Review of Lufthansa flight Frankfurt → London in Business

Hi everyone. This is the continuation of a brief RTW trip in April of 2015. The trip started out with a desire to sample Turkish Airlines and visit the city of Istanbul. And it grew from there. The final product came in the form of: SNA-DEN-FRA-LHR-IST-PVG-SEA-LAX. For this journey I utilized Southwest Airlines, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Alaska Airlines.

I will break the journey down as follows:
Planning and LH DEN-FRA http://flight-report.com/en/report-10178.html
FCT and LH FRA-LHR (This report)
LHR Lounges and TK LHR-IST (coming soon)
TK Lounge, Istanbul, and TK IST - PVG (coming soon)
DL PVG - SEA (coming soon)
AS SEA - LAX (coming soon)

Departures board FRA. I enjoy these boards a great deal.



Lufthansa First Class Terminal

I planned a long layover at FRA for a couple of reasons. First is the Lufthansa First Class Terminal, more on that later. The other reason was to take advantage of the 99 Euro/ 3 hour Porsche rental through Lufthansa and Avis. My vision of an iconic performance vehicle is the Porsche 911. I am not of the economic means to have ever driven this machine, much less own one, so this could be my chance. But it was not to be.

After a lengthy but welcome stroll from the gate, through immigration and customs I finally located the Avis rental counter somewhere in the bowels of the FRA terminal. After a short queue I was assisted by a helpful woman who was aware of my reservation. This was the first hurdle as I made the reservation close ot departure time in the USA and it was not confirmed before I left. Now the difficulties: The car wasn't ready (apparently it was being fueled and washed) and it wasn't a 911 at all but rather a Porsche Mccan…Diesel. She sensed my disappointment over the vehicle selection (I am sure a Macan is a wonderful car but not the one of my dreams)so she asked that I come back in a half hour, look at the car, and decide if I want to do the rental. Good plan.

In the new found time I paid a visit to the lovely Lufthansa arrivals lounge. I say lovely because the have 28 showers so no waiting! While I didn't take the time to shower I did use one of the shower rooms to freshen up and put on new clothes.

I returned the Avis desk to preview the vehicle and opted against the rental. The arrival delay of the flight, the delay in having a vehicle ready, and the fact that the vehicle wasn't my first choice conspired against me wanting to part with 99 Euros for what would be a 2 hour drive at this point. So, as a consolation prize, I exited the airport into the brisk April morning air and I was off to the FCT!

FCT from lower street level



To me the Lufthansa First Class Terminal is a beacon of luxury, service, and gluttony like no other airport lounge I have experienced. Today was no exception.

I was warmly greeted and introduced to the associate that would assist me during my stay. She explained that there would be a shift change and she will introduce me tot he assistant that will be present at departure time. With that my passport was taken, we proceeded through security and into the lounge.

My first order of business was a liquid refreshment.



Next on the list was a bath.



After a nice soak I sought out the restaurant/buffet.



Of course I'm still no where near hungry at this point but I feel it's my duty to at least sample some of this beautiful charcuterie.



And this lovely wild garlic soup



After this delightful and satisfying lunch I walked about the lounge and just relished in the ambiance.




As departure time approached I decided on another snack. It would be inappropriate to visit Germany and not.



The water menu is impressive



The fleet



I was relaxing and sipping some single malt Islay when I was jarred back to reality by the lounge attendant who informed me it was time to board the flight to LHR. All good things…

But alas the pleasures of the FCT where not all expended as I would be driven to the aircraft in this fine machine. The older sibling to the Mccan I beleive.



Some sights from ground level on the ramp/apron



Difficult to spot but a QR A350 is crossing in front of us.



We boarded the 321 from L1 and I located my seat in business class. It was a standard flight to LHR on a picturesque evening.

Catering was substantial for such a short flight.



We landed about 30 minutes behind schedule at LHR. We parked at a gate in terminal three however an air stair was positioned at L2 and we deplaned and loaded onto buses for a ride to immigration. Odd arrival, that. Hideous lines and rude immigration agent aside I was happy to pay my first visit to LHR.

I went by taxi to the Sheraton Heathrow where I would rest a bit before my morning departure to IST.