A FlyerTalker's dream vacation? Or sheer madness? 2 weeks. 41568 miles. F class.
Dec 18, 2005, 2:23 pm
#31
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: East Ester, Alaska
Programs: Alaska Million Miler, United Million Miler, Wyndham Rewards Diamond, Choice Hotels Diamond
Posts: 12,148
(In my best printed imitation of Cheech & Chong speak...)
Did you say mesclun, man? I know what thaaaat is...
Did you say mesclun, man? I know what thaaaat is...
Dec 19, 2005, 6:41 pm
#33
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: BRS
Programs: BA GLD
Posts: 1,927
Tfn-mad-fra
Dinner on Spanish time meant a very late night for us on our last night. Perhaps the three bottles of Rioja the two of shared over dinner had something to do with it , but it was HELL getting up at 5AM to begin the journey to the other side of the planet. A surprisingly efficient (for Spain, anyway) room service waiter had strong coffee to the room in about five minutes, which helped somewhat. No traffic meant we were circling the airport at 615AM trying to decide which of the signs in Spanish meant, "turn in your rental car here." We left the car near some other cars that looked to be rentals, wrote the mileage and fuel level on the packet, and threw the keys into the empty Hertz office in the arrivals area of the terminal. I haven't received a bill for a new car from them, or a visit from Interpol, so I assume we did the right thing. My computer tells me that Hertz opens at 7AM, but the information desk at the airport said they usually come in "around eight."
Spanair check-in was a zoo. Lines everywhere. After figuring out that there was a dedicated line for Avante Class (with nobody in it), we stood for ten minutes as the agent kept summoning people from the Economy Class line to check them in
. After that happened three times, we walked up and stood at the counter until she had no choice but to acknowledge us. She asked if we were traveling together, which should have been pretty obvious since our tickets were identical. We asked if the bulkhead was available because we'd noticed how much extra legroom it had on the way down. She replied in the affirmative and printed our boarding passes on Spanair to Madrid, then on to Frankfurt and Singapore on Lufthansa. No mention was made of a lounge invitation, and we were both still half asleep, so we just assumed there wasn't one. After security, I noticed a sign that had a BMI logo on it, and it turned out to be a Star Alliance lounge, but strangely enough Spanair wasn't listed as one of the airlines. We took the elevator downstairs and handed our boarding passes to the agent. He handed them back and said that the lounge was for Business Class passengers only. Sure enough, our boarding passes said Economy Class ... AGAIN! Not only that, but I'm in 2C and mjmsf is in 6A 
. We ask if he can verify if these are Business Class seats and if he can change us so we're together, but he doesn't work for Spanair. At this point mjmsf needs a cigarette and I need to just calm down for a few minutes. Our own stupid fault for trusting the Spanair check-in robot.
My United 1K card let us stay in the lounge, so we both had a coffee while I inhaled mjmsf's second hand smoke and got my own nicotine fix. By now it was 35 minutes before departure so we went to the gate to see if they could sort out our seating dilemma. I was ignored by two girls who were engaged in a lively chat session until I said, "excuse me," and they duly acknowledged me. I explained the seat problem to the seated one, and she replied, "a bordo". Trying to keep my cool, but feeling the need to lecture the Spanair ground staff about customer service, I insisted that they do something now. The standing one explained to the seated one (in Spanish) how to pull up the seat map, which I could see from where I was standing. Business Class went back to row 6, but there were no empty seats together. Now mjmsf was in 6A and I could clearly see that 6C was occupied on the two seater side, but the seated one took my boarding pass and crossed out 2C and wrote 6B on it. There was no 6B on the seat map. I asked if that was the aisle on the two seat side and the standing one replied that it was. She then tore off the stub for both boarding passes and told us to go onboard. Probably to go back to her gossip session.
JK 5057 / TFN-MAD / Airbus A320
Seat 6C / Avante Class
Scheduled 0725-1110 / Actual 0735-1110
The flight crew was standing in the galley chatting when we arrived at the door. They obviously weren't expecting passengers yet, but jumped to attention and greeted us warmly. The Avante Class cabin on this A320 was configured with three seats on each side, just like Economy. The moveable cabin divider was behind row 6. Same aircraft type that we had flown from Frankfurt to Madrid but a completely different layout in Business Class. I also noticed that all boarding passes said Economy Class on them. Must be something about Tenerife flights, I suppose. And of course my newly assigned 6B was the middle seat next to mjmsf, just as I had suspected. Too tired to argue about it, I resigned myself to three hours of elbow fighting and closed my eyes for a few minutes. The door closed 10 minutes past scheduled departure with a total of 9 passengers in Avante Class (out of a total of 36 available seats.) And 6C was empty. And so was the entire bulkhead row that we had asked to be seated in. Why on earth it was such a convoluted process for Spanair, I cannot say, but what I can say is that their ground staff leave much to be desired.
We pushed back about ten minutes late and taxied past farmhouses to the runway where we took off without delay and set a northeasterly course for mainland Iberia. There were five flight attendants on board, with two dedicated to the nine of us in Business Class. Pre-departure service had included the pre-packaged moist towelette, newspapers (all Spanish language again) and magazines. Breakfast preparation noises emanated from the galley for about half an hour, then a breakfast and drinks service commenced from a cart. Again no choice of meal, and I must say the caliber of food was far worse than what had been catered out of Frankfurt. A soggy crepe filled with roasted peppers and a weird white sausage were pretty much inedible. Good cheese and bread, a glass of tomato juice, and a few glasses of Cava went down well, though. Tables cleared, I napped for an hour or so.
The purser saw me wake up and came back to ask if I wanted something else to drink. I didn't. She sat on the armrest of (unoccupied) seat 6D and chatted for a while. Asking us about where we were from, where we were going, and so on. Trying not to sound like a crazy person, I explained that we'd flown halfway around the world to spend four days in Tenerife, and that I was spending my entire vacation in the air, traveling over 40,000 miles in two weeks
. Her look said it all. Apparently in the eyes of someone who flies for a living (and many others, I know), I was indeed a crazy person. She told us how much she had enjoyed visiting the east coast of the United States, and that she was amazed that Americans were such nice people. Not at all the way we are portrayed in the Spanish (and other European) press. She also said how much she loved Dunkin' Donuts and that two or three people could easily split an American main course, which made eating in the States incredibly inexpensive. After half an hour or so, it was time for she and her colleague to offer a last drinks service. I declined again. She then came back and told me that the captain had asked that we both stay behind after we arrived in Madrid since he wanted to give us a tour of the flight deck and chat with us about Sri Lanka since it was one of his favorite places. Excellent! ^
We landed in Madrid right on time, but rather than docking at a real gate as the captain had anticipated, we were once again relegated to the remotest of remote stands to await bussing to the terminal. What a disappointment. There was no chance to stay behind since the busses would not be coming back until the flight was ready for boarding to it's next destination (Frankfurt.) We bade farewell to another fabulous crew and descended the stairs into a chilly Madrid morning to be herded to the terminal. Once inside, we repeated the routine of going upstairs and headed to the Spanair lounge for some more of those fantastic olives and a smoke. We had about 90 minutes to kill before our Lufthansa departure to Frankfurt at 1325, which seemingly flew by in the comforts of the Spanair lounge. I had asked the agent at the front desk to see if he could move our seats on Luftie from aisles across to the aisle/window combination. He called the gate and new boarding passes were waiting when we got there. Finally a member of the Spanair ground staff who provided customer service! We ambled slowly down to C37 where our Lufthansa A321 was ready to take us further north today.
