What I liked
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Complimentary bar on board
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Good value fare
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Extra baggage allowance
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I flew in Lufthansa’s business class from London to Frankfurt. It was a short one hour flight, in an Airbus A320.
The flight was pretty good. I also got a great value fare. £273 return. On board, there was a complimentary bar, empty middle seat and a free meal. However, the food was disappointing. Although I’m vegetarian, so maybe that’s my fault!
As is customary in Europe, the business class seat was the same as economy. Except the middle seat was empty. I got to the sit at the front of the aircraft. In theory, the toilet at the front is only for business class passengers. But the economy passengers used it too. Nobody stopped them.
Business class in Europe divides opinion. Many people are unhappy that the seat is the same as economy. However, Europe is a small continent and most flights are under two hours. The prices are often great value too. I paid £273 for this return flight. For that I got lounge access, an empty middle seat, complimentary bar, extra baggage allowance, a free meal, business class check-in desks and I earned extra miles. Not bad in my view.
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I paid for my ticket with cash. I paid £273 for the return flight from London to Frankfurt, in business class. This was excellent value. The economy ticket was £160.
For the extra money, I got a complimentary bar on board, a meal, empty middle seat, lounge access, two checked bags, business class check-in desks, priority check-in and priority boarding. That’s a lot to get for only £113 extra.
Many people don’t bother looking at business class fares. That’s a mistake in my view. It often works out as better value. One thing I value most is lounge access. It’s not just a meal and a drink. It’s also your own space and that feeling of luxury. Away from the bright lights and the madness of the terminal. I hope that doesn’t sound snobbish!
Lounge passes start at £50 for a single visit to an independent lounge. The business class fare included Lufthansa lounge access in both London and Frankfurt. So that’s £100 of value there alone. In the US, domestic business class tickets don’t even come with lounge access.
Lufthansa Lounges are pretty good too. Better than most independent lounges. Click here for my review of the Lufthansa Business Lounge in Frankfurt. They had a large alcohol selection, tasty hot food and floor to ceiling windows.
My flight was delayed by two hours. So I was exhausted when I got on board. Europe has the most consumer friendly laws, with regards to flights. EU261 rules are explained here. As the flight was delayed by over two hours, I received £221 in compensation. £52 less than the cost of the flight!
When I get a flight, I don’t want a delay. But if there’s a delay, I want a long delay! The airlines have changed their behaviour, because of these rules too.
I recently flew from London to Tampa with British Airways. There was a technical problem with the aircraft. They didn’t know what was wrong, so they took off the baggage and left it in London! Because the flight was only delayed by one hour, they didn’t pay any compensation to customers. If they had left the luggage on, the delay would have been longer. And compensation would have had to been paid.
The Lufthansa plane was an Airbus A320. The front three rows of the aircraft were reserved for business class passengers. As is standard for intra-Europe flights, business class seats are the same as economy class. However, the middle seat is empty.
This sort of configuration is excellent for airlines. It means that they can change the size of the business class cabin, depending on demand. Helping them to maximise revenue. For routes with many corporate passengers, sometime half the flight is business class!
I wasn’t a fan of the seats on the A320. They were hard and slimline. With a 31 inch pitch. They are one of the new generation of seats. Designed to increase seat density on the aircraft.
Given that the flight was only one hour, the seat was fine for me.
At this point, nearly all airlines in Europe have their business class like this. I flew in British Airways short haul business class from London to Amsterdam. Review here. The flight was very similar to Lufthansa’s. With a similar seat, complimentary bar and meal included. It was a one hour flight, but the guy next to me downed four drinks in that time. He got his money’s worth!
Long Haul Business Class have the proper seats with fully flat beds.
The business class fare comes with a complimentary meal.
This is different to economy, where you’re only given water. You can buy snacks on board. However, in my experience, purchased snacks on are uniformly awful!
The business class meal service took place just after take-off. There was one lady for the business cabin. She served the meal. She then came by five minutes later with the drinks trolley.
The meal was bad! I pre ordered a veggie meal. It was a bean salad, chocolate mousse and a banana. The salad was cold and bland. The chocolate mousse was ok. The portions were tiny. I wish I’d eaten more in the lounge!
I have never met anyone that would choose to eat a bean salad! Does Lufthansa assume that vegetarians just want to starve themselves?
There was a complimentary bar on board. Beer, wine, spirits and soft drinks were on offer.
I had a bottle of Becks beer. Which is a fairly generic lager. It was ok. I really like German wheat beer, so I was annoyed that none was on offer.
I also had a glass of water.
I didn’t see any champagne. Frankly, I was too tired to ask. Following the two hour delay. Both British Airways and Air France offer champagne in their short haul business class. My review of Air France Business Class Short Haul is here. It was a really good flight, with flavoursome food and a lovely crew.
Lufthansa short haul business class was exactly as I expected. It was a one hour hop from London to Frankfurt. I got an empty middle seat, complimentary alcohol, lounge access and other extras. Best of all, I got a great value fare. Only £273 for the return flight. Well worth the money.
Austrian Airlines is part of the Lufthansa Group. I flew in Austrian’s short haul business class. From London to Vienna. Review here. I had a really good flight. The food was good, the middle seat was blocked and the bar was complimentary.
I flew in Etihad’s First Class Apartment and it was incredible! Review here. The apartment had a separate bed and armchair. There was also a closet, on board shower and excellent food. In the article, I explain how I only paid $1,176 for the flight. Using a variety of tricks and techniques.
I’ve spent much of my life in an airport lounge. For better for worse! My review of the Plaza Premium Lounge in Heathrow Terminal Two is here. It’s regularly rated as the best independent lounge in the world. The lounge has lovely decoration and high class food. In the article, I explain how to visit the lounge for a 30% discount.
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