Give me Lufthansa any time.
Written: Dec 04 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Reliable, punctual, flexible, good service, generous FF scheme
Cons: Transfers at Frankfurt airport
The Bottom Line: You cannot go wrong choosing Lufthansa.
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| federicom's Full Review: Lufthansa |
If you happen to think that we live in the age of low plane fares think twice. I had to fly from Milan to Amsterdam urgently last Sunday and when I asked for a ticket quote from my usual travel agency the cheapest they could find was a staggering 900 Euros return cattle class! Last year I went to Australia and back for just over 500.
Then I thought I could use my Lufthansa Miles & More points to book a flight online and this is what I did. The whole process took no longer than 10 minutes, I chose the flights that suited me best, paid the airport taxes by credit card, was issued with a confirmation code and thanked for booking with LH. When I showed up at the airport as I only had hand luggage I used one of the ticketing machines thus avoiding the check-in queues. Inserted my M&M card, was asked what seats I preferred and my boarding card was issued 3 minutes later.
Thirty minutes later I stepped inside a half-empty plane greeted by a smiling, impeccably groomed flight assistants
who invited me to take a seat near the emergency exit where there was more legroom available.
The plane took off exactly on time. About 15 minutes into the flight sandwiches and drinks were passed. Once upon a time a full meal was available on Lufthansa, even on short flights but needless to say after 9/11 full meal services on flights lasting under two hours seem to be out of the question. Flight assistants were extremely attentive and the seats were in leather. I had a full row of seats to myself and the view over the alps was spectacular. We landed at Frankfurt airport ahead of schedule and as I already had a boarding card I started looking for the Amsterdam gate. Like any other big airport in Europe Frankfurt is a monster that seems to have grown out of proportions and I would advise any Lufthansa passenger to connect whenever possible via Munich, a much more manageable and user-friendly airport.
In this instance there seems to be still a lot of work in progress at FRA, not many food outlets, long distances between one gate and the other and plenty of miserable-looking and borderline rude gate employees.
Having said that, I have to admit that FRA is nowhere as chaotic as CDG or LHR. I am sure that once the new terminal will be completed transfers will be an easier affair. However if you are transferring via Frankfurt now be prepared to take long walks along an Orwellian jumble of tunnels and staircases.
We boarded the FRA-AMS plane via a bus. One of the things that strikes me most about Lufthansa is the consistency of their flights: the quality of this leg of the flight was exactly the same as the previous one. Luckily they still serve spirits free of charge even in economy and the sandwiches were fresh and you could have a second or third helping.
On the return flight we were delayed about 1/2 hour because of poor weather over Central Europe but the pilot kept us informed constantly and drinks were served to passengers (90% of them business people). The FRA-MXP leg was packed full with a group of Korean passengers and amongst them there was a screaming child. It is a credit to Lufthansa staff that they did everything they could to calm down this child eventually succeeding in getting him to fall asleep (no, they didn't use Valium!).
Conclusions: there isn't much to say about Lufthansa. I'm afraid this is not an airline that makes a good talking point. It is utterly predictable, efficient, clean, punctual, just like Germany itself. It is however an airline you can count on and if I had to travel on business I wouldn't hesitate to fly it regularly. I have to recommend particularly their Miles and More FF scheme which is particularly generous and gives you full points even on discounted fares (puts the British Airways Executive Club to shame!) as well as their flight assistants who are always extremely attentive and professional.
Overall no matter what they say or what you've heard I highly recommend Lufthansa. Picturesque and exuberant it isn't but it is and I hope will remain one of the most reliable and efficient airlines in Europe.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
federicom
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Member: Federico Muscogiuri
Location: Erfurt, Germany
Reviews written: 32
Trusted by: 13 members
About Me:
"Oh, freedom. So many crimes are committed in your name."
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