cattle

***Note***

This trip covers our two week trip to Austrian and Germany with my wife and Mother in Law (MIL) We visited the following cities:


Austria
Vienna, Salzburg

Germany
Munich, Neuscwantien, Donauworth, Rotenburg, Frankfurt, Cologne

This trip report covers my flights only. Hotel and sight seeing will follow in more threads.


Flights


June 26, 2003
Air Canada flight 844 YYC-FRA
Dept 6:00pm Arrive 11:15am
Executive First (J class – No First Class on AC)

My problems started before leaving for the airport. Being the diligent FT’er that I am I checked www.seatmap.com to make sure that everything was still ok. It wasn’t L They had moved us around. We had seats 5AC&D assigned. We were now in 5C, D and 3D!!! A quick phone call to the SE desk to see what was going on reveled that they had done an a/c change. Despite being the exact same seating configuration (A340 to A340) they decided to move the seat assignments around. 10 minutes on hold and they fixed it. They told me not worry about it as the airport would fix it. No way I was willing to take that chance. Good thing too as there were a number of seats still available 90 minutes before departure but they filled them with comp upgrades.

Having just qualified for Super Elite the week before this trip I was able to use the concierge for the first time. Heather in YYC was fantastic. She told us to arrive just one hour before our flight and she met us with our boarding passes so that we didn’t have to line up. It really helped that we were only taking carry on luggage for this trip I know I couldn’t believe it either, two woman and they still managed to do carry on

We arrived at the airport to close to our flight to got the MLL but as this is my home airport I can say that it is an adequate lounge with a nice view out to the aircraft. This flight departs from the A wing, or domestic side as there is no pre-clearance like to the US.

At the gate it was a zoo. They offered pre-boarding to the elderly and those with small children but not the Executive Class or Star Gold. Meanwhile droves of passengers start to line up for the flight. The GA’s didn’t say anything and let the economy passenger’s board at their leisure while J passengers stood to the side. This went on for 5+ minutes. When they did call for J and Star Gold there had to be easily 75 people stretched down the concourse. Sensing the frustration they opened up a second lane to accommodate their late call for the J cabin.

On board we had chosen 5AC&D so that we could be relatively close together and talk back and forth. Also, 5F is pilots seat so we were banking on the extra seat begin free most of the flight. Turns out the pilot’s daughter was on board and they brought her up to the seat just after take off (guess someone missed putting here there before the flight left). No problems with this as it wasn’t a guaranteed empty seat.

We also chose these seats as the J service is supposed to start at these seats. I was worried when they started drink service at the front of the row and worked their way back. They did start the meal service at the back though. Appetizers were Shrimp and something else I didn’t like. I picked an extra shrimp plate for Mrs. Cattle and MIL to share. Mrs. Cattle and the MIL both had salmon with Teriyaki sauce and they said it was pretty good. I went for chicken and it was quite good as well. That was followed by cheese service and dessert. Sorry I didn’t take more notes this early into the trip.

Next Problem: About 2.5 hours before landing they started making an unimaginable amount of noise in the rear galley behind us. I had ear bud headphones under my n/c headphones and I couldn’t ignore the noise. They opened and closed the :rolleys: and doors non-stop for at least an hour. I just couldn’t believe how much noise they were making. I figured it had to stop any minute but it never did. Sleeping was next to impossible but I was so exhausted that I couldn’t get up to complain or I was going to explode (I only slept 5 hours that night before trying to finish up some work before the trip).

For breakfast we were offered fruit, muffins and a breakfast smoothie which was not bad. It was filling but very thick, not so smooth.

I did make a point of asking the in charge if they found the body they were looking for in the galley earlier. I got a strange look and explained about all the noise. He gave a very mild apology and said they had to get breakfast ready for the plane. I told him that I had never heard so much noise on any flight I had ever taken.

I wasn’t about to get p*ssed off on my vacation so left it at that.

