LH_Fan

^ ^ ^ Don't remember if I had decided before your post to more or less forget about it - but if I hadn't, your post certainly would have done it!

Again thanks to all of you for your feedback - it was very therapeutic (I hope). And I'm pretty sure I would have sent a stupid letter to LH but for this thread ... By the way, feedback from those of you who did not "rub it in" worked much better than from those who did ...

... And now to my flight report, BA903 FRA - LHR this morning:

Flying BA FRA-LH takes a bit more time (approx. 15 - 30 minutes) than flying LH. T1 priority security check works well, T2 doesn't really have one (there is a sign, but no perceptible difference). Also (and I only found this out after having cleared passport control, security check I and security check II), BA "shares" its security check II with US airlines - which, unfortunately, means "no liquids etc." and caught me completely unaware this morning (check the BA website and tell me if I'm an idiot ...). So I decide to turn around, exit and check one piece of luggage. I WAS frustrated, but I did behave this morning ... So, slow security check and the fact that you'll have to check your bag if you're travelling with toothpaste etc. adds up to my 15 - 30 minutes additional time (I assume security check II at T1 still does not screen for liquids).

And here comes a very nice surprise (LH, are you reading this?!): The check-in desk is not busy at all (BA903 being the only flight at the time, and within minutes of being closed), so as I express my disappointment about not having been informed about "no liquids from FRA" on the BA website to the CA and ask if there is any way to get me back to where I already was without too much queuing, she gets up, leaves check-in and guides me through passport, security I and security II!!! ^ ^ ^

Security II at T2 is vicious, by the way: Not comparable to pre-Aug 11 T1 security II (have not had that pleasure post Aug 11, I think). They make everybody remove their shoes, check luggage manually for liquids, and otherwise give you a full treatment pretty close to SSSS.

Anyway, my favorite BA check-in agent bought me 15 minutes in the BA lounge. BIG advantage over LH@T1 (not LH's fault, though): The lounge is BEHIND security II. Security II queues at T1 are just utterly unpredictable - they can take anything between 15 seconds and 15 minutes IME. The BA lounge is also about 50 meters, and one elevator ride, away from the gate (downside: even if BA wanted to not share security II with US flights anymore, they probably couldn't without moving the lounge).

The lounge itself is not much to speak of. Okay drinks selection, coffee etc., but not much to eat (all of it of the "cake" variety). But ... I think it easily has the capacity for approx. 50 people, maybe more, but there were only four or five pax in there. HUGE difference to SEN lounge where the perception is almost the other way around This also means they can (and do) call your flight (OT: LH SEN lounge was VERY nice to us a couple of years ago when a cheapo charter flight was delayed for hours and they actually monitored the situation for us, and eventually called that flight ... so I do have some fond memories!). One other thing: I had to change my routine from picking up a(n) [pronounce as you see fit] FAZ and a SPIEGEL to Süddeutsche and Manager Magazin. I can live with that, at least once a month ...

Boarding was as unpleasant (bus gate) as with LH (also almost always bus gate to LHR). Overall FA attitude was sort of neutral - no difference to LH there (and no comparison to the real friendly LX C service on shorthaul flights). I'm with Tyrolean regarding the food - rolls, salmon, cooked ham, cheese - no sweets! No pre-flight drinks (like LH), no overhead monitors w/ airshow (like LH), but hot towels (marginally better than LH - at least with LH, you get to decide when to use the moist paper thingy). All in all, the flight experience is pretty much equivalent to LH C.

I found T1 passport control and luggage pickup more chaotic than T2 experiences. But I do look forward to T1 check-in and Terraces lounge on my flight back! One more thing - you do get a priority tag for checked luggage when flying BA C (LH: need status), and it seemed to have worked this morning.

I'll probably do more of the BA flights FRA - LHR for the reasons already pointed out by Tyrolean - cheapo but totally inflexible C flights are often available at short notice (they are so cheap that the ticket makes sense even if you can't use the return leg), and these fares give the full amount of tier points and miles. 5 return flights to make BA S, thereafter 5 return flights to stay S or 10 return flights to make G. The miles are not so hot, though - they are harder to earn (1500 in C, as opposed to 4000 in the case of LH), and reward flights are more expensive than LH reward flights even if you don't use the companion award (while it pays not to be based in the UK status-wise, the opposite seems to apply to miles, since UK-based BA status pax sometimes get the chance to redeem miles on a "2 for 1" basis which is when it starts to get interesting ...).

Last but not least, KiwiFlyer, thanks for the great work you did on this thread. The additional posts of this morning added a lot for me (being invited to continue to post, for example) - that would not have been possible had you decided what most people, including myself, would have decided to do, i.e., deleting the thread!