We’ve always enjoyed flying with Air Canada and have never been disappointed in our many trips with them over the years. It seems to be a running joke among Canadians that they are a terrible airline, but we can honestly say they are our favourite airline.

With that with that having been said, when we last went to Germany we had the chance to fly to Frankfurt with Air Canada and return using Lufthansa. Although they code-share, we’d always flown both ways with A/C to Frankfort because the times coincided with our schedule as well as the price being the same or cheaper.

This time however the cost savings of returning to Toronto turned out to be more than $300 each – just by returning via Lufthansa. The return time and the lower price meant Lufthansa was now in the picture… not only that, they fly Boeing 747’s instead of the 777. Now that is an interesting comparison!

This turned out to be a perfect opportunity to compare the two Airlines.

Previously we’d only flown Lufthansa on one occasion – from London (Heathrow) to Frankfurt a number of years ago. Our experience was a hit and miss affair. Flying on a short haul flight is always different from international. We flew on a very tired 737 that was more like a bus than a plane. Very basic, but the service and beer choices at 9am was very good!

With that in mind, we had quite low expectations but in the end came away seriously impressed when it came to our return trip!

Here is our comparisons on our trip….

First off… both airlines had exceptional staff pre-flight. Very friendly and courteous along with being extremely efficient. 10/10

In-flight crew were also exceptionally attentive and friendly, BUT this changed dramatically during the actual flight.

We’ll start first with the planes ✈
Air Canada was a Boeing 777 and Lufthansa was a Boeing 747-400 (v2). It wasn’t till fairly recently that we discovered these dinosaurs were still flying!! Apparently Lufthansa really like them ‘cause they’ve bought up the last of them before they got discontinued in 2023/2024

Once upon a time the 777 was THE plane you wanted to fly in, but now it’s as common and ho hum as the 737… an actual dinosaur from the 1960’s (the Airbus is always been our preferred planes).

Air Canada ✈

Being cheap and refusing to pay to choose our seats in advance made it a lottery, and that’s exactly what we got. Checking in 23hrs and 58 minutes before take-off allows you to choose your seats for free – and that’s what we did. We were stuck in the back-end of the 777, as every seat for the flight was sold. They were even offering up some cash if you were willing to be bumped. Yikes…not looking good.

We booked a window and an aisle seat hoping no one would get the middle (when looking at the seating section it looks like almost everyone was doing likewise). Unfortunately we got one of those last-minute flyers and gave up the aisle seat so we could sit together. Note…we played things differently on the return leg of our holiday.

We don’t know if it was the selfish travellers or the actual 777, but there was nowhere close to enough storage in the overhead bins. They are also on the small side when compared to the 747.

The seat space was adequate for both knee and legroom, but the seats were uncomfortable with no bum support and the seatback was completely support-free. We used the pillow, blanket and rollup blanket/neck brace and it still didn’t give enough back and lumbar support. Anytime the person behind brushed against by back or put their feet under my seat I felt it. Additionally the sound level was quite high…always an issue if you’re behind the engines.

Lufthansa ✈
On our return leg, we learned nothing about the first leg… we waited till 23 hour and 59 minutes before departure to pick our “free” seat selection

We ended up at the very back of the plane… row 56 J & H…only 2 seats in the row – sweet.

Rows 54 to 56 on both sides are 2-seater rows with loads of elbow room to the fuselage (and more room for your carry-on stuff too). Row 56 got a red/bad rating on when it comes to seating – the main drawback is the 4 toilets behind you. But we never had an issue – even when people lined up after the lunch session. The row on front of us had a little more legroom than us and the seats reclined a good bit more than ours did. There is no wall behind the last row so there is no reason it can’t be better. Because there is no wall and just a big space is probably why people never bothered us. The bonus was we had no problem getting to the toilets.

We were one of the last people to get on the plane and still managed to find overhead bin storage for our carry-on. Score another one for the 747. The bins are much deeper, so more people can get their cases in length-wise not across while filling up the bin.

The seats were firm – in a good way. We never needed to get up and stretch until 6 hours or so into the flight. Bum pain was minimal even after 8 hours. The backrest was also nicely contoured, we only needed the provided tiny pillow for our lumbar – it’s important when you have back issues. Sound level was surprisingly very good…way quieter than expected and much quieter than the 777 oddly enough.

🍎🥕  Food Services – Air Canada
We haven’t had any problems with Air Canada – even switching to gluten free was a non-issue… bonus is, you get served way before everyone else!

This year’s flight, the meal was dodgy at best. We got a “beef stew with mashed potatoes” and it was bluh. 2/10.
Wine was offered about an hour later… cause who the hell drinks wine with dinner – right? I ordered a Heineken beer instead of the usual swill Air Canada calls wine. Good choice.

Later when drinks were offered (the one and only chance in 8 hours of flying). We felt like Bailey’s…nope. Beer? Yep as a consolation prize.

Breakfast was (literally) thrown at us in a paper bag – we are NOT kidding. Turns out it was a small double chocolate muffin. Tasty enough, but having to wait 45 minutes for my matching coffee was pathetic.

😬  Overall score: 2/10.

💩  Shit food, matching terrible service. C’mon 45 mins to an hour to get my drinks looong after I’ve eaten… and then no Bailey’s?! Not to be obnoxious here but when 60+% of the people on board don’t drink alcohol – surely you can have enough on board for those of us that do!!

🍎🥕  Food Services – Lufthansa
Alright… low expectations blown out of the water within 30 minutes of take off!!

Beer/alcohol/ wine and biscuits served right away. Another 1/2 hour or so later and dinner/lunch arrives, IMMEDIATELY followed by wine. The red wine was served in a glass and it was almost full…and it was very tasty. The white wine wasn’t as good, but was still better than anything A/C served.

The meal consisted of tender chicken in a tomato sauce, mashed potatoes and broccoli. A mini salad and tasty chocolate cherry dessert in some white creamy stuff was also included… along with REAL CUTLERY!!!! What?! Oh and real butter. Not that crap Bacel A/C serve!

Coffee and a mini chocolate bar followed right when you’d finished – and then 15 minutes later, beer/alcohol/wine and a big bottle of water immediately after your table was cleared.

90 minutes before landing and we got nice warm towels to refresh. Remember when we used to get them all the time? When was the last time you got that on a flight? I’m thinking 1990’s or earlier was the last time for me. We thought they’d been thrown in the bin of history – not so at Lufthansa!

About 1 hour from landing we got a sandwich…yes gluten free and coffee/tea/wine/beer/soft drinks and water.

Wow, talk about super service!
Taste and amount of food: 9.5/10
Service: 10/10.

Entertainment
Air Canada wins by a landslide. Even with the obligatory Quebec/French crap, there was still way more on offer and much better choices. The screen is bigger and more responsive.
A/C: 8/10
Lufthansa: 4.5/10

✈   Final Thoughts  ✈

Our trip was enjoyable and not a lot has changed at the airport regarding security etc. in the past 5 years. One thing that has really changed is our view of Lufthansa for international travel. We’ve always avoided them because they almost exclusively fly 747’s, but our seats were comfy enough and had reasonable amount of legroom for us vertically-challenged people. The service was way beyond expectations and the food was great. Next time we head off to Germany you can bet we’ll be CHOOSING Lufthansa instead of settling for them!

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Text: Iain Shankland | Photography: Shutterstock, Getty, GrokAI, Hannes P Albert 

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Iain & Gail started blogging in order to inspire and motivate people to travel the world from their perspective – specializing in having the most fun while using the least amount of money…travelling on the cheap without sacrificing comfort.

** In the end you will only regret the things you didn’t do **