A few weeks back, when I was still unsure I could snag a first class seat on two Lufthansa flights, I became aware of a promo being run by LH and Avis: if you are transiting in Frankfurt and you are either a Hon member or a first class passenger, you could rent a Porsche 911 S95 for “only” 99.10EUR for 3 hours. I didn’t originally think I would take up this offer, since I was planning to fly to Abu Dhabi where my Etihad flight would leave from anyways. In fact, the flight to AUH was supposed to be flown by one of the two newly reconfigured A333s with new first class, giving me a convenient 3 hour layover in Germany. But then, schedules changed and the new first class was assigned to the DOH/BAH flight, leaving me in a limbo since 3 seats on my proposed Dubai flight – the other alternatives – were already taken. I waited to T-14 for availability: nothing. T-7… nothing. But then, on T-6 (and exactly on my birthday, go figure) a seat opened up and in a frenzy I called United and switched my award reservation to DXB in first class. The other, more unconventional alternative was to fly to Bahrain and to connect on a night Gulf Air flight to Abu Dhabi – I am really happy that didn’t happen because the whole itinerary looked awfully tiring.

So, now I had 6 hours in Frankfurt: that made renting a Porsche just perfect! But let’s go in order.

Once I landed I went through immigration and made my way to the new Lufthansa Welcome Lounge.


The A333 that brought me into FRA

A cheerful old lady greeted me and showed excitement to see a first class passenger: how sweet!



I asked for a shower, and I proceeded downstairs to have a much-needed wash up.

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Here I found the most astonishing lounge feature ever encountered: free, quick clothes pressing. Basically, you get into the shower room, undress, hang your clothes on a cabinet besides the mirror, click a few buttons… et voila, your clothes are promptly collected and ironed and returned just when you are done with your morning rituals. Shockingly amazing. From a businessman perspective, this is fantastic. Why no other airline thought about it before (none that I know of, at least) is beyond my comprehension. Many times it seems that western airlines hide themselves behind the cliche that Asian carriers provide superior service because their cost structure is lower. Well, Lufthansa doesn’t have a lower cost structure, it’s profitable, and delivers 5 star service to its premium customers. Go figure.


Spacious washroom


Traveling gear






Hidden cabinet (behind mirror) to hang clothes for pressing


Click a few buttons...


...et voila! Your clothes will be delivered back crispy and pressed!

Overall, the lounge had around 10 people in it; it looked spacious, well-appointed, and it had anything you really need to start off your day – drinks, beer on tap, a rather extensive selection of breakfast items, a big hot beverages machine. I was again very impressed.


Good breakfast selection

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Beer on tap!


Lots of water, but also juices and sodas (and wines and beers)


Soft tones and low lighting: perfect to relax

After getting a couple of glasses of water I left the lounge and proceeded to the AVIS counter to pick up my long-awaited Porsche.