TRIP REPORT: Lufthansa, Zagreb - Frankfurt
TRIP REPORT
Earlier this week I flew the afternoon Lufthansa flight from Zagreb to Frankfurt. There was a Croatia Airlines flight half an hour earlier, but it was 150 euros more expensive, and this seems to be the norm every day, at least during the week I was looking at fares. After purchasing my ticket, I bid 50 euros for an upgrade to business class, and I got it (it includes all the full fare business class amenities like baggage and lounge access). I originally bought the cheapest economy ticket without luggage.
I arrived at the airport two hours prior to my flight. There are frequent advertisements for Ryanair flights around the terminal. The airport was quiet at the time with check-in being performed for LOT and Croatia Airlines flights. Check-in for Croatia Airlines and the Lufthansa Group are at the same counters. I found it very random to have been issued a "Split Airport" branded boarding pass at Zagreb Airport for a Lufthansa flight to Germany.
The check in process was quick. After passing security and passport control (there were no lines), passengers go through duty free and then to the departures area. I headed to the lounge which was quite busy. The lounge is relatively nice. There were packaged sandwiches, packaged pieces of cheese and meat burek, salad and drinks and coffee.
After leaving the lounge, I noticed a line of passengers waiting to board Croatia Airlines' flight to Brussels. Most of the passengers seemed to be senior Belgian tourists. At our gate I spotted our Lufthansa CRJ900 arriving and was shocked to see that an afternoon Lufthansa flight in the summer was on time. I have flown Lufthansa dozens of times and don't think a single one of their flights took off on schedule.
After some 15 minutes, boarding started, first for business class passengers and frequent flyer status holders. We walked down the airbridge with vintage black rubber flooring and then down the steps to board the plane.
The crew welcomed everyone with a disinfectant wipe. There were around 60 passengers on the flight and some 12 in business class. The configuration of the plane is 2x2 so business class passengers have an empty seat next to them. We pushed back five minutes prior to departure time, passed the old terminal and took off right on time.
Shortly after departure the cabin crew announced that economy class passengers can purchase meals. Lufthansa no longer offers its complimentary sandwich and drinks in economy on inter-European flights. Only a bottle of water is served now for free while everything else is charged. So, ex-Yu airlines offer better on board service than Lufthansa these days, although Croatia Airlines has partially aligned itself and now offers former economy class snack boxes as a business class meal.
Last month, Lufthansa announced new and improved inter-European meals in business class. Of course, as usual with PR, the meals have become significantly worse. After departure, we were served some meal with a few leaves of salad, some potatoes and radishes. The freezing cold meal was probably one of the worse I've ever had on a plane, not to mention that the potatoes were literally completely raw. Compared to what they used to offer before, this is a big downgrade in my opinion. The warm bread was the most appetising part of the meal, although the desert was nice too. Drinks were also served, as well as tea and coffee. The crew was nice and cordial.
The rest of the flight was uneventful, and we landed ahead of schedule in Frankfurt but had a long taxi. We parked at a bus gate. Everyone jumped out of their seats, but the crew announced they would not open the door until everyone took their seats. Passengers were disembarked in rows. The process is pointless as the entire plane boarded a single bus afterwards. As we entered the terminal most passengers turned to the side for transfers. I don’t know where people were heading to as the cabin crew only noted over the PA that the gate for Stockholm had been changed, so at least one passenger was headed to Sweden.
Overall, the flight was standard, but Lufthansa has really downgraded its on board catering. A positive surprise was that my flight was on time. Also, I haven't flown with the CRJ900 in a while and must say the plane is really quiet and had big windows making the flight pleasant.
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