by Lufthansa Flyer | Nov 15, 2013 | Airports |
Lufthansa has had quite a year as far as earning awards for it’s First Class Services is concerned and it looks like more room is needed in the trophy case….
Earlier this year the First Class Lounges and Terminal earned the Skytrax 5-Star Award for best-in-class premium lounges as well as the International 5-Star American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (AAHS) Award for in-flight First Class product, the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt and for the First Class Lounge at New York’s JFK Airport.
This time, the AAHS has awarded Lufthansa’s First Class Lounge in Munich it’s coveted International 5-Star Award. The Lounge, a unique 2-story facility has a slightly different feel from the lounges in Frankfurt thanks to the Bavarian atmosphere/attitude that you would observe while visiting the lounge. There has always been a friendly and healthy competition between the Frankfurt and Munich First Class Services teams and it’s nice to see everyone being recognized for their efforts.
The facility in Munich is unique in that it has it’s own dedicated passport control officer within the lounge so arriving passengers do not have to go through passport control along with everyone else arriving in Munich. First Class passengers simply head to the Lounge and are taken care of there. Additionally, passengers whose connecting flights depart from remote gates are chauffeured to their aircraft in a private vehicle, again avoiding long queues at gates and bus rides associated with remote gate departures.
Additionally, the lounge has a fantastic bar, a dedicated cigar room and dining area along with shower facilities. To further distinguish themselves, the Munich First Class Lounge even has a different variety of ducks than their peers in Frankfurt. After all isn’t the duck the most important part of the lounge experience? 🙂
The exclusive Bavarian Ducks, only available in Munich during Oktoberfest, are proud to accept the award…..
by Lufthansa Flyer | Oct 15, 2013 | Airlines, Airports |
Lufthansa has officially opened another Passenger Lounge in Frankfurt. The new Business Class Lounge is located in Terminal A near gate A26. This lounge is located in the ‘Schengen’ area and is convenient for passengers who flights will be departing from from Gates A20 through 42 to Schengen destinations.
The space for this new lounge was previously occupied by a Lufthansa First Class lounge, but with the new First Class Lounge that opened earlier this year, the space became available and is being used to help meet the demand for business travelers. Additionally, some of the amenities of the First Class Lounge were left in place, including 2 private Sleep/Rest rooms and 3 Shower rooms — unusual for a typical Business Class Lounge.
By the way, just outside of the lounge there are great views of various taxiways which offer some good plane spotting potential. Just in case you are weird and into that kind of stuff! 😉
Star Alliance Gold members along with passengers traveling on a Star Alliance carrier in Business Class or higher are eligible to use Lufthansa Business Class Lounges. Keep in mind if you have Star Alliance Gold status, you can also access Lufthansa’s Senator Lounges.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Aug 15, 2013 | Airports |
Last weekend I flew out to Seattle to attend a press event hosted by Lufthansa (more on that in a future post) and as part of my trip I made sure to build in a significant time to watch Boeing’s newest creations take off and land at Paine Field (PAE). This was my first trip to the Boeing Mecca and it exceeded every expectation. The cherry on top of the trip was the VIP level tour that was arranged by Boeing’s Communications Group which consisted of 1.5 hours of being driven around the entire main factory in a golf cart, gaining sneak peaks at the newest 747-8’s, 777’s and even a rare peak at the very 1st 787-9 that is nearly complete.
Aside from the fantastic tour, I had made sure to camp out at the Future Of Flight Observation Deck as well as their parking lot for 8-10 hours a day hoping to get some fantastic shots. I want to take this opportunity to thank them for there fantastic hospitality and letting me spend all that time there!
The Boeing traffic at Paine is unpredictable and many flights are scheduled or cancelled at the last minute. Unfortunately it makes it tough for them to publish a timetable but it does create an environment where every arrival or departure is a pleasant surprise.
In all, I spent 3 days at Paine, logging 8-10 hours each day and the effort was well worth it. I had booked my room at the Hilton Garden Inn located directly next to the Future Of Flight center, and with a room facing the airfield I was never more than a few hundred yards away from the action. Each day had approximately 7-10 take offs or landings and all of them were of new aircraft being tested and certified by Boeing. It may not be the 1 arrival per minute rate we see at LAX but in this case the quality made up for the lack of quantity.
The Future of Flight facility is a great place for plane spotting thanks to their observation deck as well as a parking lot that has tall mounds near the fence-line of the airport that allow for unencumbered views of Runway 16R/34L, which is the primary runway used for Boeing aircraft.
I’ll break up the “Paine” spotting into 3 posts, each covering a specific day. The following images were taken on August 8.
FlyDubai’s newest 737
FlyDubai 737 Over The Numbers
Cathay Pacific’s 777 – N5014K
This retrofitted 747, dubbed DreamLiner, is used to transport large aircraft structures between Boeing and their suppliers
A special treat at Paine Field is being able find new, unpainted aircraft. This one being a 747-8 Freighter for Atlas Air. Notice the unpainted 747-8F still covered in vinyl in the background! This was a tough photo since it took all 500mm of my lens and I did not have a tripod nearby (hence the blur)……
Even at night, I could not take my lens off the field – Here is ANA’s latest 787, JA823A, nearing completion.
Paine Field is very much a general aviation field, and there are some fantastic gems that call PAE home. This is a beauty of a B-25!
Norwegian’s 787 shortly after returning from a test flight
China-based OKAir shows off its newest 737-800
The DreamLifter loads cargo through a hinged aft section.
A beautiful classic: Pan American Airways’ DC-3
So beautiful, it deserves a second look…..
Another night shot of the flight line – There’s activity 24/7!
A wider look at the flight line, loaded with 787’s. You’ll notice on the left side Boeing’s newly completed Delivery Center.
