Lufthansa Economy Class Airbus A321 LH1276 - review #3

Route

LH1276,  Frankfurt to Malta Luqa, 14 February 2013. This is the third review of this route, you can view the first and second reviews.

Scheduled Duration

2 hours 30 min.
Departure: 09:45
Arrival 12:15

On time departure and arrival

Departed on time.
Arrived 10 minutes early.

Ground crew and check-in

We checked in online 23 hours before the flight.
We arrived via train and dropped our bags off at the Lufthansa counter next to the All Rail Terminal
Our printed online boarding passes served as boarding tickets.
The counters were handled by Lufthansa staff.
Ground staff was friendly.

Boarding procedure

Priority boarding for business class passengers, families with small children and assisted passengers.
The crew asked passengers to board by row number, but most passengers ignored it.
The electronic boarding gates were not use, and the ground staff scanned our tickets.
We boarded via a mobile bridge.

Luggage allowance

Hand luggage - One carry on bag 8kg max
Checked luggage - 23kg

Seating

Number of seats - 200 in total, economy has limited recline seats. Lufthansa refitted most of their regional aircraft with new seats. These new seats are very comfortable and allow for generous leg room.
The seating configuration depends on how many business class seats are allocated.
Emergency exit row seats cannot be book online, they are allocated when checking in at the counters.

We sat in row 35, a normal 3 seater row, with adequate overhead locker space.
Row 37 and 38 has no overhead locker space.
View more information at  Lufthansa A321 seatmap or Seatguru A321 Economy seat information

Amenities

None.

Entertainment

Newspapers were available at the boarding gate waiting area. In-flight magazine available in seat pocket.

In-flight communication

None

Meals and refreshments

Breakfast
We were served sandwiches.
Any special meals must be pre-ordered when you make your reservation.
Coffee, tea, beer, wine and other beverages were served after our meal.

Toilets

The toilets were kept clean, economy class can only use the toilets at the back of the aircraft. I feel that there are not enough toilets on this plane/flight.
Basin to wash hands and brush teeth.

In-flight shopping

Available.

Travelling with Children

Milk and baby food can be warmed up by the cabin crew.
Read more on Lufthansa - Travelling with children.

Crew

I found the crew competent and friendly. Instructions were given in German and English.

Disembarking

Business class disembarked first. The doors at the back of the plane were also used to disembark.
We took a short bus ride to the terminal building.

Overall opinion

What I liked
The new seats are very comfortable and the sandwiches tasted good.
The plane was quiet with not too many rattles and noise.

Not so good
There are only toilets at the back of the plane, this can be a problem when food is being served or in flight shopping trolleys are blocking the aisle. Watch out for limited recline and overhead locker space on the two-seater rows as well as the rows in the back of the plane.







Sandwich















MENZIES AVIATION SHONGOLOLO LOUNGE

Airport

O.R. Tambo International

Lounge

Shongololo Lounge

Entry to Lounge

Business and First class passengers for selected departing airlines
Priority pass
Walk-in passengers for a fee of R300

Location: International departures towards gates A7-A18, OR Tambo International Airport Johannesburg

Services

Complimentary snacks and refreshments

• A choice hot and cold snacks, pre-packed sushi, soup, and a selection of fruit. 

Free Wi-Fi and Internet terminals

• Ask for the login details at reception

Telephone and fax
TV, newspapers and magazines
Flight information display
Electrical outlets to charge phones and laptops etc.
Shower facilities
Non-smoking lounge

Seating

Comfortable chairs and couches

Ambiance

Mostly quiet, but can become very busy during peak times

Bathroom Facilities

Toilets are kept clean.
Basin to wash hands and freshen up
Body Lotion
Separate shower facilities

Lufthansa Economy Class Airbus A321-200 - LH1277 - Review #2



Route

LH1277,  Malta Luqa to Frankfurt, 06 February 2013.

Duration

2 hours 43 min (scheduled time 2 hours 50 minutes)

On time departure and arrival

Departed 90 minutes late and arrived 83 minutes late. This was due to bad weather conditions at Frankfurt Airport, the incoming flight LH1276 landed at 13:05. There was also some technical issues that needed attending before we could take off. Landing at Frankfurt was delayed due to weather conditions.

Ground crew and check-in

We were able to check in online 23 hours before the flight.
We dropped off our luggage at the Lufthansa check-in counters.

Our printed online boarding passes served as boarding tickets.

Check-in, and luggage drop off at the Lufthansa counters was handled by Malta airport staff.

Ground staff was friendly and very helpful.

We arrived at the airport at 10:30 and the check in counters was still very quiet, February is not peak tourist season.

