dparkinson

My JFK-MUC flight in F is delayed and I’m going to misconnect. Given that, I have two options…
A) Take my delayed JFK MUC and then have a 5 hour layover in MUC
B) Rebook JFK ZRH and spend an extra 3 hours at JFK and then have a 2 hour layover in ZRH
The new flights arrive within 30 minutes of each other.
A couple of questions to help inform my decision…
1) If I have to spend more time at JFK, is the First Class Dining at the JFK Lounge back to full pre-pandemic strength or are there changes I need to know about?
2) Is there any tarmac car transfer in ZRH from the E gates or am I taking the Heidi train with everyone else? Am I correct in my understanding that a car transfer in MUC or ZRH to an EU flight requires a departure from a remote stand?
3) A bit of an aside…I know LX doesn’t require masks onboard but LH does. Does LH generally maintain that requirement in F these days or is it crew by crew? I flew last year when I had F to myself and they didn’t.
4) Any other tiebreakers I should be aware of?

YYCCL3

Onboard dining in F on both LH and LX are basically the same as pre-pandemic.

Can't comment on the transfer service in ZRH as last time I was there it was not running yet.

LH F mask enforcement seems to be going crew by crew - more on the side of non-enforcement.

I'd prefer the LH A346 over LX A333 - since they are a rare bird these days.

fassy

Haven't been at JFK for a while and can only compare to pre-pandemic times... last time I was departing LH from JFK, they opened up the F dining area like an hour before boarding. Rest of the time we had to wait with the unwashed *G masses downstairs in the SEN lounge... So, after the pandemic hit, I can't imagine they extended the opening hours to cover more time than they had before the pandemic.

chris63

I would prefer to wait in MUC with much better facilities & the A346 , masks are not enforced in LH F & EU flights require apron departures for the limousine service.

LX F would transfer you from E to A by the F bus.

LH F at MUC have also recently revived the F arrival service

vantage03

All of this. I avoid the LX A330 if possible on overnight flights as the bed are really showing their age becoming quite uncomfortable

shipsmail

to answer your question 1): it is back to prepandemic levels generally. But the choice for meals served are quite limited to one soup and two mains, two desserts. Quality is not more than ok. Wine and champagner have recently become at best business class level.

dparkinson

WOW. Pre-Pandemic, the food was do + co and I’d say comparable to a Michelin star restaurant. Sad to see JFK has fallen so far if what you’re saying is what I should expect.

seanp7

I ate at the JFK F section 4 weeks ago and agree it's basically business class dining at this point. The space is nice though, and a couple of the wines (and spirits) were decent. YMMV.

dparkinson

Very helpful. For reference, where would it rank amongst the food in Polaris lounges (if you’ve been) and the buffet on the SEN floor?

chris63

Estimated delay ex JFK is 30 minutes, yesterdays flight departed 1 hour late & landed ontime in MUC, why are you going to misconnect ?

dparkinson

I only have a 45 minute connect if it were on time. LH status says 30 minute delay on arrival.

chris63

MUC have an excellent direct ramp transfer service & even more so for F pax Your not delayed until you are…. Do let us know how it goes

seanp7

Polaris is hit or miss for me at EWR but I had a stunning meal last week (in the EWR Polaris thread). The buffet at PL is poor.

SEN floor good if you’re desiring staple German cuisine. Not really my thing.

NYC1

Let us know how it went.

A couple of points:

The food at the “wine and dine” section of the LH JFK lounge pre-pandemic was “ok” (not remotely close to a good restaurant let alone a Michelin-rated one) and comparable to the food at the old/new LX first class section in T4 (which now has been abandoned). The drinks (non-Champagne) were top notch. Now, there’s less choice on the food and drinks front. As a point of reference, the food was not as good as the food at the BA Concorde Room or AF LP private room, both at JFK. Of course, it’s not even comparable to the food at the F lounges in FRA, MUC, ZRH, CDG…

I like F in the 346 but really don’t mind LX’s F on the 333 and find the bed to be good (and the linen etc is the same). F on the 777 is newer/nicer but not a huge difference for me. The biggest downside of the 333 is having one bathroom for 8 pax.

chris63

After all the Drama LH411 landed ontime