Trip Reports - ORD-MUC-PRG-MUC-LHR-ORD in F&C LH and UA (Long)

July 2nd
LH flight 435
Scheduled Departure 4:40pm
Airbus 340-300

PART I

CHECK-IN
Arrived at the airport and went straight to check-in at the LH counter at 2:50pm. I wanted extra time because I had never flown international F before and wanted to check EVERYTHING out. There were about ten people in the Economy line waiting for check in. The Business line was empty as was First. The First agent was busy with a customer, so the Business Class agent waived me over. I handed him my itinerary and he says "this is an award ticket right" and I confirmed, I was a little surprised he asked. Check-in was very prompt, and my one piece of checked luggage was tagged with a star alliance priority tag. I was disappointed to see that First Class did not have its own tag, nor that cabin luggage was not tagged as well, like UA, but that was fine. The First Class boarding pass is red and in the middle right hand side of the stub, it printed with “UAP” which I think means I am associated with Mileage Plus. I inquired as to lounges available (already knowing the answer) and the agent said there was a Business Class Lounge (RCC) near B8 that I could use (LH even has a pamphlet and a map showing you how to get there,) and that the First class Lounge was in the C concourse and a bit of a walk, but I was welcome to either one. I thanked him and was on my way.
At first I opted to go through the normal security line near the LH counters but I soon realized that was a mistake. As I turned the corner I realized it was quite long. I removed myself from the line and went to the priority line, which was not at the end of the counters near domestic First (like usual,) but in the center between the end of Premier check-in and international economy check-in. I don’t know why they keep moving the elite line. The elite line had no people and in less than three or four minutes I was through security.

RCC
I stopped off at the RCC by security to pick up some extra drink chits (I seem to have become a collector,) anyhow, the agent at the desk looked at my BP and it took her a second, but she handed it back no problem. I would think that at the RCC agents would see a fair number of LH BP’s and if it’s a LH flight, it must be international right? All the agent would have to remember is, yellow for Business Class and Red for First Class. True, Star Gold on a LH Y ticket would need more examination, but I was surprised that it took her so long to hand me back my BP. She did hand it back, welcomed me in and DID NOT offer me a drink chit. First Class and no voluntary offering of even one lousy drink chit. I don’t know what the problem is at ORD but my earlier letter to Miss Bergan has done nothing. I politely asked for drink chits and I was immediately handed two of the older non glossy chits. I made some calls, the RCC being packed with business persons and a few families made me long all the more for the First Lounge. I left shortly after entering and proceeded to the International First Lounge in the C terminal.

INTERNATIONAL FIRST LOUNGE
I opened the big glass doors and stepped into the International First Lounge. Its décor is very nice, elegant even. I approached the desk and a thin balding man smiled and took my boarding pass (I already had it in hand.) He informed me that sometimes LH calls them for the flight and sometimes they forget so keep an eye on the time, and then asked if I had been there before. Since I had not he told me where the bathrooms were located and the beverage/food area. I saw several agents wearing red carnations walking in and out of the club. The F lounge had a lot of employee movement in the front area while I was there. I thought the personal concierge program for International First Class passengers was discontinued. Either way, it adds a nice touch of color to the uniform.
The club is very nice, but not very large. I know there are only so many F passengers, but I would imagine that if all the F passengers on the afternoon flights to Asia showed up, it could get a little crowded. As it stood now, there were only five people in the lounge. Mostly business casual type guys and one fellow with an attractive young woman that I hope was his daughter (by the way, creased jeans do not look good, but that’s my opinion,) and all United International First Class passengers. Outside the window was a very nice 744 at C18 on its way to Denver.
I put down my stuff and walked to the bar/snack area. I was pleasantly surprised that there was no bar, but it was make your own, and had a fine selection of malts and liquors available to mix and match at your discretion. I had assumed that alcohol in the F lounge was free, but I had never seen how it was set up with my own eyes. I looked at the beer selection, which was good, but not great, I figured with cold Heineken and Coronas I would be alright. All the other usual accoutrements were there, including a coffee machine that makes all sorts of fancy coffee drinks, wine, soft drinks, nuts, etc. I noticed as well the Asian instant make noodle bowls and the sushi bar along with the western style dishes. I thought that was interesting that UA caters to its clientele like that, and that there must be a significant number of premium passengers that are Asian.
I decided to make a White Russian, and found all the ingredients but milk. I had to ask one of the attendants, and he was happy to bring me a pint of 2%. The restrooms in the F lounge are nice, very well kept and had some toiletry items by the sink for use. The agents are friendly and if you need anything, I get the feeling they would bend over backwards so that your needs are satisfied. I stayed in the International First Class Lounge till about 3:50 and started the long walk to gate B16.

