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Member since:19.11.2003
Reviews:50
Members who trust:10
A little while ago, I needed to take a trip to Geneva at the last minute. I looked at EasyJet and found that their flights (from either Luton, East Midlands or Gatwick) were an outrageous price, well over £200. Low cost? I think not.
So I scoured the web some more, and found that Lufthansa was offering a price of just over £100 including taxes. Sure, I had to fly from Heathrow, which is always a joy, and change in Frankfurt. But to save well over 100 quid, why not? Plus I could get miles on my Air Canada plan.
I used to fly LH a lot in the 70s, transatlantic from Geneva via Frankfurt, so it was fun to try them out now.
I booked online and was "issued" an e-ticket. Lufthansa has several check in machines at Heathrow, so I headed for one of these. I popped in my Air Canada card and hey presto, there was my reservation. I changed my seats on both flights, and had my boarding cards within 90 seconds. Then there was the matter of my rather heavy bag (full of British goodies that people can't get over there). A friendly agent directed me to the bag drop desk (it wasn't very clearly signed) and I was on my way. From walking through the airport doors to completing check in took less than five minutes.
The flight to Frankfurt was operated by a wide-bodied A300, which surprised me a bit (I kept waiting for the movie to start!). Boarding was swift, and we took off slightly early. Onboard service was fine, if teutonically efficient, with drinks and a sandwich (at least as good as the ones EasyJet or Ryanair sell you) on each leg.
The transfer at Frankfurt was a breeze, the plane to Geneva leaving three gates from where we arrived. I didn't even have to go through security again. The only downside is that in this "sterile" transfer area there are very few amenities. A bar and a couple of small shops is all there is.
However, when I arrived at the gate from which my flight was supposed to be departing in 30 minutes it was still showing a flight to Vilnius as being delayed. Eventually, it was announced that the Vilnius flight was cancelled, and people were trouped off to fly CzechAirlines via Prague. However, the announcement was made only in German, and an elderly couple was left behind because they didn't realise their flight was cancelled, and no effort was made by staff to go around the departure lounge and ensure that everyone was accounted for.
The flight on to Geneva was on an A321, and again the service was fine if a bit perfunctory. They did make a second run through the cabin offering people a second sandwich, as the flight was not full and they had extra.
Both flights were about an hour in length, with a one to two hour stopover in Frankfurt (depending on direction and the flights you choose), so flying this way adds at most an hour or two to the journey (direct flights from Luton being about an hour and forty minutes).
The flight back was not so successful. Again I used the check in machines, but the plane, a Bae 146, was late arriving at Geneva and even later into Frankfurt. It also parked on a (very) remote stand, and by the time we were bused to terminal B I had 15 minutes to dash to my flight in terminal A.
I just made it but my suitcase didn't. However, on arrival at Heathrow, the ground staff knew exactly where it was and it was delivered to my home in the Midlands the next day.
On all planes, including the Bae 146, the legroom was adequate, and the seats themselves comfortable enough.
All in all, I would rather fly direct with EasyJet, BA or Swiss, if the price is right. But where Lufthansa offers a substantial saving, I would certainly use this route again.
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Advantages: they got me to england... Disadvantages: they got me 8 hours late to england... flight attendants are just brutal if you dont speak german...
Coxecal 25.02.2003 (25.02.2003)
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