Lufthansa Airbus A340-600 and Airbus A320 Business Class Review From CPT – MUC – HAJ
Many of you probably saw my first four guest reviews, featuring Delta and Korean Air business class and Emirates’ new 777 Business Class. Due to the success of the guest reviews, I am continuing them with the fifth guest review. Recently, a person I know (who has wished to remain anonymous) flew on Lufthansa business class from Cape Town to Munich to Hannover on an Airbus A340-600 (CPT-MUC) and an Airbus A321 (MUC-HAJ).
With this review (and most guest reviews), I will write the review in the third person. How do I do that? The person who flies on the flight takes pictures of their experiences and reports back to me on how the seat was, how the airport was, how the meals were, and more. I then put the grand experience into a final report on my website in review form. In this post, I have two reviews in one post (as the reviewer took two flights in a row), with the entire experience held in chronological order.
The Flight (CPT-MUC) At A Glance:
| Aircraft: | Airbus A340-600 |
| Origin: | Cape Town International Airport |
| Destination: | Munich Airport |
| Flight Time: | 11h 20m |
| Date: | December 10, 2018 |
| Class of Service: | Business Class |
| Airline: | Lufthansa |
| Satisfaction: | 7/10 (good) |
| Flight Number: | LH575 |
| Seat Number: | 3A |
| Time of Departure: | 9:50 AM SAST |
| Time of Arrival: | 8:10 PM CET |
| Departure Terminal: |
International Terminal |
Pre-Flight:
After a quick check-in, the reviewer first headed through security and to the airport lounge. As the reviewer was traveling on Lufthansa, he had access to the Bidvest Lounge in Cape Town, as there was no Star Alliance or Lufthansa lounge there. The lounge was extremely crowded, as many airlines gave access to their premium class passengers and elites to the lounge. Seating was hard to find, and the food wasn’t excellent either. After visiting the lounge, the reviewer headed to the flight close to the lounge.
The Flight:
After boarding, the reviewer headed to his seat, 3A. The aircraft had a first class cabin, so he was seated in the first row of business class. Business class is in a 2-2-2 configuration and features fully flat bed seats with personal on-demand entertainment screens at each seat. Having to climb over another person to reach the restrooms was annoying, as the cabin didn’t have all aisle access. First class features eight open suites in a 1-2-1 configuration. Each passenger received bedding, an amenity kit, and a large blanket and pillow at each seat. Overall, the cabin was spotless.
The reviewer notes that the controls for the seat were very confusing and weren’t self-explanatory, and he couldn’t get into a comfortable position either due to a possible seat malfunction. Each seat also has large in-flight entertainment screens. Soon enough, the captain announced the flight time over loudspeakers which were fuzzy and scratchy. After a short taxi, the flight was on its way to Munich.
Soon after takeoff, the meal service began. There were a fish and a meat option, and the reviewer went with the fish. The reviewer received a salmon filet with a side of green beans and mashed potatoes after a starter salad. The fish was very average and wasn’t very moist, but overall ok.
Service onboard wasn’t amazing either. The flight attendants were standard for Lufthansa: they served the meal efficiently. However, they overall did not have a great attitude. They did their jobs fine, but they just brought a cold atmosphere onboard the aircraft, which is not ideal for business class. After the first meal service, the reviewer tried to get some sleep, although couldn’t get solid rest as he couldn’t get the seat to lie down fully and the seat was uncomfortable.
Throughout the flight, there was some pretty scenery outside of the Sahara desert and for much of the continent of Africa; see some of the pictures below:
Before landing, the reviewer was served a second meal. He ordered the pork tenderloin, which was pretty firm. The flight landed and taxied to the main terminal at Munich Airport, where everyone deplaned via a jet bridge. The reviewer then had to fly on a Lufthansa A320 to fly to Hannover.
The Flight (MUC-HAJ) At A Glance:
| Aircraft: | Airbus A320 |
| Origin: | Munich Airport |
| Destination: | Hannover Airport |
| Flight Time: | 1h 10m |
| Date: | December 10, 2018 |
| Class of Service: | Business Class |
| Airline: | Lufthansa |
| Satisfaction: | 5/10 (decent) |
| Flight Number: | LH575 |
| Seat Number: | 2A |
| Time of Departure: | 10:30 PM CET |
| Time of Arrival: | 11:40 PM CET |
| Departure Terminal: | Terminal K |
After the flight from Cape Town to Munich, the reviewer first headed through passport control, which was relatively quick. The reviewer then had to take the people mover to get to the Terminal 2 Satellite, where the flight was departing from. Then, the reviewer headed to the Lufthansa Business lounge there, which was new and had a fair selection of food but was not in anyway industry leading. The reviewer then headed to the gate, where there was some commotion going on.
Apparently, one of the previous flights that day from Munich to Hannover had been canceled, leaving many passengers stranded. There then were many passengers trying to get onto the next flight, which also happened to be the last flight of the day. There were only about ten seats left onboard that plane. The passengers then boarded the plane. The situation became very hectic due to Lufthansa’s inability to handle the passengers who were all trying to get on the plane.
Since business class on Lufthansa’s short-haul aircraft are only the economy seats with the middle seat blocked, there were many middle business class seats still available. Then, the reviewer and the other person in the row offered to the flight attendants that if necessary, a person stranded from the canceled flight could sit between them in the middle seat which was blocked. The flight attendant then said that it was not possible to sell that seat due to Lufthansa’s policy, which makes sense, as the seats are so awful for business class anyways. Eventually, the plane pushed back from the gate late and got on its way to Hannover.
On short haul flights, as stated earlier, Lufthansa only offers the same seats as in economy in business class. There isn’t even extra legroom or more recline. For business class, this is absolutely ridiculous, even on short-haul flights. In the air, Lufthansa served a small meal which consisted of nothing but a small cheese platter on the flight. The reviewer didn’t choose to take the meal. Service on this flight again was efficient, but wasn’t very friendly and didn’t go above and beyond. No extra amenities were offered onboard this flight.
Conclusion
Lufthansa offered a safe and (mostly) efficient way to travel. However, the service in no way was admirable, as the flight attendants didn’t ever offer much friendliness and Lufthansa wasn’t able to effectively handle a cancellation. The food was okay, but not memorable, and the seats on both flights were significantly below standard for their respective flight lengths. Overall, both of the flights were both just okay, and while they weren’t awful, they by no means were great either.
Have you ever flown on Lufthansa? Share about your experience below!