LH 4411 / MAD-FRA / Airbus A321
Seat 5F / Business Class
Scheduled 1325-1605 / Actual 1340-1625
As is the norm with Lufthansa, no pre-boarding was offered for Business Class, so we joined the line and shuffled towards the boarding gate and down the Jetway to door 2L, where we made the left turn into the dedicated Business Class cabin on the A321. I didn't count how many rows were in the cabin (8?), but there were only about 10 passengers that day. Behind the door we entered through, there were another 5 rows of Business Class where an additional 2 passengers were seated. That's one heck of a lot of seats for 12 passengers, but it certainly was spacious. The configuration is 3X3, the same as the Economy Class cabin, and the seat pitch felt like 32 inches or so, but this wasn't a problem with such a light load. There was a Christmas wreath hung at the front of each cabin, which I thought was a nice touch, adding a little warmth to the austerity that is the Lufthansa Business Class compartment. Sleek and modern in gray and yellow, but a bit on the Spartan side. Pushback was about 15 minutes late for flow control into Frankfurt, and once accomplished, we joined a queue of 12 aircraft waiting to depart the active runway. We were finally airborne almost an hour after scheduled departure.
There was only one flight attendant (the Purser) serving the forward Business Class cabin today. Did LH cut back? Or perhaps they schedule their staffing around anticipated loads. She offered pre-departure newspapers and magazines, then started with a drinks service as soon as the seatbelt sign went off. I've always found the short haul staff on Lufthansa to be amongst the best they have to offer, and today was no exception. Smiling and friendly, she addressed me by name throughout the flight. She also fixed a mean Bombay Sapphire and tonic. Drinks service was was followed by a hot meal with two choices of main course. Filet steak or monkfish. The word "monkfish" was said with a shake of the head and a wink to let us know that beef was the way to go today, so bovine it was. Overcooked to a gray mush. But accompanied by a rather tasty Rioja and a Greek salad with hot rolls and butter. I hope the fish tasted better than it smelled. Another round of drinks was offered after the meal. Fantastic service on a 2 hour flight! I'm not entirely sold on the hot meal option, though. I'd rather have a plate of good German cured meats and cheeses and a salad myself. Easier to prepare and far better than the uninspiring slab of cow that had been offered. But that's just me. The service was so personable though that it more than made up for the meal itself.
As we began our descent into Frankfurt, the Purser came around to each customer with connecting gate information. Ours was not listed since we were departing so late that evening. She apologized, but then paid a brief visit to the flightdeck and returned a few minutes later with the anticipated gate number. Kudos for superb service on Lufthansa! ^
We landed about 20 minutes late, but pulled up to a real gate, which was a plus in the zero degree weather that late afternoon with the promise of snow in the air. After thanking our flight attendant and saying our goodbyes, we wandered into the airport to find the much anticipated Lufthansa First Class Terminal to bide our time until 11PM that night. We'd seen signs for a First Class Lounge, but weren't sure if that was the same thing, so we stopped at a Lufthansa Customer Service counter to ask. The agent questioned how much time we had (6 hours) then directed us out to the check-in lobby to the First Class check-in area. Once there we handed our boarding passes to the agent who told us to have a seat while he called for a driver to take us to the First Class Terminal. Would we prefer a Porche or a Mercedes?
As we awaited our Mercedes, the anticipation was almost overwhelming ...
, but it was HELL getting up at 5AM to begin the journey to the other side of the planet. A surprisingly efficient (for Spain, anyway) room service waiter had strong coffee to the room in about five minutes, which helped somewhat. No traffic meant we were circling the airport at 615AM trying to decide which of the signs in Spanish meant, "turn in your rental car here." We left the car near some other cars that looked to be rentals, wrote the mileage and fuel level on the packet, and threw the keys into the empty Hertz office in the arrivals area of the terminal. I haven't received a bill for a new car from them, or a visit from Interpol, so I assume we did the right thing. My computer tells me that Hertz opens at 7AM, but the information desk at the airport said they usually come in "around eight."Spanair check-in was a zoo. Lines everywhere. After figuring out that there was a dedicated line for Avante Class (with nobody in it), we stood for ten minutes as the agent kept summoning people from the Economy Class line to check them in
. After that happened three times, we walked up and stood at the counter until she had no choice but to acknowledge us. She asked if we were traveling together, which should have been pretty obvious since our tickets were identical. We asked if the bulkhead was available because we'd noticed how much extra legroom it had on the way down. She replied in the affirmative and printed our boarding passes on Spanair to Madrid, then on to Frankfurt and Singapore on Lufthansa. No mention was made of a lounge invitation, and we were both still half asleep, so we just assumed there wasn't one. After security, I noticed a sign that had a BMI logo on it, and it turned out to be a Star Alliance lounge, but strangely enough Spanair wasn't listed as one of the airlines. We took the elevator downstairs and handed our boarding passes to the agent. He handed them back and said that the lounge was for Business Class passengers only. Sure enough, our boarding passes said Economy Class ... AGAIN! Not only that, but I'm in 2C and mjmsf is in 6A . We ask if he can verify if these are Business Class seats and if he can change us so we're together, but he doesn't work for Spanair. At this point mjmsf needs a cigarette and I need to just calm down for a few minutes. Our own stupid fault for trusting the Spanair check-in robot.My United 1K card let us stay in the lounge, so we both had a coffee while I inhaled mjmsf's second hand smoke and got my own nicotine fix. By now it was 35 minutes before departure so we went to the gate to see if they could sort out our seating dilemma. I was ignored by two girls who were engaged in a lively chat session until I said, "excuse me," and they duly acknowledged me. I explained the seat problem to the seated one, and she replied, "a bordo". Trying to keep my cool, but feeling the need to lecture the Spanair ground staff about customer service, I insisted that they do something now. The standing one explained to the seated one (in Spanish) how to pull up the seat map, which I could see from where I was standing. Business Class went back to row 6, but there were no empty seats together. Now mjmsf was in 6A and I could clearly see that 6C was occupied on the two seater side, but the seated one took my boarding pass and crossed out 2C and wrote 6B on it. There was no 6B on the seat map
. I asked if that was the aisle on the two seat side and the standing one replied that it was. She then tore off the stub for both boarding passes and told us to go onboard. Probably to go back to her gossip session.JK 5057 / TFN-MAD / Airbus A320
Seat 6C / Avante Class
Scheduled 0725-1110 / Actual 0735-1110
The flight crew was standing in the galley chatting when we arrived at the door. They obviously weren't expecting passengers yet, but jumped to attention and greeted us warmly. The Avante Class cabin on this A320 was configured with three seats on each side, just like Economy. The moveable cabin divider was behind row 6. Same aircraft type that we had flown from Frankfurt to Madrid but a completely different layout in Business Class. I also noticed that all boarding passes said Economy Class on them. Must be something about Tenerife flights, I suppose. And of course my newly assigned 6B was the middle seat next to mjmsf, just as I had suspected. Too tired to argue about it, I resigned myself to three hours of elbow fighting and closed my eyes for a few minutes. The door closed 10 minutes past scheduled departure with a total of 9 passengers in Avante Class (out of a total of 36 available seats.) And 6C was empty. And so was the entire bulkhead row that we had asked to be seated in. Why on earth it was such a convoluted process for Spanair, I cannot say, but what I can say is that their ground staff leave much to be desired.
