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








 











Ferrry between Malta and Sicily

Route

Virtu Ferries between Valletta (Malta) and Catania (Sicily). Return weekend trip. Euro Class.
This trip consists of a Ferry ride from Valletta to Pozzallo. From Pozzallo you board a coach to Catania. This review is only for the Ferry. 

Scheduled Duration

90 minutes.

On time departure and arrival

Departed and arrived on time on both journeys.

Booking a ticket

Virtu Ferries have a website that you can use to make a booking. It was easy enough to use. You need to fill in your preferred dates and passport details. The site does not have a secure payment page and I did not feel comfortable supplying my credit card details. I sent them an email and confirmed that I will come in to their office to make the payment. This can be a problem if you are making the booking from outside of Malta. You can use a travel agent to make the booking but they are likely to be  more expensive. You can buy the ticket on the day of travel.

Check-in and seat selection

You must be at the Port at least an hour before departure to check in. After check in you need to go to the boarding queue and present your ticket and passport.

Luggage

Hand luggage is restricted - "passengers may take to their seats or allotted places only one item of hand luggage of not more than H 37cm x W 45cm x L 25cm in measure and 5 Kg in weight"

Checked luggage  - "Maximum 3 pieces of baggage per person.  Any one piece of baggage must not exceed H 50cm x W 40cm x L 80cm (170 linear cm).  Excess Baggage: A charge of € 20.00 per piece applies"

Crew

The crew was friendly and helpful. Most spoke Maltese, English or Italian.

Boarding procedure

After check in, you need to go to "Passport control". Your passport and ticket are checked against each other. If all is in order you can board the vessel. Just before you reach the boarding staircase, there is a luggage van where you hand in your luggage.

Seating

This ferry had 2 classes, Euro and Club.  You pay extra for club class.

On Board

There is a cafe, some shops and a mini casino on board.The selection of food and their prices at the cafe is reasonable.

Entertainment

A movie is shown on the overhead screens.

Charging points for electronic devices

None that I am aware off.

Toilets

The toilets were kept clean. There were some problems with flushing.

Disembarking

People who boarded with vehicles were asked to go back to their vehicles.
Club class disembarked first, then euro class. 

After leaving the vessel, you need to collect your luggage from the van.

Overall opinion

What I liked
 The Ferry is spacious and comfortable.

Not so good
The website is not a secure site for bookings.
No Wi-Fi.
 

Seating at a table

Seating in Euro class

Seating and screen in Euro class

Casino area

Toilets