This is the 2nd oldest Boeing 747-8 in the airline's fleet .
The massive GEnx engines is one of the differences between this aircraft and the 747-400
Almost there.
Welcome on board!
Interesting sticker
My ride: D-ABYC
Boeing 747-830
Delivered in June 2012
Configuration: F8 C80 W32 Y244
Engines: 2 X GEnx-2B67
Age: 13+ Years Old (March 2026)
1451th Boeing 747 Built
Built in Everett (PAE)
My flight route: EZE-FRA
Miles: 7,133
Average Flight Time: 12 hours 30 minutes
Airlines flying on this route: Lufthansa
My seat: 25K (Photo: Aerolopa)
Date of departure: Christmas Day of 2025
Airline: Lufthansa
Flight: LH511
Route: EZE-FRA
Aircraft: Boeing 747-8
Registration: D-ABYC
Seat: 25K
Class: Premium Economy
Departure Gate: 9
Load: 2/3 full
Schedule Departure: 1745
Boarding: 1711
Pushed Back: 1753
Take Off: 1805
Flight Time: 12 hours 45 minutes
Actual Flight Time: 12 hours 32 minutes
Schedule Arrival: 1100
Actual Arrival: 1036
Departure Runway: 11
Departure Weather: Clear
Arrival Runway: 7R
Arrival Weather: Clear
My Flight Experience
After the messy and disorganised check-in experience at the check in counters, boarding process was a smoother affair and we boarded according to group. As I was the first lining up at the group 2 queue, I boarded the aircraft with an almost empty cabin in the lower deck and quickly took some photos before the rest of the passengers boarded. The cabin crew on this flight were cheerful and I am grateful to them for working on this festive day. For the premium economy class passenges, we were given a special pre-departure drink and an amenity kit waiting for us at our seat. The best part of this flight - vacant seat besides me. Even though there was an onboard offer for passengers who wish to upgrade to Premium Economy and Business Class was available, luckily for me, the seat besides mine remained vacant.
The announcement was made by both the flight and cabin crew and the flight was expected to be mostly smooth with a bit of bumps along the way. After the more powerful take off compared to my last 747-8 flight (FRA-EZE), we climbed in very good weather with some bumps along the way. Beverage service began first and not long after that, the main meal service and 2nd beverage service then after that the cabin was dimmed to allow us to rest. I managed to grab some sleep and enjoy some movies before breakfast was served during the last quarter of the flight. The cabin service was not bad but there was one annoying passenger blocking the passageway for a good amount of time, just a row in front of me, chatting with his friends and there were a few times he had to come over to my vacant seat to give way to others. I mean what is so urgent that you cannot chat with your friend after touchdown? How about being considerate to others? Thanks goodness he didn't move to my seat but he can't anyway since the cabin crew has pasted a sticker on the seat warning others that the seat is not available.
The descent towards Frankfurt was a smooth affair and once again in good clear weather. We touched down smoothly ahead of schedule and that concludes my 747-8 flying experience. I spent almost 27 hours on board the 747-8 and what a way to celebrate my birthday and Christmas by enjoy the rides D-ABYR and D-ABYC respectively.
Welcome on board!
For the First Class, Business Class and Economy Class photos, you can check them out from my part 1 of this trip report! Click here for the trip report.
Photos of the Business Class
This 2-2 layout is the main reason why I hestiated to cough out more to enjoy this premium class.
Plenty of legroom space but if the aisle seatmate is sleeping in a lie-flat mode, it can be troublesome to climb in and out of the seat.
The bulkhead center row seats.
The logo of Lufthansa Airlines
There is a bit of space between the bulkhead row and the last row of the business class seats.
These seats will be replaced by the Allegris business class in due course.
Have you experienced this class cabin, what are your thoughts of it?
The first row of business class in the second cabin of the lower deck.
For this trip report, I will focus only on the Premium Economy Class
Premium Economy
This cabin is configured in a 2-4-2 arrangement
Slightly wider and better legroom space are good reasons why you should upgrade to this class.
The 2-seater by the window side.
Each premium economy class has adjustable head rest.
The seats in between each other has an unadjustable handrest so even if your seat besides you is vacant, you are not able lift up the armrest and convert it into a mini bed.
This is my seat 25K.
The IFE Screen is bigger in size compared to the ones in economy class.
Notice the spacious legroom space.
The view of the seatd across the aisle
The first row of the economy class offers a lot of legroom space. (Row 26 J/K)
The overhead luggage compartment is spacious.
My window seat (2 windows to myself and maybe 3 if I recline my seat.
The back of the front seat consists of the IFE Screen (with charging ports) and the coat hanger.
More photos of this seat
View from my seat
Later on, I discovered it was about 3/4 full for this cabin and lucky me, I had the seat besides mine vacant.
A bottle of water is given to each passenger in this class at the start of the flight.
The old type of earpiece
Legrest
Headrest
A pair of Universal AC sockets and the life jacket storage place below them.
Retractable tray table
The tray table is large enough to hold a large size laptop.
As you can see, my leg is not able to stretch further due to the unadjustable handrest.
This is how it looks like when the seat in front is fully reclined. It would not be possible to climb over my seat mate (if there is).
That's me, enjoying this Boeing 747-8 flight!
At the fully reclined mode, I was able to enjoy my movie.
Blanket
Pillow
Safety Card
Amenity Kit
It consists of a pair of socks, ear plug and a sleep mask.
A bottle of water
Pre-departure drink
Inflight menu
\What's available for lunch and breakfast on this flight.
Choices of non alcoholic and alcoholic beverages
That's me, enjoying the pre-departure beverage
Earpiece
I enjoyed a can of ginger beer.
