CHECK-IN I took the tube from Green Park underground station to London Heathrow Terminal 1 at 1730. As it was a very busy time of day, I wasn’t able to get on the first train as it was so full and then had to change at Acton and wait another ten minutes for a connection. This meant I didn’t arrive at the airport until later than I had planned, so was rather concerned I may miss my 1925 flight (LH3395) to Hamburg, having cut it rather fine. I got to departures at 1835 and as I had already checked in online, printed my boarding pass, and only had hand-luggage, I was able to go straight to fast-track security. (Desks one to 13 in Zone K and were assigned to check-in and bag drop.)
As no one was ahead of me I promptly had my boarding pass scanned and my passport checked, before passing through the security channel. I had pre-packed my liquids, which I was consequently able to whip out of my bag quickly, along with my laptop. I then had to have a pat down, but this only took a few moments, so I was soon able to gather up my belongings and head into airside departures. At 1850 I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the gate had not opened, and made a couple of phone calls while keeping an eye on the flight status screens.
BOARDING The gate (32) opened at 1900, at which point I made my way down there, which took about ten minutes on foot. Once boarding passes and IDs were checked, there was a bit of a wait until business passengers were called for boarding. I was in my seat by 1925.
THE SEAT Although there was the option of changing my seat during the online check-in process, I was happy with the one by the window (5A) that I had been assigned. I was welcomed on board by a young blond steward and his female colleague, and once my case was stowed in the overhead bin I was able to relax. Business class on this A320-200 is configured across rows one to seven in a 2-2 layout (A-C, D-F). Middle seats B and F are kept free. Economy class is separated from business by a moveable curtain, and is in a 3-3 layout (A-B-C, D-E-F).
The interior of the Airbus was immaculate, and featured Lufthansa’s new seat that was introduced at the end of last year, with thinner cushions and narrower armrests to allow more space. It was well designed, smart and comfortable, with smooth two-tone grey leather upholstery, sturdy seat-back tray tables with a magazine slot behind them, and a mesh pocket for personal items below in front of your knees.
The new Recaro “Lufthansa European” seat is also fitted in economy and will be available on its entire fleet of 180 aircraft that serves the region by the end of the year. Austrian, Swiss and Bmi will also feature the new product. Click here for more information.
WHICH SEAT TO CHOOSE? As middle seats are all kept free, business class passengers only have to worry themselves with getting their window/aisle preference. Seats in row one have slightly less legroom though.
THE FLIGHT The plane pushed back at 1940 with a safety demonstration given in English and German. Take-off was five minutes later at 1945, and once airborne at 2000, the supper service began. This was only a short flight (one hour ten minutes) so crew were keen to distribute the meals and drinks to business passengers quickly and efficiently.
Each tray consisted of four small dishes – roast veal with basil pesto (didn’t eat), tomato jelly on olive and gremolata with lime olive oil (very garlicky), Brie with olive tapenade, radish, chives and sprouts (tasty), and chocolate ganache with fleur de sel and red wine and coffee sauce (sickly sweet). It was well presented on white chinaware and the ingredients fresh, but there was no vegetarian alternative to the veal, despite me having pre-ordered one when booking.
The plane started its rather rapid descent at 2033, and after a second round of alcoholic drinks was offered, glasses and trays were collected at 2045. There was a lot of turbulence and the sky was very grey, which suggested that it could be stormy outside. As we approached the runway bumpily, the pilot suddenly pulled up at the last moment.
ARRIVAL Having decided against attempting a landing at that point, the pilot announced that he looping around before making a second approach. It was still pretty turbulent but not enough to make it too dangerous for us to land, and we touched down successfully at 2105. After a short taxi, we arrived at the gate at 2110 (2210 local time). Premium passengers were disembarked promptly and I was through immigration and heading for the Radisson Blu airport hotel, which is connected to the terminal by a covered walkway, by 2225.
VERDICT The new European product is well-designed and comfortable, the service efficient, and the food and drink offering impressive for such a short flight. Despite a stressful start to my journey, which was my fault, and a slightly nerve-wracking descent, which was down to bad weather, the in-flight experience was very good.
FACT FILE
PLANE TYPE A320-200
SEAT CONFIGURATION 2-2
PRICE Internet rates for a return business class flight from London to Hamburg in October started from £613.
CONTACT lufthansa.com
Jenny Southan
