Welcome to my first trip report here on flyertalk. I've been a long time follower of the posts and thought it best finally to contribute a report of my own.
The journey was from Boston to Bombay via Frankfurt and Lufthansa on the outbound and British Airways and Heathrow on the return. All four flights were flown in business class, hence you'll have a comparison of the two carriers and alliances. For those wondering why the flights were booked this way, I actually used mileage plus miles for the outbound flight. Frankly, United has been such a mixed bag. My last flight with them was from Doha to Boston and back via Dubai and Dulles. The business seats are just really cramped if you're in the middle section. The food and service were also not great. So 80k UA miles and about $110 in taxes and I was off to Bombay.
Departure from Logan airport 23 April
Lufthansa Flight 421
departure time 2215
Arrival time 1120 (+1)
Boston is really a great airport, at least in my opinion. There are a few small issues though.
Checking in with Lufthansa was a breeze. There's a dedicated counter for first, business and Star Alliance elite. There was no one waiting to check in, so the very friendly check in agent handed me my boarding cards within 5 minutes. Unfortunately, Logan does not have a dedicated security line for elites and premium classes. You're told to use the crew line, which was a complete waste of time because it was terribly slow. TSA Precheck really is such a blessing. That being said, it was about a twenty minute wait made worse by a family traveling on Emirates to god knows where. The children were out of control and the father had clearly forgone showers since the first Persian gulf war.
Lufthansa Lounge at Logan
As the Boston flyers know, the lounges in terminal e aren't great at all. All lounges are located in the basement, so there are no views to be had. Fortunately, I had learned at check in that the flight to Frankfurt would be very light in business class. The load definitely made the lounge experience better, if only because it was empty. To be fair, the drinks are self serve and there are snacks which are more substantial than just cheese and crackers. There are separate lounges for Star Gold and Business. Since, I relinquished my Star Gold status, I went with the business class lounge. Have a look at the photos.
Time to board!
Boarding was announced in the lounge. A short walk over to the gate and boarding was in progress starting with families. Below are some pictures of the flight. I think, all in all, business had maybe 20 passengers. From the seating map from check in, the mini front cabin was full, but the larger cabin was mostly empty. Predeparture drinks were offered; however they seemed like and afterthought because they weren't served until the door had shut and we were actually leaving the gate. I had the sparkling wine, which was nicely chilled. Per usual, amenity kit and bottled water were already in the armrest and there was a comfortable pillow. I think lufthansa's old business seats are perfectly comfortable as I don't like to recline fully on airplanes.
Take off was handled expertly by our captain, and we were off on our seven hour transatlantic journey. Upon reaching the safe working altitude, the cabin crew distributed the menus. I ordered the salmon, with Chardonnay and Apollonaris sparkling water, or mit gas, as our German friends say. I love appollonaris and never pass it up. Sparkling water is supposed to be sparkling, not 'frizzante' like most of the Italian brands. Frankly, the salmon was fantastic. The fish was moist and the vegetables still had a very nice crunch. The salad was also very nice. The meal service was accomplished in the usual polite and efficient Lufthansa way. No gushing, just smart service. The flight attendants were very good. All of them looked sharp and were ready to go. Contrast this with UA, where you never know what you're going to get, especially heading back to the states from overseas. After the delicious meal, which I couldn't finish, it was time for sleep. The one issue with Lufthansa is the severely limited inflight entertainment. Fortunately, I had some catching up to do with 'Flipping Out' and 'Parks and Rec'. As an aside, the last two seasons of Parks and Rec have been horrible. What started out as a laugh out loud sitcom has devolved into a tawdry festival of boredom.
After about twenty minutes, I fell asleep and didn't wake until we were over Ireland with about 2 hours left to go. Breakfast service was done about an hour before landing. Again, a very light and fresh meal with efficient service. Prior to landing, I popped into the bathroom to wash my face, brush my teeth and have a breath mint. By the by, piping hot towelettes were handed out prior to both meals. They were actually so hot, that you could barely hold them, which I love. Seatbelt signs were illuminated and we made our entry into Germany.
Transfer in Frankfurt
Lufthansa's hub in Frankfurt is fairly well documented, so please feel free to take a look at the pictures below. Personally, I prefer Munich, but Frankfurt is also a fine airport. Transfers are fairly obvious, even for those of us who do not have a Mercedes or Porsche to whisk us away to a private terminal. Thus, I made the trek to the b business lounge, which is one of the better Lufthansa lounges, if only for the size and the views. This lounge also always seems to be less crowded as well.
