I was originally going to write this post and publish it in May 2022, however, at the time I was so annoyed at how the experience I had came at the end of a very enjoyable solo trip across the USA. Now that 17 months have passed I have decided to publish this post and share why I will think twice before flying Lufthansa economy on a long haul flight.
I want to clarify that this is my only experience flying in economy class with Lufthansa, I have flown long haul business class with them. As a result this experience may not be fully reflective of the experience that Lufthansa provide. It is important for me to consider while writing this that I may just have had a bad experience and was unlucky.
Furthermore, the connecting flight I took from Frankfurt to Glasgow was alright, nothing spectacular, but also nowhere near as bad as this experience.
Flight Details
Origin – Newark Liberty
Destination – Frankfurt
Flight Number – LH403
Aircraft Type – Boeing 747-800
Seat Number – 30A
Was The Ground Experience Bad?
Honestly, the experience in the ground at Newark was actually a very good experience and was similar to other airports that I visited on this trip.
Check-in was busy but well organised, as I had already checked in I was pulled rom the queue to use the bag drop service and was through in less than four minutes.
TSA checks were busy but more staff arrived to open more security check lanes.
There was plenty of seating in the gate area and boarding was efficiently organised by boarding group.
Here Is Where It Gets Bad
I found my seat which seemed comfortable enough and legroom was fine – until it wasn’t.
The seat in front was occupied shortly after I arrived, and the first thing the person did was fully recline the seat, straight into my legs. Thankfully as soon as he did it me and the two people next to me told him to put it back as we still had to taxi and take-off.
After the seatbelt sign went off he reclined it again, there wasn’t much I could do, however, I do think you should at least look behind you to see if the person has their tray table out, especially if it has an open can on it, if you haven’t worked it out the can emptied itself over me.
An hour or so later the crew served the meal, and announced that all seats should be returned upright so people can use their tray. When I pointed out to the crew that the gentleman in front did not do this they replied “not something we can help with” and moved on.
The meal itself was some pasta and mushroom dish, I hate mushrooms so picked around them and was served with a drink poured into a cup. As I did not fancy wearing this drink I held on to it.
I was watching a movie, can’t remember what it was, and wanted to check the inflight map to see where we were. At this point the screen for my seat stopped working, seeing as the two people next to me were asleep I did not want to disturb them by asking the crew for help.
As a result I spent the last four hours of the flight looking out the window, particularly painful as we flew over the UK and I knew I still had another six hours until I was going to arrive home.
Landing, But Still Not Home
We landed in Frankfurt and I made my way to my connecting gate. I took a seat and waited until it was time to board. There was an Edinburgh flight at the gate next to us and both sets of passengers were sitting waiting.
At this point possibly the rudest woman I have ever met arrived and delivered the following message.
For those who don’t listen or follow rules you need to get out of this area for further checks.
Some Lufthansa employee who had not made an announcement or considered that some of us had been here for hours.
Those further checks as it turns our was a red stamp on your boarding card, that to this day I have no idea what it was for or what it actually says. After this check we all went back to the seats we just left and waited for boarding.
At this point I almost wished I had flown directly with United into Edinburgh, I would have been home by now and would not have encountered that employee.
What About The Glasgow Flight and Ground Experience?
I slept the entire way on the Glasgow flight and to be honest I could just take the arrivals experience from my other Lufthansa economy review, which I actually enjoyed, and stick it here as they were much the same.
Why Would I Think Twice?
I know cabin crew have a very difficult job, but making announcements and then not enforcing it seems rather pointless to me.
The lacklustre meal and the poor ground experience in Frankfurt can be a deal breaker when it come to flying long haul, especially as I flew with Icelandair this year and loved it.
I might give it another try as maybe I was unlucky, but with so many other options – KLM, British Airways, American Airlines, Delta, United, JetBlue, PLAY, Virgin Atlantic and Aer Lingus – would I rather take a chance on Lufthansa or try something new and maybe love it?
George Nugent Travels 
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