We pushed back about ten minutes late and taxied past farmhouses to the runway where we took off without delay and set a northeasterly course for mainland Iberia. There were five flight attendants on board, with two dedicated to the nine of us in Business Class. Pre-departure service had included the pre-packaged moist towelette, newspapers (all Spanish language again) and magazines. Breakfast preparation noises emanated from the galley for about half an hour, then a breakfast and drinks service commenced from a cart. Again no choice of meal, and I must say the caliber of food was far worse than what had been catered out of Frankfurt. A soggy crepe filled with roasted peppers and a weird white sausage were pretty much inedible. Good cheese and bread, a glass of tomato juice, and a few glasses of Cava went down well, though. Tables cleared, I napped for an hour or so.
The purser saw me wake up and came back to ask if I wanted something else to drink. I didn't. She sat on the armrest of (unoccupied) seat 6D and chatted for a while. Asking us about where we were from, where we were going, and so on. Trying not to sound like a crazy person, I explained that we'd flown halfway around the world to spend four days in Tenerife, and that I was spending my entire vacation in the air, traveling over 40,000 miles in two weeks
. Her look said it all. Apparently in the eyes of someone who flies for a living (and many others, I know), I was indeed a crazy person. She told us how much she had enjoyed visiting the east coast of the United States, and that she was amazed that Americans were such nice people. Not at all the way we are portrayed in the Spanish (and other European) press. She also said how much she loved Dunkin' Donuts and that two or three people could easily split an American main course, which made eating in the States incredibly inexpensive. After half an hour or so, it was time for she and her colleague to offer a last drinks service. I declined again. She then came back and told me that the captain had asked that we both stay behind after we arrived in Madrid since he wanted to give us a tour of the flight deck and chat with us about Sri Lanka since it was one of his favorite places. Excellent! ^We landed in Madrid right on time, but rather than docking at a real gate as the captain had anticipated, we were once again relegated to the remotest of remote stands to await bussing to the terminal. What a disappointment. There was no chance to stay behind since the busses would not be coming back until the flight was ready for boarding to it's next destination (Frankfurt.) We bade farewell to another fabulous crew and descended the stairs into a chilly Madrid morning to be herded to the terminal. Once inside, we repeated the routine of going upstairs and headed to the Spanair lounge for some more of those fantastic olives and a smoke. We had about 90 minutes to kill before our Lufthansa departure to Frankfurt at 1325, which seemingly flew by in the comforts of the Spanair lounge. I had asked the agent at the front desk to see if he could move our seats on Luftie from aisles across to the aisle/window combination. He called the gate and new boarding passes were waiting when we got there. Finally a member of the Spanair ground staff who provided customer service! We ambled slowly down to C37 where our Lufthansa A321 was ready to take us further north today.
LH 4411 / MAD-FRA / Airbus A321
Seat 5F / Business Class
Scheduled 1325-1605 / Actual 1340-1625
As is the norm with Lufthansa, no pre-boarding was offered for Business Class, so we joined the line and shuffled towards the boarding gate and down the Jetway to door 2L, where we made the left turn into the dedicated Business Class cabin on the A321. I didn't count how many rows were in the cabin (8?), but there were only about 10 passengers that day. Behind the door we entered through, there were another 5 rows of Business Class where an additional 2 passengers were seated. That's one heck of a lot of seats for 12 passengers, but it certainly was spacious. The configuration is 3X3, the same as the Economy Class cabin, and the seat pitch felt like 32 inches or so, but this wasn't a problem with such a light load. There was a Christmas wreath hung at the front of each cabin, which I thought was a nice touch, adding a little warmth to the austerity that is the Lufthansa Business Class compartment. Sleek and modern in gray and yellow, but a bit on the Spartan side. Pushback was about 15 minutes late for flow control into Frankfurt, and once accomplished, we joined a queue of 12 aircraft waiting to depart the active runway. We were finally airborne almost an hour after scheduled departure.
There was only one flight attendant (the Purser) serving the forward Business Class cabin today. Did LH cut back? Or perhaps they schedule their staffing around anticipated loads. She offered pre-departure newspapers and magazines, then started with a drinks service as soon as the seatbelt sign went off. I've always found the short haul staff on Lufthansa to be amongst the best they have to offer, and today was no exception. Smiling and friendly, she addressed me by name throughout the flight. She also fixed a mean Bombay Sapphire and tonic. Drinks service was was followed by a hot meal with two choices of main course. Filet steak or monkfish. The word "monkfish" was said with a shake of the head and a wink to let us know that beef was the way to go today, so bovine it was. Overcooked to a gray mush. But accompanied by a rather tasty Rioja and a Greek salad with hot rolls and butter. I hope the fish tasted better than it smelled. Another round of drinks was offered after the meal. Fantastic service on a 2 hour flight! I'm not entirely sold on the hot meal option, though. I'd rather have a plate of good German cured meats and cheeses and a salad myself. Easier to prepare and far better than the uninspiring slab of cow that had been offered. But that's just me. The service was so personable though that it more than made up for the meal itself.
As we began our descent into Frankfurt, the Purser came around to each customer with connecting gate information. Ours was not listed since we were departing so late that evening. She apologized, but then paid a brief visit to the flightdeck and returned a few minutes later with the anticipated gate number. Kudos for superb service on Lufthansa! ^
We landed about 20 minutes late, but pulled up to a real gate, which was a plus in the zero degree weather that late afternoon with the promise of snow in the air. After thanking our flight attendant and saying our goodbyes, we wandered into the airport to find the much anticipated Lufthansa First Class Terminal to bide our time until 11PM that night. We'd seen signs for a First Class Lounge, but weren't sure if that was the same thing, so we stopped at a Lufthansa Customer Service counter to ask. The agent questioned how much time we had (6 hours) then directed us out to the check-in lobby to the First Class check-in area. Once there we handed our boarding passes to the agent who told us to have a seat while he called for a driver to take us to the First Class Terminal. Would we prefer a Porche or a Mercedes?
As we awaited our Mercedes, the anticipation was almost overwhelming ...
Last edited by sftrvlr; Dec 19, 2005 at 6:55 pm Reason: Spelling
Dec 20, 2005, 3:03 pm
#36
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Scotland
Programs: BA, BD, AF, LH, AA, EK, Hilton, ICHG, SPG
Posts: 1,500
Well, I've only just managed to read this ... and what a seemingly crazy, yet absolutely wonderful, trip this is 
An epic journey in true FT style and a thoroughly good read too. Roll on the remaining sectors ^ ^ ^
An epic journey in true FT style and a thoroughly good read too. Roll on the remaining sectors ^ ^ ^
Dec 22, 2005, 7:32 am
#41
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: DUB / DXB
Programs: EK Gold, BA Gold
Posts: 2,471
Well as so many are waiting to hear about the F terminal i hope the OP doesnt mind if i hijack this thread a bit and fill you in... I'll remove this post if you wanna keep it as your Trip Report.
After arriving in FRA i made my way outside the main terminal to see if i could walk to the new F Terminal, ive read here on FlyerTalk that its pretty easy to walk to, but to be honest after 30 mins of searching i gave up and went back in to the F checkin desk to ask if i could get directions to the terminal. The lady looked at my borading pass and asked me to wait a few moments while she had a driver come to pick me up. About 5 mins later a Mercedes S class pulled up outside and the driver took my bags and put them in the car. He drove to the terminal which is actually a bit further than i had imagined, not easy to walk to if your unfamiliar with FRA airport.