PART II

BOARDING
I walked past gate B15 and I noticed the customer service kiosks that were installed. I can’t exactly remember its purpose, but it was very nice and it showed the weather across the country on a digital weather map, as well as delayed flights in the concourse. It was really nice. I entered the gate area for B16 and I noticed that boarding had already begun. LH has three lines set up, one for each cabin. There is only one Jet Bridge, but this allows the premium passengers to enter the fray faster. An agent at the front of the gauntlet shows passengers which line to enter. I handed her my First Class BP and she escorted me past the masses to the podium. There was no one in the F line, while the economy line was growing longer and longer. It was very nice of her to do that, and yes it was very fast, but I got on the jet bridge, and there was a ton of people anyway. I started making phone calls to pass the time. I got to door 2L and as I stepped onto the plane, the FA tells me (forcefully) no cell phones on board. I had not flown LH in a while, so it took me a second to recognize what she said, as this is not a problem in the U.S. with U.S. airlines. I promptly hung-up and showed her my boarding pass. With a sheepish smile she pointed me left (I would like to think it was a sheepish smile, she might not have cared.)
This aircraft still had the old C seats, which I would not be sitting in today. If you have flown in C, F is about ten hundred thousand million times better. It cannot be normal for a section of the plane to have only four seats across when it can hold up eight! Pictures do not do the seats justice. Looking at them for the first time, being able to touch them, it’s an incredible experience. I had seat 2A and before I put my bag down a young FA appeared. I gave her my coat and she disappeared with my coat and BP. I was a little disappointed that I there were no roses in the seat holders. There was a large bouquet of roses in front of seats 1D and 1G where the counter is located. The presentation was very nice, there is champagne on ice, roses and linens on the counter. The FA reappeared and gave me my toiletries bag (van Laack) and slippers. I noticed that in First Class and the mini Business Class cabin behind it there are no overhead bins in the middle section. It creates a much more spacious feel when standing and moving about, but over my head was a bin, so when seated, I felt no real difference.
At 4:15 with twenty-five minutes left before departure there were only two people in First Class, myself in 2A and another guy in 2G. After a few minutes a third person showed up and sat in 1D. Then a few minutes later, a couple who had never been in First Class before came up and had BP’s for 1A and 1G, of course they wanted to sit together so the gentleman in 1D moved to 1A for them. You could tell this was a new experience for them because they didn’t know they would receive a toiletries bag or slippers, and they didn’t know how to operate the equipment, and were asking for help for everything. I didn’t know anything either, but I was a little more discrete about it. Another couple arrived, and the same musical chairs games began with the solo traveler moving to the other side of the cabin in row 2 to accommodate the couple.
First Class was full with four solo travelers and two couples, just as it had been designed. Business Class had four empty seats and economy had about ten to fifteen empty seats and at 4:28 boarding was competed. This A340-300 was configured 8/42/197. The captain announced a flight time of 8 hours and 15 minutes. At 4:33 the Jet Bridge was pulled back and at 4:37 the aircraft pushed back. The flight attendants sprung into action, immediately removing all items and placing them in the appropriate bins and closets. It’s like watching a choreographed, dance and everyone knowing what they have to account for. Very quickly everything was stored for take-off.

TAXI/TAKE-OFF
One thing that I can say is that I missed channel 9. I really wanted to know what was going on, especially on the ground because we pushed back and then headed towards terminal two, and then taxied in-between terminal three and five, went across the bridge towards runway 32 and waited in line. There was a lot of movement, with a Polar 744, and American 772 heading the other way, and in front of a Swiss MD-11 and behind us a KLM 744; “Vancouver.” We started our take-off roll at 5:06 and were airborne a minute later, heading North and then East. At 5:10 the FA’s were up and preparing the cabin, replacing what was removed for take-off.

PART III

SEAT
After take-off I was at liberty to play with my fully electronic seat. I did think that the yellow piping on the back of the seats looks a little cheesy, or at least outdated. The LH F seat is very nice, but in perspective, airlines like BA, SQ, CX, EK have pods or suites and it made me wonder if LH might install suites like those in the near future. The seat has compartments for your shoes and on the back side of the right consol there is also a cup holder. The shoe compartment was way too small to hold my size 13 Doc Martins, so I had to put them in the overhead bin. If the seat is horizontal, the cup holder is in a perfect position so that you can have a drink and a secure place to hold it.
The controls for the seat are laid out simply on the left armrest. I believe that some First Class seats on CX or SQ have presets for lounging, sleeping and working, but with the LH First seat there are just three sets of buttons; one for the leg rest, lumbar and recline. The leg rest electronically raises up until it is horizontal to the ground; as well the back of the seat goes practically horizontal to the ground creating a comfortable area for lying down which was more than sufficient for my 6”2’ frame. The lumbar was good, although not a whole lot better in my opinion than the UA C seat. The padding was all encompassing, but also firm, which was not uncomfortable per se, but my bottom did notice that after about 4 hours. I was not able to figure out the headrest during the flight. With the seat being so wide, tilting the wings on the side did not help to cradle my head.
I popped the video screen out of the seat and noticed that you have to first flip the arm up and then flip the screen over. It took a moment to figure out, and (although a bit awkward at first) was nice because it allowed me to swivel the screen around and tilt it backwards and forwards more than the LH C or UA C seat (if the seat is fully reclined you can still see the screen because of the tilt.) After returning the video screen to the stowed position and fidgeting with the seat to find a good relax position, I noticed the FA’s coming around the cabin and preparing our tables for dinner.

GOURMET DINING
It was not until 5:44 that the FA’s came around taking drink orders. I thought because they had been so quick to get up and prepare the cabin that service would come a lot quicker. I had asked for the Cuvee that was on the menu, however they did not have that available on this flight. Almost all the bottles (both champagne and wine) that were on the menu were substituted for something else. The couple next to me must have had the FA open two or three bottles of wine before selecting one that they liked. Considering there was little way to tell what was actually boarded, this was the only way I guess.
At 5:53 bread and appetizers were served. There were about seven different types of bread and they even had toast! That was the first time I ever had toast on a flight. At this time, much to my happiness, the roses were distributed to each passenger, all placed in the holders. I noticed that I was served third as the FA moved around the cabin in an order that did not seem random. On a side note, one thing that I thought was neat about First Class was that with the cart in the aisle, a person was able to move past the cart and not have to wait. The aisles were so wide that this was not a problem.
Appetizers consisted of shrimp with garnish, cold sliced beef with garnish, or artichoke with garnish, as well as caviar. The FA informed me that I could have one or all three if I chose to. I chose the thick sliced piece of beef and caviar. This was the first time I have ever had caviar and it’s fantastic. I couldn’t get enough of it. The beef was good, but really the caviar stole the show. Everything of course was offered with the caviar, which made the taste delightful. At 6:38 dinner was served. A salad was offered with a choice of dressing. I chose the ranch and I noticed that fresh pepper was available if wanted. The salad tasted very fresh and because I was very hungry, gone in minutes. Even with an appetizer, two encounters with the caviar, and several pieces of bread, I was starving. I had foregone my usual stop at McDonalds before my flight so that I would be able to try everything that First Class had to offer.
I chose the steak as my main course. It was accompanied with mashed potatoes that had cheese on top and squash on the side. It looked small and at that point I had a feeling I might still be hungry afterwards. I noticed that the couple across the aisle had chosen the turbot. I think that this might have been the way to go. The proportions looked larger and it was accompanied with white rice, some type of vegetable and a nice cream sauce. The steak and potatoes were very good, tender and warm, but the vegetables left something to be desired. I was still hungry so I asked for more caviar and was again accommodated. I noticed that not all the passengers started eating at the same time. While I was eating my main course, some of the passengers were beginning the appetizer. I assume this is because they chose to start eating at this time.
The dessert cart arrived and again there were three choices. I chose plain ice cream with a raspberry toping and it was very nice. Light but filling, and very tasty, I could have had more, and probably if I had asked they would have given me more. At 7:45 dinner was concluded more than an hour after it had started. I was content but not completely full and felt there was nothing more that could be done, I ate as much as I deemed appropriate. I would say for those with healthy appetites, eat a small but filling meal around lunch time as to not be starving when waiting for the meal service. After all was said and done, the FA came around with a box of chocolates and offered me as many as I could take. Not being a fan of chocolate I took two small pieces and ate one. The box remained on the front counter for the rest of the flight.

