Lufthansa LAX-FRA C Class
Jun 9, 2005, 9:11 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: DUB
Programs: BD *G, HHonors Gold, EI Gold Circle
Posts: 227
Lufthansa LAX-FRA C Class
LH451 LAX-FRA
Boeing 744
Business Class (Old Seats)
Dep 18:55 Arr 14:25
I arrived at LAX around 12pm to see if I could swap onto the earlier LH457 as this 747 had the new Lufthansa Business Class flatbed seats. However, when I approached the ticket desk I was told that whilst it may be possible, that I would have to pay a change fee as I was on a reward flight. I decided not to bother because I wasn’t in that big of hurry to get home. I proceeded to check-in, which was chaos! There was a separate line for F and C pax but both were extremely long as LH had flights checking in to FRA and MUC. I spent about 30 minutes in the line before I was called forward. I again mentioned travelling on the earlier flight but the agent barely acknowledged I had spoken. She took my bag and handed me my boarding card, which had my pre-assigned 5G, as well as my connection flight from FRA-DUB boarding card. I then took my check-in luggage to the TSA screening area, which again took a while. All in all it was 1hr 10mins from arriving at the airport until I was ready to proceed through security. Quite a while I thought especially for a C pax. I dread to think what it would be like in Y!
I killed some time around the airport and dropped back my rental car before going through security to the Lufthansa Business Lounge. As most lounges in Tom Bradley terminal at LAX are nothing special I was not overly enthusiastic about LH offering. However, it was fine to pass the last hour before boarding. At 17:55 an announcement was made that LH451 to FRA was ready for boarding. I finished my beer and collected my bag and began to make my way to gate 102. I soon realised that this is the furthest gate at LAX. As I got closer to the gate I could see the huge 744 parked right outside the window. It looked great so close up. Boarding a full 744 was a like a zoo. Again there was a separate line for C and F pax but it was still pretty long. Around 18:25 we were invited to board. I was greeted at the door by a nice lady who spoke to me in German, and even when I replied in English she proceeded to give me directions to my seat in German. I hadn’t a clue what she was saying but I knew roughly where the seat was anyway.
My first impression of the cabin was that it was very nice. 5G was at the very front of the nose section of the 744 and although it was the only middle seat in the cabin it was great because both 5D & G were aisle seats and there was nothing in front of the seats so the leg room was fantastic. I took my seat and within a few minutes a very pretty young girl offered me a pre-flight drink again in German! I spoke in English so that maybe they would get the hint but again a reply was in German. Not to worry, I greatly accepted the Champagne she offered.
Boarding was completed quickly and around 18:45 the doors were closed and we were ready to go. We taxied out to the runway and lined up behind a UA777. We lined up for take off and then we were off. Id never been on a 744 before, never mind in the nose section, so I was surprised at how quiet it actually was. It was a strange sensation, being so far forward, the angle of climbing was quite steep. We turned left and out over the pacific before doing a full 180 and flying directly back over LAX. I could see Santa Monica and the pier clearly. We reached our cruising altitude of 35000ft and the seat belt signs were turned off. The service began very quickly as the tables were laid with white linens the drinks trolley went around. I had enjoyed the champagne so I decided to stick with that. The small packet of nuts was delicious but they made me realise how hungry I was! The menus were passed around and I had a good look. I apologise to those who would like a menu transcript but I forgot to bring it with me. Anyway I had
Salad
Mixed baby spinach leaves with pine nuts and a ginger dressing
Appetiser
Shrimp (…something)
Entrée
Corn fed chicken breast with wild and white rice and mixed seasonal vegetables.
Desert
Fruit Salad
Coffee and Baileys.
