The pictures
The day before the main event...
08:20 on a Sunday Morning… what masochist gets up to assigned seats at this time of day? Ah. That would be me.
I’m sad – I love to be one of the first to OLIC if it’s near enough a requirement. And at 8:30 precisely, OLCI opened. A few clicks later, and my boarding pass and seats near the back of the plane assigned – Planes from BHX routinely end up being bussed at FRA – and therefore a seat at the back of the plane makes a tiny bit of sense for once.
At 8:35 once the pass was issued, I went back to sleep. It was Sunday after all..
Off to BHX
Monday rolls round, and of course, in the United Kingdom, it's a Bank Holiday Monday I’ve chosen to depart on. So there’s a choice – pony up for a taxi, or catch the train and pony up for a taxi.
My luggage waiting. It's light at the moment.. but it will get heavier..
With the cabbie wanting £20 for the privilege of driving to the airport, I went for the cheap option of a cab to the station, and jumped the 5:50 to London. Although the cabbie was in full crazy taxi mood (hitting the best part of 50mph down the local link road in a 30 zone…) . After being dropped off outside New Street I made my way to a machine and pressed some buttons with a ticket coming out at the end of it. Soon enough, a train arrived and it time to begin.
Virgin Pendolino Class 390 Birmingham New Street – Birmingham International
Price paid £2.30 single.
First train - amazingly on-time
For the first train of the day, it departed on schedule , and it arrived on scheduled. There was even enough time for the train manager to crimp all the tickets. Which is nice.
At BHX
I've set myself a personal record - 3 times through this airport this year. I really don't want to make it 4 unless I have to? Why? It's the delusions this airport has about its importance, when it's sandwiched from the south by Heathrow, and from the north by Manchester. That and the postage stamp they call a runway means reasonable long haul services are a dream out of this place.
Then it was the first check in of the day . After making sure on the OLCI machine that my part of the row was free still, I printed my boarding pass and checked the rucksack in – only to pay yet another visit to oversize luggage. Which brings me onto a beef – how come in the UK every time I have to check a rucksack, it has to go in the oversized check area?
Boarding pass in hand - Sequence 1 
Still BHX security was quiet today unlike the last time I went through here and it was virtual war with 1 mile long queues.
Security was it’s usual self, with the scanners pulling my bag for the camera equipment. My film was scanned without question however - which is always nice considering some airports don’t get the point of manually scanning film. But it’s early, and I need a vodka and orange. Off to the lounge.
ServisAir Lounge, Birmingham Airport
Sigh. I’ll talk about this “lounge”. For United Red Carpet Club users imagine a small room. Got that image? Now add some alcoholic beverages... and an awful view. And it gets worse as they’ve “remodelled it”. How much worse can it get? See below.
I couldn’t believe they could make a lounge worse. Colour me completely wrong - they’ve done it with style. Apart from changing the size of it, it looks like someone tried to clear a space and dump a bar and lots of chairs with little organisation in the middle of of it. Anyhoo, I got bored quickly and made my exit - but not before a vodka and orange juice had made it to me and it was coming up to the filight.
With the drink down, I made my way over to the gate 55, where I saw the 737-500 of the day - and after a short while boarding commenced via the ground and airstairs.
My 737-500 of the morning.
LH4907 Birmingham International - Frankfurt Am Main International Airport
Lufthansa AG, Boeing 737-500, Seat 20A, Economy Class
477 Miles flown, 125 Miles and more Miles, £0.36 cash-back
I was welcomed aboard, and made my way to the back of the plane and got comfy. Whilst it’s not a long flight the seat pitch is adequate for a short hop like this. As we boarded after pushback time, I was fulling expecting to be late.
Soon enough the classic “Boarding Complete” was announced and we sat on the tarmac and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Eventually the captain came out of the front office and gave fluent announcements in German and English, explaining the slot control delay and we’d be on the on the ground for another 45 minutes. The captain with the crew then proceeded to perform a ground drinks service of water, orange juice and apple juice.
Open doors
Eventually we were cleared and the crew presented their “safety tips” as we begun to trundle over to the runway for take off.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz0ENZc8i5g
The climb out over Birmingham was quite long, but eventually we broke through the clouds and up into the clear sky. After the seat-belt sign had pinged, I needed to visit the small room. And those small rooms on those 737-500’s are indeed small.
Climb out over Birmingham
Inflight service begun quickly with a red Leicester cheese roll, a coke and a coffee. Again, not a lot - but appreciated.
Roll
Trink!
Service was completed over the channel with a tidy up run or two and the crew went and hid for the remainder of the journey.
Over the Channel
Soon enough we came in over the Main, and as usual, Frankfurt was bumpy on approach. But the plane made it to the ground safely, and we had a quick taxi over to the A Gates, where a bus with two sets of airstairs was waiting for us.
landing video - a bit long!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_rPaWsj924
On the bus at FRA
Overall: A nice short Eurohop that wasn’t overpriced and dread the thought - some Lufty miles in my Miles and More account. Dread the thought it’s the beginning of a collection there...
Next up: A Day in Frankfurt and the joy of SEN lounges.