ENTERTAINMENT
About midway through my dinner, I realized that eating was getting a little boring. I took the personal video player tape guide out and looked through the guide, trying to find a movie. The guide is laid out nicely with movies separated by genres. I chose Scary Movie 3, which is the dumbest movie ever. It was funny for about three minutes of the hour and a half. The video player is really neat. You have to open up the console on the right side. On the underside of the console is the video player. The player has to be flipped down and then you can open it and place the cassette inside. The only thing that I did not like was that if you would like to stop, pause or whatnot, you have to have the whole console open which can be trouble for those passing by. Besides that small little inconvenience, having a personal video player is awesome. The ability to pause the film or rewind when I didn’t hear what was said is nice. I also like the way that the headphone is permanently attached to the seat on the left hand side. I think that it’s easier; you don’t have to worry about pulling it out or it getting all tangled. When I finished with Scary Movie 3, I decided to watch Mystic River. I didn’t think that I would finish it, as there were about 4.5 hours left in the flight when I turned it on and I was planning on going to sleep soon.

REST
I decided to get ready for bed, I asked the FA for my sweater, and she returned with an XL (black Aigner,) which I thought would be too small, but it fit very nicely and a bottle of Crystal Geyser. She then took the blanket out of the small rectangular drawer behind the seat and placed it on the arm of my seat. I was the second to last person to go to sleep in the F cabin and I noticed that most had a blanket with moons and stars; however, my blanket was a solid color with blue and yellow line patterns. I brought shorts to change into, and with my sweater I thought I still might be cold, but as it turned out I was very hot during most of the flight. It felt like LH kept the cabin very warm, and at times during the flight it was uncomfortable. The First Class bathroom is very nice, and I felt like it’s bigger than the economy bathrooms, but I am sure that that is not the case. It was also very clean and I did not feel uncomfortable changing clothes or standing in the bathroom with only socks on. The bathroom had basket with a selection of items and a rose attached to the mirror. I assume the bottles were moisturizer but I don’t know as it was only written in German. A few minutes later I was in my pajamas and ready to fall asleep. With 4 hours and 9 minutes left I reclined my seat flat and went to sleep. Because the seat is so big, I was able to sleep on my side, back and stomach without much problem. The only problem that I did have with the seat was that there was no place to put my arms while I was sleeping. I either had to hang them over the top or side of the seat, or I had to place them next to my body and that was uncomfortable. I woke up an hour and twenty two minutes before landing, passing through Brest in France. I had not really slept that much, however I did feel rested. The FA noticed that I was awake and came over, offered me something to drink and asked how I slept. I didn’t mention the arm issue.

PART IV

July 3rd
LH Cityline 3270
Scheduled Departure 1:30pm
Canadair CRJ-200


MUNICH AIRPORT
At an hour and ten minutes before landing breakfast was served. The FA’s came around and linens and tableware. We were slightly south of Paris and would approach Munich from the south. There were three options for breakfast and I chose the eggs and sausage patty with a side of fruit. Having flown in C and always getting only a cold breakfast, I was extremely happy to have a warm breakfast in the morning. The eggs and sausage patty were a bit greasy, but still tasty. 40 minutes before landing I finished breakfast and changed from my sleeping attire to my clothes, and the bathroom was still very clean. I popped out the air show map and the arrival time was scheduled at 8:27. I noticed that the flight path was very different from usual flight paths into Europe. Usually the flight plan has us going northeast from Chicago up into Michigan, through Canada, slightly south of Greenland and Iceland, through Ireland and the UK and then Holland and Germany. This time however, we headed straight east, below Boston, through Spain, slicing France in the middle and into Munich. Touchdown was at 8:23 and taxi to the gate H8 was quick. In Munich they use two jet bridges (doors 1L\2L) making disembarking fast. I went straight to the Senator Lounge.
The Business and Senator Lounge share the same foyer. A large rap around desk and the agents direct you either right to the Business Lounge, or Left to the Senator Lounge. I presented my connecting ticket to PRG and she said okay and pointed me towards the Business Lounge. I mentioned that I was connecting from international First and she asked if I was Star Alliance Gold. I said yes, but with the international First it shouldn’t matter. It took her a second to realize what I was saying, but then she said yes of course and I entered the Senator Lounge. The Senator Lounge only had about five or six people in it. The Senator Lounge had beer on tap, finger food (German,) nuts and gummy. All types of juice and carbonated beverages were available as well. There seemed to be no bathrooms in the lounge and no shower facilities, or at least I was not able to find them. The Senator Lounge does have a sleeping room, which is something I had not seen before. Four or five chairs that reclined and had foot rests were located in a dark quiet room. Blankets were available and you could take an open chair and go to sleep. I had a beer and a look around, but I wanted to get to the Kempinski Hotel where my room was waiting.
The hotel is part of the airport so it does not take long to get there. It was a little confusing after I got to baggage, but I made my way outside, down the long corridor and up the stairs to the lobby. Check in was a breeze, I gave my name and showed my F boarding pass to the receptionist and she found my reservation. The service is free for International First Class Passengers arriving in Frankfurt and Munich, but you have to call in advance. The rooms rents for 300+ Euro per night and was very nice. Just two things: there was no bathrobe, and dry cleaning\laundry is not available on the weekend or holidays. Three hours and a good shower later, I was ready to go back to the Senator Lounge and wait for my connecting flight to PRG.
The flight to PRG was on a CRJ-200 and the Business Class cabin had six people in it and the Economy cabin was no more than half full. Take-off was at 13:38 and we landed at 14:14. The one nice thing about this 45 minute flight is that a small sandwich and peach crumble cake was served. I can’t remember that happening on my last ORD-ROC flight! Immigration in PRG was a breeze and the bags did not come out in any order. Because it was a CRJ, it did not really matter and I did not have to wait long. With nothing to declare, customs was a breeze and entered the arrival hall.