The salad was quite nice however I didn’t even taste the shrimp, as it looked horrible. The chicken was delicious and the portion was quite large. It was served with mixed rice and some carrots. It was a bit dry and a sauce would have been nice, so I just had to wash it down with some more champagne! We hit some pretty severe turbulence during the service and the cabin crew had to stop and take their seats. But we continued to eat and by the time it had passed I was pretty much finished. Plates were cleared and then the desert trolley was offered. There was a lovely looking ginger cake but at this stage I was too full so some fruit salad was all I could manage. Coffee followed and I couldn’t resist baileys, to aid my sleep of course! Overall the food was excellent. Service was prompt and everything was offered in abundance. Bread was passed round many times and I saw several passengers having seconds of salad and deserts (pigs).
Anyway, after all that I noticed that we were about 2 hours into the flight. With the turbulence I suppose it took a bit longer than normal. I flicked through the in-flight magazine to see the movie selection but none of them were very appealing so I decided it was time for sleep. I reclined my seat fully and extended the leg rest. I have to say, despite it being a little hard it was very comfortable. LH is putting a big emphasis on their C and F products, hence the new C seating. The older version that I was on was quite acceptable to me but I can’t wait to try the new ones, as I’m sure they are even better. The cabin was dimmed and I made myself cosy with some blankets and pillows. This is when I realised it was absolutely boiling in the cabin. Im not exaggerating when I say this, it was so hot the sweat was rolling off the pax. I saw a couple of people mention it to the flight attendants however it didn’t seem to make any difference. It was so hot I ended up not being able to sleep properly. I kind of drifted in and out of consciousness for about 4 hours. Some water and juice and a few snacks had been left on the station in font of us, so I helped myself to plenty of water to try and cool down. I took a walk around the cabins and it seemed pretty full throughout. I’d say the load was easily 80-85%. I went back to my seat and passed and hour or two listening to music.
It was about 1 ½ hours before landing when the cabin was lit up again and the tables were laid again for “brunch”. Again the service was good and the food was excellent.
I ate Fresh Fruit selection and Omelette with mushrooms. Again, plenty of bread and coffee were offered and again I saw those fatty’s having seconds!
By the time breakfast, I mean “brunch” had been cleared away we were only about 20 minutes away from landing in FRA. Seats were brought upright and the cabin was cleared. I noticed on the large screen at the front of the cabin there was information being displayed about connecting flights with the gate no’s etc. A very useful idea as like myself I assume a lot of people had connections to catch.
We landed exactly on time but took quite a while to reach gate B21. When the airbridge was attached the F and C pax were allowed to disembark while the Y pax were held back. I was connecting to DUB at gate B46 so I hadn’t far to go. I made my way up to the LH Senator lounge (accessed with my *G card) where I was able to freshen up and have a shower and coffee and some gummy bears before the flight. The shower was such a good thing as I hate arriving and waiting for a connection after a long flight while I’m stinking.
FRA-DUB was the usual C class European (Europain in the ...) however the load was light so I had a full row of seats to stretch out and relax. There was food offered but I declined, as I was still full from the previous meals.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my first experience with Lufthansa. If I had to choose one word to describe it, they would be Efficient! Everyone I encountered was very efficient. They had that ’get the job done’ attitude, but in a nice way. Everything was done to please and the only way I could suggest they possibly improve would be that they were a little friendlier. A bit of small talk and a smile goes a long way!
Boeing 744
Business Class (Old Seats)
Dep 18:55 Arr 14:25
I arrived at LAX around 12pm to see if I could swap onto the earlier LH457 as this 747 had the new Lufthansa Business Class flatbed seats. However, when I approached the ticket desk I was told that whilst it may be possible, that I would have to pay a change fee as I was on a reward flight. I decided not to bother because I wasn’t in that big of hurry to get home. I proceeded to check-in, which was chaos! There was a separate line for F and C pax but both were extremely long as LH had flights checking in to FRA and MUC. I spent about 30 minutes in the line before I was called forward. I again mentioned travelling on the earlier flight but the agent barely acknowledged I had spoken. She took my bag and handed me my boarding card, which had my pre-assigned 5G, as well as my connection flight from FRA-DUB boarding card. I then took my check-in luggage to the TSA screening area, which again took a while. All in all it was 1hr 10mins from arriving at the airport until I was ready to proceed through security. Quite a while I thought especially for a C pax. I dread to think what it would be like in Y!