Boarding procedure

Priority boarding for business class passengers, families with small children and assisted passengers. Boarding cards were manually scanned by the ground crew.

I noticed some passengers using mobile boarding passes.

We boarded a bus to the aircraft.

Baggage allowance

Hand luggage - One carry on bag 8kg max
Checked luggage - One bag up to 23kg

For more information on Lufthansa baggage allowances

Seating

Number of seats - 185 in total, economy has limited recline seats. Lufthansa refitted most of their regional aircraft with new seats. These new seats are very comfortable and allow for generous leg room
The seating configuration depends on how many business class seats are allocated


Most seating websites, (even Lufthansa ) shows Economy starting in row 9, on our flight it started in row 6.

The configuration from row 9 - 11 is of particular interest as it is over the emergency exit. 
Row 9 A- C are normal seats.  9 D and E, is a two seat row and there is a crew seat behind 9D
Row 10 only have two seats - E and F - these seats have extra legroom.

Row 11 A- C and 11 D have extra legroom.

We sat in row 36, which is normal economy seats. I noticed that row 37 and 38 had limited overhead storage space.

Emergency exit row seats cannot be book online, they are allocated when checking in at the counters.

View more information at  Lufthansa A321 seatmap or Seatguru A321 Economy seat information

 The overhead locker space was adequate.

Amenities

None.

Entertainment



German and Maltese newspapers were available upon boarding. In-flight magazine available in seat pocket.

In-flight communication

None

Meals and refreshments

Lunch

No tray -  We were served a traditional Bavarian breakfast. Weisswurst and a pretzel roll (Laugensemmel)

Any special meals must be pre-ordered when you make your reservation.

Coffee, tea, beer, wine and other beverages were served before our meal as well as afterwards.

Toilets

The toilets were kept clean, economy class can only use the toilets at the back of the aircraft.

Basin to wash hands and brush teeth.

In-flight shopping

Available.

Travelling with Children

Toys were handed out to children
Milk and baby food can be warmed up by the cabin crew
Read more on Lufthansa - Travelling with children

Crew

I found the crew competent and friendly. Instructions were given in German and English.



Disembarking

Business class disembarked first. We had an aircraft bridge to the terminal building at Frankfurt airport.

Overall opinion

What I liked

The new seats are very comfortable and the food tasty.

The plane was quiet with not too many rattles and noise.

Not so good

There are only toilets at the back of the plane, this can be a problem when food is being served or in flight shopping trolleys are blocking the aisle.

 

Seats





Legroom





Cabin

 

Lunch


 

Drinks



 

Basin in toilet









Emirates Economy Class Airbus A340-300

Route

EK107 from Dubai to Malta 28 January 2013 - Note, as from Feb 2013 this route will be serviced with a Boeing 777-200. This route has a stopover on Larnaca. The layover time is one hour.

Duration

6 hours 55 min.

On time departure and arrival

Departed and arrived 50 minutes late.

Ground Crew and check-in

This was a connecting flight and our luggage were booked through to Malta.
Ground crew were friendly and helpful.

Boarding procedure

Priority boarding for First and Business Class passengers, as well as skywards gold/silver members, families with small children and assisted passengers.
Economy class boarding was by zone, with passengers sitting at the back of the aircraft boarding first.

Luggage allowance

Hand luggage - One piece of carry-on luggage.
Checked luggage - 30 kg. Extra allowance depending on Frequent traveller status.
See more on EK107 baggage allowances and rules.

Before take-off

Moist hot towels were provided to freshen up.

Seating

This flight had 3 classes, First, Business and Economy.
Seat pitch - 78.74 cm (31")
Seat width - 44.45 cm (17.5")
Seatmap can be viewed on Seatguru or on Emirates Airbus A340-300
We sat in row 26 D and E. Its is bulkhead seats and had normal recline. It had standard overhead storage space.

Amenities

Pillow and blanket
Stereo headset

Entertainment

The entertainment system is not an on-demand system like on most Emirates flights.  Programs only started after take-off. Programs could not be re-winded or stopped and there was a limited selection of movies, TV programs, games and music.
You can stay in touch with latest headlines from the BBC, follow the progress of your flight or view the aircraft's external cameras.
A remote control is provided.

In-flight communications

Satellite phone.
Mobile calls could be made during this flight.

Meals and refreshments

Breakfast
A hot breakfast were served on the leg between Dubai and Larnaca.

Lunch
A light lunch were serverd on the leg between Larnaca and Malta.

Specify any dietary requirements at time of booking e.g. vegetarian.

Refreshments
Coffee/tea was served after meals. Drinks and wine were served before the meal.

Toilets

The toilets were kept clean. 
Soap, body lotion and fragrance were provided.
Paper towels and tissues.
Basin to wash hands and brush teeth.