When we arrived at the terminal a 'personal assistant' greeted me at the door and took my passport and boarding card, she then escorted me through the security check which is located just past the entrance. She gave me a brief description of the layout and explained that she would be available to me until i was ready to board my flight.
After you pass through security there is a small duty free shopping area which has some nice products stocked. On entering the main lounge area, i was impressed by the size and decor. Its very modern minimalist, but still very comfortable. There are several secluded areas for different activities. First i wanted to take a shower as i had been travelling for several hours already. There are about 9 shower suites (i think). These are large self-contained units which have a toliet, shower and vanity area. Bathrobes and towels are provided along with all amenities such as toothbrush, shaving kit, comb etc. The shower was wonderful, one of those overhead rain-showers. I spent about an hour having a shower and freshening up. I then went back out to the main lounge area and explored a bit. There are several areas for relaxing and watching tv with a drink. A smoking room which had a nice band & olufsen cd player. There is also a sit-down restaurant area, which i decided to take full use of.
I was hungry by now so i went and took a look at the buffet selection. Todays choices were thai chicken curry, warm beef salad, asian noodles and spring rolls, a large selection of cold meats and salad including salmon and roast beef, warm bread selection. I decided to help my self to some srping rolls and thai chicken curry with steamed brown rice. The food was excellent and was kept refreshed rather than left out for a long time. I also had some warm brown bread which was excellent. As i was travelling alone i found it nice that the waitress made conversation with me. The chef appeared several times to add items to the selection. He asked me did i like the curry and i told him it was excellent. He explined that all the chefs who work there are highly trained and chosen by Lufthansa specifically to work in the F terminal. He said that if there was something that i would like which wasnt on the menu, they would be more than happy to cook it for me. I had more than enough already so i thanked him but declined. I finished off my meal and had another glass of wine.
I then went to watch tv for a while. There are several large plasma tv's available all tuned to cnn news. I made myself comfortable and one of the bar staff came to offer me a drink. I decided as i was in relax mode id have a pina colada, which was delicious and they certainly didnt spare the alcohol! After about an hour and another 2 cocktails i was starting to feel tired and i still had 2 hours until my flight departed, so i went to one of the relaxation rooms. These are private rooms which contain a day-bed and some blankets and pyjamas along with some refreshments of water and fruit juice. I lay down and was asleep in minutes. I slept for about an hour so when i woke up i went to the bathroom to freshen up. I went back into the main lounge area and had a look at the food buffet again. I wasnt that hungry so i decided to just help myself to some desert. The choices were excellent. I had a chocolate mouse and some fruit salad. I sat at the tv area again and the bar staff came to ask would i like another cocktail... Very impressive that they remembered my drink but i didnt want to over do it before this long flight to Singapore so i just had a coke, my glass never went empty as the bar staff constantly kept it topped up without me asking.
By this time it was getting close to my departure so i looked around for my personal assistant and sure enough she had just started looking for me. She had my boarding card and passport and she escorted me downstairs to the passport control area where a row of mercedes and porche were waiting. She asked which i would like so i asked for the mercedes again. After completing the passpost checks i thanked her for her help and gave my bags to the driver. He loaded up the car and we were on our way. It took about 5 mins to reach the aircraft where i was escorted up a set of stairs and the main boarding had begun so my driver held back the other passengers and allowed me to pass. He walked me all the way to the upper deck of the 747 and then that was it
An excellent experience and one that i would advise anyone to try at least once
After arriving in FRA i made my way outside the main terminal to see if i could walk to the new F Terminal, ive read here on FlyerTalk that its pretty easy to walk to, but to be honest after 30 mins of searching i gave up and went back in to the F checkin desk to ask if i could get directions to the terminal. The lady looked at my borading pass and asked me to wait a few moments while she had a driver come to pick me up. About 5 mins later a Mercedes S class pulled up outside and the driver took my bags and put them in the car. He drove to the terminal which is actually a bit further than i had imagined, not easy to walk to if your unfamiliar with FRA airport.
When we arrived at the terminal a 'personal assistant' greeted me at the door and took my passport and boarding card, she then escorted me through the security check which is located just past the entrance. She gave me a brief description of the layout and explained that she would be available to me until i was ready to board my flight.
After you pass through security there is a small duty free shopping area which has some nice products stocked. On entering the main lounge area, i was impressed by the size and decor. Its very modern minimalist, but still very comfortable. There are several secluded areas for different activities. First i wanted to take a shower as i had been travelling for several hours already. There are about 9 shower suites (i think). These are large self-contained units which have a toliet, shower and vanity area. Bathrobes and towels are provided along with all amenities such as toothbrush, shaving kit, comb etc. The shower was wonderful, one of those overhead rain-showers. I spent about an hour having a shower and freshening up. I then went back out to the main lounge area and explored a bit. There are several areas for relaxing and watching tv with a drink. A smoking room which had a nice band & olufsen cd player. There is also a sit-down restaurant area, which i decided to take full use of.
I was hungry by now so i went and took a look at the buffet selection. Todays choices were thai chicken curry, warm beef salad, asian noodles and spring rolls, a large selection of cold meats and salad including salmon and roast beef, warm bread selection. I decided to help my self to some srping rolls and thai chicken curry with steamed brown rice. The food was excellent and was kept refreshed rather than left out for a long time. I also had some warm brown bread which was excellent. As i was travelling alone i found it nice that the waitress made conversation with me. The chef appeared several times to add items to the selection. He asked me did i like the curry and i told him it was excellent. He explined that all the chefs who work there are highly trained and chosen by Lufthansa specifically to work in the F terminal. He said that if there was something that i would like which wasnt on the menu, they would be more than happy to cook it for me. I had more than enough already so i thanked him but declined. I finished off my meal and had another glass of wine.
I then went to watch tv for a while. There are several large plasma tv's available all tuned to cnn news. I made myself comfortable and one of the bar staff came to offer me a drink. I decided as i was in relax mode id have a pina colada, which was delicious and they certainly didnt spare the alcohol! After about an hour and another 2 cocktails i was starting to feel tired and i still had 2 hours until my flight departed, so i went to one of the relaxation rooms. These are private rooms which contain a day-bed and some blankets and pyjamas along with some refreshments of water and fruit juice. I lay down and was asleep in minutes. I slept for about an hour so when i woke up i went to the bathroom to freshen up. I went back into the main lounge area and had a look at the food buffet again. I wasnt that hungry so i decided to just help myself to some desert. The choices were excellent. I had a chocolate mouse and some fruit salad. I sat at the tv area again and the bar staff came to ask would i like another cocktail... Very impressive that they remembered my drink but i didnt want to over do it before this long flight to Singapore so i just had a coke, my glass never went empty as the bar staff constantly kept it topped up without me asking.
By this time it was getting close to my departure so i looked around for my personal assistant and sure enough she had just started looking for me. She had my boarding card and passport and she escorted me downstairs to the passport control area where a row of mercedes and porche were waiting. She asked which i would like so i asked for the mercedes again. After completing the passpost checks i thanked her for her help and gave my bags to the driver. He loaded up the car and we were on our way. It took about 5 mins to reach the aircraft where i was escorted up a set of stairs and the main boarding had begun so my driver held back the other passengers and allowed me to pass. He walked me all the way to the upper deck of the 747 and then that was it
An excellent experience and one that i would advise anyone to try at least once
Last edited by modularmayhem; Dec 22, 2005 at 7:39 am
Dec 22, 2005, 10:40 am
#43
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: BRS
Programs: BA GLD
Posts: 1,927
Lufthansa First Class Terminal
You've pretty much got it covered, modularmayhem. And thanks for filling our readers in. I've been so busy at work that I've neglected my Trip Report duties.
