flysurfer

Well, ask an American and he'll most likely tell you that EVERYTHING is so much better on U.S. carriers, whereas LH has unfriendly and cold FAs, no legroom, terrible food (no chips, no warm nuts, no junk food and stuff) smoke-filled lounges and zoo-like boarding procedures. According to the UA forum, it appears like Americans tend to get irritated when a boarding process follows less than a dozen priority rules, and LH really often doesn't have (m)any of those.

So it's just a matter of perspective and totally subjective. Just think about those amazing threads where people breathlessly celebrate the announced purchase of Boeing 787 a/c by some foreign carrier, while even the thought of an American flag carrier purchasing anything made in France makes them sick in their stomachs. I have the impression that for some, flying on a 752 as opposed to a 321 is like winning a war. So I guess you can't please everybody and that European and U.S. airlines simply cater to the different preferences of their clients. To each his own.

jason8612

In my life, Ive flown a lot, and overall on European airlines, I get better service than on American ones, though I am American. It really does depend person-to-person, but of course not all euro airlines are great. Ive flown Alitalia and LOT (which I am now in Poland, and they are Polish airliens) and they are horrible. It depends on what you like. It agravates me on how USA airlines are cutting back on everything from F and Y meals on short flights, no domestic lounge access, even on a F ticket, charging for drinks, etc that Euro airlines have.

jpberendes

1. Flights to KRK, i.e. Poland, definitely depart from G-gates.
2. Thank you jacob_m, I'm aware of the location of G- and H-gates at MUC. My confusion was caused by the statement that flights from ORD arrive one level below of G84. Actually, flights from ORD arrive two levels above G84 as G84 is at the ground floor. And how can any flight arrive one level below of G84? Maybe they'll build some kind of basement in the future.

jason8612

Srry about that, typed that up between breaks
Was thinking KRK-MUC-ORD, then started the other way.

jpberendes

You are the man, flysurfer! 100% my opinion.

jacob_m

Is Poland part of Schengen now?? If so, I have completley missed that...

If you are taken to the terminal by bus you arrive one floor below G-level.
G-level would actually be the first floor, not the ground floor.
But I can't imagine the ORD flights actually park at a remote stand, sounds very inefficient...

I'm a great fan of LOT, very nice airline still offering a fairly decent economy class experience.
I've only flown it intra-Europe though.

flysurfer

Thank you, jpberendes. It's actually a little bit ironic, because the LH flight from where I'm posting this initially looked liked it might become one of those flights mentioned in various threads over at the UA board. You know, flights with senior, a little bit cold and warden-like LH FAs who deliver what the UA guys tend to call "efficient" service. From my seat I could easily witness how the other pax were addressed, so I had some doubts initially.

Obviously, I wasn't prepared to accept any of this on a 12-hour flight in F, so I made sure to have a ice-breaking chat with the FA assigned to me ASAP after take-off. Worked wonders. Now I'm happy to report that service couldn't be better. So I guess YOU, the pax, are an integral part of the overall service experience, and that, at least to a certain degree, you can influence and change that experience to the better or worse.

Now, back to the OP, who hasn't been on a LH plane before. The tone of his posts suggests that he has already made up his mind in advance and expects to get a bad LH experience. ("So thats Buisness Class! Urgh, that horrible!" etc.) With that attitude, chances are terrific that he'll just get what he expects: a horrible experience. But, as I said: To each his own.

Now, don't get me wrong, of course there also are many objective factors byond the pax' control, and sometimes, things are just terrible and beyond repair. Like my first and last flight on TED last December... Then again, sh*t happens.

jason8612

Intra-Europe LOT is nice.
But Europe-USA or vis versa is OK
They got to redo their interior, and their FAs arnt as friendly.

I do agree with flysurfer. If you go in expecting a horrible flight, youll get a horrible flight.

2035

To clarify re gate G84 - this is non-Schengen. There is a part of G which is non-Schengen. This is where, amongst others, Swiss departs from. There is a passport control in the middle of G. I think the change is from a couple of months ago.

jacob_m

Didn't know about that, now it all makes more sense.
I don't think it was there last time I passed through MUC, or maybe I just didn't think about it.

jpberendes

That's interesting. I took a couple of flights from G84 etc. to schengen-destinations during the summer. Haven't been down there through the last months. So, I thought that Poland had been integrated because I know that the KRK flight usually departs from those G-gates (which are partly non-schengen as we know now). I also know that LOT departs from non-schengen-gates at HAM. So, of course, it all makes sense now. Sorry.

jpberendes

You are not completely correct as MUC has also got some G-gates on the ground floor (G84 for example) below the main G-level. So no flight can arrive one level below of G84 as G84 is on the ground floor. That's all I'd like to describe. I guess, you thought that G84 is on the first floor (the main G-level)
And of course, ORD flights are not parked at remote positions, but arrive two levels above of G84, i.e. the H-level.

jacob_m

OK, I stand corrected...

I had never memorised where the different gates are located (those ones located in the basement/ground floor for example), and I certainly didn't know that they use G-gates as non-Schengen gates nowadays, that must be a very recent change.
So that explains my confusion.
For anybody else who thought Poland might have joined Schengen I made a quick search and found they are expected to join in 2007 or 2008.

I flew to both KRK and WAW from MUC last year and the flights always departed from the H-level using one of the regular gates with a bus waiting downstairs to take us to the remote stand.

jacob_m

Very well said flysurfer.

I think a lot of people forget that a service encounter is a two-way interaction.
Service is not a one-way thing, it's a two-way thing, so as a customer you have to take part in it as well if you are looking for a nice experience.
I have never understood the people who think they get better service if they keep complaining, the world doesn't work like that...
You get good service if you co-operate and try to understand in this case the FA as well. Speaking a few words in the national language of the carrier often makes wonders...

Just like flysurfer said regarding the OP, having that attitude that "European C-class is horrible" of course the experience will be horrible.
If the whole attitude is that "European C is bad" and "every single F-class experience back home is better", then it doesn't matter if the Lufthansa FA goes out of her way, because it will never be good anyway.
The flight is not taking place in the US, it's not on a US carrier, so of course there won't be a US experience.
Except that and look forward to a new exciting experience instead!!

rorschi

Hello,

since Nov. 1st the boarding for all flights to the E.U. and to Switzerland is at the G-Level. For the flights to the non-shengen-countries, there is a new passport-control near G +/- 80.
One reason that the Lounges at the G-Level are always very crwoded are the new destinations from this level, e.g. LHR, ZRH, etc...

Patrick