LH/TP Biz Class: ORD-FRA-LIS-MUC-ORD
Jan 16, 2007, 11:05 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Chicago
Programs: UA 1K, AA Gold
Posts: 3,640
LH/TP Biz Class: ORD-FRA-LIS-MUC-ORD
I headed off to Lisbon over MLK weekend, thanks to a nice Business Class sale (Z fare) on LH. As an added bonus, I got to try out an intra-Europe segment on a TAP Portugal codeshare. I’m quite a fan of Lufthansa’s F product http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=595039 – but decided to save my SWUs and fly in Business because it is so early in the year, and I also wanted to try out LH’s new Business seats.
This was not really a mileage run because I was exploring Lisbon for 34 hours, but it is a mileage run in the sense that I’m going to need every mile I can scrounge this year to maintain 1K status – hopefully without having to scramble in December.
Anyway, onto the report – note that I was inspired by some of the recent picture reports (like fumitani's epic) so I embedded a few pictures in….
LH 433, Chicago to Frankfurt, 10:00pm – 1:30pm + 1, A330-300
I arrived at O’Hare around 7:30pm, because it was raining and I was worried about running into traffic. But the roads were smooth and I ended up not being in a real rush. The ticket counter (LH flies out of the UA terminal in ORD) was fairly deserted (just a handful of Y passengers in line), so there was hardly any wait to check in. I then headed to Premium security at the other end of the lobby, which had virtually no wait, unlike the mid lobby Premium security which had a long line.
Due to the weather there were numerous delays posted for domestic flights, but my LH flight was running on schedule. Since this is one of the latest Transatlantic departures from ORD, I am sure the flight picked up a lot of misconnections.
Anyway, since I had some time, I decided that I would explore some of the RCCs (no LH lounge in ORD). I arrived at the B6 club and was told to use the club near B19 (because the LH flight would leave from B17), but when I explained I was exploring, they cheerfully let me in. I got no drink chits – but I didn’t ask because drinking a glass of Fetzer Cabernet doesn’t excite me. The club was fairly crowded, and there were no newspapers to be found, except for a stray NY Times. There was cheddar cheese, crackers, apples, oranges, and bananas available.
Overall, it was your standard-issue RCC. I then decided to head over to the B19 RCC (I’d been there before and knew it was really small), and arrived there around 9pm. The attendant VERY politely told me that the lounge would be closing promptly at 9:30pm, but that I could move to the B6 RCC that closed at 10pm. I then asked for drink chits (just for giggles – because they weren’t offered), and she gave me two, but warned me the bar closes promptly at 9pm. She walked with me back to the bar, and of course it had just closed. (No big deal, as I didn’t really want to drink.) Unlike the B6 RCC, this RCC was full of newspapers – even German language ones. In fact, I sat down in a chair where there were stacks of read USA Todays and WSJs strewn all over the floor. But unlike the B6 RCC, all the food had been put away, probably because the lounge was closing in 30 minutes.
It was a very peaceful 30 minutes in this RCC, as the bartender had finished serving and was busy picking up all the glasses – full or empty. Any disposable cups or other trash was tossed in trash cans sitting in the club. I felt like I was in a loading zone with the bartender throwing away piles of trash in a trash can right next to me. At 9:15pm, the attendant came around and VERY politely told us the club was closing in 15 minutes. At 9:30pm, she came around again (I do give her credit for being nice and not kicking us out before 9:30pm), saying that the Lufthansa flight will be boarding in “1 minute” and that we should “please leave the club”. She was telling a white lie as the LH plane had just been towed over from the international terminal (where it arrives) and the crew was just starting to board around 9:30pm. Boarding did not begin until 9:45pm, so all the premium passengers had to stand at the gate for 15 minutes.
I don’t know whether to blame LH or UA, but not being able to stay in a lounge prior to an international flight boarding is NOT what I expect from a premium class experience. Also suspending food and drink service 30 minutes prior to the lounge closing is incredibly tacky.
At least the boarding process was fairly civilized; there were separate lines and jetways for First/Business and Economy. It was a bit painful walking through First Class when boarding through the forward door, especially because my LH F experience was on the A330. I was seated in 14C, which is in the main Business cabin (there is a 2 row ‘mini cabin’ behind F), in a 2-2-2 configuration. Because Y walked through the cabin to board, it was a bit congested so pre-departure drinks came through a bit late (orange juice and champagne, served in real glasses). Anyway, around 10:15pm, doors were closed (we had a bunch of last minute pax board from delayed connections), and we pushed back around 10:25pm with 2 empty Business seats (hard to tell the load in other cabins).
Since it was raining and approaching freezing, I was worried we would need to deice, but it turns out it wasn’t cold enough yet, and we took off smoothly at 10:45pm. Our crossing tonight took us north of Detroit, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax, then slightly south of Gander, then over southern Ireland, Manchester, Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, and Cologne.
The new Business seat was fantastic, both in its ability to lie virtually flat (but at an angle), in all its cool features (amenity kit pocket, shoe storage area, headset nook), and also how the seat tilts low when in sleeping position so it’s easy for your window seat neighbor to climb over you (unlike the SQ space beds – where you are basically trapped in the window if your neighbor is asleep). Of course the huge television screen and the entertainment control being stored upright were also convenient. There’s also a power plug for your laptop (no adapter needed) – isn’t this seat cool???
Around 45 minutes after take off, tablecloths were set and service began with a package of roasted almonds and beverages. Service was from a cart – I think the service flow was the mini cabin first, then the main Business cabin from rear forward.
Then it was time to begin the meal service!
This was a Star Chefs menu (featuring Terry Crandall from the Peninsula Chicago) – not sure if LH has different menus out of each North America station. Also, it’s unclear to me if the dinner is scaled back or the hot breakfast option is offered due to it being a late night departure.
Dinner
Hors d’oeuvre
Smoked Salmon, Horseradish Mascarpone, pickled Fennel, Purple Potatoes
Grilled Asparagus and Prosciutto Salad, Aceto Balsamico, White Tomato Gelee, Red Tomato Jam
Salad
Mesclun Mix, presented with dressing
Bread, rolls and buter
Entrees
Tangerine Beef, Baby Bok Choy, Daikon Radish, Ginger Sweet Potato
Szechuan King Snapper, wok fried Rapini, Jasmine Rice
Penne Pasta, sautéed Spinach, Wild Mushrooms, White Truffle Cream
Cheese and Dessert
Brie, Gruyere and Goat Cheese
Belgian Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis
Fresh Fruit
Wine list
Champagne
Champagne Jacquart Brut Mosaique, Champagne, France
White Wine
2005 Fraconia Nordheimer Cogelein Silvaner Kabinett tocken, Winzergenossenschaft Nordheim, Germany
2005 Sankt Magdalena-Gries Chardonnay, Kellerei Bozen, Italy
Red Wine
2002 Chateau Plagnac, Cru Bourgeois, Medoc, France
2002 Presidents Selection Shiraz, Wolf Blass, Australia
Wine of the month (this was a 1999 Tuscan Red – not sure of more details)
For the appetizer service, the F/A showed both options and asked for my selection. It was then served on a tray, plated with the salad, cheese plate, and bread plate. Bread rolls were offered, and then a cart followed with a full beverage selection. One minor annoyance is that my champagne glass (which I had almost finished) was cleared when I asked for some red wine (I tried both the French and Italian reds – they were good but I forget the specifics).
