Lufthansa Is Nothing Special! It Gets An Average Rating From Me!
Written: Mar 21 '02 (Updated Mar 21 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: clean planes, decent food
Cons: very cramped for long flights, need to work on their attitude
The Bottom Line: I think Lufthansa is just an average airline. The seats are comfortable, and the food not bad, but frankly the need to work on their manners.
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| sweetsue_98's Full Review: Lufthansa |
Lufthansa Airlines probably gets picked on just as much as the other airlines, however, I must say that after flying on them three times, they could use a little more magnetism and work on their attitude.
The first experience we had with Lufthansa was on a flight from Barcelona, Spain to Frankfurt, and then connecting on to Miami. We had an early departure from Barcelona, and I must say that the Airbus we were flying on was well maintained and very clean. The flight attendants were pleasant and we were served an actually decent breakfast, considering we were in coach.
The flight was delayed at the arrival due to weather, which of course any airline has no control over. I was getting very concerned because our connecting flight was only thirty minutes from departure when we finally landed. The Frankfurt airport is very busy, and they apparently have a shortage of gates, as our Airbus stopped not at a gate, but on the tarmac. I do not speak a word of German, but we got the indication that we were supposed to get off the plane, and on to a bus. Everyone was loaded on the bus and then they made stops at various major points. We took our best guess at where to get off, and fortunately made the correct choice. After racing to the gate, we breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to board our 747 to Miami.
There was some confusion concerning seating, and we ended with an isle and a window. I was stuck by the window and really felt closed in. The plane was clean, the seats comfortable, but very close together. I knew this was going to be a long flight in these congested quarters as the plane had a full load.
Seating was comfortable, but I felt it was right up there with most coach service due to insufficient legroom. Then just add the person in front of you reclining the seat, and there was no space at all. I would not recommend a window seat, but if traveling together, get two isles as you do have a little more let room, and can at least get out to go to the bathroom.
We were served a nice German type meal and there was plenty of wine. I will say that their food was probably better than most airlines for being in coach. Prior to landing we were also served a light breakfast.
However, so far I have said fairly nice things about this airline. In lieu of making you think this was a very enjoyable flight, the crew did have a rather rude attitude. I know that it is impossible to please the general public, but they were grumpy and not friendly. I had waited to get out of my corner to use the restroom and after waiting in line, I was told to go sit down. Apparently there was some turbulence approaching, and yes they were doing their job, but emergencies do happen.
Speaking of bathrooms, they ran out of toilet paper. I could not believe it, as how difficult is it to figure out how much paper is needed for a full flight on a 747 from Frankfurt to Miami? It is kind of funny looking back at it, but they certainly were not prepared to accommodate the passengers with basic necessities.
We arrived in Miami on schedule, spent quite some time trying to locate our luggage which somehow had ended up on the wrong baggage claim. However we had plenty of time before our connection home, so we were not rushed.
We flew Lufthansa one time after that from Frankfurt to Budapest. I felt the service was much better, and they actually smiled. Our luggage was lost again, and we did not receive it in Budapest until the next day.
Lufthansa is a large carrier. Their planes are clean, they actually do a decent job on the meal preparation, but they just don’t have much in the customer service skill area.
Would I fly Lufthansa again? Yes, but I think they do a better job on the shorter hauls within Europe, and most likely I would chose another carrier for international.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sweetsue_98
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"Still More George W. Bushisms: 'Neither in French Nor in English Nor in Mexican'"
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