by Lufthansa Flyer | Nov 6, 2013 | Airlines |
Earlier this year on a trip to Hong Kong, I transited through Frankfurt which afforded me a 17 hour layover between flights that allowed me to visit with a few friends from Lufthansa as well as to take in several hours of plane-spotting.
A few hours before my flight to Hong Kong, I made my way over to one of my favorite destinations in the world, Lufthansa’s award winning First Class Terminal (FCT),to prepare for the 12 hour flight to Hong Kong later that evening. When I arrived, I found the FCT empty since most of the late afternoon departures have taken place and passengers had yet to begin arriving for their late night departures to Asia. This became a great opportunity to capture some of the FCT’s highlights.
Before starting to take pictures, I made sure to ask for permission. Lufthansa has a fairly strict policy that does not allow photography in Lounges and the FCT, ESPECIALLY if there are other passengers present. Lufthansa does this to protect the identity and privacy of their passengers. If you are planning on taking photos in an LH Lounge, I strongly suggest you ask for permission.
Once given the “OK”, I made my way around the FCT to take my photos which are shown below. There are not too many more words that I have to describe just how fantastic this First Class amenity is, so I’ll let the pictures tell the story. However, no matter how many pictures or reviews you read about the FCT, nothing replaces actually experiencing it for yourself. It becomes another destination on your trip!
Comfortable and ample seating is the norm for the FCT
Each sitting area is appointed with a variety of nuts and dried fruit, along with a Buffet and Beverage menu. FCT staff will serve you at your seat.
The FCT offers a variety of seating options. In this area, passengers have the opportunity lay down in a chaise-style seat to catch a quick nap before a flight. No worries about oversleeping for your flight, a Personal Assistant will wake you when it’s time to go. Ask me how I know! 🙂 Unfortunately there was no “Snooze Button”……
The FCT also has private kiosks available for those needing to access the internet.
The superbly appointment bar has virtually any liquor or cocktail that you can think of. In all my travels, I have not seen any other airline’s lounge bar come close to the FCT bar. That being said, I recommend you try a Lufthansa Cocktail. It is a combination of Lufthansa’s own Orange-Apricot Liquor and a dash of Sprite. You’ll want more than one…..
Various sitting areas are designed for specific purposes – this area is centered near a TV. You’ll see their are lounge-style chairs along the window for more comfort.
The FCT has a full service kitchen that provides both a comprehensive buffet and a complete a-la-carte menu. The dining area has dedicated seating for those wishing to eat at a table. Additional seating is located to the right of the barrier for a total of 4 tables.
The outstanding self-serve buffet is stocked with a fresh variety of foods, from local favorites to ethnic themed options along with salads and cold plate options. Additionally there are dedicated carving stations that serve fresh cold cuts.
Next to the Buffet is a self-serve cocktail area stocked with popular options such as vodka, whiskies and brandies.
A closer look at the self serve options
A Bang & Olufsen Stereo is located in the dedicated “Cigar Room”. The room is equipped with a humidor along with a selection of ports and other after dinner cocktail options.
In addition to the public sitting areas, the FCT has day/sleep rooms that are available for passengers who have a long lay over and want to sleep for a few hours between flights. The room is well appointed for someone who needs to recharge.
Another of the Day Rooms available in the FCT
The private bath and shower rooms are meticulously maintained and stocked with everything you would need to refresh yourself before a flight. An attendant is available to provide you with personal care items such as toothbrushes, shaving kits, etc. and yes the Rubber Duck as well!
One of the private baths in the FCT, complete with Rubber Duck. I’ve had readers tell me they thought they could not take the duck. Please don’t make that mistake, it is a fantastic souvenir!
This is taken in a private shower room. The shower is located to the right of the sink and is equipped with a refreshing ‘rainfall’ shower head.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Nov 5, 2013 | Airlines |
Lufthansa announced today that it will begin flying to Mexico City and Toronto from Munich beginning with the Summer 2014 timetable.
Specifically, Munich – Mexico City will begin on April 3, 2014 and will operate 5 days week (No flights on Monday or Wednesday). LH520 will depart Munich at 10:25p, arriving in Mexico city at 4:45a the following morning. The return flight will be LH521 departing Mexico City at 10:30a, arriving in Munich at 5:25a the following morning. Flight time from Munich to Mexico will be 13 hours and the return flight to Munich is approximately 11.5 hours.
Flights from Munich to Toronto will operate daily beginning June 5. LH494 will depart Munich at 11:55a and arrive in Toronto at 2:50p. The return flight will be LH495, departing Toronto at 5:45p and arrive in Munich at 7:45a the next morning. Munich-Toronto is expected to take 8 hours 45 minutes and the return flight should take 8 hours.
Munich – Mexico City will be operated by an Airbus A340-600, while Toronto will see the Airbus A330-300.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Nov 1, 2013 | Airlines |
Towards the end of November, I will be going back to Germany to attend Lufthansa’s annual Social Media meeting attended by Social Media Managers and Staff within Lufthansa Group. It is an opportunity for LH Group colleagues to share best practices and discuss plans and concepts for the following year as far as Social Media Programs are concerned.
I was invited to attend the meeting last year for the first time and found it to be an invaluable experience. For me to be a part of such a meeting provided me with insights into LH Group that I would otherwise never have had an opportunity to gain. They even included me in the agenda and asked me to speak to the group regarding my work with LufthansaFlyer and what my vision is for it. Needless to say it was a fantastic experience.
Over the course of the last year several programs and products were launched by this group. Blue Legends, SceneSpotter, MySkyStatus and others are a few examples of their work. In addition, the LH Group of Airlines is very active on Twitter and Facebook; helping to keep as many fans and passengers informed as possible.
To this end, I would like to ask for your feedback on your experiences with Lufthansa Group’s various Social Media channels. This meeting gives me the opportunity to sit down with the teams responsible for LH Group Social Media and share with them feedback that they may normally not receive.
The feedback can include your experiences with the various ‘Apps’ that are offered, experiences with Twitter and Facebook interaction and marketing in general.
Let me know what you liked, didn’t like and what you would like to see in the future from LH group. I’ll take this feedback with me to Frankfurt and share with them what’s on your mind. The information will be kept confidential – I will not share your name or contact information.
If you are interested, please send me an email with your thoughts to DennisG@First2Board.com.