Review of Lufthansa flight from Rome to Frankfurt in Economy

INTRODUCTION

Hello FlightReporters
Apart from flying I also like music and I'm a big of Ariana Grande
Unfortunately her Sweetener World Tour didn't have any date in Italy
Last January I start to search for tickets in other parts of Europe
According to my university exams' plan, I found the best option: 3rd October in Oslo, Norway

Around June I started to search for an accomodation and for the flight
Apparently the best price was a direct flight with Norwegian, but the return was too early in the morning the day after the concert
Since I didn't want to rush for the flight and I wished to visit the city I chose a solution with Lufthansa, stopping over in Frankfurt
LH costed around 200€ (Norwegian was 180€)

I've already flew with LH in 2013, on FCO-DUS-LHR-MUC-FCO route
Moreover in the same year I made a stopover in Frankfurt Airport Terminal 2 going to NYC
This time will be my first inside Lufthansa's reign, Terminal 1

Before the flight

Lufthansa gives his passenger the possibility to check-in online 23hrs before the flight
The day before the flight I logged-in on LH's website to check-in
Even if the system assigned me automatically 18A and 20D I was able to change my seats and get better ones

I'd like to take a moment to rate LH Mobile App
I found it really useful and easy to use
The night before the flight it already reported the arrival gate at FRA and the departing one to OSL
Moreover it was equipped with a map showing the path between the two gates

AT the airport

Despite having BPs printed and flying only with cabin baggage I decided to be at the airport two hours before the flight, scheduled at 13:20
My dad brought me by car
The journey took around 30 minutes
Around 11 I arrived at Roma-Fiumicino "Leonardo Da Vinci" International Airport

My father left me in front of Terminal 1
Originally it was used as Alitalia base, but now it also hosts other European carriers as LH

The bright departure hall, branded with Alitalia's colours

Old-style FIDS
Check-in 115-119 for my flight and gate D7 for boarding

Even if I already printed my boarding passes I decided to get new ones at the desk
I was able to use "Economy Class with boarding pass" line, which was empty

In no time I get my new boarding passes
Online check-in is very useful, but I always like to have "traditional" BPs

Having nothing to do landside I proceeded straight to the security checkpoint

Despite the crowd I get airside in 5 minutes
Going upstairs to the shopping area
The departure lounge is located on the same level of the checkpoint, but the passage through the shopping area is obliged

Aeroporti di Roma banners showing the new pier-A project
It will maybe open in late 2020 and will handle domestic and Schenghen flights

Going back downstairs to the departure lounge
What makes an airport called "hub": Victoria's Secret shop

Having around 1 hour and half before boarding I decide to stroll around the airport
Pier B, which hosts domestic and Schenghen flights

Pier A, under construction

Mistral Air ATR72-500, operated by Italian mail service

Walking towards Pier D, from which my flight would depart

Boarding area C and its shopping area

I've departed from FCO two weeks earlier and from that time a new passage was open between gate C and gate D areas

Gate D area is quite nice, equipped with many shops and food

My gate, D7, was still boarding the previous flight

Unfortunately this pier lacks of good spotting points
However there are some windows on the upper level
Ryanair Boeing 737 taxiing

Many birds waiting for take off on RWY25
Emirates Boeing 777, Vueling A320, China Airlines A350, Finnair A320

Getting downstairs I noticed that my gate was changed from D7 to D9
Fortunately they were next to each other

Boarding was scheduled at 12:50
Actually it started around 15 minutes later

THE FLIGHT

Going down towards the plane

A bit of spotting from the jetway
Aeroflot A320 and American Airlines A330

My plane for today:
Lufthansa Airbus A321neo, D-AIEB, delivered in June '19 (0.4 years old)
The plane is equipped with 215 seats (the first rows can be used as business class)

This would be the first time for me on a A321neo

Corporate door shot

Willkommen an Bord

Fuselage shot
I like new LH livery, simple but bery effective

I gave the Flight report form to the Purser and made my wayto my seat, 7A
Rows 1-4 were dedicated to Business Class

Changing my seats from 20A to 7A had been a very good idea
My new seat was in an extra legroom row
No need to say that legroom was very good
Moreover the middle seat was empty. I put my bag there and spent a very comfortable fly

The view from my seat with Hainan Airlines A330 taxiing in the background and SmartWings Boeing 737

