BRU-FRA-BRU day trip with LH

[sn26567]

For a business meeting at Frankfurt Airport I had booked a day-return flight in economy with Lufthansa (there is not much choice!) about 2 weeks in advance. The monopoly situation did not make it cheap: 555 euros return! The price was exactly the same on the codeshare company website (SN).

I started being afraid when I heard about the UFO cabin crew strikes and I was ready to switch to the ICE train in case of need. But it was not necessary: the strike was suspended just in time.

Three days before the flight I got an e-mail from LH with the details of my flight, telephone numbers, etc., including the website to consult in case of strikes. And 23 hours before departure, another e-mail with the advance check-in procedure in three different ways (through the LH website, by e-mail or by mobile phone). I chose the web procedure and swiftly printed my two boarding passes. The window seats assigned to me were exactly what I wanted and I did not have to change them.

Flight: LH1005
Date : 12 Sep 2012
Aircraft: A320-200 D-AIQN
From-To: Brussels - Frankfurt (BRU-FRA)
Seat: 7F
Scheduled/Effective Time of Departure: 08:40/08:50 (GMT + 2)
Scheduled/Effective Time of Arrival: 09:50/10:00 (GMT + 2)
Scheduled/Effective Duration of the flight: 1 hr 10 min/1 hr 10 min

I arrived at the airport 1 hr 20 min in advance, parked the car at Front Park 1 and went directly to terminal A.

The incoming plane from Frankfurt was 10 to 15 minutes late, but boarding started timely at 08:20 at gate A45. Anyway the plane left the gate late because of slot allocation. The captain announced a 40 min flight, but it was significantly longer due to taxiing at both ends and circling above FRA.

The load factor was low, maybe 25%. I was surprised by the large section allocated to business class: 5 rows for as many passengers!

Take-off from the usual 25R. Breakfast (?) was a cereal bar and a drink: orange juice and coffee for me.

Not much to say about the smooth flight. My meeting was at 10:00, and this was the time the aircrfat arrived at gate A26. Those who know FRA know that this means 15 min walking at a sustained speed to reach he exit. I got there at 10:20, not the last one...

Flight: Luftahnsa LH1018
Date : 12 Sep 2012
Aircraft: A321-200 D-AIRR
From-To: Frankfurt-Brussels (FRA-BRU)
Seat: 11F
Scheduled/Effective Time of Departure: 17:30/17:50 (GMT + 2)
Scheduled/Effective Time of Arrival: 18:25/18:40 (GMT +2)
Scheduled/Effective Duration of the flight: 0 hr 55 min/0 hr 50 min

After my meeting I was at terminal 1 at 16:00 and I saw immediately that I could not change my flight to the previous one, LH1016 at 16:45 : it had been cancelled. Probably still a consequence of the UFO strikes and as a result the drop in the number of reservations.

Long queue at the baggage check. I (and the other pax as well) was thoroughly body-search. I then proceeded to gate A7, at the ground floor level meaning a transfer by bus to a remote position. Boarding (in the bus!) started only at 17:25, a clear sign that we would be late. But the bus transfer was fast and during the transfer announcements were made to tell the pax through which door (front or rear) to enter the plane according their seat number.

The aircraft had appropriately be changed from an A319 to an A321 because of the cancellation of LH1016. Load factor was around 80% but I still had a free seat next to me.

The flight was fast because the plane could fly in a straight line from take-off to landing. The snack (?) was a bag of salties and a drink: a 33cl bottle (not a can) of Warsteiner beer. That's more then on SN where you get only 25cl.

Through the window I could clearly see, for the first time, the F1 track of Spa-Francorchamps where some cars were running, the endangered aerodrome of Spa, but also the usual cities of Verviers, Liège, Leuven.

Smooth landing on 25L. No baggage to pick up. End of the trip...

No pics this time. I was on a business trip, remember?

[Comet]

Interesting report Andre, LH catering sounds very poor compared to some airlines.

What are "salties"? Salted peanuts, crisps, pretzels? (Sorry but I am not familiar with that term in relation to snacks )

[sn26567]

Interesting report Andre, LH catering sounds very poor compared to some airlines.

What are "salties"? Salted peanuts, crisps, pretzels? (Sorry but I am not familiar with that term in relation to snacks )

LH catering is indeed poor for the price I paid. With salties, I means small salty biscuits... (no more than 50 g).

[WC_EEND]

I flew LH on September 9 to FCO via MUC and on the first segment we got a croissant filled with strawberry jam and on the second segment it was a pretzel-like thing filled with cheese. I passed for both because I was not feeling so well (having to throw up twice on the train from Gent to the airport and then once more at BRU ought to tell you a thing or 2) but my friends who were joining me on the trip said both, and I'm quoting "tasted horrible".

[convair]

Nothing to do with the Id you use on this forum I gather!?

[WC_EEND]

Nothing to do with the Id you use on this forum I gather!?

Hehe, nope I use this ID on pretty much every forum I am on

[galaxy]

(having to throw up twice on the train from Gent to the airport and then once more at BRU ought to tell you a thing or 2)

Nothing to do with the Id you use on this forum I gather!?

L M A O

[hbervoets]

it's an old story, and everybody knows aboout it, but or the price you paid,You could at least travel half the world.
wondering when airlines are becomming mature and getting a fair price for a fair journey ?

excessive fares for "bus - jumps" are from the past. let's get bus-fares

[Comet]

Interesting report Andre, LH catering sounds very poor compared to some airlines.

What are "salties"? Salted peanuts, crisps, pretzels? (Sorry but I am not familiar with that term in relation to snacks )

LH catering is indeed poor for the price I paid. With salties, I means small salty biscuits... (no more than 50 g).

Thanks Andre. We don't see salted biscuits over here, only savoury ones we have are tasteless ones which are eaten with strong cheese and those disgusting-tasting things like artificial chemical cheese.