huegli

For a C (maybe upgrade with vouchers to F) flight from Switzerland to HKG in January, I have the choice of either flying

BSL-MUC-HKG on Boeing 747 (LH 738)
BSL-FRA-HKG on Airbus 340 (LH 730)

Which flight would you choose ? Criteria are:

(i) New Business Class
(ii) Entertainment System
(iii) F cabin (I recently flew on a old plane HYD-FRA in which F was very old; are all F cabins the same ?)
(iv) use of F Terminal in FRA

Would be glad for your opinions.

Land-of-Miles

I flew on the LH730 MUC-HKG a couple of months ago in C. I was very impressed, this was my first flight with new LH C and I liked it a lot. The A340 was a nice aircraft and MUC is a MUCH better place to connect IMHO than FRA. My choice was made on the basis that new C is "guaranteed" to HKG ex MUC whilst the probability of new C ex FRA is low.

If I was travelling in F I would tend towards FRA for the F Terminal and the upper deck of the 747.

Unterwegs

The F Terminal in FRA is great. The F lounge in MUC is a joke (no toilets, no showers, limited food selection). But it is inconvenient to get to the F terminals from a connecting flight.

When travelling alone the A340 in F is nicer (single seats vs. pairs with another person sitting/sleeping/snoring close to you. If travelling with somebody the 747 is better than the middle seats on the A340. Seat is basically the same in F on all planes. 16 seats 2-2 on the 747, 8 seats 1-2-1 on the 340.

In Business the A340 should have the new C, there are still too many 747 with the old C.

The A340 has the new entertainment system. Monitors in C are a bit small, but ok. Monitors in F are tiny (same size as with the old system on the 747).

MUC is a much more conventient airport as FRA.

So my decision would be (for F):
Not pressed for time and travelling with somebody: FRA, spend extra time in the F terminal.
In a hurry/short connection or travelling alone: MUC.

flysurfer

This is messed up.

Anyway, it's obviously more convenient to transfer in MUC, and it's nicer to fly in the 340's F cabin. Also, MUC crews tend to offer better service. The MUC schedule is better for sleeping, too. Not to mention that the MUC flight always has new C and FlyNet.

gunnar

I just got back from an LHR-FRA-HKG-FRA-LHR trip in F. The longhaul flights were in 747s. This was a fantastic trip.

If you have time to visit the FCT, I would definitely recommend going via FRA. The usual argument for F travel on LH apply (if travelling alone 340 is better otherwise 747 is preferred by many). I got lucky and had an empty seat next to me on both flights, so got the best of both worlds.

huegli

Thanks for your opinions (and yes, I just realized I mixed the flights up: FRA is with 747, MUC is with a A340). A couple of clarification questions:

- If A340 has new C, does F also have the new entertainment system ? Is the screen of similar size ?

- What's the difference in entertainment system in F between 747 and A340 ?

Recently on an old 3-class plane HYD-FRA (old C; replacement for a 2-class plane), they let me switch from C to F seating. The seat was OK, but the entertainment system was a big disappointment (and the old cassette player really made me laugh). I just want to avoid wasting my evouchers for getting into such a cabin.

flysurfer

If you only fly or upgrade because of the IFE, stick to new C, as the screen is a bit larger there.

Togo001

It depends on your schedule in HKG. I'm used to fly once a month to HKG.
The most convenient flight for me is:

FRA-HKG in F (by upgrade)
HKG-MUC in C

If you go via FRA you will arrive in HKG at 10:25. This means you have the entire day for your business. The MUC flight arrives around 14:40.
I used sometimes the MUC-HKG flight if I couldn't leave earlier. But due to the late arrival in HKG it is always hard for me to avoid the jet lag.

FCT in FRA is great as described in many posts here. I love it, because I can work and prepare my trip and have a good lunch. Sometimes I went out for some jogging (if I had time) which is always a very nice activity before a longhaul flight.

The flight HKG-MUC departes late night. That means you can use the entire day for your business in Asia. You will arrive in MUC early in morning. A perfect flight if you can sleep on board. For that is the new C class perfect. Not too much to eat, a good seat bed, enough wine to have a good night.
If you arrive in MUC there are only a few showers in the SEN lounges --> you will see some passengers racing to lounges to get the first position at the shower waiting list. Sometimes I missed to shower because to many people waited for it. This can be a little bit annoying.

IMHO this flight schedule offers a very good value for money.

The features and problems of LH entertainment systems are well described in this forum. After the last update the new C class entertainment system is running smooth in most cases. The old F class system (which can be installed on the flight FRA-HKG) is an old system (with HI-8 video tapes for the Personal Video). During the last 4 months all my flights were equipped with the new F-class entertainment system. You have all features of the new C-class system, but the old small size LCD monitor. It is a touchscreen monitor making the usage a little bit easier.

Have a nice flight

togo001