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Good afternoon!
It was time for me to go back home after some months in Europe. I was really looking forward for this flight, because of the new bird I would be flying: Lufthansa's Airbus A340-600, the newest incorporation to the fleet.
Here we go.
---
My mom and I arrived three hours in advance to Schiphol by train. There was no need to see where the Lufthansa check-in counters are located, since we have been there lots of times: number 8, departures hall 1.
After waiting for a while, it was my time to do the check-in. The cool Globeground guy told me that because of bad weather in Frankfurt, he will put me in the previous flight, departing 18:30. I said thank you and was given both my boarding pass for this flight and for the one to Buenos Aires.
We went for a cup of coffee and at 17:30 I said bye to my mom and passed through X-Ray. I then did a little tour over the free shops but didn't buy anything - prices were the same, if not more expensive, than in any other Dutch store. At around 17:45 I proceeded to gate B12, boarding time being 17:50.
Today's selection of newspapers was the widest I have ever seen in Lufthansa. We were offered: Die Welt, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Frankfurter Rundschau, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Algemeen Dagblad, De Telegraaf, Het Parool, USA Today and The International Herald Tribune. Impressive! I picked a Frankfurter Rundschau and started reading it, since there was nothing better to do than that.
At 17:50 an announcement was made by the Lufthansa personnel. Boarding will start 10 minutes after the scheduled time and we will have a delay of at least half an hour. All of this because of Frankfurt's slot-restriction due to the weather.
Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) to Frankfurt Rhein-Main (FRA)
25 February 2004
Lufthansa LH 4679
Airbus A319-100
D-AILC "Rüsselheim"
Seat 15F (Economy class - window)
Estimaded/Actual time of departure: 18:30/19:20 (GMT +1)
Estimated/Actual time of arrival: 19:20/20:15 (GMT +1)
[photoid=144214] [photoid=26828]
I sat down and read my newspaper after boarding was completed. A TAP Air Portugal A320 parked next to us. I ended falling asleep for about half an hour or so, and was woken up by a captain annoucement. He said Frankfurt athorized us to fly there, but now it was snowing here in Amsterdam, so, we would have to wait for the de-ice. Great! At 19:05 the de-ice appeared. After 45 minutes, we were finally ready to go. Take off was very quick and in the closest runway to the terminal.
This flight's passengers were mostly Dutch connecting to other destinations, but there were also quite a lot of German businesspeople going back home. The load-factor was ~ 95%.
As soon as we reached the cruising altitude service started. It consisted in the classical turkey-or-cheese sandwich with a drink. I went for Diet Coke and was given this damn 15 cl cans but didn't care that much for this short flight.
We flew to Frankfurt in the record time of 45 minutes. Normally, this flight takes between 55 mins and 1 hour. The route: we left Holland by Enschede and entered Germany by Osnabrück. Then we followed the Rhine until Cologne/Bonn, when we started our descent to Frankfurt.
Taxiing to the terminal took ages and we parked at V109. For those who know Frankfurt, this means an outside park position. Luckyly, there were two buses already waiting for us. A minivan was waiting for passengers going to Amman. The bus drove us to the terminal quickly and led us at B01. My flight to Buenos Aires was leaving at B28, so it could have been worse.
Transfer at Frankfurt Rhein-Main (FRA)
Passport control was done quickly, though it was the very first time in my life I have been "really" controled at Frankfurt. I was asked whether I was flying alone, if I lived in South America (quite strange for a German passportholder) and which was my final destination. However I never felt uncomfortable. The Bundesgrenzschutz (German border police) agent was really nice and was always smiling.
After that I went to the gate to see the exact boarding time- 21:00. It only was 20:40 and the departure time of the flight was 21:45, so I went to the Business Class Lounge located upstairs.
Entering the lounge with my Miles&More Frequent Traveller Card (Star Alliance Silver) was not a problem at all. The lady at the entrance was very cordial. I settled myself in one of the armchairs and brought some cookies, an orange juice and a Le Monde newspaper. At about 21:15 I left the lounge.
I was quite surprised boarding still hat not begun. Anyway, I entered the pre-boarding area at around 21:25 an there was an announcement, saying we had to wait for some passengers for "a while". I asked the guy at the counter what does "a while" mean, and he answered the new boarding time was 22:30. I then left the pre-boarding area and went to the free shop, which are not great but they keep you entertained with something. At 22:15 passengers to Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile were called to the gate.
I walked to B28 without any hurry and when I reached it boarding had started. I was one of the very last passengers to enter the plane.
