As I was traveling to Istanbul, I oddly couldn’t find any award space on Turkish Airlines for the direct flight and the Lufthansa flight from San Diego to Munich wasn’t available either. Thus, I took the Lufthansa flight from LAX to Munich on my way to Istanbul.
Lufthansa gets all the things right when it comes to the soft product. Service is always impeccable with the flight crew always happy and willing to help whenever needed. Of course, the hard product ( as has been stated ad nauseum) leaves a lot to be desired. However, it’s still one of the best ways to fly across the Atlantic to Europe
After starting my pre-flight meal at the United Polaris Lounge in Terminal 7, I walked over to TBIT with time to spare so I could walk around and look at the planes. As I approached my gate, it was easy to see that the plane ( an A350) wasn’t going to be anywhere near capacity. It just didn’t look like there was anyone in the gate area so I wasn’t too concerned when boarding didn’t start at the scheduled 4:45pm. I was concerned a little that I didn’t have much of a layover in Munich so that would make a tight connection even tighter but I didn’t think it would be a problem.
At 5pm, the announcement still hadn’t been made that boarding had started so I made a quick trip to the restroom. As I was walking back a couple minutes later, they were making the final call announcement and the entire gate area was empty! I had been sitting a bit away from the scheduled gate so maybe I missed the boarding announcement but I was literally the last person to board at 5pm. I’ve had some close calls before but this was a first since I had been sitting there not more than 2-3 minutes prior. I seriously mistimed the amount of time it would take to board a plane when it was less than full.
The plane pushed back around 5:30 so it was about 15 minutes behind (not because of me), and soon we were off. The business class cabin is in a 2-2-2 layout and split into 2 cabins with rows 1-6 in the front and rows 7 & 8 in the mini cabin behind the galley and restrooms. I had assigned myself 7G so I could be in the aisle but I really could have sat anywhere since there were only 5 other passengers in the mini cabin. Comfort and space were not factors.
After takeoff, the crew came around and handed out PJs and took dinner orders. The PJs were van Lack and the amenity kit was stowed away in the storage compartment along with a bottle of water. The amenity kit had the standard items you’d expect to find.
As expected, the crew was friendly and professional and meal service started about 30 mins after takeoff. As they handed out menus, I ordered the veal for my main. I’m always weary of ordering any type of meat on a plane since it usually comes out overcooked and dry. I just think that most times, the best and tastiest option is the fist but for whatever reason, I decided to go against my own advice and I got what I expected. The appetizer course was delightful as well as the cheese plate to finish.
After dinner, the lights were dimmed and it seemed like everyone went to sleep. I was so exhausted, I was even able to doze off for a few minutes which never happens. Although it didn’t last long, it was still refreshing and a nice change of pace. After my nap, I decided to just get some work done and be productive, considering I hadn’t been able to do anything the entire morning.
After a few hours, I was feeling a bit peckish but unfortunately, Lufthansa doesn’t have a dine on demand menu. Which is fine. But they also don’t have any premade food like small sandwiches that you can order. They do have a self serve snack area where you can choose from some carmel popcorn and some crackers but that’s about it. I got some popcorn to tide me over and just went back to work while half watching the Australian Open tennis.
About 75 mins before landing, breakfast was served. Since there weren’t that many passengers, service was very quick. They served a swiss frittata with potatoes and bacon. A light option of yogurt was also available but I was pretty hungry at this point so I ordered the frittata. It was pretty good and more than edible. Shortly thereafter, the captain made the announcement for our final decent. The entire ride was so smooth, if it weren’t for the takeoff and landing, you’d think you were just sitting in place watching TV for 10 hours.
Final Thoughts
Lufthansa remains one of my favorite airlines to fly when crossing the pond. The service is always fantastic and the flight crew is always quick to react to the call button. The service isn’t proactive as they will provide you all the privacy you need and never intrude. Some people like that and some don’t. I don’t mind it since the call button is there and they expect you to use it if you need anything. Of course the big disappointment is the hard product. Of course that can’t be helped but it just seems like such a shame when everything else is so good.
A Single Wanderer 