A packet of Pretzel snack
The main course - I had a choice of Beef Casserole or Fusilli Pasta and I opted for the Beef.
This meal consists of Roasted Vegetable Cubes, Beef Casserole with Chimichurri, Rice with cashew nut, Zucchini cubes and pangratatto topping. For dessert, we have the Frangipane Tarte aux Pommes.
I opted for coke to accompany my dinner.
A glass of water
Crackers biscuit
Vegetable cubes
Frangipane Tarte aux Pommes
This is for breakfast - there is no other options.
This meal consists of Spanish Corqutte and Scrambled Egg with Mozzarella Cheese and roasted potato with herbs.
Wet towel
Before landing, we were given a bar of chocolate.
Inflight Entertainment System
The old style remote control
Includes the keypad and keyboard.
The safety video
The flight information
Inflight map
One of Harry Potter's movies
Lavatory
Decent size lavatory
The lavatory was clean and spotless.
Window view photos (Take Off to Landing)
We parked besides China Eastern Boeing 777-300ER which just landed from Auckland.
Once pushed back, I got to see the Aerolineas Argentinas A330 with the special tail livery.
Our aircraft was on the move and the pilot configured our aircraft to the take off mode.
The taxi ride to the runway 11 didn't take long.
Turning into the runway 11.
Off we go!
I suspected our aircraft was lighter than my previous flight on the 747-8 as we lifted off effortlessly into the skies.
Goodbye Buenos Aires! Until next time.
A good view of the residential area.
Flying in this beautiful weather with just a few occcasional bumps during the climb.
We made a turn to the correct heading as we prepared ourselves for the transatlantic crossing later on during the flight.
Seat belt sign was turned off and the cabin crew resumed their work.
At this point we were almost out of South America.
Flying over the transaltantic in good weather.
At this point, we were getting close to Germany.
We started our descent at this point.
The view of Frankfurt
Making a turn to get ready for our final approach.
With turns like this, we get to enjoy the view.
After this turn, we were lined up for the runway.
We touched down smoothly after 12 hours and 32 minutes in the air.
We taxied past a few interesting traffic along the way.
At this moment, I had to enjoy every second on board this aircraft before I do not know when will be my next time flying on this aircraft type.
The Boeing 747-8 is indeed a joy to fly on.
Taxing past the ATC tower.
I would not have mind if we parked at the remote parking lot.
We parked at the gate area besides another 747-8. For this aircraft, it would rest for a while before departing for New York (EWR) as flight LH402 later that afternoon.
It's nice to see a fleet of Boeing 747 parking along each other, a rare sight these days.
With that, my flying adventure with the Boeing 747-8 has come to an end.
My flight Summary
Thanks for the memories, D-ABYC!
Personally I like this angled view of the 747-8!
Welcome to Frankfurt Airport!
Different languages of welcome was shown on this beautiful display.
This way to the immigration counters.
After a few questions by the officer, I was given the green light to enter the country.
The standard baggage carousel
This baggage carousel features the different numbers and colours from the jackpot slot.
The destination display at the landside of the departure hall at Terminal 1.
I made my way to the train station.
Taking the train to the station near to my accommodation.
From the station, it took about 20 minutes to walk to the hotel.
I decided to walk because I missed the the earlier hotel shuttle bus timeslot and the next bus arrival would be 6 hours later.
I went back to the Ibis hotel Frankfurt, you can check out the hotel review over here.
That's all for my Lufthansa's Boeing 747-8 Flying Adventure!
My ratings
Airline Website/Mobile App: 3/5
Airport Experience (EZE): 2/5 (Because of the long waiting time at the check-in counter)
Inflight Service: 3/5
Seat Comfort: 4/5
Inflight Entertainment: 3/5
Cabin Ambiance: 4/5
Seat Condition: 5/5
Cleanliness: 4/5
InFlight Meal/Beverage: 3/5
Punctuality: 5/5
Overall Rating: 36/50
Percentage: 72%
Conclusion
The cabin products on the Boeing 747-8 is desperately in need for an upgrade and fortunately, we don't have to wait too long for the new products to be installed on the aircraft as the first aircraft to feature with this aircraft most likely would take place later this year (2026). However, the upgrade of cabin products of the 747-8 most likely will take a while to complete.
I don't know how but I managed to overcome the 14 hours of flight on the slightly uncomfortable economy class seat on the Frankfurt to Buenos Aires route, managed to get out of the seat a couple of times to stretch my legs. Luckily the IFE system was working, making it slightly more tolerable. I could use my Ipad but the space on the tray table is limited and I can't use it during the meal service. As for the premium economy class, it was a great flight especially with the aisle seat remaining vacant. I find the 2nd leg more comfortable with the extra legroom space and vacant seat besides me. For the premium economy class product, there is not much to shout about but hey, it got the job done and that is to deliver a more comfortable experience for passengers like myself.
Overall, the old products of Lufthansa is not what one would want to fly on especially when there are other airlines offering better and newer cabin products for almost the same price or slightly cheaper. I paid about Euro S1,400 and added $400 for the upgrade and considering how long the route is, the price was not too bad. Would I want to fly on these products again on such long flights? Probably not but I did these flights mainly for the aircraft type, the Boeing 747-8 and for an aviation point of view, it was money well spent.
I hope you enjoy this trip report.
For my previous blog post: My hotel review on Hotel Plaza Central Canning, click here
For the economy class trip report on Lufthansa's Boeing 747-8 (FRA-EZE), click here
Next trip report: Flying Qatar Airways home (Part 1: FRA-DOH on the airline's Boeing 787-9 Y Class)
Thanks for reading and have a great one!
Charles
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