NOTE: I Hope to have the return done tomorrow. I just got back tonight around 9:30 so this is as far as I could get.

Wow what dedication to write this up so quickly. A great report so far ^ ^ ^

Keep typing, anc-ord772.

Great report so far. ^ ^

Thanks for the report so far.

There are showers and restrooms in the Business lounge upstairs at MUC T2, so I'd image that they must also have them in the Senator lounge? :confused:

For a first trip report this is fantastic.. I also think LH has a great FC service but the IFE needs updating.

Nice report. Thank you for taking the time to write it. A couple of things:

1) I imagine you were excited to try out the hotel room in MUC since LH provided it for free. For future reference, if you're not planning to sleep in the hotel room, there are lovely showers available in the lounge area (complete with rainfall-style shower heads). Saves walking all that way!

2) You mentioned that you were talking on your cell phone while boarding the plane. It's your business, but it's not really polite to be talking on your phone while entering the aircraft door, is it? At the very least, you could have put your phone down for a few moments while you got onboard. I wouldn't have mentioned this except that you mentioned how you were discrete about figuring out the seat. Presumably, given your desire to appear sophisticated, you must be aware of basic decorum that's only appropriate, especially in F?

3) Since you've said elsewhere you're a college student, I've gotta ask - how'd ya do it? You made no reference to an award ticket but based on your other posts, it doesn't seem like your family is springing for full-fare F, either.

2) You mentioned that you were talking on your cell phone while boarding the plane. It's your business, but it's not really polite to be talking on your phone while entering the aircraft door, is it? At the very least, you could have put your phone down for a few moments while you got onboard. I wouldn't have mentioned this except that you mentioned how you were discrete about figuring out the seat. Presumably, given your desire to appear sophisticated, you must be aware of basic decorum that's only appropriate, especially in F?

3) Since you've said elsewhere you're a college student, I've gotta ask - how'd ya do it? You made no reference to an award ticket but based on your other posts, it doesn't seem like your family is springing for full-fare F, either.

2) Usually if I am on the phone in the jet bridge, I will pause to say hello to the greeter and if necessary ask the location of the seat. I didnt have that chance as the greeter was very much pro-active in informing me that I could not use my mobile.

3) Ill fix this in the check-in section. It was an award ticket.

PART V

July 11th
LH Augsburg Airways 3273
Scheduled Departure 9:00am
DHC-8-400

CHECK-IN/LOUNGE/FLIGHT
The taxi from the student dorm arrived at 6:50, for our 7:00am ride. I had expected the ride to be about 45 minutes or more. I shared a taxi with another student from our program and we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at the airport a 7:25. The terminal in Prague is not that large with the check-in area for all airlines in the same location. The LH check-in area had two agents, and at the time both lines where for Business Class. I waited patiently for one of the agents to become available. There were only a few people milling around waiting in one of the lines for check-in. I checked in and asked only to have my bag checked through to LHR. The agent said no problem and I was given boarding passes through to LHR. An invitation was also printed inviting me to the Harmony Lounge. I asked if I could bring my guest, and she said that if I had a gold card (star alliance gold) I should be able to. I was mentally preparing myself for a fight with the lounge agent. My friend had to check-in with Easy Jet and because we arrived so early, their check-in was not open. We went to get some food, and milled around for about twenty minutes. I noticed that around 8:10ish the LH line was much longer. It was going to be a full flight. Passport control was easy and we headed towards the Harmony Lounge, which was across from the Czech Airlines/Sky Team Crystal Lounge. The Harmony Lounge is actually a Menzies lounge and a host of non Sky Team airlines shared its use. I presented my boarding pass to the agent along with my UA 1P card and asked if it was okay that I had a guest. The agent said no problem, and let us both in.

The lounge was very nice and could fit quite a few groups of people in different configurations (couches, chairs, tables) but at this time there were only six or seven people in the lounge (including some very nicely dressed gentlemen) besides us. The lounge felt modern and very well kept. Beer, wine, champagne and a good assortment of soft drinks were available. Plenty of snacks, coffee, journals and liquors were offered as well. My flight was to start boarding at 9, so at 8:20 I said goodbye to my friend and headed out towards gate B18.

Security was swift and I boarded a bus to take us out to the remote stand where the aircraft was parked. I was able to see a TU-154m belonging to Pulkovo Airlines pull up in front of the terminal and its passengers disembark. For me this was really cool, because I had never been so close to one before. My seat assignment on the dash 8 was 1F and for those that like windows and more legroom, oodles of more legroom, choose 1A/C. I was missing a window and had to either look forward or backwards. Not as bad as row 35 on the UA 744, but still a little annoying. The flight was pretty much full, with only one seat left in Business Class that I could tell. Take-off was at 9:08 and shortly after a small meal was served. It was almost the same meal as the MUC-PRG flight, different bread on the sandwich and some fruit on the side. I didn’t eat it, but it did look nice. Touchdown was at 9:47 and as we taxied to the stand I noticed some nice cars with a police escort heading towards our stand. It seems some big wig (probably a politician) was on our flight (he was also in the Harmony Lounge) and his entourage quickly moved to the BMW 745 and the Mercedes E 430 and drove off behind the police car. The rest of us got on the bus.

