1010101

Yes but have you ever tried to use it when they're filling an A380 at T5C? Completely useless as the scrum at the gate means you can't get near it until you're almost onboard.

Car service would be a good addition for the supposedly flagship A380 F service since they all leave from T5C. Perhaps not feasible for every aircraft though.

JIMCHI

Traveled through FRA last week on intra-European business class. Never again. Had to take a bus on both the inbound and outbound. Signage in the FRA terminal 1 is awful. All we wanted was a sit down restaurant - no one in the business class lounge seemed to know where one was.No signs directing us. Food offerings in that lounge was minimal. Food in business class on both flights was inedible for most American tastes (but I will admit they are a German airline so probably cater what I consider "unusual" foods. I don't think any of it would appeal to an international audience). It just seemed to be a chaotic terminal.

But then the next week transited Terminal 5 at LHR. Simple as could be. Well marked, our TLS-LHR flight parked at an actual jetbridge. Just a world of difference.

An additional comment- the business class seats on LH intra-European were just awful. They have installed slim line seats, but in the back of them is a tray table that must stick out about 2-3 inches from the seat in front of you. I felt extremely confined. The seat pitch may be the same as on BA, but the distance between the chest level between you and the seat in front of you in considerably less.

Transatlantic on LH may be very good. I have no comparison with LH. But I was happy with the food and service on BA First. Filet Mignon was finally done just medium and not dried out like they served a a year or so ago. Appetizers were wonderful and probably appealed to all tastes. We were very happy with BA transatlantic F class.

Interested to know- Does LH offer that car service for connecting passengers who are flying on awards?

HMPS

Don't think BA is ready to do what appeals to F CUSTOMERS or to differentiate itself from competitors . As to car service is " Not the top requirement......" argument , was a lounge a top requirement before it was introduced ? Is it required by F CUSTOMERS that they be seated and fed separately from J ?

Come to think of it, look around, all the innovations you /we use ....we're they a top requirement before they were introduced and we were able to afford them ?Point is because I cannot reach the grapes therefore they must be sour syndrome is ever present no matter how one explains it away.

orbitmic

I agree with you too: raw animals/animal products be they live (oysters) or prepared (tartares, caviar, other fish roe, snail roe, urchins, etc) offer unusual flavours that many people hate but can also offer the most exciting food sensations to many of us, hence the love/hate or the fact that many people love them who might have hated them when they first tried.

That said, to answer some specific other comments (such as "too salty") explicitly suggest that the person has tried some low quality caviar (or alternatively some other fish roe, such as salmon roe which some people call "red caviar") because quality caviar is not actually a very salty product (nor "strong" or "fishy" in taste), much less so than pickles or ketchup among other things.

And yes, I too love caviar and think it is an absolutley unique pleasure.

orbitmic

But that's precisely the thing, with your main flight in F, assuming both your arrival and departure flights are on AF (regardless of class of travel on your connecting flight) for instance, you will typically not have any walk at all at CDG. You are just picked up at your arrival flight, taken to the lounge where any formality is being taken care of, and then driven again to your next flight.

Cap'n Benj

In my (one) experience of the LX 'car' service it was a completely pointless and in face quite inconvenient service

On arrival on a remote, non-schengen stand, we were bussed, on mass, to an arrivals point where we made are way as per normal connectors to the lounge which was a fair old way.

The 'car' turned out to be an MPV that took myself and friend, plus one other, across to the international sattelite. Having an MPV and non private transfer was not an issue, what was was having to leave for it on a set schedule, go through security before we could go down to the car, then having been dropped off at the sattelite terminal being thrust back into the masses where we had to go through another full security check, an immigration check and where then left to wait in a pen with everyone else for 10 minutes before boarding

If I ever did it again I would not bother with the 'private car' and instead just head on over on the mass transit on my own avoiding the additional security.

Once on board the overall LX experience was probably a tad better than BA, as a whole though you certainly would not have me connecting to avoid BA and as a ground service, if (admittedly a big if) fast track security at LHR is working well, then I'd say BA's is in reality no worse

Petrus

Yes. Award or revenue are not deciding factors.

NeverFirst

They didn't speak acceptable English? You could have always used your impeccable German.

And even worse, they searched your bag whilst you watched ... at airport security ... well, fancy that.

(I think that's the right icon).

NeverFirst

Also ... what? The airline sat you amongst prostitutes and ... worst of all ... a family? In your cabin? How dare they.

RTW1

But that really has nothing to do with the subject here.....
For F flights FRA is perfectly acceptable, you won't have to experience any of the buses, even on awards. I now hope that when arriving on a intra-european feeder for my F long-haul that I get a remote stand.

And yes, LH F is better than BA F. Even if you don't like caviar :-).

Raffles

Not many airlines could.

You need a critical mass of F pax but not too many (Emirates probably could not do it, they have exclusive F buses for remote stands though!)

You need to want to position your F product in a certain way. And, of course, you need the airport to play ball.

Note that Emirates in Heathrow boards J and F pax directly from the lounge which beats BA.

IAN-UK

Goldlust

English is the language of international travel and FRA is the only airport in which I have experienced security unable to make themselves understood in English. Granted that may be the case in most uncivilised countries, like Germany.

Actually, they opened my bag and searched it without my consent and without me watching.

I have no problem with families nor with prostitutes as long as they behave themselves. Mostly they have excellent manners (families that is, my experience with prostitutes in aircraft or otherwise is not abundant).

DrGee

Oh I do enjoy this sort of thread. It's like peeking through a crack in the fence at a completely different world where F people bat around their opinions on the quality of the caviar, the steaks, the wine, the limos - or lack of.

Personally I'd never consider flying F until I can be guaranteed a lavishly painted sedan chair (without scratches) to whisk me through the crowds from my lounge dining table to the captain saluting as I ease myself into my luxury surroundings on board.

LTN Phobia

I have to say op-upping young children and likely-to-be drunk people who probably have a higher chance of being disruptive than other passengers towards others would annoy me too.

In addition, I do not think people should expect to swap a seat without a good reason and unless they themselves are prepared to inconvenience themselves, as you have described. I also feel it is inappropriate for cabin crew member to put pressure on you to swap that way.

Saying that, that is not a usual occurrence on LH, or I'd have avoided them like the plague! I suppose you can say you're lucky that it was on a short haul. My worst BA flights were LHR-SYD route (two returns in a short space of time with very disruptive people) with multiple screaming children in F with parents bar one not making any effort to keep them quiet and allowing them to run around the whole cabin (and further). Having already been awake for many hours when I got on board, a 24-hour trip + 5 hour wait for the connecting flight + 1.5 hour flight + 1 hour ground transport or reverse in the other direction, I was feeling thoroughly miserable as those screaming children kept everyone in the cabin awake, not just me (this sort of situation has really turned me against op-upping young children - they have the right to be there if they have paid ticket but not as an op-up - and they should not have the right to disturb everyone else in any case). If I had not known that this was not the usual thing to happen on BA, it probably would have put me off BA to be honest.

So, I hope don't let your CPH experience ruin your overall impression of LH. They honestly aren't always like that. Most of my LH flights were full of well-behaved, quiet adults and children alike, and quite well-disciplined and clean too, as well as nice, discreet and helpful cabin crew.

I would not be so sure... I have had disruptive op-ups (children included) on BA. I have also seen a lot of jerks. So much so that I offered my details to cabin crew quite a few times to back them up if they needed to file a report.

I really like BA, don't get me wrong! But ill-behaved people are on every airline. I wish there weren't, but there are...