I chose the smoked salmon which was really nicely presented. The horseradish mascarpone was full of flavor and was a good spread on the bread (about 3 types of rolls, and two types of sliced bread were offered). The cheese plate (generously sized slices) also went well with the bread; I guess the cheese was served as an appetizer to speed up the service and maximize our sleep time. Seconds on the bread were offered, and trays were collected.
A F/A then arrived to take orders for the main dish and immediately delivered my selection of beef. One problem with trays being collected before the mains are served is that you lose your bread plate. Need to remember to keep it next time! The beef was extremely tender, swimming in a clear sauce, and basically melted in my mouth.
Next up was dessert, and fruit or cake were offered. I couldn’t resist some chocolate cake, and the offering did not disappoint. First off, it sure didn’t taste like Eli’s Cheesecake on UA – much moister – and the presentation with dabbles of raspberry sauce was classy. An individual box of pralines was handed out as well. Of course, I ate them, but it’s nice to present them in a box so that if you are stuffed you can take them along with you.
I did a bit of reading, but shortly after put my seat in the sleep position and drifted off into slumber. After all, it was only about 4 hours until breakfast. I think the seat is better for sleeping than the UA Business seat because you don’t need to sit upright at all, so it’s easier to sleep on your side. Unfortunately the cabin was a bit warm which made it hard for me to sleep, but I think I managed to get a few hours of rest. No water bottles or water glasses were handed out, but beverages were available in the galley in plastic glasses.
I was awakened by cabin lights as we flew over Dublin and were 1:27 out of Frankfurt. Hot towels were distributed and tablecloths were laid; it was time for breakfast, or what they call Brunch in the menu:
Brunch
Fresh Fruit
Entrees
Please choose one of the following:
Cold Gourmet Plate
Salami, Breast of Turkey, Camembert and Cream Cheese
Or
Hot Specialty
Omelette offered with Asparagus Ragout and Potatoes
From the bread basket
A selection of Rolls, Croissants and Muffins
Butter, Preserves, Honey, and Nutella
Service was delivered by cart, with the entrée plated with the fruit appetizer, the bread basket was handed out and then the beverage cart followed.
I was surprised to see a hot breakfast on a short transatlantic crossing, but it may be because of the late night departure (i.e. a few people slept thru dinner), given UA only offered a cold breakfast last time I flew in Business transatlantic from ORD.
The fruit was a small bowl, packed with mango (so unripe it was crunchy – but still good), blueberries, kiwi, and pineapple. I went with the omelette which sounded good on the menu, but a cheddar cheese filled omlette with sautéed spinach and bacon is what was served. It seemed like it was pre-fabricated, and the cheddar cheese filling was disgusting (like cheese whiz) so I had to take it out.
I sampled the selection of bread (sweet and savory rolls, pumpernickel bread, and croissant – muffins were also on offer), so I was well fed and overall pleased with the meal. Several beverage refills were offered, and unlike on UA, beverage refills were offered prior to clearing glassware!
Notice that unlike most of my trip reports I didn’t talk much about the service – that’s because the service demonstrated German precision – everything was done promptly, properly, and by the book. F/As were friendly, but not incredibly engaging, and never appeared in a rush or uncoordinated like you experience in United Business (especially on the 747 main deck).
We flew to the east of Frankfurt before circling around and touching down early at 1:25pm, and parked shortly thereafter in the B-concourse. Since my connection to Lisbon wasn’t for 5 hours, I was planning to take a shower and then head out of the airport.
As many of you know, LH has the Senator Lounge (F/Star Gold) and the Business Lounge – I think they also have another F lounge. I was denied entry to the Senator Lounge because my 1K card had expired in February 2006. The story here is that I had mail forwarding problems and my 1K card expiring in February 2007 got lost in the process, but in all my other travels on Star Alliance the UA*G on my boarding pass has been more than sufficient (i.e. for lounge access when flying Y, for checking a third bag, etc.) – which is why I never bothered requesting a new card.
However, the lounge matron said that he is under management order to ONLY admit *G passengers with valid cards, and that what the boarding pass says HAS NO BEARING, AS IT CAN BE WRONG. He further said that he WILL NOT call UA to verify my status, and CANNOT verify my status on his computer. (Geez, if LH can print a boarding pass with UA*G on it, doesn’t that imply they can look up my status???) He basically told me LEAVE THE LOUNGE NOW, and when I asked for a supervisor, he said that no supervisor is on duty over the weekend. He also said I was welcome to complain about him, as he was following management orders. I think he got pissed at me when I countered with the *G on my boarding pass when he noted my card was expired – how dare I teach him how to read a boarding pass!!!
Anyway I am sure the Business Lounge (which he said I could go to as I was flying Business) is similar to the Senator Lounge, but I was pissed off at this guy so I went to the RCC to get a printout to prove my *G status, but decided I had better things to do than to prove him wrong, so I headed out on the train to Mainz (about 20 minutes away), a nice town on the Rhein, and spent a few hours exploring before returning to the airport.
My connecting flight to Lisbon was out of the A concourse, so I headed to the lounge and showed my print out from the RCC and asked to get into the Senator Lounge. The ladies were friendly, but said they did not know what 1K on the UA printout meant. I showed them my expired 1K card which showed Star Gold, and they let me into the Senator lounge. (I don’t know if it’s because they followed the logic, or because they wanted to be nice.)
Ironically, the showers were in the Business Lounge, I think the only difference is the Senator Lounge has more food choices. After a shower, I enjoyed a nice jumbo pretzel and some vegetables. There was also soup, plum cake, bread rolls, and salads on offer.
TP 579, Frankfurt to Lisbon, 6:35pm – 8:35pm (1 hour time diff), A319
I was excited to try TAP Air Portugal (one of the few * carriers I haven’t flown), and one of the reasons I picked this long layover was to give them a try (this flight is codeshared with LH). Today’s A319 was configured with 3 rows in a business, with convertible seats with Y pitch in a 2-2 configuration. I was impressed, after a lousy experience on Swiss, where I experienced an A320 configured 2-3 in Business.
