Chasing the Big Win: MMX-ARN-FRA-LAX-PHX-SEA-YVR-SEA-LHR-ARN incl. LH F, US F, BA J..
Apr 15, 2014, 1:45 pm
#62
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: in a cabin
Posts: 6,522
By some luck I've managed to regain access to the higher quality versions of the photos. So lets finish this report once and for all.
__________________________________________________ __________
After the rather poor flight in BA Business (Club World), mostly due to inferior food and highly uninterested crew, I was looking forward to the Galleries First lounge. Standards had picked up again after the poorly managed catering firm change over. Breakfast on board is now so poor on the East Bound BA flights from North America that I did not even bother taking pictures. Hence lunch in the lounge would be filling to stave of hunger.
Spicy Asian Beef with vegetable:
Tattinger Prelude, nice fizz:
The Blue Label is a welcome treat in any frequent flyer lounge!
JWB works a treat together with Coffee and Sorbet:
Lounging...
The inside Terrace is as lovely 6 years after T5 opened.
I've looked down on this establishment since the day T5 opened and never visited. It looks great and I keep telling myself "next time", yet always forget.
Terrace view north, AC773 West bound.
Back to lounging. Crashed for 1.5 hours.
The view was not the primary factor for choosing this spot...
30 minutes prior to my late afternoon departure to ARN I made my way to the gate. Priority/fast track was in place for a smooth entry until the air bridge. I would be slumming it in Traveller (that is BA fancy name for coach) as it was a points ticket. The first row behind the curtain has the same space as the Club Europe/Business seats, and depending on time of the day, you get a more filling meal!
5A:
Flight was perfectly fine for an intra- European coach flight and what one would expect. 8 days of intense but thoroughly enjoyable travel on mostly my own had come to an end. I found LH F to not live up to my expectations. Summary to come next. Thanks for reading.
__________________________________________________ __________
After the rather poor flight in BA Business (Club World), mostly due to inferior food and highly uninterested crew, I was looking forward to the Galleries First lounge. Standards had picked up again after the poorly managed catering firm change over. Breakfast on board is now so poor on the East Bound BA flights from North America that I did not even bother taking pictures. Hence lunch in the lounge would be filling to stave of hunger.
Spicy Asian Beef with vegetable:
Tattinger Prelude, nice fizz:
The Blue Label is a welcome treat in any frequent flyer lounge!
JWB works a treat together with Coffee and Sorbet:
Lounging...
The inside Terrace is as lovely 6 years after T5 opened.
I've looked down on this establishment since the day T5 opened and never visited. It looks great and I keep telling myself "next time", yet always forget.
Terrace view north, AC773 West bound.
Back to lounging. Crashed for 1.5 hours.
The view was not the primary factor for choosing this spot...
30 minutes prior to my late afternoon departure to ARN I made my way to the gate. Priority/fast track was in place for a smooth entry until the air bridge. I would be slumming it in Traveller (that is BA fancy name for coach) as it was a points ticket. The first row behind the curtain has the same space as the Club Europe/Business seats, and depending on time of the day, you get a more filling meal!
5A:
Flight was perfectly fine for an intra- European coach flight and what one would expect. 8 days of intense but thoroughly enjoyable travel on mostly my own had come to an end. I found LH F to not live up to my expectations. Summary to come next. Thanks for reading.
Apr 19, 2014, 6:18 am
#63
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: in a cabin
Posts: 6,522
Epilogue:
Thoughts on LH F:
The ground experience with especially FCT is brilliant. Security is what First Class should be like. Private, personal, quick and friendly. It puts other major European carriers such as BA to great shame.
Service and food was impressive, not far off some 1 Michelin star establishments and definitely of Bib Gourmand quality.
Wine selection was somewhat underwhelming however and they need to up their game in this department.
The shower and bath rooms are huge and impressive. But, I found it quite disappointing that they do not have cabanas and showers combined like for instance BA do over at the Concorde Room. That being said, the FCT showers are of much better quality.
Being driven and escorted to the plane is also a great touch. Again BA for example have completely messed this up in their First experience. Their team really should do some mystery shopping on the LH F experience.
However, and this is a big one. Unless one is FRA based, the benefits of FCT are greatly diminished. But overall LH F ground experience is miles ahead of most Carriers.
Cabin and service:
On paper LH 748 brand new with 8 seats compared to BA New F with 14 in the nose is a no contest. But, I have to say that even with 6 more seats I find the BA seat more private. Sure, the LH seat is wider and has much better storage space around it. But for privacy, I find BA better. As a bed LH is nicer and softer. But for lounging I like the BA seat more. While LH have opted for bright colours, BA have gone more futuristic and sleek. I guess it is a matter of tastes but I prefer the darker colours of BA here.
Service: I suppose LH suffer from the same issues as other carriers; it depends on the crew. Crew was good but not spectacular. Food wise LH offers much more sophisticated experience and better food overall. You actually get two proper meals unlike BA which offer the boring Afternoon tea, albeit in higher quality in First.
Unfortunately, my flight was Octoberfest themed hence not very exciting food.
The Caviar was hugely disappointing and of low quality. Quite bland with little salt.
Next time I will try to catch an LH flight not during Octoberfest and hopefully they will blow me away like many others have been.
Thanks for looking and a new TR is around the corner.
Thoughts on LH F:
The ground experience with especially FCT is brilliant. Security is what First Class should be like. Private, personal, quick and friendly. It puts other major European carriers such as BA to great shame.
Service and food was impressive, not far off some 1 Michelin star establishments and definitely of Bib Gourmand quality.
Wine selection was somewhat underwhelming however and they need to up their game in this department.
The shower and bath rooms are huge and impressive. But, I found it quite disappointing that they do not have cabanas and showers combined like for instance BA do over at the Concorde Room. That being said, the FCT showers are of much better quality.
Being driven and escorted to the plane is also a great touch. Again BA for example have completely messed this up in their First experience. Their team really should do some mystery shopping on the LH F experience.
However, and this is a big one. Unless one is FRA based, the benefits of FCT are greatly diminished. But overall LH F ground experience is miles ahead of most Carriers.
Cabin and service:
On paper LH 748 brand new with 8 seats compared to BA New F with 14 in the nose is a no contest. But, I have to say that even with 6 more seats I find the BA seat more private. Sure, the LH seat is wider and has much better storage space around it. But for privacy, I find BA better. As a bed LH is nicer and softer. But for lounging I like the BA seat more. While LH have opted for bright colours, BA have gone more futuristic and sleek. I guess it is a matter of tastes but I prefer the darker colours of BA here.
Service: I suppose LH suffer from the same issues as other carriers; it depends on the crew. Crew was good but not spectacular. Food wise LH offers much more sophisticated experience and better food overall. You actually get two proper meals unlike BA which offer the boring Afternoon tea, albeit in higher quality in First.
Unfortunately, my flight was Octoberfest themed hence not very exciting food.
The Caviar was hugely disappointing and of low quality. Quite bland with little salt.
Next time I will try to catch an LH flight not during Octoberfest and hopefully they will blow me away like many others have been.
Thanks for looking and a new TR is around the corner.
Apr 19, 2014, 7:13 am
#64
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: DAY
Programs: UA 1K 1MM; Marriott LT Titanium; Amex MR; Chase UR; Hertz PC; Global Entry
Posts: 10,159
Well done. ^
May 1, 2014, 12:42 pm
#68
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: in a cabin
Posts: 6,522
