Lufthansa's regional business class on its fleet of narrow-body Airbus A32S aircraft is well known - standard economy class seats with a guaranteed unoccupied middle seat.

But I was curious to see if the service and on-board amenities on a longer regional flight from Europe to Egypt would at least be different from short flights around Europe.

I describe some of these flights in separate reviews:

• Lufthansa CRJ900: domestic business class review (MUC-FRA)
• Lufthansa Business Class A319 review (PRG-MUC)

In particular, though, I was interested to see how Lufthansa would hold up against the not-quite-modern business class Egyptair I used in the opposite direction 3 weeks before this flight.

Buying flights and check-in

I certainly wouldn't have bought such a business class flight on my own, so I detail the idea of flying to Japan in first class in this review.

Check-in was already done at Tokyo-Haneda HND airport, which I detail in this review.

In Munich, I only have a roughly 2.5-hour layover without having to leave the transit zone. The transfer is very quick and efficient, and less than 20 minutes after leaving the plane I'm in the lounge.

Check business class prices at lufthansa.com

• Munich MUC - Cairo CAI
• Flight time: 3 hours 40 minutes
• Seat: 2A
• Aircraft: Airbus A320neo, D-AINL

Munich First Class Lounge and Boarding

Even though the flight is in business class, the entire ticket is issued as first class, so I can head to the First Class Lounge upon connecting.

My flight departs from the main terminal, which has a slightly worse First Class Lounge (the satellite terminal has recently undergone a similar lounge renovation).

Still, the lounge is very good quality with a good a la carte restaurant, pleasant surroundings and a good buffet selection.

After a long 14 hour flight, a nice big clean shower also comes in handy.

At the departure gate there is sheer chaos. The passengers are mainly Egyptians and many families with children, and I really sincerely admire the patience of the check-in agents who eventually manage to organise the boarding according to the boarding groups. Well done!

Cabin and seats - standard "eurobusiness class"

I've described Lufthansa's European business class on this site a few times before, and unfortunately nothing has changed even on the newer Airbus A320s.

The seats are the same as in economy class, including row spacing or seat width. The layout is classic 3 seats-aisle-3 seats with the middle seat always remaining unoccupied.

Awkward, I'd say, but Lufthansa is certainly no exception in Europe. On the contrary. Only a small handful of European airlines have true business class even on regional planes.

What do premium products look like on long-haul flights? Find out, for example, in these reviews:

• Allegris Business Class, Airbus A350, MUC-EWR
• Old First Class, Boeing 747-8, FRA-HND
• Allegris First Class, Airbus A350, HND-MUC

And what do I imagine business class on regional aircraft should look like? Find out in contrast in this review of an ITA Airways flight in an Airbus A321neoLR.

In-flight refreshments and service

Even upon boarding, I'm greeted with a packet of useful things to use during the flight.

Business class passengers get a fairly large and comfortable pillow, a blanket and a small amenity-kit. So far this is very similar to Egyptair on the same route.

However, the amenity-kit content is a bit poorer on Lufthansa and the pillow is smaller as well. Inside the bag I find these things:

• a wrapped wet wipe
• an eye mask
• a toothbrush
• socks
• earplugs

But it's still more than Lufthansa gives on shorter business class flights around Europe - there's usually no amenity-kit at all.

There is no welcome-drink before departure. It's only replaced by a 0.5l bottle of water in a net by the seat.

About 20 minutes after take-off, the first service comes in the form of a drink and a bag of biscuits. Of course I have my favourite Lufthansa-signature cocktail, the Avionic.

The main service is not until about 1.5 hours after takeoff. Passengers have a classic printed menu, with only 2 main courses to choose from. There is only one starter and one dessert.

I need a lighter meal, so I choose the Quinoa-Teller.

I've had better meals on the plane, the quinoa is dried and with breadcrumbs, so the meal is not as light as I expected. But the mushroom appetizer is great and the plum crumble is also delicious,

No other services available on the plane - a big difference from Egyptair, even though the business class on the Egyptair Boeing 737-800 is a decade older!

Lufthansa has no individual screens and worse, there are no power sockets or USB ports for charging electronics. Bizarre in this day and age.

My review

It's a shame that even on new planes Lufthansa doesn't put real business class seats in business class.

But I had counted on that and was mainly curious about the service and on-board service on the Munich to Cairo route.

Unfortunately, Lufthansa didn't hold up in this regard, even against the obsolete business class of Egyptair.

Check business class prices at lufthansa.com