It took about 5 minutes for our driver to appear at the First Class check-in area. He introduced himself and took our bags, leading us outside to an awaiting Mercedes van, which while comfortable, wasn't what I was expecting. It was freezing outside (literally) and all I had on was a short sleeved shirt, so I didn't really care. He drove us out of the airport, onto the Autobahn for a moment, then into the First Class terminal. The driveway is set up rather like a hotel with a covered canopy. Several staff members came out to greet us, not knowing that we were traveling together. Once it was clear that we were, Sylvie, our personal assistant, asked if we had used the terminal before. Since we had not, she asked if she could take us through to the lounge and point out the features at our disposal. We handed her our passports and boarding passes so she could have us pre-cleared by Border Control, and said she would find us thirty minutes before departure for boarding. Before proceeding through a security checkpoint, she asked if we needed any assistance for our arrival into Singapore and confirmed that the seats we had selected were correct. She then apologized that the flight was delayed by an hour due to a late arriving aircraft. She added that we would be more than comfortable in our new home, and to contact herself or any staff member for assistance as necessary.
Since the terminal is used by so few people, the security checkpoint is powered up only when someone needs to use it, and we were both cleared instantly. Sylvie pointed out the duty free shop just outside the main lounge, then led us into what I can only describe as the best lounge I have ever laid eyes on. I'm not good at estimating square footage, but according to Skytrax, it's 19K square feet. Enormous! There are six individual offices featuring a large desk and several chairs, telephone and internet connection, with doors that close for privacy. A large selection of newspapers and magazines is available. The main lounge is divided into mini-lounge areas with clusters of arm chairs and sofas around coffee tables, which are set up with drinks menus and martini glasses filled with snacks of dried fruits, wasabi coated peanuts and other salty things to accompany your beverage of choice. And what a choice they have! I counted 45 types of whisky, 9 types of gin and 11 vodkas on the menu, as well as quality wines, champagnes and liqueurs. They even offer 6 varieties of water. You can order from the bar or be served by a number of roving waiters.
Facing the windows, there are modern leather recliners with foot stools for reading, napping, etc. There were two huge plasma televisions, one tuned to CNN International and one to a German news channel. The enclosed smoking room (mjmsf's dream come true) had jazz playing quietly in the background and a mini bar area with whisky, cognac, wine and water if you wanted to help yourself. A waiter checked in periodically if you required something else. Down the hallway were two slumber rooms, each with a leather chaise-long, mood lighting, blanket and pillow, along with a tray of water and juice. The showers were as described. Bigger than my living room, with separate toilet, vanity area and wonderful rain shower. Amenites, bathrobes and slippers were laid out.
Next to the bar is a full service, sit down restaurant where the waiters and waitresses wear white gloves, and the kitchen is staffed with top quality chefs. The buffet area contained about 50 items such as cold meats and cheeses, grilled vegetables, salads, chilled seafood, smoked salmon and other antipasti items. There was whole leg of ham (trotter and all) held in what looked like a torture device using wooden clamps, from which paper thin slices of meat had been carved. I think this was a German style cured ham. There was also a whole Italian style proscuitto with equally thin slices carved from it. Six different breads, chilled butter and assorted mustards and mayonnaise, along with cold cabinet featuring various desserts and fresh fruit rounded out the cold buffet. At the other end, a hot plate contained chicken curry, fried rice, pasta with meat sauce, venison stew and mashed potatoes. There was a side of roast beef and a roasted pork loin that were carved to order. There was a wheel of Parmesano Reggiano cheese with chunks chipped out of it, along with several types of olive oils, and some aged balsamic vinegar (the cheese drizzled with the Balsamico was a lovely dessert.) You could also order soups from the kitchen, which we did. A delicious chicken and mushroom soup with coconut milk. The special of the day was wild mushroom risotto with truffles. Each table was laid with fine white linens, china and silverware, and contained an ice bucket with still and sparkling water. A trolley was brought around with a selection of fine wines (I had a tasty white from Austria), all served with white gloves. I plunged head first into the orgy of indulgence, and (as usual) overstuffed my plate with things from the cold buffet, while mjmsf had the chicken curry. Everything was excellent.
After dinner, a shower and a nap were in order. It's hard to pull yourself out of that rain shower, but I managed, and felt refreshed after a 2 hour nap in the slumber room. Mjmsf was ready to leave after about four hours, but with the flight delayed until midnight, we had a total of seven hours in the lounge. I on the other had, was ready to move in. At 1115PM, Sylvie came to get us. There were three of us left in the lounge. She apologized for the delay again, and led us downstairs to the passport officer who verified our pictures and handed us back out documents. We were given the choice of Mercedes or Porche, sedan or SUV to drive us to our waiting aircraft. We chose a sleek Mercedes sedan. The staff bid us farewell and a pleasant onward journey, our bags were loaded into the car, and off we went onto the tarmac to our waiting Jumbo that was preparing to take us East tonight. I feel that I can no longer merely "walk" to my departure gate after this experience. Arriving in style is now the only way to arrive at the gate. The flight was completely boarded by the time we arrived. Our driver carried our bags for us, led us upstairs to the gate, down the jetway and to the upper deck of the 747-400 where the Lufthansa First Class cabin is situated. He introduced us to the crew and bid us a pleasant flight. We were escorted to our seats and offered champagne.
So there you have it. Lufthansa has blown away the competition. They have raised the bar for service to international First Class customers, and have done a magnificent job. Now if they can bring their aging First Class cabin up to par, things will be perfect. We'll talk about that in the next installment ...
(which will be later today, I promise)
It took about 5 minutes for our driver to appear at the First Class check-in area. He introduced himself and took our bags, leading us outside to an awaiting Mercedes van, which while comfortable, wasn't what I was expecting. It was freezing outside (literally) and all I had on was a short sleeved shirt, so I didn't really care. He drove us out of the airport, onto the Autobahn for a moment, then into the First Class terminal. The driveway is set up rather like a hotel with a covered canopy. Several staff members came out to greet us, not knowing that we were traveling together. Once it was clear that we were, Sylvie, our personal assistant, asked if we had used the terminal before. Since we had not, she asked if she could take us through to the lounge and point out the features at our disposal. We handed her our passports and boarding passes so she could have us pre-cleared by Border Control, and said she would find us thirty minutes before departure for boarding. Before proceeding through a security checkpoint, she asked if we needed any assistance for our arrival into Singapore and confirmed that the seats we had selected were correct. She then apologized that the flight was delayed by an hour due to a late arriving aircraft. She added that we would be more than comfortable in our new home, and to contact herself or any staff member for assistance as necessary.
Since the terminal is used by so few people, the security checkpoint is powered up only when someone needs to use it, and we were both cleared instantly. Sylvie pointed out the duty free shop just outside the main lounge, then led us into what I can only describe as the best lounge I have ever laid eyes on. I'm not good at estimating square footage, but according to Skytrax, it's 19K square feet. Enormous! There are six individual offices featuring a large desk and several chairs, telephone and internet connection, with doors that close for privacy. A large selection of newspapers and magazines is available. The main lounge is divided into mini-lounge areas with clusters of arm chairs and sofas around coffee tables, which are set up with drinks menus and martini glasses filled with snacks of dried fruits, wasabi coated peanuts and other salty things to accompany your beverage of choice. And what a choice they have! I counted 45 types of whisky, 9 types of gin and 11 vodkas on the menu, as well as quality wines, champagnes and liqueurs. They even offer 6 varieties of water. You can order from the bar or be served by a number of roving waiters.
