Rumples

Hi All,

Just thought I’d share a couple points here on my LH FRA-SFO in flight experience the other day. for background, I usually fly LX and not LH when in Europe, so this was my first time in the 748.

Seat was 3k.

I think the simplest way I can put it is that LH offers a very reactive and not proactive service.

there are three things that really irked me this flight, and ill list them below. The main theme is that I feel like a second class passenger based on the issues i faced.

1. during boarding, all passengers given the slippers + sleeper suits. I was forgotten, and I had to ask for them.

2. during meal service, the purser was speaking to the couple in the middle seats for about 30 min+, during the meal service. downside is that cart couldn’t reach my seat since purser was standing in the aisle, so my meal was delayed by 30+ minutes.

3. asked for bed to be made, FA said she had to make a soup for someone so it couldn’t be immediate. I said no problem, take your time, i understand. 30 minutes later, still nothing. I go to galley, and shes chatting with a passenger. I asked her about the bed, and she said she completely forgot and was sorry.

all three of these are small issues in the grand scheme of things, but when paying these prices, its not acceptable. it shows a lack of awareness and care about each passenger. I told the purser this at the end of the flight, and while she seemed caring, i doubt it’ll change anything.

first time flying LH first, and definitely the last time. LX offers a far more superior FCL experience (i can walk myself to gate), and a much better proactive service experience onboard. Asian carriers such as SQ and ANA tend to proactively think about what you’d need next, as does Emirates (can’t speak for the other ME carriers), so this was just so disappointing.

just giving my $.02 here.

thbe

I agree, that these issues are not acceptable.

The biggest problem about LH is still the inconsistency. My best flight in F were with LH, some of my less good flights in F as well.

I don’t understand, why LH has a problem with standard procedures. It seems like it’s up to the crew, how to provide service. It looks like they often improvise instead of just following the book (I hope there is a book). There should be a definition of a maximum time a passenger has to wait for meal, beverages or bed. It’s ok to wait two minutes, but even five minutes are not acceptable with two FA for eight passengers. Not to speak about 30 minutes or more.

They even have different ways to split work. Sometimes one FA is focusing on meals and beverages and the other is focusing on the communication with the passenger (btw: that works fine often). Sometimes one FA is serving one half of the passengers and the other os serving the other half.

LX is more consistent, but most consistent is OS, but they don’t have a F.

Jensens

I agree that there is a lack of consistency. But I must also say that F now is just not on par with F before Covid, it‘s as simple as that. Part of that could be that crews are no longer as tightly knit than before. Was just last week on the service to HKG and crews were in large part new (or hadn‘t done F for more than 3 years). And boy, the food is much less refined (I normally don‘t eat, this time I had to because of crap lounges in HKG), it is ok, but nothing to write home about.

So dear LH, with all the talk about concentration on premium cabins, you‘re playing with fire here, it‘s hard to regain your reputation once it’s lost, and I would say you have already lost a fair bit.

thbe

I had two LH F flights in the last 10 days and service, food and beverages were fine. Also no issues at FCT.

LH F had some lows since the covid ground zero - the last one was around February -, but my flights in May were just fine.

chris63

LH F is far behind where it used to be, add to that the poor F lounge experience at FRA, it has been LX F & EK F for me & unless LH get their act together i will continue to avoid LH F

worldclubber

The report just shows a lack of customer orientation by LH and some of their crews, which lead to the inconsistency another poster mentioned. But it is consistency at a high level that should be a core component of F.

Having said that, I have had good and not so good flights with LX and SQ, too. On one of my last LX flights they virtually forced the dessert on me so they could finish the meal service, darken the cabin and then sit in the galley and read a magazine. (it was early afternoon at the point of departure). On one of my last SQ flights they kept forgetting things and then kept interrupting me by apologizing.

thbe

Actually they improve fast at the FCL/FCT at FRA.

MumbaiDan

Really? How do you measure that?
For me it continuous to be a Zoo. This morning there were, as often in the pat few months, no working boxes nor tables in the restaurant available.
The sofas/arm chairs were very busy. And the LH staff under full pressure again to get things going with just too many people in the FCT.
A very rushed and not at all exclusive experience.

thbe

The recent critics were about the change from Do&Co to Käfer on May 1. Since then they’ve changed the menu, for example. Many of the new employees have gained experience.

They’ve also opened FCL B last month.

But, of course, when it’s full, then it’s full. But I haven’t seen the FCT that full since the end of last summer.

MasterGberry

OS Purser didn't greet me on my flight back from the USA today =(

Only negative, otherwise they were super accommodating as always. I had an upset stomach, told the flying chef that I basically could eat nothing on their menu today because it was stuff that could upset my stomach again, so he offered to make a custom hybrid dish of some of the other parts of all the meals that were easy on the stomach. Was not much food, but was still very nice and great tasting.

NYC1

I used to fly a fair amount of LH F but after several disappointing experiences have moved all my LH F travel to F on AF/EK/LX. It will take a lot of positive/turnaround posts here for me to consider changing back.

cfischer

That's a poor experience. With 6 LH F segments YTD I can say ... it is not common IME. While LH F can be hit/miss wrt champagne (already MUCH better this month), I always found service to be consistently great

cricketer

That's basically the only route I do LH F on (thank you, UA Plus Points), especially with no F to India now. Never had an experience like this - in fact my experiences of late have been really positive with respect to service.

The one that's galling to me is #2 in your list. The other two, while not cool, I can at least see how they might have happened. But it is utterly insane for all meal service to be suspended for 30 minutes because the purser is talking to someone. I can barely fathom it. There's enough space in F on the 748 to step out of the aisle for a second as someone walks by.

weero

That sounds like a reasonable description ... but hasn't good ol'UA weaned you off service expectations in the air?

That happens to me with great regularity (whenever I get bumped up to the premium cabins) - I am generally invisible to the crews. I had FAs reaching over me in the middle section of the aircraft and handing the person next to me accessories and then forgetting about me....

Rumples

HA! UA expectation for me are extremely low. I fly them domestically, so i don’t expect the moon and skies from them. I do however, have a bit of an elevated expectation on other carriers when I fly INTL (except for BA), where I did not enjoy my F flight at all, so I stay away from them.