Introduction

Admittedly, my track record with Lufthansa hasn’t been all that good recently. So, I must confess, I’m feeling slightly apprehensive about this trip, wondering what will go wrong this time.

Originally, I was booked on the 16h40 nonstop service from Zürich to Dublin. But then a meeting was scheduled in the afternoon, so that I had to rebook to the Lufthansa service to Frankfurt at 18h00, and then on to Dublin at 21h00. There would have been a later departure from Zürich at 19h00, which would have been more convenient. However, that would have given me only one hour to make my connection in Frankfurt, which is a special brand of hell I would wish upon anybody.

Check-in

I arrive at the airport at 16h30. I‘ve already checked in online, so I make my way straight to security. It‘s quite busy today, but at least there are two queues open and they’re moving at a steady pace.

I‘m quite impressed with the Lufthansa app. It updates the flight information in realtime and even adjusts the information on my wallet boarding passes accordingly.

SWISS Senator Lounge

The lounge is very busy with the usual collection of white-sneakered, suit-wearing Germans and obnoxious hipster parents ignoring their satanic spawn while they pester the other patrons in the lounge – that’s the parents, not the kids.

I get myself a coffee and some cake and settle in to finish a few office things.

Once that’s out of the way, I leave the lounge in favour of looking at the planes maneuvering on the ramp.

I receive a message from Lufthansa that the departure has been moved to 18h30, which is interesting because flightradar24 shows the inbound only arriving in Zürich from Frankfurt at 18h27. The flight is then delayed again to 19h00 and subsequently to 19h05.

Boarding

Boarding eventually starts at 18h50. The upgrade fairy strikes again and I receive a new seat assignment on 4 F.

Boarding is completed at 19h10. The captain then comes on to inform us that we’re likely going to have to remain on the ground in Zürich until at least 20h00.

The guy on 4 C takes out his phone and starts calling people to let them know the predicament he’s in and that he likely won’t make his connection to Delhi. By the time he’s gleefully made his fifth call, you’d think that this delay is the stuff of legends. He’ll probably be regaling his grandbabies with stories of it one day.

Then you have the other passengers, loudly complaining why Lufthansa isn’t doing anything. I mean, like what? Eventually, we depart at 19h43. We’re running nearly two hours late.

The Cabin

There are five rows of Business Class, and the flight is nearly fully booked. The cabin on this bird is looking rather worn and tired. The seat on 4 E is torn and looks as though it’s been like that for a long time.

The seat pitch on row 4 is great, though.

The Service & Crew

Once the doors are closed, the crew pass through the cabin offering bottles of still water.

When the extended delay is first announced, the crew pass through the cabin offering small boxes with a dark chocolate and orange praline in a white chocolate coating.

Next the crew decides to serve more drinks while we wait. They pass through the cabin with a tray full of sparkling wine and red wine. The maître de seems quite surprised that most people decline. He loudly complains about the waste and that he’ll have to throw it all away before departure.

The Snack

The flight time is estimated at forty minutes. Once we’re airborn and through the thick rain clouds, the service begins. I’m quite surprised to see them doing a full trolley service.

The cabin attendant hands me the tray and… You have got to be kidding me! Meatballs again? They served them on my flight from Larnaca to Frankfurt in September 2023 and again on my flight from Frankfurt to Oslo in October 2023 and again from Amsterdam to Frankfurt in March 2024. Sadly, they haven’t improved much, either. I mean, if the Germans love their meat so much, that’s fine. But then at least Lufthansa should reintroduce the option to order special meals on short-haul.

With the main dish, the crew offer small loaves of bread. However, there’s no butter.

And for dessert there’s something creamy, which I don’t try. I’m guessing the red stuff on top is either raspberry or cherry.

Arrival in Frankfurt

We only spend a short time in the cruise, and very soon we’re already descending through the clouds and into a rainy Frankfurt. Our taxi to the gate is rather short, and for a change our flight ends on a contact stand, which means there’s a remote chance that I might just make my connection, for which boarding closes in twenty minutes.