Anyway there were only 7 passengers in Business, so I had an empty seat beside me,; coach looked to be about half full. No pre departure beverages were offered, and we pushed back right on schedule, taking off at 6:45pm for our 2 hr. 50 min. flight to Lisbon. Hot towels and menus were distributed for the dinner service, and a package of mixed nuts (mainly hazelnuts) with raisins was distributed with an initial beverage service.
Here is tonight’s menu:
Appetizer
Parma Ham Salad
Main Course
Sheperds Pie
Or
Vegetable Lasagne with Crabmeat Tomato Sauce (we suggest that you season this dish with Sundried Tomato Oil Dressing)
Dessert
Cheese – Crackers
Honey and Orange Flan
Coffee-Tea
White Wine
Quinta dos Grilos 2006
Lavadores de Feitoria 2004
Red Wine
Lavradores de Feitoria 2005
Loios 2005
Quinta de Cabriz Reserva 2004
Portuguese Sparkling Wine
Luis Pato Maria Gomes Bruto 2005
This meal was catered in Lisbon, and the menu seems to be generic for all intra-Europe flights. I chose the Lasagne, and it was served on a single tray with the appetizer and dessert. Plastic wrap covered the appetizer and dessert; a bit odd given two F/As serving 7 passengers that it wasn’t taken off for us. A bread basket was distributed; it had plain and seeded rolls.
The appetizers was nicely presented with grape halves and greens atop some parma ham. I chose the Lasagne, which was creamy and flavorful – first time I had crab in a lasagna, so I enjoyed the variety. There were a variety of Portuguese wines on offer, but I had no idea what they were, so I asked the F/A which red she recommended, and I was served the Quinta de Cabriz Reserva which was especially good. Second rounds were offered on the bread. I also enjoyed the dessert which was especially moist and flavorful.
I brought some tea bags (from the lounge) because I like herbal tea, and one annoyance is when I asked for a refill of the hot water, my tea bag was discarded (I can normally stretch a tea bag to cover a few cups). Following the meal, the F/As hid in the galley for the remainder of the flight. My empty tea cup sat on the tray for over an hour, and when it was collected, I asked for a glass of water. Maybe next time this happens I’ll just use the call button. No pre-landing beverages were offered to the other passengers.
We touched down in Lisbon right on time at 8:35pm and parked at a remote stand, and were bussed into the terminal. F/As blocked Y pax from deplaning until all the C pax had gotten up, which was a nice touch.
Overall verdict on TAP is that they are nothing special; I won’t go out of my way to fly them again but am glad I gave them a try!
In Lisbon I stayed at the Radisson SAS hotel for 55 EUR/nt (including taxes, booked on Radisson.com). I was planning on burning points at the Marriott, but the Radisson price was very reasonable. The Radisson (like the Marriott) is close to the airport (5 minute cab ride) and about a 20 minute cab ride (or Metro ride) into the city – which for me was ideal due to my early return flight. For the price I was very pleased with the Radisson – the room seemed to be the size of an American hotel and the staff were friendly.
I spent the next day exploring Alfama (i.e. the castle) and Belem (tower and monestary) – I definitely need to return to Portugal for another visit, because not only are there friendly people and tasty food, there is distinctive culture, and prices (i.e. taxis and restaurants) are fairly low. The weather was heavily overcast during my visit, but at least it didn’t rain.
I left the hotel at 4:30am for my 6:20am flight. I didn’t sleep much because my body clock was on Chicago time. In fact one reason this report is so long is because I wrote it in my hotel room at 1am while unable to sleep.
LH 4545, Lisbon to Munich, 6:20am – 10:25am [actual 6:55am - 10:55am], A319
I arrived at the deserted Lisbon airport at around 4:40am, which as it turns out was far earlier than I needed to be there. In fact this 6:20am flight to Munich was the first departure – I don’t think the next flight out was before 7am. There was very little wait at check-in, although the agent had some problems scanning my passport.
Now – the kicker – I was told that no lounge in the airport opens before 6am, so unfortunately I would “not have time” to use the lounge. I told the agent it was quite surprising that the lounge wouldn’t be open, and she said since it was not a LH lounge they could not control its hours. It was really disappointing to have no lounge access, because I was really tired and sitting on a rock-hard gate chair didn’t seem too exciting.
The airport was very quiet this morning, the only open shop was the Harrods Café – so after exploring a bit, I just hung around the gate. Boarding began promptly at 5:50am, but unfortunately our plane was parked on a remote stand so we boarded by bus. Which of course meant that being one of the first to “board” means that you stand around the longest.
Today’s A319 was the standard convertible configuration, with 5 rows configured for 2-2 Business Class seating. There were 9 passengers in Business (which meant I got an empty seat), and Y did not look completely full. Personally if LH gets 9 Business Class pax on this sector, I can’t understand why they can’t pay the airport or TAP to open their lounge an hour earlier.
Anyway, around 6:20am, doors are closed, and at 6:25am the captain comes on the intercom with some bad news – there is heavy fog and low clouds in Munich, so ATC has put us on ground hold until 6:55am because of increased separation. He says the good news is that because we are boarded and ready to leave, the 6:55am pushback time is an improvement over the 7:25am that we were initially given. Since I have a 40 minute connection in MUC, I’m a bit concerned, but just sit back and go with the flow.
There were no pre-departure drinks, but since we are delayed at the gate, OJ and water are handed out in both cabins. We push back at 6:55am on the dot, taking off just before 7am. When we reach cruise, the cart is brought out for breakfast service. No hot towels are offered, just a wet-nap on the tray. Today’s choices are an omlette with bacon or a beef pie with vegetables; no menu is offered, but the F/A did show both dishes.
The meals were catered out of Lisbon (I was worried it would be a cold breakfast because our flight was too early to load fresh catering) - the beef pie looked interesting and a much better presentation than the omlette, so I gave it a try. It was served on a tray with a really nice appetizer plate (a slice of meat, two types of cheeses including fresh mozzarella, a cherry tomato, orange slices, and a kiwi slice), as well as a coconut stuffed pastry (really dry), and of course the bread basket with fresh rolls. Two rounds of beverage refills were offered. Overall, it was an excellent breakfast, and even though it’s hard to compare different meals, I think the catering was a notch in quality above TAP. I went to sleep shortly after the meal so I can’t really comment on whether the F/As offered any pre-landing beverage service.
