I don’t know Carsten Spohr myself, but that is exactly the image I have of him. Not someone who has the elegance and generosity to offer a top-end service, with a sense for refinement or style. He probably is the typical German that “drives a Porsche to the Aldi store”. Comfort is something superficial and ephemeral, “you don’t come to the lounge to eat”, and so on. Running a spreadsheet for the numbers they can grasp, such as how many drinks are consumed by the average FCL user, and how much more an FCT visit costs more for two people traveling on a saver fare than the actual fare itself. But blind to the immeasurable loyalty effect - which totally escapes him, because he isn’t sensitive to those things.

I often criticise the French (as that the other side of me, so I can talk about it competently) for being “form over function” - just look at the La Premiere lounge which in terms of style, quality of staff and catering is Champions League where the First Class Terminal is Kreisliga A Frankfurt (you know, where SG Harheim, TSG Niederrad, FC Maroc Frankfurt, and FC Union Niederrad play) - but it doesn‘t have a proper working area, and the rules by which they do or don‘t run immigration and security checks are totally random! The FCT has a good layout, fantastic working cubicles, the security and passport check setup is reliable and efficient - but the „comfort“ side of things is really cheapened down. Function over form.

It is with that mindset of controlling the cost that they can measure, of being too unrefined to offer something really upmarket, and of Geiz-ist-geil that they have set the LHG companies on a trajectory of sh!!tification. Pity. In my case: up to 2 years ago, around 120-160 flights a year with LHG companies, 90% of which in J and F. This year: 8 flights (all delayed). HONdom coming to an end in February, and I feel good about it.