Lufhansa Boeing 747-8 - LH572

Route

LH572, Frankfurt to Johannesburg, 12 January 2016.

Duration

10 hours

On time departure and arrival

Departed late but arrived on time.

Ground crew and check-in

We were able to check in online 23 hours before the flight.
Our flight was from Munich to Frankfurt, and then onwards from Frankfurt to Johannesburg.
Passport Control was at Frankfurt Airport
Security checks was at Munich Airport, at Frankfurt we departed from the same terminal building (landed in Terminal 1 A and departed from gates Z), and did not have to go through security at Frankfurt. 
We were unsure if our luggage would be booked through to Johannesburg so we handed in our luggage at the check-in counters. The lady confirmed that we could drop off our luggage at the automatic/self-service Lufthansa counters and our luggage will be booked through to our final destination.
Ground staff was friendly and very helpful.

Boarding procedure

Priority boarding for first and business class passengers, families with small children and assisted passengers. We used the electronic gates to scan our boarding passes and boarded via a mobile bridge.
Boarding was a bit chaotic, this route used to be serviced by an Airbus A380 aircraft. At the time of booking it still showed the A380 seating options. The Boeing 747 takes less passengers and the flight was overbooked. The ground staff asked for volunteers to fly the next day on partner airlines. This caused a delay in boarding.

Luggage allowance

Hand luggage - One carry-on bag 8kg max
Checked luggage - One bag not exceeding 23kg, Lufthansa make use of the Piece concept for luggage

Seating

Number of seats - 208 in standard Economy
Emergency exit row seats cannot be book online, they are allocated when checking in at the counters.
Seat pitch - 78.74 cm (31")
Seat width - 43.18 cm (17")

Number of seats - 32 in Premium Economy
Seat pitch - 96.52.74 cm (38")Seat width - 45.72 cm (18")

View more information at Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 seat map or Seatguru Boeing 747-8 Economy seat information

We sat in row 32 against the bulkhead. These seats have limited recline, the kitchen are behind them and this can be a nuisance.
The overhead locker space was limited, and there were crew luggage behind our seats.
The USB port was underneath the armrest.
The controls to adjust the lights, call the attendant etc. was in the armrest. There is no cover on it so you very easily press the buttons by accident.

Amenities

Small cushion and blanket.
Headsets and covers for headsets speakers. The covers are very flimsy and mine tore when I tried to put it on the speakers of the headset.
Headsets were collected just before landing.
You have to ask for flight socks, eye masks and toothbrush.

Entertainment

German and English newspapers were available upon boarding.
Personal touchscreen monitor with additional controls in armrest. The selection of movies was a bit limited in my opinion, but still enough to keep you entertained on a 10 hour flight.
Lufthansa magazine available in seat pocket.
USB port underneath the armrest.

In-flight communication

Internet access via WLAN and mobile telephony via GSM was available after take-off.
See more information on Fly-Net 

Meals and refreshments

Dinner
The in-flight service started as soon as we reached cruising altitude.
We were served a hot dinner. There was a choice between a chicken dish and a pasta dish.
The food tasted good.
On the tray - Salad, bread bun, dessert, butter, salt, pepper, sugar, cheese, cutlery, wet wipe and serviette. Cup for Coffee.
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.

Breakfast
A hot breakfast was served around 2 hours before landing.

Toilets

The toilets were kept reasonably clean. In my opinion there are not enough toilets on the aircraft.
Basin to wash hands and brush teeth.

In-flight shopping

Available. Shopping magazine in seat pocket

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

First and Business class disembarked first. We had an aircraft bridge to the terminal building at O.R Tambo airport.

Overall opinion

What I liked
The seats are wide enough and the legroom is adequate.
The staff was friendly and attentive
The plane was quiet with not too many rattles and noise.

Not so good
Limited recline on bulkhead seats.
Limited overhead locker space at bulkhead seats. The 
Configuration of Premium Economy seats makes the aisle very narrow when walking towards the toilets.
Not enough toilets.