Facing the windows, there are modern leather recliners with foot stools for reading, napping, etc. There were two huge plasma televisions, one tuned to CNN International and one to a German news channel. The enclosed smoking room (mjmsf's dream come true) had jazz playing quietly in the background and a mini bar area with whisky, cognac, wine and water if you wanted to help yourself. A waiter checked in periodically if you required something else. Down the hallway were two slumber rooms, each with a leather chaise-long, mood lighting, blanket and pillow, along with a tray of water and juice. The showers were as described. Bigger than my living room, with separate toilet, vanity area and wonderful rain shower. Amenites, bathrobes and slippers were laid out.
Next to the bar is a full service, sit down restaurant where the waiters and waitresses wear white gloves, and the kitchen is staffed with top quality chefs. The buffet area contained about 50 items such as cold meats and cheeses, grilled vegetables, salads, chilled seafood, smoked salmon and other antipasti items. There was whole leg of ham (trotter and all) held in what looked like a torture device using wooden clamps, from which paper thin slices of meat had been carved. I think this was a German style cured ham. There was also a whole Italian style proscuitto with equally thin slices carved from it. Six different breads, chilled butter and assorted mustards and mayonnaise, along with cold cabinet featuring various desserts and fresh fruit rounded out the cold buffet. At the other end, a hot plate contained chicken curry, fried rice, pasta with meat sauce, venison stew and mashed potatoes. There was a side of roast beef and a roasted pork loin that were carved to order. There was a wheel of Parmesano Reggiano cheese with chunks chipped out of it, along with several types of olive oils, and some aged balsamic vinegar (the cheese drizzled with the Balsamico was a lovely dessert.) You could also order soups from the kitchen, which we did. A delicious chicken and mushroom soup with coconut milk. The special of the day was wild mushroom risotto with truffles. Each table was laid with fine white linens, china and silverware, and contained an ice bucket with still and sparkling water. A trolley was brought around with a selection of fine wines (I had a tasty white from Austria), all served with white gloves. I plunged head first into the orgy of indulgence, and (as usual) overstuffed my plate with things from the cold buffet, while mjmsf had the chicken curry. Everything was excellent.
After dinner, a shower and a nap were in order. It's hard to pull yourself out of that rain shower, but I managed, and felt refreshed after a 2 hour nap in the slumber room. Mjmsf was ready to leave after about four hours, but with the flight delayed until midnight, we had a total of seven hours in the lounge. I on the other had, was ready to move in
. At 1115PM, Sylvie came to get us. There were three of us left in the lounge. She apologized for the delay again, and led us downstairs to the passport officer who verified our pictures and handed us back out documents. We were given the choice of Mercedes or Porche, sedan or SUV to drive us to our waiting aircraft. We chose a sleek Mercedes sedan. The staff bid us farewell and a pleasant onward journey, our bags were loaded into the car, and off we went onto the tarmac to our waiting Jumbo that was preparing to take us East tonight. I feel that I can no longer merely "walk" to my departure gate after this experience. Arriving in style is now the only way to arrive at the gate. The flight was completely boarded by the time we arrived. Our driver carried our bags for us, led us upstairs to the gate, down the jetway and to the upper deck of the 747-400 where the Lufthansa First Class cabin is situated. He introduced us to the crew and bid us a pleasant flight. We were escorted to our seats and offered champagne.So there you have it. Lufthansa has blown away the competition. They have raised the bar for service to international First Class customers, and have done a magnificent job. Now if they can bring their aging First Class cabin up to par, things will be perfect. We'll talk about that in the next installment ...
(which will be later today, I promise)
Last edited by sftrvlr; Jan 2, 2007 at 6:20 pm Reason: Spelling
Dec 22, 2005, 5:04 pm
#44
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: BRS
Programs: BA GLD
Posts: 1,927
Fra-sin
Only a FlyerTalker would probably say they had a "wonderful" seven hours at an airport, but it's the truth. I loved the Lufthansa First Class terminal at Frankfurt and have never felt so pampered. We're now onboard the big Lufthansa bird bound for the distant island of Singapore.
LH 776 / FRA-SIN / Boeing 747-400
Seat 82C / First Class
Scheduled 2235-1715+1 / Actual 2340-1820+1
Since rollerboard suitcases don't fit in the tiny overhead bins on the upper deck of a 747, and almost every traveler has one, Lufthansa stores them all in the closet at the rear of the upper deck. They are given back to you as you leave the aircraft. Mjmsf and I settled into seats 82A&C and accepted a glass of champagne from the flight attendant. Today's selection was Cuvee Rare, Champagne Piper-Heidsieck, and was smooth and delicious, served in real glasses, with a small selection of canapes. Lufthansa airplanes are not configured with the storage bin next to the window seat, which means that your small bags must all go in the tiny overhead. Whilst we were enjoying our beverage, the flight attendant dispensed sleeper suits and amenity kits. The sleeper suits are by Van Laack and are a rather nasty blend of 65% polyester and 35% cotton. Not nearly as comfortable as the 100% cotton suits by Givenchy from Singapore Airlines, or even the old Lufthansa sleeper suits by Bogner. The male amenity kit is by Clarins Men, which happens to be the line that I use, but it was rather spartan when compared to the offerings from Asian airlines. It contained small (sample size) offerings of face, hand and eye cream, along with a Lufthansa branded hairbrush/mirror combination. The lavatory had razors, shave cream and additional hand cream. Our glasses were refilled as we pushed back from the gate and the safety video began.
Takeoff was shortly before midnight in light snow and we climbed through a bumpy sky and set course for the Orient. Thirty minutes after takeoff, the flight attendants were back up to offer cocktail and beverage service, followed by a sumptuous five course meal. I usually give Lufthansa high marks for quality of service, even though it is often delivered in a rather cold, efficient style. This time, I would rate the service as 11 out of 10. Absolutely superb. The ladies were on the senior side as they often are on longhaul, and saw to our every need throughout the flight with broad smiles and a friendly demeanor, pampering us from takeoff to touchdown. And how they managed to keep those heels on throughout the flight, I'll never know. They looked coiffed, polished and presentable after 12 hours in the air, reminding me of the "old days" at Pan American, Trans World and other venerable carriers of the world. I didn't think the Germans had it in them to smile so much. Whilst we were enjoying a second round of Bombay Sapphire and tonics, the purser came around to introduce himself personally to each guest in First Class and distribute the menus. A nice touch. Our tables were individually laid from a trolley, the signature red rose placed in the vase at each seat. Tonight's offerings:
Menu
In order to provide you with more time to rest, we offer our new Night and Light Service; an assortment of cold and hot delicacies as well as cheese and dessert served from the cart in one course. We are more than happy to offer you our acclaimed menu of several courses, if you choose not to use this service.