Frankfurt Rhein-Main (FRA) to Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE)
25 February 2004
Lufthansa LH 526
Airbus A340-600
D-AIHB "Bremerhaven"
Seat 30H (Economy class - aisle)
Estimated/Actual time of departure: 21:45/23:20 (GMT +1)
Estimated/Actual time of arrival: 07:55 +1/09:25 +1 (GMT -3)
[photoid=199146][photoid=231693]
"Bremerhaven" still smelled new, quite normal since it has been one of the last incorporations to the Lufthansa family. Myself being the first member of JetPhotos to fly on this bird, I will do a close description of it.
In-Flight Entertainment: There are no Personal TVs. Period. There is an empty box in front of each seat where the PTV should be, but, I repeat, it is empty. There are main screens about every five rows, located in the central area of the cabin. They can perfectly be seen from the flanks (my case). The "Lufthansa Media World" (name given to the In-flight entertainment onboard of the A340-600s and the A330-300s) consists on 21 radio channels. They are: Musical Memories, Opera House, Time For Classics, Classical Selection, Pop Hits, Club Mix, Rock, Lounge, Ballads, Album Special (Relaxin' with Santana), América Latina, Jazz Relaxation, Oldies, World Music, Star Alliance Channel (this month presented by Lufthansa), Heart of Seoul, Japanese Journey, Chinese Box, Popular Arabic, and Rithm of India. Quite a lot if you compare with the 12 channels available on the B747. A great thing is that channels 1 and 2 are not anulled by the movie, but you press the button "TV/Music" to change from one to the other. Although I actually don't care for channels 1 and 2 (classical music), I believe it is nice for the ones that like it to be able to listen to them.
Seats: Exactly the same than the regular Lufthansa economy. Leg-room is a little bit more, about 2 or 3 centimeters. But I also found them narrower. The configuration is 2-4-2.
Lower deck: Yes, I know some of you are now thinking "what the heck is the lower deck?!" Aside from the main deck, there is also a small lower deck where toilets are located. That is a very clever invention- there is nobody being annoyed by the hundreds of people that go to the toilet during the flight. This deck consists on a small hall, where there are the doors of five toilets. The sixth door goes to the crew rest area, locked with password (I saw the keyword, no that I wanted to enter!). There is also a tap with drinkable water. Re the toilets: I found them a bit bigger than others.
I don't know whether it was the new plane or what, but all the flight attendants were smiling and happy. Even though the crew was 90% German, they all spoke Spanish perfectly. The load factor: ~ 95%
Dinner consisted on a choose between chicken or salmon. I went for the chicken, which was very tasty. It was accompanied with broccoli and potatoes. To drink, I chose a beer and was given the whole 33 cl bottle. It was a Beck's, first time I hear of it and it was good.
After dinner, I read a Stern magazine. We were showed Maid in Manhattan, Shanghai Knights and About Schimdt, but I missed them all- I slept for seven hours. One word: beer.
The route: we flew over western Germany and entered France by Strasbourg. We then left Europe by Bretagne (Britanny) and flew over the Atlantic ocean, via the Canary Islands, all the way to northern Brazil, which we entered by Fortaleza. We then flew to Brasilia and then headed south to Uruguay, the River Plate and finally Buenos Aires.
I was woken up by the smell of coffee coming from the galley. Breakfast consisted on a cheese omellette, a croissant and a yoghurt. All was very good.
An hour later we started approaching Buenos Aires's Ministro Pistarini airport in Ezeiza. Landing was good, not great and passport control was done in a breeze, like always at EZE. My luggage appeared one of the first, only after the priority-tagged ones.
Marks: (/10)
Lufthansa LH 4672 AMS-FRA
Ground Staff: 10
Plane: 7
In-Flight Entertainment: Not Applicable
Cabin Attendants: 9
Flight: 8
Lufthansa LH 526 FRA-EZE
Ground Staff: 9
Plane: 10
In-Flight Entertainment: 8
Cabin Attendants: 10
Flight: 8
Lufthansa: ~ 8,78/10
Conclusion
Again Lufthansa was great. They made me understand I was right when choosing them for these flights. The causes of the delays were not their fault but they took lots of care of their passengers. They also were smiling all the time, even when they had to deal with really annoying people.
The A340-600 became my favorite plane. It was built by the Airbus engineers not only to fly, but to make passenger's journey a bit more comfortable. And that is very important. Good election, Lufthansa!
Regarding the lack of PTVs, the audio program resists it. I also prefer not having a TV in front of me so that I can sleep, read or even chat with my neighbour. I can watch TV at home.
As always, I hope you liked this trip report. Question, comments are welcome. Please excuse my English mistakes.