Anyway, as we approach Munich, it was clear and sunny – I couldn’t understand why we were delayed, but the captain then announced that we’d been asked by ATC to reduce our speed and circle because there was congestion, and that the cabin crew would announce the status of our connections as we got closer. There was no announcement on the connections, except the F/A snapping at a passenger who asked: “I have no further information”. As we got closer to the airport, there were some REALLY low clouds, probably less than 100 feet above the ground, so it was obviously an instrument approach. We touched down 30 minutes late at 10:55am, and parked at the gate just a few minutes later.
I dashed off the plane like a mad chicken to try and make my connection. I was sure that other inbound flights were delayed, but I didn’t know if they would hold my connecting flight. Upon deplaning, the Chicago flight was no longer listed on the monitors, but my boarding pass said the gate was “H01” – so I ran over to the H terminal. There was fortunately no line at immigration, so I made quick time to the security check for US destinations (I would guess less than 5 minutes). I asked the LH supervisor there if the Chicago flight had departed and he assured me it was waiting. What a relief! There was a backup option – the UA MUC-ORD flight that left an hour later – but flying a paid Business ticket on UA metal would really have been a disappointment….my consolation is I knew that flight was heavily booked so perhaps I would have ended up in F. Still – I think LH C > UA F.
LH 434, Munich to Chicago, 11:05am – 2:05pm [actual: 11:30am – 2:50pm], A340-300
After clearing the secondary security check, I boarded totally out of breath. Running to make a connection is no fun, especially when you are dehydrated and your body is asleep! I had reserved 14C (aisle next to a window), but I was asked by 14A to swap with his friend in 14K (window) - I gladly obliged because the new LH seat makes it easy to get up from a window seat.
I settled in and the A340 cabin looked very similar if not the same as the A330 cabin on the ORD-FRA crossing – the only difference I could notice is that the A340 had windows in the bathrooms. The captain announced that they were still waiting for 30 connecting passengers, but we would be departing shortly – I think we got at least half of them on board. But since I had boarded late, I had missed the pre-departure beverage service, I rang the call bell for some water, but realizing I needed more, went up to the galley to chug a few glasses of it.
We ended up pushing back at 11:30am with just a couple empty seats in C; F looked to be completely full. We didn’t take off until 11:55am because we needed to be deiced – sitting right near the wing I got a really nice view of the deicing process. Today’s routing took us towards Amsterdam, then crossing into Scotland at Aberdeen, heading north to Iceland, southern Greenland, through Canada, crossing into the US at Sault Ste. Marie, crossing west on Lake Michigan at Holland.
As we leveled off, service began with beverages and a packet of roasted almonds. Unlike the late night ORD-FRA flight, service was a lot more drawn out (i.e. tablecloths weren’t laid for the first cocktail service).
Today’s Star Chefs menu features Cornelia Poletto of Poletto Restaurant in Hamburg. Here is today’s lunch service:
Hors d’oeuvre
Marinated prawns served on Cannellini Beans
Vitello Tonnato with Caperberries
Salad
Romaine Lettuce Hearts with Cucumber and Tomato Balsamic Dressing
Bread, Rolls and Butter
Entrees
Braised Shoulder of Lamb au Jus accompanied by Ratatouille
Pan-fried Halibut, Peperonata and Salsa Verde
Pasta with Gorgonzola Cheese and Pesto
Cheese and Dessert
Grana Padano, Cambozola and Provolone Cheese garnished with roasted Pine Nuts
Chocolate Almond Tiramisu with Strawberry Puree
Fresh Fruit Salad
The wine list was identical to the outbound, except the feature wine was a Haut Medoc
A second round of drinks was offered before the meal service, and then a third round of drinks with the meal. I like Lufthansa’s service flow where the drink cart follows the meal cart – I never went thirsty. The first course (hors d’oeuvre, salad, and bread) were served on a tray, which was then removed to serve the main. I went with the prawns which were really nicely presented but the portion was a bit skimpy (just two of them!).
For the main, I went with the halibut which was really tasty and colorfully presented (tri color bell peppers, green salsa) – and similar to the beef on the outbound, it was moist because it was cooked in sauce.
Cheese and dessert was served on a trolley – I went with the cheese (with some bread rolls to accompany) and the cake – the cake was moist and tasty but about 1/3 of the size of the cake served on ORD-FRA; the fruit salad looked good too (plated from a large bowl on the trolley) but I didn’t want to be too greedy…. Oh yeah, a packet of hazelnut filled chocolates was also offered.
After a really yummy meal, I settled into some reading, but shortly after got tired (remember I didn’t really sleep the night before) and took a long rest. One note was that my IFE was malfunctioning – the menu looked normal, but whenever I’d view skymap or a movie the screen would turn black and white and blurry. I didn’t want to move to the center section, so I just let it slide… Anyway, I slept really soundly on the LH C seat – I think it works well for me because I am most comfortable sleeping on my side – which is impossible on the United Business seat.
I woke up about 3.5 hours out of Chicago; the F/As were passing through the cabin with water and OJ glasses every half hour or so, which was a nice touch. I worked on my laptop (thanks to the in-seat plug) …. And then about 1:20 before intended landing time, it was time for the second service:
Entrees
Cold Gourmet Plate
Smoked Tuna, Potato Shrimp Salad, Mozzarella and Tomato with Pesto and marinated Zucchini
Or
Hot Specialty
Grilled Chicken with Potatoes and Orange-flavored Sauerkraut with pepper
From the Bread Basket
A selection of Bread and Rolls
Dessert
Mascarpone Mousse with Cassis Sauce
As standard for LH’s service, the F/A showed samples of each option and explained the menu – much more descriptive than “Chicken or Beef”… Anyway I went with the cold plate because I knew it would be excellent quality. It was a bit on the small side, but really nicely presented, with a generous portion of the shrimp salad, and of course the bread basket came around so I tried a nice whole wheat roll and pumpernickel bread. The dessert was light and refreshing – the mousse was atop the berry sauce so a really nice blend of flavors.
Unfortunately, it was time for the flight to come to an end, but we ended up landing 45 minutes late at 2:50pm because we had to circle due to congestion at ORD, likely due to the light snow that was falling. Hopefully not too many people missed their onward connections.
Immigration was really quick for US residents – the visitors line was so long that they were sending visitors to the US lines. And because I had no checked bags, I bypassed the baggage claim chaos and was on my way quickly – the Customs Officer was very concerned that I had forgotten to claim my bags. ;-)
Summary –
I think the fairest comparison to LH Business in SQ Raffles. This may be controversial but I think I like the LH seat better. The catering seems about even (I think LH has better catering in F than SQ), and then SQ has an edge over LH for service because the F/As are more outgoing (the LH F/As are very precise and by-the-book).
My lounge experience on LH was extremely disappointing in every city (except MUC where I had no time) – I am planning on writing to LH to detail my concerns.