FRA Airport

I was expecting some smoke but was completely overwhelmed with the wall of it that seemed to permeate the entire building. That’s just a heads up for those who are from N.A. and haven’t traveled through FRA before.




FRA-VIE
LH ????
June 27
Flight was early afternoon, 1.5 hrs approx.
Business Class

Smaller than N/A carriers but better than flying in the back. It was 2 + 3 seating in front.

Despite having confirmed seats in row 4 we were moved to row 1 which meant no carry on storage. Overhead bins were cramped and had extra dividers in them which was odd after flying NA carriers all the time. We were not allowed to take our roll-ons with us. They gate checked them for us and said we could keep out backpacks. They made the comment that Americans never think about the suitcase landing on your head. He knew we were Canadian but said Americans are almost belligerent about being entitled to take all of their carry on with them.

Boy did these FA’s earn their money. From the moment the seat belt sign turned off you could hear them in the galley getting everything ready. They delivered the trays to everyone very quickly and then came around for at least 2 warm bread and drink services. The afternoon snack consisted of a good size tray of fruit, cheese bread and a fairly large LH chocolate in a box with their logo on it. There was something about the opening of the new MUN terminal as well.

I have yet to see a crew work this fast on any airline to date for any duration flight. I was tired I thought I was going to die (yes Empress, even worse than that itinerary we had flew to HNL on )so I didn’t eat a lot of the food. MIL and wife seemed to enjoy theirs though.

June 26, 2003
LH 470 FRA-YYZ
Dept 5:30pm Arrive 7:30pm
First Class 747-400

The boarding at LH surprised me. It was worse than AC First we had to have our boarding pass scanned taken (we had the little stubs left) at one checkpoint followed by our passports right after words. The laptops recorded the names of the passengers as they scanned. I assume that this was to verify valid passports. No problems here so we moved into the controlled gate area to wait for boarding.

When they did call the pre-boarding for the elderly and small children they didn’t have anyone at the actual gate. People just started to from one long line through the lounge. We happened to be near the gate as we thought they would pre-board F and J. We ended up just merging into the line as they didn’t call any others and through the entire boarding process there wasn’t anyone checking tickets.

Now the fun. We walk upstairs and wife and MIL just about faint at the size of the cabin and the space between seats. Others can correct me but think there were 8 windows per seat when fully reclined. Wife and I were in 83H&K while MIL had 83C (A was left open). These are the emergency exit rows. That means even more space.

83C the FA seat which faces you was right in front of this so if you want to wear your walkman for takeoff/landing then you better choose 81 or 82.

83H has the drink trolley right in front of you as well. This is right behind 82 H so keep this in mind also. Great for getting drinks served but not so great if you don’t want to hear the clanking of glasses or watch the stuff bounce around in turbulence LOL.
We were not unhappy with the seats at all, just a heads up for those who would want to know in advance.

Pre-Flight

We were the first ones upstairs and the male FA greeted us very professionally. We told him it was ok to relax with us as “we’re Canadian and on vacation” then my wife blurts out we’re on points That guy burst out in a giant smile and laughed.

We sat down and he took a drink order almost before we could settle in. My wife said “what do you have?” He laughed “name it” She only had orange juice with that nasty carbonated water (mitt gas as I had to hear the whole trip). When she had almost finished the first glass he filled it right back up without having to ask. Two pre-take off drinks

Amenity Kit

Got the Bogner Bike Pack (attaches to the bars under your seat – neat idea thought I don’t have a bike)

Eye shades
Ear plugs
Toothbrush
Moisturizing cream
Socks
Collapsible brush with build in mirror

I asked for the Bogner shirts as well and we were given 3 of the gray ones. I looked in our storage drawers under the seats we had but no luck but the FA’s were happy to oblige.


In Flight

There were 3 servers for the 12 people seated in F. The bubble is split into 2 sections of 2 rows (8 seats) We had a dedicated server per section plus a dedicated FA to preparing the meals the entire flight.

