What Is The Coolest Thing To Do On Lufthansa Flights?

Lufthansa Miles and More

So those in the know will be aware that joining a loyalty programme which is part of an airline alliance opens up a world of opportunity for earning more airmiles using multiple different airlines. So it is that today I’m flying Lufthansa Airlines, part of Star Alliance, whose loyalty programme Miles and More lets me collect points from flights with Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, Thai, Swiss and many more.

I could sign up to any one of the loyalty programmes from those airlines but there is no need to. I simply fly with those companies and credit the miles earned to my Lufthansa Miles and More account. If you need a reminder of which airline belongs to which alliance, you can download this FREE airline alliance infographic.

WARNING: Expiry of points

If you are using flights to earn miles, beware as Miles and More points expire if they are not redeemed for an award within 36 months of being earned. If you take out the Miles and More credit card this guarantees that they will not expire but otherwise you need to use them or lose them!

Why Miles and More?

Now I selected Lufthansa as my preferred program from this particular alliance because of the choice of routes between my local airport, Manchester and the rest of the world.

Another draw was the amazing deals they offer on business class flights. For instance Frankfurt to Beijing should be 135,000 miles but Lufthansa are currently running a promotion so that it costs only 70,000. Wow! That is less than half the redemption price of British Airways! I can bag flights for my hubbie and I without needing to secure a companion voucher or pay the annual fee on the British Airways American Express Premium Plus card.

I’m currently saving up points for precisely that purpose, although it may take a little longer to achieve, as the Miles and More credit card offers a measly sign up bonus albeit reasonable accumulation rates on spend. Having said that, I am flying to the Philippines in November with Turkish Airlines and will be banking those flights to our Miles and More account too.

The Economy Experience

Until then, I’m stuck in coach on our trip to Bahrain. I bagged a bargain for just £392.31 each and am off to explore the sandy island kingdom off the coast of Saudi Arabia. So, for anyone in Britain wondering whether it is worth opting for a routing through Germany instead of a long drive down to Heathrow in the hope of flying direct, this post gives you the lowdown on the Lufthansa economy experience (yes, sadly I do not have enough points to redeem for business just yet!).

Lufthansa Check in

Departing from Manchester, check in is incredibly prompt. Desks 60 – 78 are in a more serene part of the check in hall, hidden away behind the main desks, and our check in takes around 70 seconds at a guess! Pretty good start!

Regional connections

Lufthansa operate regional connections from a number of UK airports in addition to Manchester, to its Frankfurt hub. This is the airline’s gateway to the world and is a short flight of 100 minutes, nevertheless drinks and snacks are offered onboard in typical efficient German style.

The livery reminds me a little of the refurbished British Airways planes with grey leather seats with orange trim, more business functional than fun, but comfortable enough.

Long haul leg

Our long haul flight down to Bahrain (albeit only 7 hours including a brief stop in Saudi Arabia to drop off passengers) is on an A330 aircraft. I love this type of plane with its 2-4-2 seat configuration meaning my husband and I can be seated together without having to worry about clambering over other passengers to go to the bathroom.

There’s a reasonable seat pitch and the seats are relatively comfortable but they could definitely do with a bigger pocket for all your gear and  the seats don’t recline especially far (making our overnight return somewhat less comfortable!)

Entertainment

Each seat has a seat back TV (seriously has anyone come across a plane that doesn’t these days?!) and thankfully a USB charger so I can while away the hours catching up on blog posts for you lovelies. It’s a pretty decent entertainment system with a touch screen and plenty of music, TV, movie and games options.

The only negative is that everything is touch screen meaning no Jenga type games and trying to call for assistance at the same time as watching a film isn’t possible!

What makes life even better is that there is online wifi although this is chargeable if you want to do anything non Lufthansa related. If you fancy a bit of fun, you can however send postcards to your friends in Facebook on email which I thought was a pretty damn cool feature even if it is a marketing ploy for Lufthansa. I am sure your colleagues who are the happy recipient of your postcard don’t think it is the coolest thing to do but I am easily pleased!

Food

On the outbound flight, we enjoyed two snacks during our flight including a chicken meal which was delicious and a cheese sandwich (which I swerved!). On the return leg, a snack was served on boarding and then breakfast just before landing. Even during the short connecting flights from Manchester a pastry or sandwich was offered too.

Drinks were in copious supply and the service was very good although the food was pretty average overall.

Verdict

So overall it’s a pretty decent experience for economy class. I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to fly them again (just as well now I am accumulating the miles!)

What do you think of Lufthansa?

Maybe you have flown Lufthansa economy or better yet premium economy or business? What are your thoughts on the service and experience. What did you think was the coolest thing about the whole experience?

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