Lufthansa five ways

In the last few months I have experienced five products from Lufthansa. This is not a detailed flight review, but a note on how I compare them.

I would not use German Wings again (and I have posted here a few months ago on this subject). The gold card on another *A carrier counts for nought.

Long-ish short haul economy (LHR – FRA – IST) was fine. A better economy service than many other carriers.

Mid-haul business (LHR – MUC – Tbilisi) was very good. I don’t want a seat that reclines on such a flight, so the LH business seat on a small airbus is fine for me. Good food, wine and service.

Long haul business (FRA – Caracas) was as good as any other business class, and better than most. Certainly value for money. Good to work and to sleep, catering very good.

First (FRA – PHL) was a disappointment. This was an upgrade using Eurobonus miles and I wish I had saved them for something else. The lounges were excellent, I love caviar, exceptional wine, great service – but it did not feel worth the extra, over and above business.

The only fly remaining in the ointment is that the return flight from Tbilisi was cancelled – outbound flight went technical and landed in Ankara. I was rebooked on Turkish, but there were no business class seats and a long delay. My request for the compensation due from LH has been sitting there for three weeks…..

Yes, LP, it was the old F on an A340. I didn’t even get the car transfer as the gate was about 100 yards from the F lounge!

@DavidGordon10, can you confirm if your Lufthansa First Class was from or to Frankfurt? It will make world of difference in the ground experience.

@DavidGordon10, thanks for clarifying. Yes, the interlining and same booking when transferring is a must to see the full effects of the offer.

The product on the A340-300s is if we are polite, a bit long-in-the-tooth. It is scheduled to be replaced or converted to two-class options. The seat is fine for seating and even sleep, but much else is left to be desired. I find the F&B offer typically very good, and I hear the Champagne offer has been upgraded recently. Service onboard is always correct and formal. I think Lufthansa is the most consistent airline in Europe; they are not the best. They are however, very unlikely to surprise you either way. I like consistency; meaning I know what to expect each time.

My tip if one has time, is to come the night before and spend some time in the First Class Terminal (FCT). Otherwise, travelling with a connecting flight to FRA and getting an apron position is normally not a preferable option. Except when travelling in First :-). I had a SVG-FRA-JFK connection two years back, and the number of jaws dropping from my fellow Norwegians when they boarded a bus, and I boarded a black Mercedes S500 with a man dressed in a suit holding a sign with my name on it was priceless.

Whilst the Lufthansa ground experience is second to none, I do prefer Swiss in the air. Specially the A330-300s are delightful. There are only two issues with this offer: the lavatory in First is very small, and they tend to service too short routes. Meaning, the experience is so good you want it to last longer..

From experience, even if connecting to a non-LH flight, if you arrive in F you can still use the F lounge on arrival. However, Senator makes two good points, arrive the night before, so you can be sure delays will not affect you and enjoy the lounge with all its offerings.

And, I fully agree about the size of the toilets in F on Swiss’s 330/340’s. The Lufthansa 747 is very spacious, even the 340’s are more generous than Swiss so it can be done, and as for the 380, well, wow is all I can say!

TominScotland – 14/07/2014 12:50 GMT Good to see you are keeping up your reputation for being the forum wet blanket. Is it all that economy class travel or living in Glasgow or a combination that does it?

I agree about LH and food. CX and SQ serve exceptional food but sometimes their western dishes do not quite hit the mark so I tend not to eat them. You can order a western dish on LH knowing that it will be absolutely spot on.

David, I’m also a SEN and I wouldn’t set foot on German Wings.

Have to agree with Tom on this, BA do take a kicking on here, some deserved and some not so. I used to be a regular on BA and loved them, now an occasional user and never really had a problem with them, just would not ( like most European airlines) bother paying extra for club.