I begin the journey to the airport from my office at around 10am after getting in about 4 hours of work and meeting with my professor. Seattle has a relatively efficient public transit system (by US standards) and I make the quick hop on the express route from UW to the tunnel stations downtown. At the tunnel station I take the light rail to the airport. This process takes about twice as long as it does to drive, but since I have a transit pass I don't have to pay out of pocket and I can't really park my car at the airport for 2 weeks (remember this poor grad student part).

The light rail train:


Inside the train:


Now I present: Flying LH (aka UA step up your game)

LH491
SEA-FRA
Economy Class
14/8/2014
Booked: A340-300 No F/Old J
Flown: A330-300 New F/New J

As a UA flier, this was my first experience at the south satellite terminal, which I found to be ridiculously overcrowded (more crowded than the IAD A1-6 express area), though I had been at work long enough to only spend a few minutes waiting around. As soon as I got there, the famed UA gate lice had formed in front of the LH gate.

Stopped long enough to take this shot:


Plane! (D-AIKG):


Gate lice:


Is that the entire plane?


To my surprise, after priority and *G boarding was completed, they called for *S boarding, which was a first. Let me tell you it felt so good walking past the crowd standing there. (Note to UA stop letting those CC holders board group 2-LH doesn't do it and it's a lot less chaotic...). While on the jetbridge newspapers were presented on a table for all passengers, including the NYT and WSJ international editions in addition to German newspapers

The LH A333 has a small economy cabin (4 rows) behind J and in front of the larger economy cabin in the back, and it was a much quieter and less chaotic experience, though it does mean that you're very close to the Y lavs. Also the seats aren't too well-cushioned, though at least they weren't slimline...I settled into my aisle seat and my seatmate by the window already had the window shade down

Obligatory legroom shot (note that I'm almost 5'8"/172cm-also the broken cup-holder):


IFE:


I rather liked the IFE screen-it was much larger and clear than UA's and offered a much more international selection (instead of a small international selection based on the route-UA step up your game). The screen was responsive and I didn't have to jam my finger into the seatback in front of me.

As I had stayed up the previous night since I came back from work way past midnight and went back to work at 6AM, I immediately passed out for the first hour of the flight...only to be woken by a screaming baby in the first row behind the lavs. I swear that I attract screaming babies-I can't seem to be on a flight to/from/domestic US without a screaming baby within 3-4 yards of me.

This proved to be perfect timing, as this coincided with the meal service beginning. I threw on a Wallace and Gromit short (best shorts ever?) while the drink service rolled around. I played around with the recline on the seat and it kind of freaked me out as this was the first time I was in a seat that reclined backwards a little bit while the seat cushion slides forwards.

Gin & Tonic + snacks? (UA free booze in Y? C'mon man)


Hot disposable towel to rival the BA F rags (UA step up your game):


The lunch service consisted of the usual "chicken of pasta?" question that has existed since the dawn of flying. I went with the chicken:


The meal was more than edible, and I might go as far to say as pretty decent. You might notice the headphone cable in the above image (and the USB charger in the towel image). It often did get in the way while my seatmate at the window wanted to go to the bathroom.

After the dinner service was concluded, the cabin lights were dimmed for some shut-eye (this was a flight departing in the afternoon and arriving the next morning). Naturally I went around the Y cabin and snapped a few pictures

Mini-Y cabin:


Y lav-I'm backed up against the door...at least the sinks are automatic?


Behind the main Y cabin:


Rear galley:


I seem to have trouble falling asleep on planes, as my PR for un-interrupted sleep has been 2 hours, so I spent the rest of my flight entertained by LH's entertainment system. As I tend not to go to movie theaters and watch newer releases on planes, I watched the 2nd installment of The Hobbit (which was kind of meh), followed by Beijing Love Story (《北京爱情故事》), which is a confusingly-constructed movie following the love story of 5 couples.

Every half-hour or so, a flight attendant would pass through the aisle with water and OJ, which is standard enough. Interestingly, every once in a while a flight attendant from J would appear through the curtain with a tray of remaining cups of water and OJ, walk through the mini cabin, and return to J. ^ UA you got a long ways to go...

About an hour or so before arriving in FRA the breakfast service began with a coffee and something that looks at least comparable to the UA "domestic F" red-eye "snack" or the Jeff McMuffin (UA folks remember this is LH Y):


Soon after breakfast was cleared we began our descent into FRA with an animated tail-cam (not sure how I feel about this one...):


After this I'm not sure how I can go back to UA long-haul Y in December... D: