Review: United Airlines Polaris Lounge Los Angeles LAX
Review: United Airlines 787-9 Polaris Business Class Los Angeles LAX to London Heathrow LHR
Review: Singapore Airlines SilverKris Business Class Lounge London Heathrow Terminal 2 LHR
Review: SAS Plus 737-800 Business Class London Heathrow to Oslo (LHR-OSL)
Review: SAS Domestic Lounge Oslo OSL
Review: SAS Go Embraer 195 Economy Class Oslo OSL to Stavanger SVG
Review: SAS Lounge Stockholm Schengen Area ARN
Review: SAS Lounge Copenhagen CPH
Review: Club Aspire Lounge London Heathrow LHR Terminal 3
Review: Finnair Economy Class A350-900 London Heathrow LHR to Helsinki HEL
Review: Aspire Lounge Helsinki Schengen Area HEL
Trip Photos: A trip to Scandinavia and a few days in the UK
Review: Lufthansa A320Neo Business Class Helsinki HEL to Frankfurt FRA
Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt FRA Z gates Non-Schengen
Review: Lufthansa Business Class 747-400 Frankfurt FRA to Los Angeles LAX
YOUTUBE: United Airlines: Los Angeles to London
YOUTUBE: SAS: London Heathrow to Oslo
YOUTUBE: SAS: Oslo to Stavanger
YOUTUBE: Finnair: London Heathrow to Helsinki
YOUTUBE: Lufthansa: Helsinki to Frankfurt
YOUTUBE: Lufthansa: Frankfurt to Los Angeles
After spending some time in the Aspire contract lounge here in Helsinki, it was time for our journey to Frankfurt.
By the time we got to the gate, boarding was already just about kicking off.
HEL-FRA
Airbus A320Neo
Once we boarded, I immediately captured a wing view picture as I always do.
Our seat today is 1F.
As a reminder, Lufthansa business class on these short hops is quite literally economy class with a blocked middle seat. So there was nobody seated in between me and the aisle, but that’s the extent of the “extra space” that you get. And so the entire cabin is economy class with a movable bulkhead between business and economy.
This is the standard for a lot of European carriers so I can’t really even call much out besides saying it’s a cheap but efficient way of selling business class. The one thing I will say though is that I was disappointed to see no power ports. If I’m sitting in business and trying to get work done, there has to be power ports. At least USB-A porta minimum which felt like a low hanging fruit. So ultimately that was my single main issue more than anything else.
Eventually we began our pushback and taxied to the runway where it was still very much foggy given our early start.
As is always the case with fog, it hangs low and so seconds after takeoff, we got to see beautiful outdoor views.
Shortly after takeoff the purser kindly greeted us and asked us what we would like to drink and I just went with a glass of Orange Juice. I wasn’t fully awake yet and I needed something to kick me into high gear.
Breakfast came shortly after and it was nice
I always appreciate a good salami and cheese plate.
Breakfast was a sort of pancake stuffed with meat with hollandaise sauce and it was also quite nice. I always love fiber in the morning so I was pleased to see sauteed greens and a tomato in my plate as well.
This was some kind of dried fruit and nut mix with banana chips and it was fine.
After breakfast was cleared, the crew gave us pralines and asked us if we wanted anything else for which I asked for a cup of green tea.
Eventually we made our way through the clouds down into Frankfurt.
The Rhine river was looking nice on this crisp morning.
For Lufthansa business class within Europe, I’ll call it like it is. It’s just not worth it. Prices will often times be 2-3x the price of economy and all you get is a plate of food. The seats are economy seats but with a blocked middle seat and there weren’t even power ports to charge devices. So If you buy a sandwich at the airport, you’ve made up the cost of your ticket. If you have Star Alliance Gold status, then you also have lounge access flying economy, and even a better lounge than just business class travelers with no status, so it’s not even worth it. I was only in business because this was a part of a connecting itinerary to Los Angeles, in which case it made sense. But I would not pay for this on its own within Europe.