Hors d'oevre from the Appetizer Cart
Caviar with the traditional Garnishes
Deepwater prawns with braised Radish
Tuna Pastrami with Caponata and Ponzu Zabaglione
Duck galantine roasted, with Belgian Endive and Pepper Orange Sauce
Ratatouille Vegetable Confit with Swiss Balsamico and Tomato Marmalade
Swiss "Pizikels" pasta with Leaf Spinach and fried Onions
Bread, Rolls, Toast and Butter
Entrees
Goose
Roasted, with Red Cabbage, Potato Dumplings and herbed Butter
Turbot
With pureed Peas and Lobster Sauce
Simmental Veal Shank
Glazed, served on Pumpkin and Quark Cheese Gnocchi
Cheese and Dessert
International Cheese
Bleu d'Auvergne, Gruyere, Morbier, Pave Sauvage and Tete de Moine
accompanied by Fig Mustard and Grapes
Chocolate Royal Victoria Jungfrau
on a crunchy Paillette with frozen Wild Berries
Passion Fruit Consomme with Buttermilk Mousse
Coffee, Cappuccino, Espresso and Tea
Specialty Dessert Wine
The wines on offer included the Champagne mentioned above, as well as 2000 The William Wine, Graham Beck (Cabernet-Pinotage, South Africa), 1999 Chateau Bouscaut, Cru Classe, Pessac-Leognan (Cabernet-Cabernet Franc, France), 2004 Keltic Terre, Pinot Blanc Spatlese Trocken, Krug'scher Hof (Pinot Blanc-Germany), 2002 California Chardonnay, De Loach (Chardonnay-USA), and 2004 Silvaner Eiswein, Weingut Guntrum, Nierstein (Icewine-Germany.)
The food is one of the highlights onboard Lufthansa. It's delicious and there's plenty of it. They do two passes down the aisle with appetizers and you are encouraged to start with the caviar, then a sampling of the other appetizers. I duly obeyed. Lufthansa caviar service includes toast points, which are a much better choice than the Melba Toast served on Singapore Airlines, and I washed it down with ice cold Smirnoff vodka. For the second round, I took a sampling of each appetizer (thank goodness the portions were small.) The duck galantine and ratatouille were particularly tasty. The flight attendant suggested the South African red wine, which turned out to be an excellent choice that I stuck with throughout the rest of the meal. I selected the goose and mjmsf the veal. Both were scrumptious. The cheese course was rather weak in variety, but I took some Morbier, Pave Sauvage and Tete de Moine to finish my meal, accompanied by more of the South African red. No room for dessert, but they insisted I try the Chocolate Royal since I was a "growing boy" who needed his dessert. Yeah, growing was the appropriate word, but outward not upward with all this food 
.
As if we hadn't been fed and watered enough, they offered after dinner drinks as they cleared away our tables. Well, if they insist, I'll take a Johnnie Walker Blue on the rocks please. A moment later, I was presented with what appeared to be a tripple serving of the smooth amber liquid. The purser appeared again to make sure everything was satisfactory and let us know to ask when we'd like our beds made up for the night. Pretty much the entire cabin went right to sleep after the meal, with the exception of an older gentleman and his considerably younger female companion, who kept drinking and talking loudly for the next two hours. It bugs the hell out of me when people are so inconsiderate; oblivious to the turned heads and stares from their traveling companions.
Mjmsf was so tired at this point that he decided to bed down for the night. I nursed my Johnnie Walker and read for half an hour, then hit the sack, too. For the first time I can remember, the cabin was not stiflingly hot and I slept fitfully for about six hours. I wish Lufthansa would move the First Class cabin to the nosecone like other carriers. There is a constant stream of employees traipsing back and forth to the crew rest area behind the flightdeck, and even though they are trying to be quiet, it's disturbing. Not something I'd put up with if I was paying $10K to sit up here. The seat layout upstairs is 2X2 rather than the individual "pods" that many carriers have, so this means that the person by the window has to climb over the feet of the person by the aisle when they are fully reclined, I find the seats rather hard for my liking, and they are starting to look quite dirty and old. I would imagine a new product is on the way soon, because the seat is a definite letdown after the First Class terminal.
Two hours before landing in Singapore, a full breakfast is offered:
Breakfast
Buffet
Freshly squeezed Orange Juice
Fresh Fruit
Papaya, Pineapple, Orange, Kiwi, Cantaloupe, Grapefruit and Bluberries
Chocolate Banana Musli
Yogurt, Cereal and fresh Milk
Breads, Rolls, Toast, Croissants and Danish Pastry
Butter, Preserves, Honey and Nutella
Cold specialities
Smoked Salmon and Halibut
Roasted Loin of Veal
Bresaola Ham and Chicken
Morbier, Camambert and Nettle Cheese
Entree
Scrambled Eggs freshly perpared upon your request with your choice of Bacon or Chives
The thought of more food disturbed me, but apparently not enough for me to decline a portion of scrambled eggs with chives on toast. I ate only a few bites since it was rather dry (and I was still full from dinner) and had juice and coffee. The purser came around again to check on connections since we were going to land over an hour late. A couple in the first row were connecting to Jakarta at 635PM and we were scheduled to land at 630PM. The purser assured them that Lufthansa ground staff had been advised and that alternate arrangements had already been made. Not sure how much truth there was to his statement, but it seemed to ease their anxiety. Turbulence ensued as we descended towards Changi Airport, eventually touching down in heavy rain at 615PM local time. We docked at the terminal at 620PM. One hour and five minutes late. Lower deck customers were held back as First Class customers disembarked. We thanked the team for a most enjoyable flight, and headed for our home-away-from-home in the First Class section of the SilverKris Lounge. Only another 4 hours until our Singapore Airlines flight for Colombo.
Thanks for following along with us on our epic journey to this point. A few more installments are on the way, including begging for a First Class upgrade, an encouraging first experience on Sri Lankan Airlines and a hideously expensive Hyatt hotel at Incheon International Airport.
Don't touch that dial.
LH 776 / FRA-SIN / Boeing 747-400
Seat 82C / First Class
Scheduled 2235-1715+1 / Actual 2340-1820+1
Since rollerboard suitcases don't fit in the tiny overhead bins on the upper deck of a 747, and almost every traveler has one, Lufthansa stores them all in the closet at the rear of the upper deck. They are given back to you as you leave the aircraft. Mjmsf and I settled into seats 82A&C and accepted a glass of champagne from the flight attendant. Today's selection was Cuvee Rare, Champagne Piper-Heidsieck, and was smooth and delicious, served in real glasses, with a small selection of canapes. Lufthansa airplanes are not configured with the storage bin next to the window seat, which means that your small bags must all go in the tiny overhead. Whilst we were enjoying our beverage, the flight attendant dispensed sleeper suits and amenity kits. The sleeper suits are by Van Laack and are a rather nasty blend of 65% polyester and 35% cotton. Not nearly as comfortable as the 100% cotton suits by Givenchy from Singapore Airlines, or even the old Lufthansa sleeper suits by Bogner. The male amenity kit is by Clarins Men, which happens to be the line that I use, but it was rather spartan when compared to the offerings from Asian airlines. It contained small (sample size) offerings of face, hand and eye cream, along with a Lufthansa branded hairbrush/mirror combination. The lavatory had razors, shave cream and additional hand cream. Our glasses were refilled as we pushed back from the gate and the safety video began.