PART VI

July 11th
LH Flight 4756
Scheduled Departure 1:00pm
737-500

I had to transfer to the H gates and walked up five flights of stairs. I remember thinking that if you had to do this with some luggage it would be hell. There were two elevators, but it was not worth the wait. I arrived at the Senator Lounge at 10:13am and was waved in no problem. The Senator Lounge at this time is not equipped to handle the amount of people wanting to use the lounge, it was packed! The food was good, I grabbed a bowl of honey roasted frosted flakes and three little croissants with assorted jellies. The impression that I get from the Senator Lounge is that it’s a class act all the way. Perhaps because Munich is the new “it” airport LH did not skimp on anything. The assorted jellies came in nice bowls with labels. I decided to take a nap, seeing as how I only had one hour of sleep the night before. I went to the sleeping room, grabbed a seat, set my alarm and dozed off. I woke at 11:50 and made my way to gate H30. The fact that I was able to take a good nap in a comfortable chair in the airport is really neat! I stopped off at the bathroom and one thing that was really cool was instead of paper towels, they have cloth towels on a conveyer that is sensor activated. Move your hand around the sensor and the roll of cloth towels loosens, dry your hands on it and then it winds up after a few moments. I thought this was really neat and saves an amazing amount of towels.

I arrived at the gate at 12:10 and noticed that for boarding at 12:30 there was no one at the gate. I looked out the window for the 735, and noticed an Airbus. I walked back to customer service and asked what was going on. In fact there was a gate change, but it was not noted anywhere and the new gate was H38. I made my way down and expected boarding to commence soon. Boarding started around 12:40 and everyone was invited to board. There was no priority boarding for elites or Business Class customers. I decided to wait till almost the end to board as the gate area was a mess. Boarding was completed at 12:57 with a full C and Y cabin. The F/A offered a wide selection of magazines and newspapers before take-off. I had seat 2F, which was the first row on the right side of the aircraft. Good window spacing and good legroom. The C cabin was three rows on the left and two rows on the right.

Wheels up at 1:17, and usually the seat belt sign is turned off quickly thereafter, but there were some big bad clouds and the F/A’s actually had to ask everyone to stay seated. I expected a very unsettling hour and a half ride to LHR, but we only hit some bad bumps on climb out and about 1:30 the F/A’s were up and about with a smooth ride the rest of the way. Food was served at 1:39, which consisted of a very interesting salad, with some kind of beans, a piece of meat that was about the size of a slice of bacon wrapped around a rectangular piece of bread and an extremely tasty danish. The F/A’s also offered a huge loaf of bread to each of us. The best part of the meal was the danish. The F/A’s passed out landing cards and not long after the meal and drinks we started our descent into LHR.

The approach was amazing! We flew around the new Gherkin building and I could clearly see the London Eye, Big Ben, Waterloo Station, Buckingham Palace, London Bridge and more, it was awesome. We touched down at 1:45 local time. The arrival announcement did not indicate the time. I proceeded to passport control, and there was a small line. I waited and observed a man talking on his cell phone and immigration officers come over to tell him to turn it off. He then proceeded to argue with the immigration officer, but at that point it was my time to get my transfer stamp and head to baggage claim so I don’t know what happened.

Can anyone tell me what the damn point is of having priority tags on the bag? I had to wait for more than a half hour for my bag after bags started coming out. Can anyone say annoying?!?! It’s nice when you have the opportunity to deplane quickly, and be first to immigration, but what is the point having to wait so long for you bag? It finally arrived and I headed to T3 to check-in for UA 959 to Chicago.

More to come...

Great Report!!!

One question - about getting the hotel in MUC/FRA - I'm also doing an award F trip in Feb PHL/FRA/BKK - how would I go about arranging this - I have like a 10 hr layover!!

One question - about getting the hotel in MUC/FRA - I'm also doing an award F trip in Feb PHL/FRA/BKK - how would I go about arranging this?

Call +49 (0)6102 50 57 45 and there is more info here (http://cms.lufthansa.com/fly/us/en/inf/0,4974,0-0-780691,00.html), all you have to do is present your F boarding pass and a credit card for any incidentals.

Call +49 (0)6102 50 57 45 and there is more info here (http://cms.lufthansa.com/fly/us/en/inf/0,4974,0-0-780691,00.html), all you have to do is present your F boarding pass and a credit card for any incidentals.

Thank you!!!

PART VII

As far as airports go, Terminal 3 at LHR is probably the most amazing terminal in the world. If you have never been, it’s hard to describe, but if you took the diversity of Manhattan, the fancy of Oxford Street, and stuffed it all under one roof, it wouldn’t be close to what T3 actually feels like. In the time it takes you to get from the Virgin Atlantic desks to United, you almost feel like you have traveled around the world. When I went to check-in for 959, T3 was packed beyond belief as it is every time I am there. People trying to maneuver large bags and carts piled high in-between families and friends saying goodbyes and trying to figure out what line(s) to stand in. There was an AI flight that was checking in, as well as a PIA flight. The check-in desks are relatively close to each other and I wonder if this ever causes any problems.