Of note, I love soft pretzels. They're the highlight of any Lufthansa experience. I also love spicy German mustard. On this particular visit, one of the lounge attendants actually had a pretzel cart. Oh, love! Coupled with some wasabi nuts and a sparkling wine, the layover was very nice.
Off to Bombay!
The gods smiled upon me, because our departure gate was right outside the lounge. Conversely, boarding was a mess and it was delayed. Insert rant about gate lice. Still, can't complain because we were not at a remote stand to-day.
I was excited about this flight because I would be flying in the nose of the aircraft, a 747-400, and the flight in business was empty again.
The flight crew for this sector was fantastic. I'm not really certain what it is, but the non-US destined flight crews seem to be a little more 'fun' than their colleagues. Having flown with LH to the Qatar and Bahrain several times, those crews always seemed a bit less conservative than the crews serving flights going to Boston, Newark, Dulles or Seattle.
A nice little pre-departure drink offered by our super friendly cabin crew.
After a short time on the ground, it was time to make our journey to India. As is always the case, menu, amenity kit and bottled water were already in the seat.
As soon as we hit ten thousand feet, the cabin crew commenced with the lunch service. White linens, beverages and snack mix were distributed while the crew prepared the lunch. I went with the curry, which was probably a mistake as it wasn't very good. To be fair, I was already so stuffed from the Boston leg, wasabi nuts and soft pretzel, I wasn't very hungry.
Beverage cart would be removed after the service.
Ahhh Warsteiner!
A nice box of chocolates were given out after the meal service concluded. Throughout our journey, the cabin crew checked in with the few passengers to see if their drinks needed to be re-filled.
Although the contents were the same, I had not seen this amenity bag before. It adds a nice variety to the collection under the sink from LH, BA, AF, TK, UA, JL, etc.
I was on vacation, so what the heck, I'll have another beer.
A light meal service was offered an hour outside of Bombay. I declined because I was still so full from the previous day's worth of food.
Before I knew it, we were ready for landing. Our journey had come to an end and it was time to start the adventure in India.
Mumbai Airport
So, apparently the controversy over the air-conditioning in the new airport is well founded. While aesthetically pleasing, it felt humid and muggy in the airport. Preferring hot to cold, especially when it comes to weather conditions, my initial reaction was that this did not bode well for the rest of the journey.
After a quick pit-stop in the bathroom, I collected my luggage and was meeting at arrivals by staff from the JW Marriott Mumbai, where I would be staying during my time in India. I had pre-arranged the BMW 7 series option via the hotel's website. If arranging transportation through the hotel, there were three options: toyota sedan, Mercedes sedan or BWM. For a couple of dollars more, I went with the BWM. The two members of staff who greeted me were both very kind and grabbed my bag immediately, even though it was a roller board. A few pictures en-route to the hotel are below.
The JW Marriott Mumbai
I selected this hotel based upon some on-line reviews and my Gold status with Marriott. Marriott loyalists will know that some of the evening 'canapés' or afternoon 'tea' offered in the lounges can be pretty substantial meals in and of themselves. Moreover, a free glass of wine is hard to pass up. But I digress, check-in was a breeze owing to the fact that it was about two in the morning by this point. I was escorted to my room by a bell-hop who handled my bag. At this point, I was starting to feel awake again, so asked if he could have room service send up 'a couple of Kingfishers'. Here's what I got:
The room was very comfortable, but it was a smoking room. I had specifically requested non-smoking in the reservation, but something had gotten mixed up. Again, at this point in the evening, I just wanted to sit in the bed and watch the news and send out a few emails, so I didn't complain. The room was on the Executive Floor with a nice view. I can't say what the difference between this room and a standard room was, but it was comfortable.
Well, that concludes the initial part of my report. The other photos are still loading and I'll be certain to post them ASAP.
Initial Conclusions: I enjoy Lufthansa's premium product, I really do. While I've not flown on Swiss or Austrian for comparison's sake in the German speaking world, Lufthansa offers a solid, and perhaps most importantly, consistent product. The seats are comfortable, the cabins are spot-less, the meals are generally good and the flight crews are always pleasant. Moreover, for 80K miles and $100 in taxes, who am I to complain. Oh, and they have soft pretzels
The alternative would have been United through Newark and interestingly enough, another couple who were staying at the hotel remarked that the flight had been delayed for almost six hours on the date I left. Lufthansa may not have the glitz or glamor of some of the Near Eastern carriers, but they're definitely a great way to fly.
I hope you've enjoyed my first report. I'll post more on the JW, India and the return on BA shortly.