Overall I give LH a major thumbs up, and am crossing my fingers that I’ll get to try their product again soon!
Thanks for reading this report. Sadly I won’t be doing any international premium class travel til June….but maybe I’ll get the inspiration to post some reports on upcoming trips in domestic F and international Y.
This was not really a mileage run because I was exploring Lisbon for 34 hours, but it is a mileage run in the sense that I’m going to need every mile I can scrounge this year to maintain 1K status – hopefully without having to scramble in December.
Anyway, onto the report – note that I was inspired by some of the recent picture reports (like fumitani's epic) so I embedded a few pictures in….
LH 433, Chicago to Frankfurt, 10:00pm – 1:30pm + 1, A330-300
I arrived at O’Hare around 7:30pm, because it was raining and I was worried about running into traffic. But the roads were smooth and I ended up not being in a real rush. The ticket counter (LH flies out of the UA terminal in ORD) was fairly deserted (just a handful of Y passengers in line), so there was hardly any wait to check in. I then headed to Premium security at the other end of the lobby, which had virtually no wait, unlike the mid lobby Premium security which had a long line.
Due to the weather there were numerous delays posted for domestic flights, but my LH flight was running on schedule. Since this is one of the latest Transatlantic departures from ORD, I am sure the flight picked up a lot of misconnections.
Anyway, since I had some time, I decided that I would explore some of the RCCs (no LH lounge in ORD). I arrived at the B6 club and was told to use the club near B19 (because the LH flight would leave from B17), but when I explained I was exploring, they cheerfully let me in. I got no drink chits – but I didn’t ask because drinking a glass of Fetzer Cabernet doesn’t excite me. The club was fairly crowded, and there were no newspapers to be found, except for a stray NY Times. There was cheddar cheese, crackers, apples, oranges, and bananas available.
Overall, it was your standard-issue RCC. I then decided to head over to the B19 RCC (I’d been there before and knew it was really small), and arrived there around 9pm. The attendant VERY politely told me that the lounge would be closing promptly at 9:30pm, but that I could move to the B6 RCC that closed at 10pm. I then asked for drink chits (just for giggles – because they weren’t offered), and she gave me two, but warned me the bar closes promptly at 9pm. She walked with me back to the bar, and of course it had just closed. (No big deal, as I didn’t really want to drink.) Unlike the B6 RCC, this RCC was full of newspapers – even German language ones. In fact, I sat down in a chair where there were stacks of read USA Todays and WSJs strewn all over the floor. But unlike the B6 RCC, all the food had been put away, probably because the lounge was closing in 30 minutes.
It was a very peaceful 30 minutes in this RCC, as the bartender had finished serving and was busy picking up all the glasses – full or empty. Any disposable cups or other trash was tossed in trash cans sitting in the club. I felt like I was in a loading zone with the bartender throwing away piles of trash in a trash can right next to me. At 9:15pm, the attendant came around and VERY politely told us the club was closing in 15 minutes. At 9:30pm, she came around again (I do give her credit for being nice and not kicking us out before 9:30pm), saying that the Lufthansa flight will be boarding in “1 minute” and that we should “please leave the club”. She was telling a white lie as the LH plane had just been towed over from the international terminal (where it arrives) and the crew was just starting to board around 9:30pm. Boarding did not begin until 9:45pm, so all the premium passengers had to stand at the gate for 15 minutes.
I don’t know whether to blame LH or UA, but not being able to stay in a lounge prior to an international flight boarding is NOT what I expect from a premium class experience. Also suspending food and drink service 30 minutes prior to the lounge closing is incredibly tacky.
At least the boarding process was fairly civilized; there were separate lines and jetways for First/Business and Economy. It was a bit painful walking through First Class when boarding through the forward door, especially because my LH F experience was on the A330. I was seated in 14C, which is in the main Business cabin (there is a 2 row ‘mini cabin’ behind F), in a 2-2-2 configuration. Because Y walked through the cabin to board, it was a bit congested so pre-departure drinks came through a bit late (orange juice and champagne, served in real glasses). Anyway, around 10:15pm, doors were closed (we had a bunch of last minute pax board from delayed connections), and we pushed back around 10:25pm with 2 empty Business seats (hard to tell the load in other cabins).
Since it was raining and approaching freezing, I was worried we would need to deice, but it turns out it wasn’t cold enough yet, and we took off smoothly at 10:45pm. Our crossing tonight took us north of Detroit, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax, then slightly south of Gander, then over southern Ireland, Manchester, Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, and Cologne.
The new Business seat was fantastic, both in its ability to lie virtually flat (but at an angle), in all its cool features (amenity kit pocket, shoe storage area, headset nook), and also how the seat tilts low when in sleeping position so it’s easy for your window seat neighbor to climb over you (unlike the SQ space beds – where you are basically trapped in the window if your neighbor is asleep). Of course the huge television screen and the entertainment control being stored upright were also convenient. There’s also a power plug for your laptop (no adapter needed) – isn’t this seat cool???
Around 45 minutes after take off, tablecloths were set and service began with a package of roasted almonds and beverages. Service was from a cart – I think the service flow was the mini cabin first, then the main Business cabin from rear forward.
Then it was time to begin the meal service!
This was a Star Chefs menu (featuring Terry Crandall from the Peninsula Chicago) – not sure if LH has different menus out of each North America station. Also, it’s unclear to me if the dinner is scaled back or the hot breakfast option is offered due to it being a late night departure.
Dinner
Hors d’oeuvre
Smoked Salmon, Horseradish Mascarpone, pickled Fennel, Purple Potatoes
Grilled Asparagus and Prosciutto Salad, Aceto Balsamico, White Tomato Gelee, Red Tomato Jam
Salad
Mesclun Mix, presented with dressing
Bread, rolls and buter
Entrees
Tangerine Beef, Baby Bok Choy, Daikon Radish, Ginger Sweet Potato
Szechuan King Snapper, wok fried Rapini, Jasmine Rice
Penne Pasta, sautéed Spinach, Wild Mushrooms, White Truffle Cream
Cheese and Dessert
Brie, Gruyere and Goat Cheese
Belgian Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberry Coulis
Fresh Fruit
Wine list
Champagne
Champagne Jacquart Brut Mosaique, Champagne, France
White Wine
2005 Fraconia Nordheimer Cogelein Silvaner Kabinett tocken, Winzergenossenschaft Nordheim, Germany
2005 Sankt Magdalena-Gries Chardonnay, Kellerei Bozen, Italy
Red Wine
2002 Chateau Plagnac, Cru Bourgeois, Medoc, France
2002 Presidents Selection Shiraz, Wolf Blass, Australia
Wine of the month (this was a 1999 Tuscan Red – not sure of more details)
For the appetizer service, the F/A showed both options and asked for my selection. It was then served on a tray, plated with the salad, cheese plate, and bread plate. Bread rolls were offered, and then a cart followed with a full beverage selection. One minor annoyance is that my champagne glass (which I had almost finished) was cleared when I asked for some red wine (I tried both the French and Italian reds – they were good but I forget the specifics).