Cheers
Marcos
It was time for me to go back home after some months in Europe. I was really looking forward for this flight, because of the new bird I would be flying: Lufthansa's Airbus A340-600, the newest incorporation to the fleet.
Here we go.
---
My mom and I arrived three hours in advance to Schiphol by train. There was no need to see where the Lufthansa check-in counters are located, since we have been there lots of times: number 8, departures hall 1.
After waiting for a while, it was my time to do the check-in. The cool Globeground guy told me that because of bad weather in Frankfurt, he will put me in the previous flight, departing 18:30. I said thank you and was given both my boarding pass for this flight and for the one to Buenos Aires.
We went for a cup of coffee and at 17:30 I said bye to my mom and passed through X-Ray. I then did a little tour over the free shops but didn't buy anything - prices were the same, if not more expensive, than in any other Dutch store. At around 17:45 I proceeded to gate B12, boarding time being 17:50.
Today's selection of newspapers was the widest I have ever seen in Lufthansa. We were offered: Die Welt, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Frankfurter Rundschau, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Algemeen Dagblad, De Telegraaf, Het Parool, USA Today and The International Herald Tribune. Impressive! I picked a Frankfurter Rundschau and started reading it, since there was nothing better to do than that.
At 17:50 an announcement was made by the Lufthansa personnel. Boarding will start 10 minutes after the scheduled time and we will have a delay of at least half an hour. All of this because of Frankfurt's slot-restriction due to the weather.
Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) to Frankfurt Rhein-Main (FRA)
25 February 2004
Lufthansa LH 4679
Airbus A319-100
D-AILC "Rüsselheim"
Seat 15F (Economy class - window)
Estimaded/Actual time of departure: 18:30/19:20 (GMT +1)
Estimated/Actual time of arrival: 19:20/20:15 (GMT +1)
[photoid=144214] [photoid=26828]
I sat down and read my newspaper after boarding was completed. A TAP Air Portugal A320 parked next to us. I ended falling asleep for about half an hour or so, and was woken up by a captain annoucement. He said Frankfurt athorized us to fly there, but now it was snowing here in Amsterdam, so, we would have to wait for the de-ice. Great! At 19:05 the de-ice appeared. After 45 minutes, we were finally ready to go. Take off was very quick and in the closest runway to the terminal.
This flight's passengers were mostly Dutch connecting to other destinations, but there were also quite a lot of German businesspeople going back home. The load-factor was ~ 95%.
As soon as we reached the cruising altitude service started. It consisted in the classical turkey-or-cheese sandwich with a drink. I went for Diet Coke and was given this damn 15 cl cans but didn't care that much for this short flight.
We flew to Frankfurt in the record time of 45 minutes. Normally, this flight takes between 55 mins and 1 hour. The route: we left Holland by Enschede and entered Germany by Osnabrück. Then we followed the Rhine until Cologne/Bonn, when we started our descent to Frankfurt.
Taxiing to the terminal took ages and we parked at V109. For those who know Frankfurt, this means an outside park position. Luckyly, there were two buses already waiting for us. A minivan was waiting for passengers going to Amman. The bus drove us to the terminal quickly and led us at B01. My flight to Buenos Aires was leaving at B28, so it could have been worse.
Transfer at Frankfurt Rhein-Main (FRA)
Passport control was done quickly, though it was the very first time in my life I have been "really" controled at Frankfurt. I was asked whether I was flying alone, if I lived in South America (quite strange for a German passportholder) and which was my final destination. However I never felt uncomfortable. The Bundesgrenzschutz (German border police) agent was really nice and was always smiling.
After that I went to the gate to see the exact boarding time- 21:00. It only was 20:40 and the departure time of the flight was 21:45, so I went to the Business Class Lounge located upstairs.
Entering the lounge with my Miles&More Frequent Traveller Card (Star Alliance Silver) was not a problem at all. The lady at the entrance was very cordial. I settled myself in one of the armchairs and brought some cookies, an orange juice and a Le Monde newspaper. At about 21:15 I left the lounge.
I was quite surprised boarding still hat not begun. Anyway, I entered the pre-boarding area at around 21:25 an there was an announcement, saying we had to wait for some passengers for "a while". I asked the guy at the counter what does "a while" mean, and he answered the new boarding time was 22:30. I then left the pre-boarding area and went to the free shop, which are not great but they keep you entertained with something. At 22:15 passengers to Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile were called to the gate.
I walked to B28 without any hurry and when I reached it boarding had started. I was one of the very last passengers to enter the plane.
