LUFTHANSA GERMAN AIRLINES (London Heathrow Airport to Frankfurt Main), Airbus A320-200, BUSINESS CLASS

8/24/2013

Route: LONDON HEATHROW (LHR) – FRANKFURT MAIN (FRA)

Departure date and time of flight: September 2013

Flight number: LH911 (ICAO callsign: “Lufthansa 911”)

Flight duration: One hour and ten minutes

Class: BUSINESS CLASS

Aircraft type: AIRBUS A320-211 (59 aircraft in service)

Aircraft registration: D-AIQM (First flight 4th November 1991)

Engines: 2 x CFMI CFM56-5A1

Aircraft delivery date: 20th January 1992

Aircraft name: Nordenham

Aircraft Serial Number: 268

Seat configuration for this aircraft:

Business Class: 36 seats in a 2-2 configuration
Economy class: 120 seats in a 3-3 configuration

Comments on the check-in staff and any issues:

I had actually checked-in online 24 hours prior to departure from my office laptop. At Heathrow Terminal 1, there are a combination of manned and automated check-in desks for Lufthansa. At peak times, Heathrow looks like the headquarters of the United Nations with people wearing their national costumes with pride and speaking all kinds of languages under the sun. It all seems good fun, almost like a fun fair with people flying off to all corners of the world.

The check-in staff came across as being highly professional, very proud of their airline, and very polite...though I couldn't see any reason why they wouldn't be (!).

Any baggage issues:

Business Class passengers can carry two bags up to 32 kg each; First Class passengers can carry three bags up to 32 kg each. The airline has different free baggage regulations for those travelling in Economy Class depending on various situations (such as if you are a Star Alliance member at different grades etc.). It’s best to check in with the airline or on the Lufthansa website.

Along with my camera equipment (4 large DSLR bags!) and my laptop bag, I was carrying 2 large luggage bags (each around 30KG).

LOUNGE EXPERIENCE at Heathrow Airport:

Lufthansa German Airlines passengers can use the Star Alliance Considering that the world is still going through tough economic times, especially most of Europe, then you just end up wondering how come the Business and First Class lounge is so busy. Almost every seat was occupied. One would expect the lounge to be an oasis of tranquillity compared to the hustle and bustle of the airport outside…but no - it was quite the opposite. While it wasn’t exactly noisy, however there was no doubt that it certainly was not the peaceful setting one would expect from a lounge for Business and First Class passengers.

Plans are in place for a new 1600 sqm lounge for Lufthansa and Star Alliance passengers to be opened in October 2014. The new lounge will be located at the refurbished Terminal 2, which will be the largest outside Germany. Facilities will include comfort zones, working units, bistro zones, warm and cold meals, a drinks counter and sanitary facilities. The lounge will have an apron view, parquet floor, lobby, hospitality desk.

The new Terminal 2 at Heathrow will be officially named in honour of Queen Elizabeth II when it opens next year. The £2.5 billion facility, which is scheduled to open its doors on June 4 2014, will be called Terminal 2: The Queen's Terminal. Her Majesty The Queen opened the original Terminal 2 in 1955, almost 60 years ago and two years after her coronation.

Comments regarding the pre-flight service:

Hot and cold towels were offered prior to departure in the business class cabin. Business Class passengers are offered a selection of drinks including champagne, apple juice, orange juice and a variety of teas. The cabin crew took the orders for the lunch service from all the passengers in the Business Class cabin prior to departure.

Comments regarding the pre-meal service:

The meal service commended with airhostesses handing out hot towels. A selection of fine nuts was offered along with a choice of drink (orange juice, apple juice, and a selection of teas).

Comments regarding the main meal:

There were no options for the only meal of the flight..just a standard meal. If passengers wanted a vegetarian option then they had to order it beforehand. The contents of the meal tray were as follows:

Main: Pata negra ham, chorizo sausage, manchego cheese, grilled vegetables

Dessert: Panna cotta with apricot compote and lavender blossoms

For such a short flight, you really do not expect much. The main dish was pretty decent and full of authentic German flavours. The Baileys with coffee was suitably strong.

The tongue-pleasing dessert is perhaps the highlight of the meal. It’s tastes even better than it looks with the apricot blending in smoothly with the cream. The generous garnishing of the lavender blossoms provides a neat touch.

Comments regarding the after meal drinks and in-flight snacks:

Hot and cold drinks were served after the main meal. Alcohol was served on this flight. Prior to landing at Frankfurt, business class passengers were presented with a traditional German treat: Greta’s Glückskäfer (by Granatapfel-Himbeere), a kind of Haribo style jelly.

Comments on the in-flight entertainment system:

This aircraft, the Airbus A320-200, has no individual TV screens (not even in Business Class). Instead, there are small screens that pop out for the pre take-off safety video.

Comments of professionalism of the cabin crew:

The cabin crew were very professional and friendly. Most of the cabin crew for Lufthansa German Airlines are natives of Germany, or at least they speak fluently in German (this is especially true for the cabin crew in First Class or Business Class cabins).

Comments on the interior of the aircraft (including seat comfort):

On the Airbus A320 aircraft, both the Business Class seats and the Economy Class seats have the same pitch (30-inches), and the same width (between 17 and 18 inches). The cabin had a pleasant smell, and was very clean. All of the 36 seats in the Business Class section are covered with a luxury grey cloth that comes embedded with the Lufthansa crane logo. It creates a sense of comfort, elegance, and belonging to the German culture. It also gives a very warm, fresh, spacious, modern, and touching feeling when you enter the cabin.

Lufthansa German Airlines livery:

The Lufthansa livery featured on all the aircraft consists of a navy blue coloured fin with a bright yellow encircled stylized crane in the middle. The fuselage belly of the aircraft is coloured grey while the rest of the aircraft is finished in a brilliant white. The words Lufthansa appears at both sides of the front fuselage in navy blue. A smaller and navy blue version of the encircled stylized crane is also displayed just behind the cockpit windows. The engines are coloured in a light grey colour.

The trademark Lufthansa logo, an encircled stylized crane in flight, was created in 1918 by Otto Firle. It was part of the livery of the first German airline, Deutsche Luft-Reederei which was known as DLH. In 1926, Deutsche Luft Hansa adopted this symbol, and in 1954, Lufthansa expressed continuity by adopting it.

The original creator of the name Lufthansa is a certain F.A. Fischer von Puturzyn. Lufthansa was the name given to the airline, which was a direct result from the merger of Junkers' airline (Luftverkehr AG) and Deutscher Aero Lloyd.