I chose the smoked salmon which was really nicely presented. The horseradish mascarpone was full of flavor and was a good spread on the bread (about 3 types of rolls, and two types of sliced bread were offered). The cheese plate (generously sized slices) also went well with the bread; I guess the cheese was served as an appetizer to speed up the service and maximize our sleep time. Seconds on the bread were offered, and trays were collected.
A F/A then arrived to take orders for the main dish and immediately delivered my selection of beef. One problem with trays being collected before the mains are served is that you lose your bread plate. Need to remember to keep it next time! The beef was extremely tender, swimming in a clear sauce, and basically melted in my mouth.
Next up was dessert, and fruit or cake were offered. I couldn’t resist some chocolate cake, and the offering did not disappoint. First off, it sure didn’t taste like Eli’s Cheesecake on UA – much moister – and the presentation with dabbles of raspberry sauce was classy. An individual box of pralines was handed out as well. Of course, I ate them, but it’s nice to present them in a box so that if you are stuffed you can take them along with you.
I did a bit of reading, but shortly after put my seat in the sleep position and drifted off into slumber. After all, it was only about 4 hours until breakfast. I think the seat is better for sleeping than the UA Business seat because you don’t need to sit upright at all, so it’s easier to sleep on your side. Unfortunately the cabin was a bit warm which made it hard for me to sleep, but I think I managed to get a few hours of rest. No water bottles or water glasses were handed out, but beverages were available in the galley in plastic glasses.
I was awakened by cabin lights as we flew over Dublin and were 1:27 out of Frankfurt. Hot towels were distributed and tablecloths were laid; it was time for breakfast, or what they call Brunch in the menu:
Brunch
Fresh Fruit
Entrees
Please choose one of the following:
Cold Gourmet Plate
Salami, Breast of Turkey, Camembert and Cream Cheese
Or
Hot Specialty
Omelette offered with Asparagus Ragout and Potatoes
From the bread basket
A selection of Rolls, Croissants and Muffins
Butter, Preserves, Honey, and Nutella
Service was delivered by cart, with the entrée plated with the fruit appetizer, the bread basket was handed out and then the beverage cart followed.
I was surprised to see a hot breakfast on a short transatlantic crossing, but it may be because of the late night departure (i.e. a few people slept thru dinner), given UA only offered a cold breakfast last time I flew in Business transatlantic from ORD.
The fruit was a small bowl, packed with mango (so unripe it was crunchy – but still good), blueberries, kiwi, and pineapple. I went with the omelette which sounded good on the menu, but a cheddar cheese filled omlette with sautéed spinach and bacon is what was served. It seemed like it was pre-fabricated, and the cheddar cheese filling was disgusting (like cheese whiz) so I had to take it out.
I sampled the selection of bread (sweet and savory rolls, pumpernickel bread, and croissant – muffins were also on offer), so I was well fed and overall pleased with the meal. Several beverage refills were offered, and unlike on UA, beverage refills were offered prior to clearing glassware!
Notice that unlike most of my trip reports I didn’t talk much about the service – that’s because the service demonstrated German precision – everything was done promptly, properly, and by the book. F/As were friendly, but not incredibly engaging, and never appeared in a rush or uncoordinated like you experience in United Business (especially on the 747 main deck).
We flew to the east of Frankfurt before circling around and touching down early at 1:25pm, and parked shortly thereafter in the B-concourse. Since my connection to Lisbon wasn’t for 5 hours, I was planning to take a shower and then head out of the airport.
As many of you know, LH has the Senator Lounge (F/Star Gold) and the Business Lounge – I think they also have another F lounge. I was denied entry to the Senator Lounge because my 1K card had expired in February 2006. The story here is that I had mail forwarding problems and my 1K card expiring in February 2007 got lost in the process, but in all my other travels on Star Alliance the UA*G on my boarding pass has been more than sufficient (i.e. for lounge access when flying Y, for checking a third bag, etc.) – which is why I never bothered requesting a new card.
However, the lounge matron said that he is under management order to ONLY admit *G passengers with valid cards, and that what the boarding pass says HAS NO BEARING, AS IT CAN BE WRONG. He further said that he WILL NOT call UA to verify my status, and CANNOT verify my status on his computer. (Geez, if LH can print a boarding pass with UA*G on it, doesn’t that imply they can look up my status???) He basically told me LEAVE THE LOUNGE NOW, and when I asked for a supervisor, he said that no supervisor is on duty over the weekend. He also said I was welcome to complain about him, as he was following management orders. I think he got pissed at me when I countered with the *G on my boarding pass when he noted my card was expired – how dare I teach him how to read a boarding pass!!!
Anyway I am sure the Business Lounge (which he said I could go to as I was flying Business) is similar to the Senator Lounge, but I was pissed off at this guy so I went to the RCC to get a printout to prove my *G status, but decided I had better things to do than to prove him wrong, so I headed out on the train to Mainz (about 20 minutes away), a nice town on the Rhein, and spent a few hours exploring before returning to the airport.
My connecting flight to Lisbon was out of the A concourse, so I headed to the lounge and showed my print out from the RCC and asked to get into the Senator Lounge. The ladies were friendly, but said they did not know what 1K on the UA printout meant. I showed them my expired 1K card which showed Star Gold, and they let me into the Senator lounge. (I don’t know if it’s because they followed the logic, or because they wanted to be nice.)
Ironically, the showers were in the Business Lounge, I think the only difference is the Senator Lounge has more food choices. After a shower, I enjoyed a nice jumbo pretzel and some vegetables. There was also soup, plum cake, bread rolls, and salads on offer.
TP 579, Frankfurt to Lisbon, 6:35pm – 8:35pm (1 hour time diff), A319
I was excited to try TAP Air Portugal (one of the few * carriers I haven’t flown), and one of the reasons I picked this long layover was to give them a try (this flight is codeshared with LH). Today’s A319 was configured with 3 rows in a business, with convertible seats with Y pitch in a 2-2 configuration. I was impressed, after a lousy experience on Swiss, where I experienced an A320 configured 2-3 in Business.
Anyway there were only 7 passengers in Business, so I had an empty seat beside me,; coach looked to be about half full. No pre departure beverages were offered, and we pushed back right on schedule, taking off at 6:45pm for our 2 hr. 50 min. flight to Lisbon. Hot towels and menus were distributed for the dinner service, and a package of mixed nuts (mainly hazelnuts) with raisins was distributed with an initial beverage service.
