We weren't searching for a way to turn this journey into a luxury flight review. We already had a perfectly workable award booking from Delhi to Lisbon via Munich. The flights were arranged, the points were spent and, as far as I was concerned, that part of the trip was settled.
Then, only a few days before departure, Lufthansa First Class availability appeared on the Delhi–Munich flight.
First Class wasn't part of our original plan. Suddenly it was a real option—not at the original price, and not without undoing the booking we had already made. We decided to make the change. Looking back, the choice became as memorable as the flight itself.
The last-minute award that changed the plan
Our original Aeroplan booking cost 60,000 points plus C$103.90 per person. It put us in Lufthansa Business Class from Delhi to Munich, followed by TAP Air Portugal Business Class from Munich to Lisbon. We were travelling together, and it got us where we needed to go in comfort.
The replacement itinerary cost 90,000 Aeroplan points plus C$103.90 per person. This time, we would fly Lufthansa First Class from Delhi to Munich, then continue to Lisbon in Lufthansa Business Class.
That meant 30,000 additional Aeroplan points per person for the revised journey. It was not a complimentary upgrade at the gate or an automatic elite-status benefit. I cancelled the original award and made a new booking when the First Class seats became available. The quoted taxes and fees for the two itineraries were the same; I wouldn't infer from those figures that cancellation or redeposit fees were necessarily absent.
Had the availability appeared earlier, it would have been an easier decision to plan around. With only days remaining, it felt more like a choice between a good booking we already had and an experience we might not see again for quite some time.
Upstairs on the A380
On December 16, 2024, we boarded Lufthansa flight LH763 from Delhi to Munich, operated by an Airbus A380. I still remember the sense of space in the First Class cabin and the experience of travelling on the double-deck aircraft.
The seat was the immediate highlight. It felt exceptionally wide, with a tremendous amount of legroom and space to settle in. The defining quality wasn't a gadget or a dramatic reveal. For me it was something much more useful on a long journey: room to be comfortable.
When the seat was made into a bed, the amount of usable space reinforced that first impression. It was easy to understand why people remember the Lufthansa First seat so fondly. The cabin didn't need to overwhelm us with novelty; the comfort did the convincing.
The meal didn't quite match the seat
The dining was the clearest weakness of the experience.
Our meal was adequate rather than exceptional. But when a cabin makes such a strong impression, expectations naturally rise for everything else. In this case, the food simply didn't reach the level I'd hoped for from First Class.
That's not a claim about every Lufthansa First menu or every flight. It's how our December 2024 meal compared with what we'd expected. I would remember the seat long after I had forgotten the dishes.
Service, the Munich lounge and a little duck
Service on board was efficient and prompt. We were looked after well, without the experience ever feeling unnecessarily elaborate. That suited the flight, even if it didn't turn the cabin service into the most distinctive part of the journey.
We also had an excellent experience at the Lufthansa lounge in Munich. It was another part of the journey that made the First Class detour feel special, rather than just a different seat on the longest sector.
And then there was the small Lufthansa duck souvenir. It may sound inconsequential next to a long-haul First Class redemption, but it's one of those little details that made me smile and that still brings the flight back to mind. Sometimes an experience stays with you through something much smaller than the headline feature.
Was the additional 30,000 points worth it?
For us, yes. We had a comfortable Business Class booking already. Spending extra points wasn't necessary to get to Lisbon, and I wouldn't describe the replacement as an objectively better deal for every traveller.
But the difference bought us an experience we'd actively wanted: Lufthansa First on the A380, an exceptionally comfortable seat and bed, and a journey whose details we still remember. The dining was underwhelming, yet it wasn't enough to overturn the verdict.
Would I book Lufthansa First again using points? Absolutely. Would I pay the retail cash fare for the same experience? No. That's an important distinction. I value points because they can open a door to something I genuinely want to try—not because a high advertised cash price automatically makes a redemption worthwhile.
These are the points and quoted taxes on our December 2024 bookings, not a present-day award quote, guaranteed release pattern or prediction of future availability. The point isn't to recreate the exact itinerary at the exact price. It's the decision: when a special cabin appears close to departure, what are you willing to change—and spend—to experience it?
My verdict: The seat and bed justified the detour in points. The meal didn't quite belong in the same First Class conversation. I'd make the booking decision again.