Takeoff was shortly before midnight in light snow and we climbed through a bumpy sky and set course for the Orient. Thirty minutes after takeoff, the flight attendants were back up to offer cocktail and beverage service, followed by a sumptuous five course meal. I usually give Lufthansa high marks for quality of service, even though it is often delivered in a rather cold, efficient style. This time, I would rate the service as 11 out of 10. Absolutely superb. The ladies were on the senior side as they often are on longhaul, and saw to our every need throughout the flight with broad smiles and a friendly demeanor, pampering us from takeoff to touchdown. And how they managed to keep those heels on throughout the flight, I'll never know. They looked coiffed, polished and presentable after 12 hours in the air, reminding me of the "old days" at Pan American, Trans World and other venerable carriers of the world. I didn't think the Germans had it in them to smile so much
. Whilst we were enjoying a second round of Bombay Sapphire and tonics, the purser came around to introduce himself personally to each guest in First Class and distribute the menus. A nice touch. Our tables were individually laid from a trolley, the signature red rose placed in the vase at each seat. Tonight's offerings:Menu
In order to provide you with more time to rest, we offer our new Night and Light Service; an assortment of cold and hot delicacies as well as cheese and dessert served from the cart in one course. We are more than happy to offer you our acclaimed menu of several courses, if you choose not to use this service.
Hors d'oevre from the Appetizer Cart
Caviar with the traditional Garnishes
Deepwater prawns with braised Radish
Tuna Pastrami with Caponata and Ponzu Zabaglione
Duck galantine roasted, with Belgian Endive and Pepper Orange Sauce
Ratatouille Vegetable Confit with Swiss Balsamico and Tomato Marmalade
Swiss "Pizikels" pasta with Leaf Spinach and fried Onions
Bread, Rolls, Toast and Butter
Entrees
Goose
Roasted, with Red Cabbage, Potato Dumplings and herbed Butter
Turbot
With pureed Peas and Lobster Sauce
Simmental Veal Shank
Glazed, served on Pumpkin and Quark Cheese Gnocchi
Cheese and Dessert
International Cheese
Bleu d'Auvergne, Gruyere, Morbier, Pave Sauvage and Tete de Moine
accompanied by Fig Mustard and Grapes
Chocolate Royal Victoria Jungfrau
on a crunchy Paillette with frozen Wild Berries
Passion Fruit Consomme with Buttermilk Mousse
Coffee, Cappuccino, Espresso and Tea
Specialty Dessert Wine
The wines on offer included the Champagne mentioned above, as well as 2000 The William Wine, Graham Beck (Cabernet-Pinotage, South Africa), 1999 Chateau Bouscaut, Cru Classe, Pessac-Leognan (Cabernet-Cabernet Franc, France), 2004 Keltic Terre, Pinot Blanc Spatlese Trocken, Krug'scher Hof (Pinot Blanc-Germany), 2002 California Chardonnay, De Loach (Chardonnay-USA), and 2004 Silvaner Eiswein, Weingut Guntrum, Nierstein (Icewine-Germany.)
The food is one of the highlights onboard Lufthansa. It's delicious and there's plenty of it. They do two passes down the aisle with appetizers and you are encouraged to start with the caviar, then a sampling of the other appetizers. I duly obeyed
. Lufthansa caviar service includes toast points, which are a much better choice than the Melba Toast served on Singapore Airlines, and I washed it down with ice cold Smirnoff vodka. For the second round, I took a sampling of each appetizer (thank goodness the portions were small.) The duck galantine and ratatouille were particularly tasty. The flight attendant suggested the South African red wine, which turned out to be an excellent choice that I stuck with throughout the rest of the meal. I selected the goose and mjmsf the veal. Both were scrumptious. The cheese course was rather weak in variety, but I took some Morbier, Pave Sauvage and Tete de Moine to finish my meal, accompanied by more of the South African red. No room for dessert, but they insisted I try the Chocolate Royal since I was a "growing boy" who needed his dessert. Yeah, growing was the appropriate word, but outward not upward with all this food .As if we hadn't been fed and watered enough, they offered after dinner drinks as they cleared away our tables. Well, if they insist, I'll take a Johnnie Walker Blue on the rocks please. A moment later, I was presented with what appeared to be a tripple serving of the smooth amber liquid. The purser appeared again to make sure everything was satisfactory and let us know to ask when we'd like our beds made up for the night. Pretty much the entire cabin went right to sleep after the meal, with the exception of an older gentleman and his considerably younger female companion, who kept drinking and talking loudly for the next two hours
. It bugs the hell out of me when people are so inconsiderate; oblivious to the turned heads and stares from their traveling companions.Mjmsf was so tired at this point that he decided to bed down for the night. I nursed my Johnnie Walker and read for half an hour, then hit the sack, too. For the first time I can remember, the cabin was not stiflingly hot and I slept fitfully for about six hours. I wish Lufthansa would move the First Class cabin to the nosecone like other carriers. There is a constant stream of employees traipsing back and forth to the crew rest area behind the flightdeck, and even though they are trying to be quiet, it's disturbing. Not something I'd put up with if I was paying $10K to sit up here. The seat layout upstairs is 2X2 rather than the individual "pods" that many carriers have, so this means that the person by the window has to climb over the feet of the person by the aisle when they are fully reclined, I find the seats rather hard for my liking, and they are starting to look quite dirty and old. I would imagine a new product is on the way soon, because the seat is a definite letdown after the First Class terminal.
Two hours before landing in Singapore, a full breakfast is offered:
Breakfast
Buffet
Freshly squeezed Orange Juice
Fresh Fruit
Papaya, Pineapple, Orange, Kiwi, Cantaloupe, Grapefruit and Bluberries
Chocolate Banana Musli
Yogurt, Cereal and fresh Milk
Breads, Rolls, Toast, Croissants and Danish Pastry
Butter, Preserves, Honey and Nutella
Cold specialities
Smoked Salmon and Halibut
Roasted Loin of Veal
Bresaola Ham and Chicken
Morbier, Camambert and Nettle Cheese
Entree
Scrambled Eggs freshly perpared upon your request with your choice of Bacon or Chives
The thought of more food disturbed me, but apparently not enough for me to decline a portion of scrambled eggs with chives on toast. I ate only a few bites since it was rather dry (and I was still full from dinner) and had juice and coffee. The purser came around again to check on connections since we were going to land over an hour late. A couple in the first row were connecting to Jakarta at 635PM and we were scheduled to land at 630PM. The purser assured them that Lufthansa ground staff had been advised and that alternate arrangements had already been made. Not sure how much truth there was to his statement, but it seemed to ease their anxiety. Turbulence ensued as we descended towards Changi Airport, eventually touching down in heavy rain at 615PM local time. We docked at the terminal at 620PM. One hour and five minutes late. Lower deck customers were held back as First Class customers disembarked. We thanked the team for a most enjoyable flight, and headed for our home-away-from-home in the First Class section of the SilverKris Lounge. Only another 4 hours until our Singapore Airlines flight for Colombo
.Thanks for following along with us on our epic journey to this point. A few more installments are on the way, including begging for a First Class upgrade, an encouraging first experience on Sri Lankan Airlines and a hideously expensive Hyatt hotel at Incheon International Airport.
Don't touch that dial.
Last edited by sftrvlr; Dec 22, 2005 at 5:13 pm
Dec 22, 2005, 5:12 pm
#45
Join Date: Nov 2000
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Great report. I'm trying to book a F trip to Europe on LH so I can try out the new Terminal. It sounds great.
I'm a huge fan the the F side of The Wing in HKG but this sounds really good!
Do the bathrooms have a bathtub like The Wing has?
I'm a huge fan the the F side of The Wing in HKG but this sounds really good!
Do the bathrooms have a bathtub like The Wing has?