I arrived at the stand that sits to in front and to the side of the United check-in. I told the CSA that I was flying on 959, and she handed me a pre printed piece of paper saying it was oversold and if I would like to give up my seat they were offering $800.00 in vouchers, a stay in a luxury hotel with meal vouchers a phone card and a guaranteed seat on a flight out the next day. This was a delicious offer, and I was already thinking about how to spend my night in London. The check-in area is set up strangely with United in its own little cove. The First and Business class line are intertwined. There was one couple ahead of me waiting for an agent so the line was not long at all. The agent was very pleasant and I said that I would be willing to give up my seat if needed. She was really pleased to hear that and put me on the list and tagged my bag with a VDB green tag, so that if it needed to be pulled they could find it. The entire reason that I did not check my bags all the way through was because I wanted an International First Class luggage tag. She put a domestic yellowish one. That was fine, but then I asked if she had any Intl First Class cabin baggage tags. She looked around and they didn’t have any, I was so disappointed, I really wanted one as a souvenir as I don’t know when I will have the opportunity to fly international first class again. I asked about the VDB and what the flight looked like, she said that it was oversold by quite a few and at that moment I was the only one on the VDB list. The CSA said if needed, they would VDB by rank on the list and then by status, so if anyone was getting VDB it would be me. With all of that taken care of, I headed away from the check-in craziness of T3 and upstairs into the craziness of the security line and the Duty Free mall. I passed through the priority security line and there was a long line with only one machine. I thought it would take a long time, but they moved the line through fairly quickly and as I got to the front I heard the screeners counting to see if it took more than 5 minutes for any person to get to the front and if so they would open another machine. They did not ask me to take out my laptop from its case, which they do everywhere, even Prague. I am sure the elite line, although long, was moving faster than the normal line, and in five minutes or less I was into the “mall.”

The only thing that I don’t like about LHR is that if you are early and because gates are not pre-assigned, you have no idea where your plane is going to be, or when they are going to post that information. I vaguely remembered where the London Lounge was and in a roundabout way found the exit from the Duty Free area, but instead of heading to the London Lounge, I took a right, then a left and headed to the RCC and International First Lounge. When you enter the RCC the long curved desk in the center sits between the RCC on the left and the First Lounge on the right. I showed my boarding pass and entered the lounge. The First Lounge is very nice. There was a computer at a desk but I was not sure if it was for the pax or staff. Nobody was sitting there, nor did anyone use it the entire time I was there, so I still have no idea. The Lounge is much bigger than the International First Lounge at O’Hare with a smoking section and a larger food/beverage area. Both lounges had TV’s and today there were some gentlemen watching golf. The floor to ceiling windows was nice, and I had a good view of an AA 772 and a Varig MD-11. You could see planes take-off so I was treated to many different airlines and aircraft climbing out. I put my stuff down by the window and went to sample the finger food.

Again a nice selection of alcohol but I went for a mini can of Pepsi. There were bowls with chips and pretzels, and four kinds of individually wrapped pieces of pound cake. I grabbed one for later, assuming I would want one on the flight as a little snack. On the island there were covered trays with all sorts of goodies, several different kinds of small sandwiches, fruit and vegetables and some spreads. I took a shaved roast beef on a bagel. It was amazing! Fresh, tasty, the roast beef was fresh, the bagel soft and there was some sauce, and I assume horseradish, keeping it from being dry. I had about three; they were soooo good, with a side of potato chips. There was a guest book where you can sign your name and leave comments about the food area. I noticed that most if not all of the comments were positive. Over the speakers they announced the Air New Zealand flight LHR-LAX-AKL. The speakers must be the same in the RCC and First Lounge because they invited C passengers to go board but mentioned that F passengers could stay in the lounge until final call. Also announced was a UA flight heading to DC. The First Lounge only had about 8 people at the most and after the two flights were called it was just me for the 959 flight. I checked out the bathroom and noticed the shower was located near the bathrooms; the door was locked so I didn’t get to see inside. I don’t know if its one shower or many. I know on the RCC side there are also showers. I continued walking around the club, with boarding to begin in a couple of minutes I wanted to move around while I could. A C class passenger (when we arrived at gate control, I saw his boarding pass, and he was also not in F) was in the lounge trying to make an international phone call. The staff didn’t seem to mind and neither did I, it was almost empty anyway. They soon announced my flight and I made the long walk to the gate, to see if I would be VDB.

Waiting for the next installment! Good report, so far ...

Waiting for the next installment!

Me too... The VDB suspense is killing me :D

PART VIII

July 11th
UA flight 959
Scheduled Departure 4:45pm
Boeing 777-200


VDB
I arrived at the gate entrance, and I was asked the standard security questions before being allowed to enter the gate area. There did not seem to be that many people waiting (I guess because boarding had already commenced,) but went to the desk to see about my VDB. The CSA’s at the desk were busy exchanging BP’s and changing seat assignments, so I waited patiently. One of the agents looked up at me and I said, I had volunteered to give up my seat and handed her my BP. A quick check to the computer and she said that no VDB would be needed today and I should board. First Class seat, first class hotel, it didn’t matter to me, and I walked to the jet bridge (actually $800 would have been real nice, but hey I did have 3J waiting.) I noticed there were several people that were going through the secondary screening process. I wonder who they decide who is going to go through the secondary screening. I breezed by, watching as people had shoes, bags and bodies searched. I seemed to have caught the tail end of boarding because very few people were in the gate area, and very few on the jet bridge. There were two, one for premium passengers and one for economy, but I doubt the economy jet bridge was packed at that point.

BOARDING/TAKE-OFF
The only time I get to see the First Class cabin is from the back when I am sitting in Business Class. The seats look more like pods than an actual airline seat. The F/A said hello and I went straight to 3J. I could barely contain my excitement; I had been waiting for this for a long time. It was nice to fly F on LH, but this is what I wanted. I stowed my laptop case and my backpack in the overhead bin and sat down. The F/A came by and asked if I would like anything to drink, and I asked for water. Another F/A a few minutes later came around with a selection of newspapers, I didn’t choose any and I started fiddling with my seat; I wanted to make sure that everything worked so that when we got in the air I wouldn’t have to deal with a broken seat (thanks FT) and because I wanted to fiddle with my seat. The F blanket is really thick and the bigger pillow is bigger than the pillow I have at home (keep in mind that you get two pillows,) it can be a hassle to find a place to dump all this stuff, until you are ready to use it. I put the little pillow in-between the seat and the wall, and because there was no one in the seat across the aisle, I threw my blanket and pillow on top of that seat. An F/A approached me asking by my last name if I would like an amenity kit and in the other hand the menu for today’s flight. She presented the menu opened and cradled in her palm, which was a nice touch. The First Class cabin only had 8 of 12, with C and Y completely full. The gentlemen in 1F was swooned over by a CSA with a red carnation, and the purser so I assume he was either important or a full fare passenger. There was some discrepancy in the passenger manifest as the gentleman in front of me was shown as a no board on the station manifest. As soon as that was cleared up the doors were closed and we pushed back. The crew was friendly and the captain was informative. The captain made channel nine available and informed us that the flight time was 7 hours and 50 minutes. We lined up for take-off and about 8 minutes later we were airborne. As we climbed out I could see a Virgin Atlantic A343 parked next to an A346. It really is a lot longer! I had a sensation that I was floating while sitting in the seat. Every bump was absorbed by the seat, and we floated up to 33,000 feet heading North, North West.