In-flight shopping

In-flight shopping was not available during the flight due to EU restrictions.

Travelling with Children

Baby bassinets must be pre booked. Meal request for children must be made at time of reservation.
Milk and baby food can be warmed up by the cabin crew
Read more on  Emirates - Travelling with infants   
 

Crew

The crew was friendly and helpful.

Disembarking

First class disembarked first, then business class. Economy class disembarked from the front of the plane.

Overall opinion

What I liked
The seats are comfortable
Tasty and well presented meals
Service

Not so good

Entertainment system

Notes
The plane lands for a stopover on Larnaca. Electronic equipment had to be switched off because the plane was being re-fuelled. Passengers were asked to identify their cabin luggage and to remain on their booked seats. Some passengers disembarked in Larnaca and there were passengers boarding the plane.






Seats

Entertainment screen






 



Emirates Economy Class Boeing 777-300ER

Route

EK764 from Johannesburg to Dubai  27 January 2013

Duration

8 hours 10 min.

On time departure and arrival

Departed on time and arrived 10 minutes early.

Ground Crew and check-in

When paying with credit card in certain countries, you need to verify the transactions at the Emirates office before you can check in at the counters or drop off your luggage. We could check in online 24 hours before our flight. There was a dedicated counter for online check-ins.
Ground staff was friendly and competent.

Boarding procedure

Priority boarding for First and Business Class passengers, as well as skywards gold members, families with small children and assisted passengers.
Economy class boarding was by zone, with passengers sitting at the back of the aircraft boarding first.
Emirates finally got it right to manage boarding by zones.

Luggage allowance

Hand luggage - One piece of carry-on luggage.
Checked luggage - 30 kg. Extra allowance depending on Frequent traveller status.
See more on EK764 baggage allowances and rules.

Before take-off

Moist hot towels were provided to freshen up. The entertainment system can be started before take-off.

Seating

This flight had 3 classes, First, Business and Economy.
Seat pitch - 86.36 cm (34")
Seat width - 43.18 cm (17")
Seatmap can be viewed on Seatguru or on Emirates Boeing 777-300ER
We sat in row 50 J and K. Its a two seater row at the back of the plane. It has no overhead storage space (The emergency Medical kit was stored above our seats) and our bags had to be stowed in overhead lockers above other seats. The toilets are next to it, and I found it a bit disruptive. You are served refreshments last.

Amenities

Pillow and blanket
Stereo headset

Entertainment

Emirates won numerous awards for their ICE in-flight system.
See more on Emirates ICE
On demand entertainment system with a wide selection of movies, TV programs and music.  You can also stay in touch with latest headlines from the BBC, follow the progress of your flight or view the aircraft's external cameras.
The ICE touch screen system is easy to use and movies can be started as soon as you are seated.  A remote control is also provided.
See photos for ports and chargers on seat back.

In-flight communications

Satellite phone.
Mobile calls could not be made during this flight.

Meals and refreshments

Dinner
The in-flight service started late due to turbulence.
We were served a hot dinner.
The choices on the menu were:

• Chicken ragout served with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables
• Beef curry served with egg fried rice, broccoli and cauliflower
• Tortellini served with patty pan wedges and grilled brinjals

On the tray - Salad, bread bun, dessert, butter, salt, pepper, sugar, cheese, cutlery, wet wipe and serviette. Cup for Coffee. Small water.

Breakfast
Breakfast was served. I did not have breakfast as it was too early in the morning.

Specify any dietary requirements at time of booking e.g. vegetarian.

Refreshments
Coffee/tea was served after meals. Drinks and wine were served before the meal.

Toilets

The toilets were kept clean. 
Soap, body lotion and fragrance were provided.
Paper towels and tissues.
Basin to wash hands and brush teeth.

In-flight shopping

In-flight shopping was available during the flight, with a good choice perfumes, jewelry etc.

Travelling with Children

Baby bassinets must be pre booked. Meal request for children must be made at time of reservation.
Milk and baby food can be warmed up by the cabin crew
Read more on  Emirates - Travelling with infants   
 

Crew

I have always found the crew on Emirates to be very friendly and helpful. On this flight they were not very friendly and some seemed irritated. They took very  long to clear up the trays after dinner and some passengers took their own trays to the kitchen. There were a rowdy tour group a couple of seat in front of us and they did not understand English very well, the flight attendants were a bit impatient with them.

Disembarking

First class disembarked first, then business class. Economy class disembarked from the front of the plane.

Overall opinion

What I liked
The seats are comfortable
Entertainment system
Tasty and well presented meals

Not so good
Service



Seat and Entertainment System




Dinner




Ports





Charger ports



 

Remote Control