DJ_Iceman

I was flying on UA953 from PHX to IAD yesterday (my usual run 2 or 3 times a month). As usual, I checked in online 23:59 before my flight and at the airport I was #3 on the list for an upgrade; first checked in full. Not a big deal, as I was in the reclining exit row aisle seat.

Many, MANY people boarded who clearly knew each other, including the fellow in the "middle" seat next to me who was tickled to find that 11E on an A319 has no adjoining window seat. I joked with him that half the plane was part of his group, and he told me that there had been an air transport conference in Phoenix that week and now everyone was returning home, many with international connections through Dulles.

He also chuckled as he told me that the CEO of Lufthansa was in the middle seat a couple of rows in front of us. Apparently they messed up his ticket somehow and he almost didn't make it on the flight at all!

Anyway, we were delayed about an hour arriving due to a late departure and a hold over IAD due to a runway change. I half-jokingly told my seatmate that I hoped the Lufthansa guy missed his connection and had his luggage lost just so that he could see what regular passengers deal with all the time rather than the red carpet, white-glove treatment I'm sure he usually gets and thinks average passengers get too. I don't know who he worked for or what his position is, but he wasn't amused. Oh, well...

lucky9876coins

Haha, now that's funny! I wonder what his status was listed as on the manifest.

ButIsItArt

And I wonder what UA's status was on his Scheissliste!

euslaner

Too bad I wasn't sitting next to him. I have a ton of LH stories from hell that he ought to hear.

warreng24

Do you think he's UGS?

number5858

And it wasn't even Mesa. Would LOVE to hear about it if he made a flight on Mesa. Maybe we could finally get something done about them. Wish SkyWest could take all the UX flights.

BenjaminNYC

No, I'm sure he's HON, and he would show up as LH HON or LH SEN or LH *G on the mani. I know SEN can show, but not sure about HON.

lucky9876coins

I doubt it. Probably some uber-VIP designation on the manifest. Can any resident FA confirm that there is such a thing?

UNITED959

Certainly a good CEO would ride in Y if it meant pleasing a customer.

BenjaminNYC

He's the CEO of LH. He was on UA. He should ride whatever class LH paid for. I'm *sure* he was in F IAD-FRA.

elitetraveler

He was most likely on a Positive Space pass however each airline has their own rankings as to how they treat pass holders from other airlines (downgrades, off-loads).

carl92103

Good I think every airline CEO should sit in a middle seat in E- so maybe they realize how uncomfortable they make planes.

FlyingOnceMore

The conversation would have been even funnier if you'd both been sitting in F.

kevinsac

If it's Mayrhuber, I've been on two LH flights with him before. Once was SFO-FRA, he was across the aisle, Row 83, about 2003. Another time (about 2004) was IAD-FRA, and he was in 84.

Droneklax

I wish him a thousand happy trips on his own airline in coach.

I got stuck in LH steerage on a JNB-FRA once, I still bear the scars.

Calling that experience chinese torture is being unfair to chinese torture.