Ryanair Boeing 737 parked next to us

SmartWings Boeing 737

Around 13:20 doors were closed…

…and the loading bridge was retired immediately after

Pushback started five minutes later

Delta Airlines A330 and Alitalia Boeing 777 parked at Pier E

Air Transat A330 taxiing to the runway
I really like their livery

Former AirBerlin A320 and British Airways A319

This A320, D-ABZI, used to belong to Air Berlin
Now it's owned by Eurowings

So sad to see this livery

British Airways A319

KLM Boeing 737 taking off

Alitalia CityLiner Embraer E175 departing

Alitalia A319

Air Transat A330 lining up for takeoff

Reaching our holding position
We would depart from RWY25, usually used for T/Os at FCO

Qatar Airways A330 landing on RWY16R

Alitalia A321 taking off before us

Entering RWY25 for departure

Air China A330 queueing behind us

HOP Bombardier CRJ700

At 13:40 we start our takeoff run

V1…rotate

Terminal 3 and Pier E

Pier E and Satellite Terminal
They both hosts international departures

Satellite Terminal and Runway 16R/34L, genereally used for heavies' landings

Fiumicino town and Tiber River's mouth

Banking and climbing over Roman coastline

The first thing that impressed me about A321neo was its incredibily silent engines
Maybe because I was in the first rows, but the general impression was like being on a high speed train instead of a plane

Clouds while flying over Italian land

Monte Argentario and Giannutri Island
Hidden by the clouds is Giglio Island, where Costa Concordia cruise ship sunk in 2012

20 minutes into the flight lunch was served
There were two choices of sandwiches: chicken or cheese
I went for chicken along with a glass of coke
The sandwich was quite tasty

Food service was overall good
The cabin crew passed with the drink cart asking for a second glass

Mainland Italy scrolling below us

Alitalia's plane going somewhere…

Flying over Po Valley (Pianura Padana in Italian)
Modena city…

…and Verona

Lake Garda, the largest in Italy, visible in the distance

Crossing the Alps, completely covered by clouds

After the lunch I made a little nap
I woke up while the plane was starting its descent

While descending the cabin crew comunicated all the connecting passengers' gate
My flight to Oslo would have departed from gate A15, as reported on the BP printed at FCO

German countryside while starting approach at FRA
A windfarm was visible in the distance

Last banking before lining up with the runway
We would approach FRA from East

Kraftwerk Staudinger Power Plant

Last minutes on air

Autobahn 3 and 661 intersection

Frankfurt suburbs

Autobahn 5 passing close to airport boundaries

We would land on RWY25C

Terminal 3 building site

At 15:09 we touched down at Flughafen Frankfurt am Main
Despite the landing was smooth, the brake was on the the shortesT (and roughest) I've ever experienced

Korean Air Cargo in the distance

Vacating RWY25C

Arrival at FRA

Time to spot many German and international birds

Condor Boeing 757s in both old and new livery

Lufthansa A321 in new livery

LH Technik hangars and ATC
Really like both designs

Pier A-Plus, opened in 2012, capable of handling A380s

No doubts about the place

Lufthansa Regional Embraer E190 and Lufthansa Boeing 747s

Her Majesty the Queen of Skies…Boeing 747-8i

Lufthansa A320 (?) landing on RWY25R
In most of the airports it's usual for planes to approach from very far
While here it's quite strange to see them coming from over the Terminal's area

Our arrival gate would have been A28, in the oldest part of Terminal 1A

United Airlines Boeing 777 and Lufthansa A321 parked at Pier A

Our "neighbor" was a Lufthansa A320

At 15:16, 15 minutes after touchdown, we docked at gate A28

Desembarking I asked the Flight Report form to the Purser
She gave me and let me say "thank you" to the Captain and F/O

Last view of my plane from the jetway
Bye Bye D-AIEB

Definitely the best welcome in Frankfurt: Thai Airways A380 taxiing next to the pier
It's really impressive to see it so close from the terminal's windows

The online printed boarding pass reported A69 as departure gate for FRA-OSL flight (located at the fair end of Pier A-Plus, 1.3 km from my arrival gate)
On the plane the connecting passengers' gates were announced and mine had become A15
When I exit the plane I discovered it was changed in A20, located just 300m from here

Stay tuned for the next leg to Oslo!