SEAT
I didn’t realize that the First Class seat does not have a foot rest, it makes complete sense because you can put your foot into the cubby hole in front of you, and because you can slide your seat as far forward as you like, you can make yourself very comfortable. I couldn’t stop fiddling with it until I found the perfect position utilizing that leg rest and leaning the seat back around 110 degrees. I popped out the video screen and watched the air show moving map. The First Suite is nicer than the LH F seat. I know that the LH seat is older, and even though it feels wider/bigger than the UA F suite, something about sitting in my own all encompassing suite makes the area more personal, and the IFE is better. The UA suite is contoured and fit my body a little better. Instead of having to lift the whole side consol to access the video player, the video player is attached below the video screen hold. The controls are located on the right side consol, making it easier to pause, rewind, stop etc. The buttons for the seat take a moment to figure out. It’s a good thing there are not more buttons because the way they are laid out can be confusing and in the dark, different color buttons all look the same. The two buttons that differentiate itself from the LH F seat are the one touch buttons for the bed and to reset the seat. The seat has a large side panel that has a cutout for a cup, holds the tray for the seat, and has two compartments, one large that could hold my small pillow, a newspaper, amenity kit etc. and a smaller compartment that can hold something small, like a hat, palm pilot etc. One thing that I never thought about was because the seats are installed in a herringbone configuration, the seat is not straightforward, but angled. It’s not a big deal, but it is something I noticed, and later after napping, when I awoke I felt a little off axis.

RESTAURANT IN THE SKY
Before I go into details, I would like to say that the meal was fantastic, on par with LH in every way from appetizer to dessert, except I noticed that one of the appetizers and the brioche pudding were scooped out of the tin they were warmed in and then placed on a plate in front of the passengers. The F/A were friendly and for the most part attentive, but I’ll get into that later. UA did very well, even without caviar.

I don’t know what the breakdown is of F/A to F/C/Y passengers, but there were 4 different attendants for 8 passengers in First. IMPORTANT: Seat Guru says that 3J is the best seat in F because of the lack of traffic between cabins. This may be true, but on a day flight it doesn’t really matter that much. I think that the other side of the aircraft might be better because you don’t spend the entire flight staring into the galley. The F/A came around and offered assorted nuts, the nuts were warm and delicious. I looked through the movie selection and decided on Fog of War and Barber Shop 2. The F/A came through with the basket of movies and said we could take as many as we wanted. I chatted with the F/A for a few minutes, talking about college, her kids etc. it was a mixed crew UK/US. After a few minutes she came back and asked if I wanted a refill on nuts. I never knew a refill on nuts was possible and I immediately accepted. Table linens and cutlery was arranged, and all cutleries were plastic. After ten minutes the appetizers were offered. I decided on the “Smoked salmon with Kalamata olives” and the “Hot Cheddar cheese and tomato frittata with roasted red pepper sauce.” The salmon was good and the frittata was tasty (I declined the red pepper sauce) but quite small. The frittata was one of the two dishes that were still in the warming tin when served. The F/A did a good job being professional and using the appropriate tongs and arranging the food on the plate as to make a good presentation. A good start, and in-between appetizer and salad more bread was offered.

After the appetizer was cleaned up the salad arrived. “Fresh seasonal greens with garlic shrimp and croutons” and I had it with the Caesar dressing and plenty of warm bread on the side. This was one of the best salads I have ever eaten in my 21 years. The shrimp was large, juicy, tasted fresh and was perfectly seasoned (I’m from Alaska folks, take my word for it!) the greens were delicious, and it was a great size for a starter salad. A week later and I can still taste it. By this time I was getting full, which LH was not able to do for me. After about 10 minutes the F/A came by and informed me that one of the ovens was not cooking properly and it would be at least another 5 before the main course would be ready. I told her not to worry and it was perfect because it would give me a chance to let the appetizer and salad settle. She seemed happy with that response and went on her way. About the 5th lesson into Fog of War the main course was served. I had an option of “Filet mignon” “Herb-roasted chicken” “Lamb kangari” or “Mediterranean vegetable cannelloni” and although I love my beef and have always chosen it in the past, I decided to try the herb-roasted chicken with Rosti potatoes and sautéed green beans and carrots. Despite oven problems, the meal was very good… for chicken. The potatoes were good, but a little on the small side and the green beans and carrots were perfect. After that dessert was served, the F/A came by with the cheese tray, but I wanted to wait for the Haagen-Dazs, so it was a few minutes.

Somewhere early into Barber Shop 2, the “Warm brioche pudding” and Haagen-Dazs rolled by. I decided to have the brioche and the ice cream. The ice cream came in individual bowls with one scoop of chocolate and one of vanilla, the brioche, a large tin with the F/A scooping out servings onto plates. I took the scoop of vanilla plopped it on top of the warm brioche and boy was it good. I did this in front of the F/A and she seemed a little surprised then said it looked good and she would be doing the same thing when she had her dessert, only it would be the chocolate. Again the brioche was the other dish that was served in the warming tin, but all in all it was a great experience. I get the feeling that long flights go very quickly in First Class. I turned my head to see what was going on in C and while I was still waiting for my dessert most of them were sleeping or watching movies. After dessert we were over Greenland somewhere and I was tired. I wanted to finish watching Barber Shop 2 and as soon as I did I got my pillows and blankets in order and reclined the seat…

Thanks for the detailed report (notwithstanding the school-marmish reply regarding your etiquette)! The course-by-course description of the meal service was first rate. All in all, a lot of work to write this up.