Here is tonight’s menu:
Appetizer
Parma Ham Salad
Main Course
Sheperds Pie
Or
Vegetable Lasagne with Crabmeat Tomato Sauce (we suggest that you season this dish with Sundried Tomato Oil Dressing)
Dessert
Cheese – Crackers
Honey and Orange Flan
Coffee-Tea
White Wine
Quinta dos Grilos 2006
Lavadores de Feitoria 2004
Red Wine
Lavradores de Feitoria 2005
Loios 2005
Quinta de Cabriz Reserva 2004
Portuguese Sparkling Wine
Luis Pato Maria Gomes Bruto 2005
This meal was catered in Lisbon, and the menu seems to be generic for all intra-Europe flights. I chose the Lasagne, and it was served on a single tray with the appetizer and dessert. Plastic wrap covered the appetizer and dessert; a bit odd given two F/As serving 7 passengers that it wasn’t taken off for us. A bread basket was distributed; it had plain and seeded rolls.
The appetizers was nicely presented with grape halves and greens atop some parma ham. I chose the Lasagne, which was creamy and flavorful – first time I had crab in a lasagna, so I enjoyed the variety. There were a variety of Portuguese wines on offer, but I had no idea what they were, so I asked the F/A which red she recommended, and I was served the Quinta de Cabriz Reserva which was especially good. Second rounds were offered on the bread. I also enjoyed the dessert which was especially moist and flavorful.
I brought some tea bags (from the lounge) because I like herbal tea, and one annoyance is when I asked for a refill of the hot water, my tea bag was discarded (I can normally stretch a tea bag to cover a few cups). Following the meal, the F/As hid in the galley for the remainder of the flight. My empty tea cup sat on the tray for over an hour, and when it was collected, I asked for a glass of water. Maybe next time this happens I’ll just use the call button. No pre-landing beverages were offered to the other passengers.
We touched down in Lisbon right on time at 8:35pm and parked at a remote stand, and were bussed into the terminal. F/As blocked Y pax from deplaning until all the C pax had gotten up, which was a nice touch.
Overall verdict on TAP is that they are nothing special; I won’t go out of my way to fly them again but am glad I gave them a try!
In Lisbon I stayed at the Radisson SAS hotel for 55 EUR/nt (including taxes, booked on Radisson.com). I was planning on burning points at the Marriott, but the Radisson price was very reasonable. The Radisson (like the Marriott) is close to the airport (5 minute cab ride) and about a 20 minute cab ride (or Metro ride) into the city – which for me was ideal due to my early return flight. For the price I was very pleased with the Radisson – the room seemed to be the size of an American hotel and the staff were friendly.
I spent the next day exploring Alfama (i.e. the castle) and Belem (tower and monestary) – I definitely need to return to Portugal for another visit, because not only are there friendly people and tasty food, there is distinctive culture, and prices (i.e. taxis and restaurants) are fairly low. The weather was heavily overcast during my visit, but at least it didn’t rain.
I left the hotel at 4:30am for my 6:20am flight. I didn’t sleep much because my body clock was on Chicago time. In fact one reason this report is so long is because I wrote it in my hotel room at 1am while unable to sleep.
LH 4545, Lisbon to Munich, 6:20am – 10:25am [actual 6:55am - 10:55am], A319
I arrived at the deserted Lisbon airport at around 4:40am, which as it turns out was far earlier than I needed to be there. In fact this 6:20am flight to Munich was the first departure – I don’t think the next flight out was before 7am. There was very little wait at check-in, although the agent had some problems scanning my passport.
Now – the kicker – I was told that no lounge in the airport opens before 6am, so unfortunately I would “not have time” to use the lounge. I told the agent it was quite surprising that the lounge wouldn’t be open, and she said since it was not a LH lounge they could not control its hours. It was really disappointing to have no lounge access, because I was really tired and sitting on a rock-hard gate chair didn’t seem too exciting.
The airport was very quiet this morning, the only open shop was the Harrods Café – so after exploring a bit, I just hung around the gate. Boarding began promptly at 5:50am, but unfortunately our plane was parked on a remote stand so we boarded by bus. Which of course meant that being one of the first to “board” means that you stand around the longest.
Today’s A319 was the standard convertible configuration, with 5 rows configured for 2-2 Business Class seating. There were 9 passengers in Business (which meant I got an empty seat), and Y did not look completely full. Personally if LH gets 9 Business Class pax on this sector, I can’t understand why they can’t pay the airport or TAP to open their lounge an hour earlier.
Anyway, around 6:20am, doors are closed, and at 6:25am the captain comes on the intercom with some bad news – there is heavy fog and low clouds in Munich, so ATC has put us on ground hold until 6:55am because of increased separation. He says the good news is that because we are boarded and ready to leave, the 6:55am pushback time is an improvement over the 7:25am that we were initially given. Since I have a 40 minute connection in MUC, I’m a bit concerned, but just sit back and go with the flow.
There were no pre-departure drinks, but since we are delayed at the gate, OJ and water are handed out in both cabins. We push back at 6:55am on the dot, taking off just before 7am. When we reach cruise, the cart is brought out for breakfast service. No hot towels are offered, just a wet-nap on the tray. Today’s choices are an omlette with bacon or a beef pie with vegetables; no menu is offered, but the F/A did show both dishes.
The meals were catered out of Lisbon (I was worried it would be a cold breakfast because our flight was too early to load fresh catering) - the beef pie looked interesting and a much better presentation than the omlette, so I gave it a try. It was served on a tray with a really nice appetizer plate (a slice of meat, two types of cheeses including fresh mozzarella, a cherry tomato, orange slices, and a kiwi slice), as well as a coconut stuffed pastry (really dry), and of course the bread basket with fresh rolls. Two rounds of beverage refills were offered. Overall, it was an excellent breakfast, and even though it’s hard to compare different meals, I think the catering was a notch in quality above TAP. I went to sleep shortly after the meal so I can’t really comment on whether the F/As offered any pre-landing beverage service.
Anyway, as we approach Munich, it was clear and sunny – I couldn’t understand why we were delayed, but the captain then announced that we’d been asked by ATC to reduce our speed and circle because there was congestion, and that the cabin crew would announce the status of our connections as we got closer. There was no announcement on the connections, except the F/A snapping at a passenger who asked: “I have no further information”. As we got closer to the airport, there were some REALLY low clouds, probably less than 100 feet above the ground, so it was obviously an instrument approach. We touched down 30 minutes late at 10:55am, and parked at the gate just a few minutes later.