Turns out the menu was the same as FRA-BOS so I have copied it here

Menu:
Hors d'oeuvre
Caviar with the traditional garnishes
Smoked Marlin, served with sautéed Zucchini and red Onions
Eggplant with Tomato, flavored with Basil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salad with Corn-fed Chicken, pistachios and Pomegranate

Salad
Young Lollo Bionda, Lollo Rosso, Mizuna, Romaine Lettuce, Beet Greens and Red Mustard Leaves, presented with Thyme Vinaigrette or Basil Kefir Dressing
Bread, Rolls, Toast and Butter

Entrees
Braised Rib Roast of Beef, accompanied by Polenta and Summer Vegetables
Salmon enhanced by Caper Anchovy Sauce and Green Asparagus
Cannelloni filled with Ricotta, Mascarpone, Buffalo Mozzarella and Spinach, offered with Tomato Coulis and Leaf Spinach
Roast Breast of Duck with Zucchini, Peas and Rice Patty, complemented by Balsamico Fond "Tradionale di Moderna"

Cheese and Dessert
Italian Cheese Selection
Fontina, Gorgonzola, Paicintinu with Saffron, Parmigiano Reggaino and Taleggio served with Grapes
Cassata with Chocolate Crčme
Amoretti Cake on a Vanilla Mocha Mirror
Fine Chocolates
Snack
Cold Specialties
Char and Shrimp Terrine with Lime Crčme Fraiche and marinated Ginger
Sliced Filet of Veal accompanies by Salsa Diavola
Bread, Rolls and Butter

Entrees

Sea Bass Acqua Pazza offered with Spring Onions and roasted Potatoes
Rigatoni Pasta with a light Vegetable Mousseline served with Shiitake Mushrooms and shaved Parmesan Cheese
Hot Pot
Potato Cream Soup

Desert

Fresh Fruit: Pineapple, Kiwi, Raspberries, Mango and Watermelon
Chocolate Roll garnished with Caramel

Wine List
Champagne
1994 Noble Cuvee Brut Champagne, Lanson, Frankreich

White Wine
2001 Casablanca Valley Chardonnay "Grand Reserve" Vitisterra, Morande, Chile
2001 Valdadige DOC Bianco, Albino Armani, Italien

Vinotek Discoveries:

2001 Schloss Vollrads Reisling "Erstes Gewachs" Weingut Schloss Vollrads, Rheingau, Deutschland
2001 Weinheimer Kapellenberg Huxelrebe Beerenauslese (Desert Wine)

Red Wine

1999 Chateau Yon-Figeac, Saint Emilion, Grand Cru Classe, Frankreich
1999 Pommard, Bouchard Pere et Fils, Burgand, Frankreich
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, Castell Miquel, Mallorca, Spain


In Flight Entertainment

I actually had to ask for the movie selections which was surprising. They are the HI-8 tapes so there was only one selection for each movie title which was a bit disappointing. We were served first as I had enquired about the movies. Nothing overly exciting to choose from or too recent. AC seems to have better movie selections (ok, maybe not on the dreaded CP-763’s) Also, my tape unit wasn’t working so I had to sit beside my MIL to watch my movie. Wife wasn’t too pleased. Something about holding hands, I can’t be sure I wasn’t paying attention There are noise canceling type headphones built into the seats and they provide ear covers in the amenity kit


The SEATS

I don’t have anything that comfortable in my house to sit in. Nice and wide. Very comfortable. Even though they lay flat I actually preferred mine about 170/160 degrees. I felt more cradled that way. Might be just me though.

There was also what appeared to be a trash can/maybe a storage space in the bottom edge of the aisle seats. You have to push it in and then it pops out. We didn’t need or use it as we had the storage cabin beside the window.

