nef0423
Jul 16, 02, 5:30 am
This is my first trip report, so as I've read in some others...please bear with me. Feedback more than welcome!
I decided to make this trip on the spur of the moment so I knew that upgrading was going to be a challenge...sure enough, I was in coach on the way over and in Business on the way back, after only 20 hours on the ground in FRA.
I hadn't flown LH in Y before but I was mentally prepare to endure the 12 hours as best as I could. I had an aisle seat in the forward section of the Y cabin with the seat next to me blocked by the nice check-in agent.
Service was nothing to write home about. Your typical LH efficient but 'we won't go the extra mile' kind of approach. I found the meal portions unbelievably small as I did the seat, both width and pitch. I'm 5'10 and my legs touched the seat in front of me. The empty seat next to me made this 12 hour flight bearable. Can't imagine sitting there on a full flight! No personal TVs.
Headsets were on the seat back pockets as we boarded. Announcements were made only in Mandarin (they speak Cantonese in HKG!) and of course German and a rather accented English.
Shortly after take-off the hot paper towels were passed around along with menus (sorry, didn't keep it - figured a Y menu wasn't worth the space in my carry-on). Drinks followed from a tiny but well stocked cart. Two rounds followed by lunch. THe flight leaves at 12.40pm so I was hungry by the time food was served. Small tray with a tiny pasta salad, some interestingly looking pink desert and the entree. Das war es. Nothing else. Oops, I almost forgot the hard roll (it was hard!) along with butter, plastic cuttlery (everything was plastic)and an empty cup for your coffee. I forget what the entree was but it was small!
A few non-descript movies that I had already seen, a mid-flight snack consisting of a choice of cheese sandwiches or noodles followed by an even smaller second meal served exactly 2 hrs out of FRA and we were almost there. Couldn't wait to get off that airplane!
Interestingly enough, as German customs always seems to do with this flight, officials were meeting the arriving passengers on the jetway. US passport holders as well as Europeans we were waved right through. But everyone else (Economy was 80% Chinese) was stopped, their visas looked at with a magnifying glass and questions asked. I felt bad. If I was back in the US I could smell a few discrimination suits but not in Deutschland!
After 20 hours on the ground driving my upgraded rental car (a brand new C-series Mercedes) for the equivalent of 60US$ from Sixt.de on-line it was time to head back to beautiful HK. And my upgrade had cleared, so I was a happy camper.
Went to the LH lounge, took a shower and paid a fortune to check e-mail (I hate that about the LH lounges in Germany...they make you pay for your local data calls)and it was time to get on LH738 for a 5.40pm departure.
24A - bulkhead seat in what's effectively the third (and last!) section in the business class cabin. I like that seat since you can put your feet up and pretend you're actually sleeping in a seat that is more comfortable than the LH Business seats. BTW, I heard they'll be launching lie-flat seats in C in early 2003. Can't wait. The present seats ARE uncomfortable. UA C seats beats them hands down.
Amenity kit already in the seat back pocket (not much of one, your usual LH nylon bag with headsets, socks, eyeshades and toothpaste/toothbrush). Menus came shortly thereafter along with water, OJ and some kind of sparkling wine. Flight attendants were unbelievably nice and friendly http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
I fly LH a lot and it always amazes me how great a job they do 'selling' the different meals to you on the menu. It looks like you're about to indulge in the most elaborate cuisine you can imagine. It's always kind of a disappointment when the actual food comes along, which although invariably edible, doesn't seem to stand up to the incredibly rich description presented on the menu.
I had some stir-fry singapore noodles which I thought were pretty good until my Chinese neighbor (who had ordered the same thing) looked and me and asked how I could eat such a disgusting (and I'm quoting) thing? He sent his back and got fish instead. I kind of enjoyed my noodles with glass noodles (as described on the menu!).
The flight was a short 10 hours and 25 minutes. I like LH but my biggest pet peeve with them is how early they start the second service. It's always a minimum of 2 hours before landing, at which time all the lights in the cabin are turned on. I like what UA does where they start the 2nd service with only those folks who're awake and the FAs keep working the cabin as people wake up (in most flights, anyway). Not with LH. You are kind of forced to wake up when they are ready to serve the second meal...and if you choose to try and sleep through it, the light itself is enough of a deterrent http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/mad.gif
The second meal was good, as they usually are with a nice small salad and a hot omelette or fritatta on top, some sweets and lots and lots of bread http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
Landed on time in HKG, parked at Gate 35 which still meant taking the train into immigration and I was home only 50 minutes after having touched down, ready to enjoy the rest of my Sunday and with an extra 10,000 Mileage Plus miles in the bank!
Hope you've enjoyed the somewhat abbreviated version of my Friday pm through Sunday am adventure this past weekend. As I said, my first trip report so I welcome any and all feedback.