I killed some time around the airport and dropped back my rental car before going through security to the Lufthansa Business Lounge. As most lounges in Tom Bradley terminal at LAX are nothing special I was not overly enthusiastic about LH offering. However, it was fine to pass the last hour before boarding. At 17:55 an announcement was made that LH451 to FRA was ready for boarding. I finished my beer and collected my bag and began to make my way to gate 102. I soon realised that this is the furthest gate at LAX. As I got closer to the gate I could see the huge 744 parked right outside the window. It looked great so close up. Boarding a full 744 was a like a zoo. Again there was a separate line for C and F pax but it was still pretty long. Around 18:25 we were invited to board. I was greeted at the door by a nice lady who spoke to me in German, and even when I replied in English she proceeded to give me directions to my seat in German. I hadn’t a clue what she was saying but I knew roughly where the seat was anyway.
My first impression of the cabin was that it was very nice. 5G was at the very front of the nose section of the 744 and although it was the only middle seat in the cabin it was great because both 5D & G were aisle seats and there was nothing in front of the seats so the leg room was fantastic. I took my seat and within a few minutes a very pretty young girl offered me a pre-flight drink again in German! I spoke in English so that maybe they would get the hint but again a reply was in German. Not to worry, I greatly accepted the Champagne she offered.
Boarding was completed quickly and around 18:45 the doors were closed and we were ready to go. We taxied out to the runway and lined up behind a UA777. We lined up for take off and then we were off. Id never been on a 744 before, never mind in the nose section, so I was surprised at how quiet it actually was. It was a strange sensation, being so far forward, the angle of climbing was quite steep. We turned left and out over the pacific before doing a full 180 and flying directly back over LAX. I could see Santa Monica and the pier clearly. We reached our cruising altitude of 35000ft and the seat belt signs were turned off. The service began very quickly as the tables were laid with white linens the drinks trolley went around. I had enjoyed the champagne so I decided to stick with that. The small packet of nuts was delicious but they made me realise how hungry I was! The menus were passed around and I had a good look. I apologise to those who would like a menu transcript but I forgot to bring it with me. Anyway I had
Salad
Mixed baby spinach leaves with pine nuts and a ginger dressing
Appetiser
Shrimp (…something)
Entrée
Corn fed chicken breast with wild and white rice and mixed seasonal vegetables.
Desert
Fruit Salad
Coffee and Baileys.
The salad was quite nice however I didn’t even taste the shrimp, as it looked horrible. The chicken was delicious and the portion was quite large. It was served with mixed rice and some carrots. It was a bit dry and a sauce would have been nice, so I just had to wash it down with some more champagne! We hit some pretty severe turbulence during the service and the cabin crew had to stop and take their seats. But we continued to eat and by the time it had passed I was pretty much finished. Plates were cleared and then the desert trolley was offered. There was a lovely looking ginger cake but at this stage I was too full so some fruit salad was all I could manage. Coffee followed and I couldn’t resist baileys, to aid my sleep of course! Overall the food was excellent. Service was prompt and everything was offered in abundance. Bread was passed round many times and I saw several passengers having seconds of salad and deserts (pigs).
