mangoMan

Took quite a bit of searching, but I found the info. Now I wonder if I should've grabbed row 10 seats when I had the chance...
But I think we'll be fine where we are near the back of the C cabin as we'll get served earlier. And if the cabin doesn't fill I'd guess the empty seats would be towards the rear (= less chance of hearing someone snoring )

bostonSENflyer

great for relaxation, bad for sleeping. however, nothing 2mg of lorezepam can't handle
Service extremely standardized. Do not expect luxury: the meals are just like in economy, yet served immaculately. Bread rolls are good Crew-- professional. Despite german rigidity, you would get to appreciate professional and reliable service. The only down is NO ESPRESSO. Has to be requested from the F class (read -- impossible).

more4less

A couple of times, when we have been few pax in C class, I have asked nicely and they have brought one from F, but I would not count on it.

In general C class in LH is not bad but very mediocre.

NewbieRunner

I must admit I haven't flown longhaul Business or Economy on LH for a couple of years but I wouldn't describe the meals in Business are just like Economy. I'd say the difference between Economy and Business is greater than between Business and First when the overall experience is taken into account.

mre5765

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...ml#post9566084

Always Flyin

This was in response to my earlier statement whether someone would like LH-C: "Are you German? If not, you are not going to like LH-C..."

My rationale?

LH has a horribly inferior business class seat.

Why? Because they can get away with it because its relatively captive market, i.e., Germans, accept it and in many cases defend it.

Based on the fact LH gets away with it, German overall tolerate it.

Hence, if you are German, you are unlikely to object to the seats.

BTW, same thing for Brits and British Air, which has more issues than I want to go into. But as they will tell me on that board, "If you don't like it, don't fly BA."

I keep that attitude in mind when deciding NOT to fly LH in business class.

RTW1

Sorry... but I feel your reasoning borders on the ridiculous....

I hardly see anybody here "defending" the quality of the LH C seats. And if you just look at the reactions on the new C seats in the 748 you won't even find many that think these are going to be the worlds best....

But that's not exactly the same as "horribly inferior".

And a flight consists of more than just the seat. A convenient schedule is nice too. Those connections in Dubai in the middle of the night get boring mighty fast.

So yes, you can do better in business. Just as you can do worse.
I don't really understand all the complaining, you know what you are getting. So the statement "if you don't like it, don't fly it" seems rather accurate.

It might not fit in your philosophy of what an airline should do, but if they feel it's the way to continue making money (not exactly happening in the industry as a whole right now) then what else is there to do. Let the market prove them right or wrong.

And if you don't like what you are getting for your money, just find something else. It's not that you don't have any other choices...

PDXPremier

Flew LH C TATL for the first time last March (FRA-IAD)...on the way over flew AC C (YYZ-CDG) and I was glad to have the lie flat AC seat for the overnight flight. For a daytime flight, the LH C seat was comfortable (not the best for sleeping of course) and I especially enjoyed being in row 1 on the 747...quiet, private feel to the cabin except for the stowaway mosquitos that periodically swarmed around my wife and I (that was just weird). The most disappointing part of the whole LH C experience (especially compared to AC's service) was the food. For one thing, the food on the AC menu was recognizable as something I might actually eat in a restaurant (I had a delicious steak for the main course...choice of crossaint or blueberry muffin with fresh fruit for breakfast)...on the LH menu, I chose what appeared to be my safest choice...the beef stroganoff....my wife actually asked me about the possibility of asking for a Y meal, but she ended up having the stroganoff as well which be both enjoyed. When my wife woke up during the 2nd meal service, she saw what I had on my tray which looked like little shot glasses filled with what looked like different flavors of chocolate mouse or puddings...I remember something on the menu earlier about some type of creamed chicken liver (yuck!) which is what I think was in the shot glass that looked like chocolate mouse (too bad it wasn't). I'm not a picky eater by any stretch of the imagination, but I don't think I much of anything for that second meal (other than the dinner roll which is tough to mess up). Even the small meals on the short intra-Europe LH C flights were nothing short of strange...strange salads and odd assortments of food that made you think, "that looks nice, but I'm not sure I want to eat it"

I found it funny that our connecting flight from IAD-PDX in regular old UA domestic F had a much more tasty assortment of food....warmed mixed nuts, choice of ravioli or chicken (actually had a choice since I not only recognized them but I liked both)....this was followed by an ice cream sundae with a choice of toppings (probably the best desert on the entire trip which I would have thought would have been on one of the TATL segments).

I'm sure there are those that have grown accustom to LH's food and actually enjoy it, but it definately wasn't my cup of tea...

Always Flyin

That's an easy retort when you disagree with the conclusion. Frequent travelers ex-Germany are effectively captive to LH. LH takes advantage of them and they allow it to happen.

Go back and read the earlier posts in this thread without blinders on.

What part of "I keep that attitude in mind when deciding NOT to fly LH in business class" did you not get?

If you think LH business is OK and want to fly it, knock yourself out. You won't find me on it until they improve it.

First class, which I am fortunate enough to fly regularly, is a different story.

RTW1

Isn't it normally the case that the dominant carrier in a country, who generally has the most convenient schedule, captures a (large) part of that market?

If you combine that with a corporate market that probably also receives some discounts or other benefits, and you have got the current situation.

If the product really was that horrendous, people would complain more don't you think? Competition is limited if you are based in DE... Sure, it's not the best available but that's sometimes not the only factor.

Always Flyin

When there is only one dominant carrier in a country, it is the worst possible situation since they have no competition to keep them in check.

I have never found LH to have the most convenient schedule. I have found them, however, to have the most extensive route structure for flights into and out of Germany.

Only if customers don't complain like crazy and those who can don't take their business elsewhere.

Bottom line is that the mediocre product is, at worst, tolerated.

Whether it is Nationalistic pride or resignation that they are stuck with the current LH offerings, if LH's core customer group did complain more, I suspect it wouldn't take LH four years to convert its long-haul fleet to lay-flat business seats.

RTW1

So you don't believe in the statement that the market is allways right?

LH might be the dominant carrier in Germany.... But it's not that there isn't a lot of competition.

Apparantly LH has decided, probably (hopefully) based on solid research, that they can operate "profitable" with the current seat for a while to come. Or maybe it's that they simply don't want to spend the money to do it sooner (or they simply don't have it....).

And flights are still rather full with people who probably know they are not sitting in the best seat on any airline, but they are still there.

Sometimes I'm even among them although I prefer LX, but that's not allways an option ? To be honest I have more of a problem with the very large C cabin on the A380 than the "old" C seat..... But if price is right or there is another good reason I still fly them.

pokeshot

We call it Liverwurst (Leberwurst) and everyone, even little children, loves it. ;-)

luvFclass

Or adults of Asian descent. Yum!

Jasper2009

Yes, but 99.9% of all people eat it spread on bread and donīt drink/eat it out of shot glasses.

The ingredients as such often are fine, but the "creative presentation" or combination of those ingredients makes the meal pretty strange (and inedible at times).

Also, on LH, I often find they try too hard to be a "fancy restaurant" which isnīt exactly to everyoneīs taste. Give me a well-cooked steak, some potato gratin and some vegetables and maybe some cheese cake / ice cream for dessert and Iīm a happy traveller. I donīt particularly fance "turkey with a vodka/strawberry sauce served with a bacon & water cress gratin" or some ridiculous meal.