I dashed off the plane like a mad chicken to try and make my connection. I was sure that other inbound flights were delayed, but I didn’t know if they would hold my connecting flight. Upon deplaning, the Chicago flight was no longer listed on the monitors, but my boarding pass said the gate was “H01” – so I ran over to the H terminal. There was fortunately no line at immigration, so I made quick time to the security check for US destinations (I would guess less than 5 minutes). I asked the LH supervisor there if the Chicago flight had departed and he assured me it was waiting. What a relief! There was a backup option – the UA MUC-ORD flight that left an hour later – but flying a paid Business ticket on UA metal would really have been a disappointment….my consolation is I knew that flight was heavily booked so perhaps I would have ended up in F. Still – I think LH C > UA F.
LH 434, Munich to Chicago, 11:05am – 2:05pm [actual: 11:30am – 2:50pm], A340-300
After clearing the secondary security check, I boarded totally out of breath. Running to make a connection is no fun, especially when you are dehydrated and your body is asleep! I had reserved 14C (aisle next to a window), but I was asked by 14A to swap with his friend in 14K (window) - I gladly obliged because the new LH seat makes it easy to get up from a window seat.
I settled in and the A340 cabin looked very similar if not the same as the A330 cabin on the ORD-FRA crossing – the only difference I could notice is that the A340 had windows in the bathrooms. The captain announced that they were still waiting for 30 connecting passengers, but we would be departing shortly – I think we got at least half of them on board. But since I had boarded late, I had missed the pre-departure beverage service, I rang the call bell for some water, but realizing I needed more, went up to the galley to chug a few glasses of it.
We ended up pushing back at 11:30am with just a couple empty seats in C; F looked to be completely full. We didn’t take off until 11:55am because we needed to be deiced – sitting right near the wing I got a really nice view of the deicing process. Today’s routing took us towards Amsterdam, then crossing into Scotland at Aberdeen, heading north to Iceland, southern Greenland, through Canada, crossing into the US at Sault Ste. Marie, crossing west on Lake Michigan at Holland.
As we leveled off, service began with beverages and a packet of roasted almonds. Unlike the late night ORD-FRA flight, service was a lot more drawn out (i.e. tablecloths weren’t laid for the first cocktail service).
Today’s Star Chefs menu features Cornelia Poletto of Poletto Restaurant in Hamburg. Here is today’s lunch service:
Hors d’oeuvre
Marinated prawns served on Cannellini Beans
Vitello Tonnato with Caperberries
Salad
Romaine Lettuce Hearts with Cucumber and Tomato Balsamic Dressing
Bread, Rolls and Butter
Entrees
Braised Shoulder of Lamb au Jus accompanied by Ratatouille
Pan-fried Halibut, Peperonata and Salsa Verde
Pasta with Gorgonzola Cheese and Pesto
Cheese and Dessert
Grana Padano, Cambozola and Provolone Cheese garnished with roasted Pine Nuts
Chocolate Almond Tiramisu with Strawberry Puree
Fresh Fruit Salad
The wine list was identical to the outbound, except the feature wine was a Haut Medoc
A second round of drinks was offered before the meal service, and then a third round of drinks with the meal. I like Lufthansa’s service flow where the drink cart follows the meal cart – I never went thirsty. The first course (hors d’oeuvre, salad, and bread) were served on a tray, which was then removed to serve the main. I went with the prawns which were really nicely presented but the portion was a bit skimpy (just two of them!).
For the main, I went with the halibut which was really tasty and colorfully presented (tri color bell peppers, green salsa) – and similar to the beef on the outbound, it was moist because it was cooked in sauce.
Cheese and dessert was served on a trolley – I went with the cheese (with some bread rolls to accompany) and the cake – the cake was moist and tasty but about 1/3 of the size of the cake served on ORD-FRA; the fruit salad looked good too (plated from a large bowl on the trolley) but I didn’t want to be too greedy…. Oh yeah, a packet of hazelnut filled chocolates was also offered.
After a really yummy meal, I settled into some reading, but shortly after got tired (remember I didn’t really sleep the night before) and took a long rest. One note was that my IFE was malfunctioning – the menu looked normal, but whenever I’d view skymap or a movie the screen would turn black and white and blurry. I didn’t want to move to the center section, so I just let it slide… Anyway, I slept really soundly on the LH C seat – I think it works well for me because I am most comfortable sleeping on my side – which is impossible on the United Business seat.
I woke up about 3.5 hours out of Chicago; the F/As were passing through the cabin with water and OJ glasses every half hour or so, which was a nice touch. I worked on my laptop (thanks to the in-seat plug) …. And then about 1:20 before intended landing time, it was time for the second service:
Entrees
Cold Gourmet Plate
Smoked Tuna, Potato Shrimp Salad, Mozzarella and Tomato with Pesto and marinated Zucchini
Or
Hot Specialty
Grilled Chicken with Potatoes and Orange-flavored Sauerkraut with pepper
From the Bread Basket
A selection of Bread and Rolls
Dessert
Mascarpone Mousse with Cassis Sauce
As standard for LH’s service, the F/A showed samples of each option and explained the menu – much more descriptive than “Chicken or Beef”… Anyway I went with the cold plate because I knew it would be excellent quality. It was a bit on the small side, but really nicely presented, with a generous portion of the shrimp salad, and of course the bread basket came around so I tried a nice whole wheat roll and pumpernickel bread. The dessert was light and refreshing – the mousse was atop the berry sauce so a really nice blend of flavors.
Unfortunately, it was time for the flight to come to an end, but we ended up landing 45 minutes late at 2:50pm because we had to circle due to congestion at ORD, likely due to the light snow that was falling. Hopefully not too many people missed their onward connections.
Immigration was really quick for US residents – the visitors line was so long that they were sending visitors to the US lines. And because I had no checked bags, I bypassed the baggage claim chaos and was on my way quickly – the Customs Officer was very concerned that I had forgotten to claim my bags. ;-)
Summary –
I think the fairest comparison to LH Business in SQ Raffles. This may be controversial but I think I like the LH seat better. The catering seems about even (I think LH has better catering in F than SQ), and then SQ has an edge over LH for service because the F/As are more outgoing (the LH F/As are very precise and by-the-book).
My lounge experience on LH was extremely disappointing in every city (except MUC where I had no time) – I am planning on writing to LH to detail my concerns.
Overall I give LH a major thumbs up, and am crossing my fingers that I’ll get to try their product again soon!
Thanks for reading this report. Sadly I won’t be doing any international premium class travel til June….but maybe I’ll get the inspiration to post some reports on upcoming trips in domestic F and international Y.
Last edited by das; Jan 16, 2007 at 11:34 pm Reason: adding some images :-)