Anyway, after all that I noticed that we were about 2 hours into the flight. With the turbulence I suppose it took a bit longer than normal. I flicked through the in-flight magazine to see the movie selection but none of them were very appealing so I decided it was time for sleep. I reclined my seat fully and extended the leg rest. I have to say, despite it being a little hard it was very comfortable. LH is putting a big emphasis on their C and F products, hence the new C seating. The older version that I was on was quite acceptable to me but I can’t wait to try the new ones, as I’m sure they are even better. The cabin was dimmed and I made myself cosy with some blankets and pillows. This is when I realised it was absolutely boiling in the cabin. Im not exaggerating when I say this, it was so hot the sweat was rolling off the pax. I saw a couple of people mention it to the flight attendants however it didn’t seem to make any difference. It was so hot I ended up not being able to sleep properly. I kind of drifted in and out of consciousness for about 4 hours. Some water and juice and a few snacks had been left on the station in font of us, so I helped myself to plenty of water to try and cool down. I took a walk around the cabins and it seemed pretty full throughout. I’d say the load was easily 80-85%. I went back to my seat and passed and hour or two listening to music.
It was about 1 ½ hours before landing when the cabin was lit up again and the tables were laid again for “brunch”. Again the service was good and the food was excellent.
I ate Fresh Fruit selection and Omelette with mushrooms. Again, plenty of bread and coffee were offered and again I saw those fatty’s having seconds!
By the time breakfast, I mean “brunch” had been cleared away we were only about 20 minutes away from landing in FRA. Seats were brought upright and the cabin was cleared. I noticed on the large screen at the front of the cabin there was information being displayed about connecting flights with the gate no’s etc. A very useful idea as like myself I assume a lot of people had connections to catch.
We landed exactly on time but took quite a while to reach gate B21. When the airbridge was attached the F and C pax were allowed to disembark while the Y pax were held back. I was connecting to DUB at gate B46 so I hadn’t far to go. I made my way up to the LH Senator lounge (accessed with my *G card) where I was able to freshen up and have a shower and coffee and some gummy bears before the flight. The shower was such a good thing as I hate arriving and waiting for a connection after a long flight while I’m stinking.
FRA-DUB was the usual C class European (Europain in the ...) however the load was light so I had a full row of seats to stretch out and relax. There was food offered but I declined, as I was still full from the previous meals.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my first experience with Lufthansa. If I had to choose one word to describe it, they would be Efficient! Everyone I encountered was very efficient. They had that ’get the job done’ attitude, but in a nice way. Everything was done to please and the only way I could suggest they possibly improve would be that they were a little friendlier. A bit of small talk and a smile goes a long way!
Jun 9, 2005, 4:21 pm
#2
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: BRS
Programs: BA GLD
Posts: 1,927
Interesting report. Thanks. Tom Bradley is in desparate need of a makeover, isn't it?! Not a very good first and last impression of the USA. I seem to recall talks about a new international terminal at LAX, but not sure if anything is happening on that front. I personally find the old LH business class seat rather uncomfortable, but it beats economy any day. Food always seems well presented and reasonably tasty on LH as well. Every single time I have flown them, I have sweated through the flight as well. It seems to be a Lufthansa thing!
Jun 9, 2005, 5:13 pm
#3
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Digital Nomad
Programs: AA2MM LIFETIME PLT, Turkish Miles&Smiles Elite, Marriott Plat
Posts: 1,024
Lufthansa loves to speak German! I'm 3/4 Scandahoovian so I can easily pass for German. The LH FAs ALWAYS speak to me in German, even in First Class! You'd think somewhere on the manifest it should list PREFERRED LANGUAGE!
Jun 10, 2005, 5:17 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: DUB
Programs: BD *G, HHonors Gold, EI Gold Circle
Posts: 227
Originally Posted by rajinsf
Great TR ImcKenna,
Very Informative and a good insight to what I am likely to experience on my up coming LAX - FRA - JNB trip. Both flights are B744 and I have requested 2K.
Very Informative and a good insight to what I am likely to experience on my up coming LAX - FRA - JNB trip. Both flights are B744 and I have requested 2K.
If your on the LH457 from LAX-FRA you'll have the new C class seats... Ive heard great things about them! 2K is a nice seat at front but as the nose narrows you are slightly nearer the other seats at the front, and the leg room looks a tiny bit less.