Frankfurt Rhein-Main (FRA) to Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE)
25 February 2004
Lufthansa LH 526
Airbus A340-600
D-AIHB "Bremerhaven"
Seat 30H (Economy class - aisle)
Estimated/Actual time of departure: 21:45/23:20 (GMT +1)
Estimated/Actual time of arrival: 07:55 +1/09:25 +1 (GMT -3)
[photoid=199146][photoid=231693]
"Bremerhaven" still smelled new, quite normal since it has been one of the last incorporations to the Lufthansa family. Myself being the first member of JetPhotos to fly on this bird, I will do a close description of it.
In-Flight Entertainment: There are no Personal TVs. Period. There is an empty box in front of each seat where the PTV should be, but, I repeat, it is empty. There are main screens about every five rows, located in the central area of the cabin. They can perfectly be seen from the flanks (my case). The "Lufthansa Media World" (name given to the In-flight entertainment onboard of the A340-600s and the A330-300s) consists on 21 radio channels. They are: Musical Memories, Opera House, Time For Classics, Classical Selection, Pop Hits, Club Mix, Rock, Lounge, Ballads, Album Special (Relaxin' with Santana), América Latina, Jazz Relaxation, Oldies, World Music, Star Alliance Channel (this month presented by Lufthansa), Heart of Seoul, Japanese Journey, Chinese Box, Popular Arabic, and Rithm of India. Quite a lot if you compare with the 12 channels available on the B747. A great thing is that channels 1 and 2 are not anulled by the movie, but you press the button "TV/Music" to change from one to the other. Although I actually don't care for channels 1 and 2 (classical music), I believe it is nice for the ones that like it to be able to listen to them.
Seats: Exactly the same than the regular Lufthansa economy. Leg-room is a little bit more, about 2 or 3 centimeters. But I also found them narrower. The configuration is 2-4-2.
Lower deck: Yes, I know some of you are now thinking "what the heck is the lower deck?!" Aside from the main deck, there is also a small lower deck where toilets are located. That is a very clever invention- there is nobody being annoyed by the hundreds of people that go to the toilet during the flight. This deck consists on a small hall, where there are the doors of five toilets. The sixth door goes to the crew rest area, locked with password (I saw the keyword, no that I wanted to enter!). There is also a tap with drinkable water. Re the toilets: I found them a bit bigger than others.
I don't know whether it was the new plane or what, but all the flight attendants were smiling and happy. Even though the crew was 90% German, they all spoke Spanish perfectly. The load factor: ~ 95%
Dinner consisted on a choose between chicken or salmon. I went for the chicken, which was very tasty. It was accompanied with broccoli and potatoes. To drink, I chose a beer and was given the whole 33 cl bottle. It was a Beck's, first time I hear of it and it was good.
After dinner, I read a Stern magazine. We were showed Maid in Manhattan, Shanghai Knights and About Schimdt, but I missed them all- I slept for seven hours. One word: beer.
The route: we flew over western Germany and entered France by Strasbourg. We then left Europe by Bretagne (Britanny) and flew over the Atlantic ocean, via the Canary Islands, all the way to northern Brazil, which we entered by Fortaleza. We then flew to Brasilia and then headed south to Uruguay, the River Plate and finally Buenos Aires.
I was woken up by the smell of coffee coming from the galley. Breakfast consisted on a cheese omellette, a croissant and a yoghurt. All was very good.
An hour later we started approaching Buenos Aires's Ministro Pistarini airport in Ezeiza. Landing was good, not great and passport control was done in a breeze, like always at EZE. My luggage appeared one of the first, only after the priority-tagged ones.
Marks: (/10)
Lufthansa LH 4672 AMS-FRA
Ground Staff: 10
Plane: 7
In-Flight Entertainment: Not Applicable
Cabin Attendants: 9
Flight: 8
Lufthansa LH 526 FRA-EZE
Ground Staff: 9
Plane: 10
In-Flight Entertainment: 8
Cabin Attendants: 10
Flight: 8
Lufthansa: ~ 8,78/10
Conclusion
Again Lufthansa was great. They made me understand I was right when choosing them for these flights. The causes of the delays were not their fault but they took lots of care of their passengers. They also were smiling all the time, even when they had to deal with really annoying people.
The A340-600 became my favorite plane. It was built by the Airbus engineers not only to fly, but to make passenger's journey a bit more comfortable. And that is very important. Good election, Lufthansa!
Regarding the lack of PTVs, the audio program resists it. I also prefer not having a TV in front of me so that I can sleep, read or even chat with my neighbour. I can watch TV at home.
As always, I hope you liked this trip report. Question, comments are welcome. Please excuse my English mistakes.
Cheers
Marcos
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