Entertainment screen








 











Qatar Airlines - Economy Class Boeing 787-8 QR1364 27 September 2014

Route

QR1364 from Johannesburg to Doha 27 September 2014

Scheduled Duration

7 hours 40 minutes

On time departure and arrival

Departed a bit late but landed 20 min early

Ground Crew and check-in

I made my booking online and could pre-booked my seat.
This was the first leg of my journey and I could check in online 36 hours before departure.  Take note that check in to and from the U.S only opens 24 hours prior to departure
There were dedicated online check-in counters.
My hand luggage (laptop bag) were weighed and tagged.
My check in luggage were booked through to my final destination, and I did not need to collect my luggage at Doha arrivals.
The ground crew were friendly and helpful.

Boarding procedure

Priority boarding for Business Class passengers, as well as certain loyalty members, families with small children and assisted passengers.

Luggage allowance

Hand luggage - One piece of carry-on luggage, not exceeding 7kg
Checked luggage - 30 kg. Max dimension (length + height + width) of 406cm
See more on  baggage allowances and rules.

Before take-off

Moist wipes were provided to freshen up.

Seating

This flight had 2 classes, Business (22 flat bed seats) and Economy (232 standard seats)
Economy Seating:
Seat pitch - 78.74 cm (31")
Seat width - 43.68 cm (17.2")
The configuration is 3-3-3 
Seat map can be viewed on Seatguru or on Qatar Boeing 787-8
I sat in row 19F It was a standard seat and had normal recline. It had ample overhead storage space.

Manual air vent and reading light above seats. Button to call the flight attendant.
The seat had a headrest that can be adjusted up and down

In flight Amenities

Pillow and blanket
Small bag with flight socks, toothbrush and -paste, eye mask
Stereo headset

Entertainment

See more on Oryx entertainment
On demand entertainment system with a wide selection of movies, TV programs and music.
You can also follow the progress of your flight.
The touch screen system is easy to use and movies can be started as soon as you are seated.  A remote control is also provided.
Flight progress were displayed on screens against the bulkhead

In-flight communications

Mobile phones could be used. Roaming charger applied.
Wi-Fi available via On-air service provider. This is not a free service, you need to register and prov
The cheapest option to keep in touch is to send a text (sms)

Charging points for electronic devices

USB charging point.

Meals and refreshments

Dinner
A hot dinner was served shortly after takeoff.
There was a choice of chicken, lamb or vegetarian.
I had the lamb and it was quite good
On the tray -  Salad, bread roll and spread. Small container with water. Desert.
Cutlery, serviette and small chocolate.

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

Late night snack
A chicken roll were served just before landing


Refreshments
Coffee/tea was served after meals. Drinks and wine were served before the meal. A small packet of pretzels and tomato dip were served with the drinks.

Toilets

The toilets were kept clean.
Soap, body lotion and fragrance were provided.
Wet wipes to clean toilet seat
Paper towels and tissues.
Basin to wash hands and brush teeth.
Baby changing facilities

In-flight shopping

In-flight shopping was available

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
The airline has activity packs for young children and special kit for parents travelling with infants (including diapers, baby food jars. a bottle and toys)
Read more on  Qatar- Travelling with infants

Crew

The on board crew was friendly and helpful.

Disembarking

Business class disembarked first, then economy class. Economy class disembarked from the front of the plane.

Overall opinion

 

What I liked
Tasty and well presented meals.
Entertainment system
The seats are wide enough with a decent pitch.
Wet wipes to clean the toilet seat
On-Air mobile reception

Not so good
The headrest is comfortable when the seat is reclined. When you sit up straight it pushes your head a bit too much to the front. It was adjustable up and down but the "wings" could not be adjusted.
The armrest do not fold away completely, only about 3/4 of the way
The entertainment system box at the base of the some of the seats is a bit big and limits foot space - see photos

Seats with headrest

Entertainment system

Seats

Ample legroom

Entertainment box

Goodies

Air vents and lights

Wipes

Dinner