Overall the flight still gets a 9/10 from me because the service and attitudes of the staff were out of this world. Thanks LH

Arrival in YYZ

When we landed they blocked the business and economy cabins so that the F passengers could get off first. VERY NICE

We landed at the YYZ in-field terminal and had to bus it to customs. It was almost a 10-minute ride to get to customs.

Being in F paid off huge here as our bus (the very first one) arrived just as a flight from Jamaica was unloading so we beat them to customs. Customs was a breeze to clear. I guess they knew they had a couple of flights coming in.


Don’t even get me started about the luggage. Priority bags, I should know better than to allow those tags on. The wife’s and my bags came off about ˝ an hour after we cleared customs. This was about after half the bags had been unloaded already. MIL’s took over an hour to get. We were actually very worried at this point. Worst of all was that there was no air conditioning working so it was HOT.


July 15, 2003
Air Canada YYZ-YYC
Business Class

The flight was fine but nothing to write home about (excuse the pun) The problem that I ran into was the lack of common sense displayed by the check in agent. We were booked on the 7:45pm flight and went to the airport at 9:45am for the 11:15am flight. The seatmap showed J9 and even as a SE the lady behind the desk made us go STANDBY. She checked us in for our original flight and issued us standby tickets and tags for our bags. I mentioned that the concierge knew we were coming early to do this and they said there would be no problems. She phoned and they said we couldn’t be confirmed. The lady I had played voice mail tag with the day before said just to arrive and there would be no problem as a SE. I’m not really upset with the concierge, it was the awful attitude of the check in agent and her almost snarky attitude.

We went to the MLL and the guy inside was happy to assign us seats for the flight With 40 minutes before the flight I gave the gate agent our standby tags and she said she would look after it. You guessed it. The bags didn’t show up in YYC. We got them the next day which I knew would happen but that agents unwillingness to confirm us on an open flight cost AC how many $$$$?

Not a great way to end the trip but I was just ready to sleep in my own bed so I was happy to be home.

I’ll post some hotel stuff as soon as I can. It might be another week so please be patient

airbus320

Great report. You give me ideas about trying F class. I have too many Aeroplan miles!!!

Thanks for the travelogue.

Andrew Yiu

Thanks for the trip report.

Do we have to wait another 6 weeks for the other parts?
Try asking that on an US airline, the air marshal would tackle you right away.

YYZC2

Great report cattle. I once had the pleasure of flying LH F and despite holding platinum "Jaded FlyerTalk Traveler" status, I had to pick my jaw up off the cabin floor a few times. How are you ever going to go back to enjoying AC domestic J now?

This is what happens when a company conditions its employees to be afraid of their own shadow when it comes to helping its customer. Senseless. Glad you made your intended flight, though.

ACflyerDE

Great report, cattle! Just a short remark, the beautiful white castle you visited in southern Germany is called "Neuschwanstein" (just in case somebody wants to look it up in a map or whereever...)

ac777

Great report cattle. Yes the concierge group at YYC is just great as are the ones at YHZ. I think having the concierge is one of the great benefits of being SE.
I have flights coming up on F in LH from BKK-FRA and now I am really excited and looking forward to it. My FRA-BKK is in TG (yes in F) Hope to compare the two and post here in october. Maybe, in the meantime, I should go back on a diet!!

fromYYZ_flyer

Great report cattle. If I would have been here when you arrived from FRA to YYZ, I would have waved to you. (The LH 747 passes right by my house @ about 16,000ft) Low enough I can read the reg. with binoculars, which I usually have. Neat eh?

LondonElite

Ha Ha You have my sympathies!

I agree th LH F seats are among the most comfortable in the sky.

I don't think it's just you that likes the seats slightly up from fully flat. Remember that, in flight, a plane's angle of attack is about 3 to 4 degrees, so when seats are fully flat, the blood flows to your head. When I'm travelling in flat seats I usually put them all the way down, then push the 'up' botton once.


Excellent trip report, very much enjoyed it !