Savvy Flyer

An impartial and candid review of the First and Business Class cabins and services of the world's airlines. Savvy Traveller maintains a tight zero-tolerance policy when it comes to bad service in the air - especially towards travellers who pay premium prices for a comfortable seat in the sky. It takes a lot to impress us. But at the same time it doesnt take much to recommend a switch in carriers.

Lufthansa Business Class – LH469
Portland (PDX) – Frankfurt (FRA)
June 2007


Lounge

LH gives its premium passengers use of the United Airlines lounge, located at the opposite end of the Portland Airport concourse. Light snacks are available, and beer, wine and spirits are on a cash basis. Broadband, wireless internet service is pricey but free in the main concourse terminal. Despite the Star Alliance affiliation, lounge staff are unable to issue LH boarding passes.

Boarding

The flight - using an Airbus A340-300 - departed about one hour behind schedule due to “late arrival of aircraft” and added security screening of luggage. Boarding was quick and efficient though a confirmed window seat (Seat 1A) was given away to another passenger. Pre-flight champagne and juices were offered.

Seats

Configured in a 2x2x2 design, the new long-haul Business Class seat is remarkable for the lack of personal space to store items such as newspapers and laptop computers. The seat-beds are 78-inches long but the width feels stingy. However the lumbar massage function is a welcome perk on long-haul flights. One of the biggest problems is that the beds are angled (not lie flat), so that sleeping passengers tend to slide down them. Many online reviews by LH passengers slam the seat design for making sleep difficult or impossible. The fold out tray is large but does not swivel for eased access to the aisle.
One of the biggest design flaws is the positioning of the socket for the headphones (which do not have a noise cancelling function). Located deep in the armrest it is almost impossible to access when the headphones unplug – as happened twice on this flight.

Food and Wine

The biggest single letdown was the in-flight food. This is surprising given the hype that LH has created around its new Business Class menu.

(Lufthansa and The Peninsula Hotels launched in November 2006 an arrangement that chefs from The Peninsula’s three U.S. properties will create menus for the airline’s "Connoisseurs on Board" food and wine program. First and Business Class menus from each chef are featured on a two-month rotating basis on-board flights from Lufthansa’s 16 U.S. gateways.LH says the partnership is meant to “provide exceptional experiences for the discerning traveler” and transform the celebrity chef’s signature dishes into “premium on-board fare.”)

On this flight the menu featured items from Chef Gordon Maybury of The Peninsula New York with dishes inspired by his “Fives” restaurant menu. One of two appetizer choices was Maybury’s pistachio-crusted shrimp with mango salsa - which was very good but stingy on the portion side (a nice touch is that the recipe for some menu items is reproduced on the menu).

The main course of grilled Atlantic salmon with celeriac puree and sweet pea-fava bean jus was a let-down. The salmon dry, lacked flavour and had unappealing colour. After a complaint to the Chief Purser a second salmon was produced but with no improvement. “This is airline food so what can I say,” the purser said apologetically. A chicken dish was then produced but proved equally dry, if not worse. A neighbouring passenger agreed that the cooking process had rid the salmon of most of its moisture. Serving sub-standard salmon on a flight departing the Pacific Northwest - which has some of the best salmon in the world - could irritate passengers.

To complement the menu, LH boasts a “Vinothek Discoveries” - the wine and spirits component of Connoisseurs On Board. Both flights featured only white wine on the Vinothek menu and the two red wines advertised in the menu - including a much anticipated 2002 Presidents Selection Shiraz by Wolf Blass - were not available. This was also the case on a connecting flight from Frankfurt. On the plus side, flight attendants came around frequently to re-fill glasses.
The pre-landing breakfast feature three entrees, including one hot dish of an omelet. This could best be described as uninspiring.

Other

Amenities in the washroom were sparse, limited to unbranded hand cream and mouthwash. The container for the toilet seat covers was broken and placed on the counter. Amenities in the generic toiletry kit were also unimpressive.
The in-flight entertainment system offers a healthy selection of movies, documentaries and music but captions on documentaries are in German only.