Perhaps you can suggest seats for my wife and me. We are booked on the A340-300 to/from MUC this winter. Would you recommend row 1 or 2?

I'm glad you enjoyed the flights so much. I look forward to future reports.

Thanks for the detailed report (notwithstanding the school-marmish reply regarding your etiquette)!

:) guilty as charged!

For couples I would go with Row 2, a little farther away from the activity and the cart is not right infront of you.

An excellent report. I remember my first transatlantic F experience on LH: JFK-FRA. I did not get the more comfortable moon-and-star blanket either. In future trips, I made certain to help myself to the more comfortable blanket.

Thank you for reading the trip report so far, I will have the rest done by this wednesday. Thank you for sticking with it. So far I have about 15 pages single spaced.

Thank you for this interesting trip report. ^ ^ I am looking forward for future reports.

CONCLUSION
In order to make the F suite into a bed the whole seat moves forward, very close to the front and then as soon as you think you are going to smash into the forward cubby section, the back of the seat goes down giving you more room, more comprehensive than the LH seat, but there is something to be said for simplicity. The F suite is supposed to be 6 feet 6 inches, and maybe my seat was broken, but for a guy that’s 6’1’’ I couldn’t stretch out at all, in fact, I had to angle my feet into the cubby hole as to not smash my toes against the back of it. When the F suite is laid out for sleeping the area feels more constrictive than the LH F seat. After wedging myself into a comfortable position, I fell asleep almost immediately. Overall it’s a comfortable seat and I was able to sleep, but I did feel more enclosed/ a little cramped (remember this is all relative.)

I awoke an hour and 45 minutes before landing somewhere over Canada a little before the great lakes, perfect timing to get breakfast, clean up for arrival and fill out my immigration form. I returned my seat to a comfortable sitting position and popped out the video monitor and watched the Air Show map and turned to channel 9. I saw the galley bustling with activity and one of the F/A’s noticing that I was awake came over and asked if I would like breakfast and if so, would I like the “British tea service” or the “Chilled deli plate” I decided to go with the tea service, and ten minutes later the F/A set the table, disappeared and quickly returned with scones, clotted cream and fruit preserves. The scones with the cream and preserves were delicious; I had three and could have had more. They were far better than the tuna and sweetcorn, lemon chicken and poached salmon sandwiches which seemed a little dry and consisted of too much bread. Up to this point the F/A’s had been quite attentive, but it was down hill from here. After eating around the sandwiches and one scone, I didn’t have any tea to drink. I waited for a long time before ringing the call button, and inquired as to the state of the tea (it had been more than ten minutes,) the F/A realized that she had forgotten me and ran to get it. It wasn’t a big deal, but if they walked through the cabin a little more, that would not have happened. I asked a different F/A for a pen so that I could fill out my immigration form. I didn’t think I had one in my bag in the overhead, and I couldn’t get up to check anyway with the tray table out. She never came back, not even to say she didn’t have one. I waited until breakfast was done and then went to the galley to ask the F/A that had forgotten the tea if she could find one for me, and she came back to my seat with a pen in less than a minute, even offered to let me keep it (nice gesture, but I returned it.) After all of that was taken care of, we were starting our initial decent into O’Hare. I went to the restroom to freshen up and noticed someone left their amenity bag on the counter. I promptly snatched it as a second souvenir and headed back to my seat.

I went back to my seat, folded the blanket and placed it with the large pillow on the seat across the aisle. Soon after the F/A brought two brothers up from economy and placed them in seats 3 E&F. They were unaccompanied minors, and perhaps they had a quick connection at ORD. They only had a few moments to fiddle with seats and video monitor as the F/A’s came by and prepared the cabin for landing. There were some thunderstorms in the area, but approach and landing was smooth, with an early arrival. We came in from the West and that was the first time I noticed a cemetery on airport grounds. Taxi was quick and we arrived on time at T5.

I like T5 because you can see all the international flights and the different A330’s, A340’s 772’s etc. As we deplaned, the F/A’s held back the economy passengers so the F and C cabin could get a head start. That was the first time I had seen them do that, but it did make deplaning easier. The air bridge was at 2L, making the F passengers wait for some C passengers to disembark. I zipped down to the immigration hall and it was packed. I noticed a sign that said EI passengers could use the refugee lane, but nothing else unusual. Waited about five minutes and went through immigration and was one of the first to arrive at baggage claim. I thought that LH was bad with the bags at LHR, but UA was worse. It was not a good way to end a trip, standing, waiting for another half hour for my bags to come out. The baggage claim kept getting more and more crowded, I could see the customs line growing longer and longer, people trying to grab for bags and hitting my shins. I was really annoyed and if I was a paying F passenger, I would be even more pissed. Eventually my bag did come, and as I had no connecting flight I couldn’t go to T1 and check out the arrival facilities. Customs was a breeze and into the arrival hall I faded, just another face, no longer a First Class passenger, just another guy trying to get home.

Side note: I am sure the ORD arrival facility is not that great, but I would have liked to experience it as I am usually an NC passenger with no access. The agent at LHR did not print out an invitation to the lounge, so what I have for souvenirs are my BP’s, the menu’s, amenity kits (unopened) and this trip report. Thanks for being patient and reading

Thanks for the GREAT report. I hope you continue to write about your future trips.

Excellent report! I enjoyed every word of it. I have never experienced UA F and was wondering how the service was. I hope you write reports for every trip that you take.

Excellent report. Thanks.

Great report ^

It was like being there. Thanks for taking the time to write and share with us your experiences and insights.