SleepOverGreenland

I fail to see, what the rose bubble stuff has to do with the choose of 4 vans versus 16 individual limousines making their way to a plane

Anyway, I try to explain again: With all the current construction going on at FRA the logistics to manage 16 cars versus 4 cars to a plane seems to be almost impossible. Not to speak about the limited 1 or 2 dedicated parking lots per gate for those cars. Given the time a driver needs to bring his pax into the plane the first S-Type or Cayenne would have to leave the FCT more than 60 min before departure in order to bring all F pax on time on board.

totti

^ Great post. I agree with you.

I know a few who don't! Status is nice to have but just chosing an airlines or alliance because of status perks seems to be a bit short-sighted. It is the overall product that is important IMHO.

Have a safe trip.

I agree with the first part of your explanation. The last sentence isn't a useful argument though because it is rather limited. LH could simply appoint more drivers and get more cars to drive all pax out there. This won't be possible because of what you pointed out in the first part. So in the end you are absolutely right but the last statement reads as an argument itself and as such it doesn't withstand criticism. (sorry for being nit-picking)


Finally it kind of surprises me that a 5 or 10 min car ride gets more important than any rational or ecological argument.

andre1970

Thanks yapak2 ; I did nothing but describe what's around me. So it's the appeal of reality rather than that of my words. But coming from you, your good words carry a lot of extra weight!^
Thanks totti!
Sure. If you read my second paragraph above (you quote me only on the first ) you would see that I agreed with you before even reading your post! However, I still fail to see a proper match of the word "investment" here. Myself, I don't invest anything . Right now I have status on LH, SQ, UA, CO but this is the mere result of the flying pattern required by my employers together with my desire to see my family frequently but, mind you, not amplified by my addiction to collect miles/status (which I love BTW, even though I end-up mostly donating tickets to family/friends).
NYC-FRA is my "shuttle-bus". Been doing this all the time since 2002. SEN is (still) valuable to me, as well, it is, nevertheless, a shadow of its former self. Still it's better than nothing.
Oh, I see, you think I'm a smart-a$$... Fair enough... Just to not leave your question unanswered then: No ! (Well, that leaves a lot of possibilities open, I know... Lemme narrow it further down a bit: I'm not a high-school dropout either Then again, now I'm afraid that I do sound like a smart-a$$... )
Because the factor "ego" is minimally involved when it comes to champagne. @:-)

oliver2002

Times have changed... I remember when people whined about not getting the PJs in F on a day flight. The 'my seat assignment to 83K is gone' topic is still alive, but the FCT topic and the CWs continue to gain strength/

What can be done: open threads with different topics, perhaps?

seat 1a

You are good , couldn't agree more.

Basic problem is there are way to many HON's.
LH is far to generous when dishing out miles on intra European
flights. Up the ante!!!!

SleepOverGreenland

No. More cars don't work IMHO. Space for parking is very limited and parking time for the cars is given by the fact, that the drivers must bring his pax to the plane. While most gates allow for about 3 cars gate A55 is a perfect example of having only 2 parking spaces for cars and one is often even occupied. The driver needs at least 5 minutes to bring the pax up and be back down. So 16 cars on 2 spots is 40 minutes at least. This would mean to start the first car transfer about 60 minutes before departure. I could see the next ton of threads coming with people complaining about the early transfer. Right?

SleepOverGreenland

Sure?

If so, this "problem" will be automatically reduced by (a) less flying due to current economy and (b) recent major changes to the PPB program.

But I don't agree. The number is only significantly higher than anticipated due to the LX take over. The over-crowding FCT at FRA is mainly caused, because the usage of the first class facilities is currently relatively unbalanced. This should come to an end after opening the new B FCL and providing the ego-trip in the cars as well.

silversurfer

I´ll second that. It´s APRON not the Autobahn Anyway I think the limiting factor is not LH it´s Fraport.

totti

Actually this is what I said in my post - at least in the end. In conjunction with the first part of your statement the argument is absolutely fine but just stating that the drivers need too much time is not sufficient (if you focus on the formal logic - Non sequitur!). Again it was nit-picking so no need to go into details. I agree with your statement in the end!

econprof

Both issues seem preposterous to worry about to those of us who are riding further back in the plane. Both are issues that have nothing to do with moving the passenger from point A to point B. Both are arguably services that people have paid for, either in the short term or long term.

Rambuster

I have nothing against a minibus ride to the plane. However, last time they bused me, LH packed 6 of us in the minivan. (5 in the back and one in the front seat). This was actually quite uncomfortable, especially for the poor guy stuck in the middle seat in the back .
IMHO 4 pax per van is ok, 6 isn't ...

andre1970

Quote:

Originally Posted by SleepOverGreenland

Anyway, I try to explain again: With all the current construction going on at FRA the logistics to manage 16 cars versus 4 cars to a plane seems to be almost impossible. [...] Given the time a driver needs to bring his pax into the plane the first S-Type or Cayenne would have to leave the FCT more than 60 min before departure in order to bring all F pax on time on board.

Quote:

Originally Posted by totti

I agree with the first part of your explanation. The last sentence isn't a useful argument though because it is rather limited. LH could simply appoint more drivers and get more cars to drive all pax out there. This won't be possible because of what you pointed out in the first part.

Not that totti's post is in any need of additional interpretations, but it would be useful to note that totti's point is purely technical, IMHO a very incisive observation.

If your first sentence ("With all the current construction going on at FRA the logistics to manage 16 cars versus 4 cars to a plane seems to be almost impossible.") is true, then the second is redundant in the sense that it doesn't add any new information to your main argument (that "it is not possible/feasible to shuttle everyone individually in reasonable times...") since its negation (i.e., "it is possible to shuttle each pax individually on the plane, e.g., during the last 20 minutes") is already ruled out by your first sentence.

If OTOH your claim Re: logistics restrictions is false, then the "problem" in your second statement can be obviously overcome by hiring more people (which would be possible thanks to the assumed invalidity of your first statement). So, again it is redundant.
If LH Marketing start writing in their HON/FCT brochures BS like: "Limousine Pooling! Green Luxury! Save the environment by sharing a ride to the plane and gain some karma!", I'm confident the Whole Foods guys, those who buy free-trade coffee and munch home-made granola layered with seasonal fruit and non-fat yogurt for breakfast at their local indy café will definitely be happy to oblige...The rest, will just follow!

DownUnderFlyer

I like this idea. General boarding is 30 minutes before departure unless you are a HON or in F. Then you must board 60 minutes before to fully enjoy the onboard service. This would also solve the problem of too many people in the FCT.
What a brilliant plan. @:-)

Fendant

I would still prefer the fully individualised rides on a mountain bike. My fear is that it will only be available for HON+. This would also solve the parking space problem mentionned above. Sucessful completion of your fist bike ride will trigger off supply of a personalised airport lay-out map for the next rides

How do you get to HON+? Second time refusal to ride in the van

Matthew_DC

The handover ritual by the driver at door of the plane is a waste of time. Waiting for the driver to be checked with the wand before he can enter the jetway, etc. It adds fuss, not value.