Take care from rainy Hong Kong http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
I decided to make this trip on the spur of the moment so I knew that upgrading was going to be a challenge...sure enough, I was in coach on the way over and in Business on the way back, after only 20 hours on the ground in FRA.
I hadn't flown LH in Y before but I was mentally prepare to endure the 12 hours as best as I could. I had an aisle seat in the forward section of the Y cabin with the seat next to me blocked by the nice check-in agent.
Service was nothing to write home about. Your typical LH efficient but 'we won't go the extra mile' kind of approach. I found the meal portions unbelievably small as I did the seat, both width and pitch. I'm 5'10 and my legs touched the seat in front of me. The empty seat next to me made this 12 hour flight bearable. Can't imagine sitting there on a full flight! No personal TVs.
Headsets were on the seat back pockets as we boarded. Announcements were made only in Mandarin (they speak Cantonese in HKG!) and of course German and a rather accented English.
Shortly after take-off the hot paper towels were passed around along with menus (sorry, didn't keep it - figured a Y menu wasn't worth the space in my carry-on). Drinks followed from a tiny but well stocked cart. Two rounds followed by lunch. THe flight leaves at 12.40pm so I was hungry by the time food was served. Small tray with a tiny pasta salad, some interestingly looking pink desert and the entree. Das war es. Nothing else. Oops, I almost forgot the hard roll (it was hard!) along with butter, plastic cuttlery (everything was plastic)and an empty cup for your coffee. I forget what the entree was but it was small!
A few non-descript movies that I had already seen, a mid-flight snack consisting of a choice of cheese sandwiches or noodles followed by an even smaller second meal served exactly 2 hrs out of FRA and we were almost there. Couldn't wait to get off that airplane!
Interestingly enough, as German customs always seems to do with this flight, officials were meeting the arriving passengers on the jetway. US passport holders as well as Europeans we were waved right through. But everyone else (Economy was 80% Chinese) was stopped, their visas looked at with a magnifying glass and questions asked. I felt bad. If I was back in the US I could smell a few discrimination suits but not in Deutschland!
After 20 hours on the ground driving my upgraded rental car (a brand new C-series Mercedes) for the equivalent of 60US$ from Sixt.de on-line it was time to head back to beautiful HK. And my upgrade had cleared, so I was a happy camper.
Went to the LH lounge, took a shower and paid a fortune to check e-mail (I hate that about the LH lounges in Germany...they make you pay for your local data calls)and it was time to get on LH738 for a 5.40pm departure.
24A - bulkhead seat in what's effectively the third (and last!) section in the business class cabin. I like that seat since you can put your feet up and pretend you're actually sleeping in a seat that is more comfortable than the LH Business seats. BTW, I heard they'll be launching lie-flat seats in C in early 2003. Can't wait. The present seats ARE uncomfortable. UA C seats beats them hands down.
Amenity kit already in the seat back pocket (not much of one, your usual LH nylon bag with headsets, socks, eyeshades and toothpaste/toothbrush). Menus came shortly thereafter along with water, OJ and some kind of sparkling wine. Flight attendants were unbelievably nice and friendly http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
I fly LH a lot and it always amazes me how great a job they do 'selling' the different meals to you on the menu. It looks like you're about to indulge in the most elaborate cuisine you can imagine. It's always kind of a disappointment when the actual food comes along, which although invariably edible, doesn't seem to stand up to the incredibly rich description presented on the menu.
I had some stir-fry singapore noodles which I thought were pretty good until my Chinese neighbor (who had ordered the same thing) looked and me and asked how I could eat such a disgusting (and I'm quoting) thing? He sent his back and got fish instead. I kind of enjoyed my noodles with glass noodles (as described on the menu!).
The flight was a short 10 hours and 25 minutes. I like LH but my biggest pet peeve with them is how early they start the second service. It's always a minimum of 2 hours before landing, at which time all the lights in the cabin are turned on. I like what UA does where they start the 2nd service with only those folks who're awake and the FAs keep working the cabin as people wake up (in most flights, anyway). Not with LH. You are kind of forced to wake up when they are ready to serve the second meal...and if you choose to try and sleep through it, the light itself is enough of a deterrent http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/mad.gif
The second meal was good, as they usually are with a nice small salad and a hot omelette or fritatta on top, some sweets and lots and lots of bread http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
Landed on time in HKG, parked at Gate 35 which still meant taking the train into immigration and I was home only 50 minutes after having touched down, ready to enjoy the rest of my Sunday and with an extra 10,000 Mileage Plus miles in the bank!
Hope you've enjoyed the somewhat abbreviated version of my Friday pm through Sunday am adventure this past weekend. As I said, my first trip report so I welcome any and all feedback.
Take care from rainy Hong Kong http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif