May 15
LHR-MUC
BA 948
CE
Seat 1D
Scheduled and Actual: 06:55 - 09:45

After getting a better quality of sleep with a better bed at the Sofitel, but still only 4 or so hours, I showered and checked-out, and walked for three minutes to reach LHR T5.



For this short trip I chose to travel with hand baggage only for the outbound, and check a bag on the return. This would allow me to minimize time on arrival in Europe, whereas when I arrive back in London, the time to clear immigration is usually longer than the time for a bag to arrive.

I proceeded through LHR T5 north security and there was no separate fast track line, and really no queues at all given the very early pre 6am time. I walked to the south lounges, and had breakfast (bacon, sausage, orange juice, bread, etc.) in the GF lounge. I was informed that the flight to Munich would be from the B gates, but did not rush over there. This was in part because I've never seen the GF lounge so empty, and enjoyed the unusually quiet and pleasant experience. The wifi was also very fast and reliable, in contrast to recent visits.



I purchased CE for this flight, as I had a fairly tight train connection for my meeting in Nürnberg (Nuremberg), and wanted to be first off the plane. Because the trip included a weekend, the price wasn't that unreasonable (unlike the £1000+ BA wanted for my trip to Stockholm a few days later!).

I departed the lounge about 35 minutes before the scheduled departure time, and took the transit train as it was very empty. I reached the gate about two minutes before boarding commenced. We pulled back from the gate early after an efficient boarding process, but were told that we would have a 30 minute wait for a slot from air traffic control. That said, our flight was still on-time due to the padding included in the schedule.



For this flight I was feeling very tired. I ate a small bit of the breakfast, but mostly I slept. While I was in 1D, 1F was empty so I took advantage of the nice views to take a few photos of the take-off and landing.





The meal in CE was a typical BA shorthaul breakfast (eggs, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, bread, fresh fruit, juice), and was a bit better than your average breakfast on AA. Yes, it was a second breakfast, but I didn't expect to have much time for lunch today. In general BA's eggs turn out much better than those of US-based carriers.







Upon arrival in Munich, I was first off the plane and through immigration very quickly. One advantage of the terminal used by BA is that you rarely find yourself behind another flight. I found my way to the S-Bahn station within a few minutes. I took the S-1 train to the München Hauptbahnhof. I had pre-purchased train and subway tickets online, which made for an efficient journey. At the Hbf I had more time than expected, so I ordered a käse brezel and used the wifi during my hour or so prior to my train to Nürnberg.

The ICE train to Nuremberg was very nice. The total journey was about 1:15, and I had a pleasant seat in first class with a table, and worked and ate my pretzel.



At Nuremberg Hbf, I quickly made my way to the U-Bahn and took the subway a few stops to my meeting.





After 4-5 hours of discussions, I bid my client farewell, returned via the U-Bahn, and then slept on the one hour ICE train to Augsburg.

Upon arrival in Augsburg., I was met by my friends and enjoyed dinner at a brewery right next to the train station (Brauerei S. Riegele). I enjoyed a ribeye steak and fried potatoes.