In 2025, Frankfurt ranked sixth among Europe’s busiest airports. In the spring of 2026 it opened its third terminal on the site of what used to be an American base. In a phased opening, it is expected that the gradual opening of the new facility should be completed by summer 2026. Alas, Lufthansa will remain in the current terminal complex.
Lufthansa Transfer in Frankfurt
My flight from Basel pulls onto its stand with a delay of fifteen minutes, which still gives me a whole hour to make my connection to Oslo… you’d think. First, there is a further delay because there’s nobody around who could move the stairs into position, which is, of course, a bit inconvenient. After a while, somebody arrives. The stairs are moved into position, and the doors are opened – but there’s no bus. By the time a bus comes to pick us up and take us the terminal, my layover in Frankfurt is already over. I just have enough time to visit the washroom before I make my way to the departure gate. Boarding starts just as I arrive.
Lufthansa Boarding
Boarding starts on time with a call for passengers in groups 1 and 2 to come forward. It looks like it’s going to be a very full flight today.
Lufthansa Business Class Cabin & Seat
The flight is operated by an Airbus A 320 CEO instead of the NEO that was originally planned. This aircraft still has the old cabin configuration with the hard, flimsy seats. It is easily identifiable by the tray tables that are mounted on the bulkhead on row 1. While I prefer the new seats, at least with these older generation seats you can lift the armrest on row 1, so you can sit sideways when your bum starts to go numb.
There are seven rows to the Business Class cabin, for a total of 28 passengers. And the forward cabin is full today. Accordingly, boarding takes quite a while.
We push back slightly behind schedule. However, the flight time is only one hour and forty minutes, so we should be landing in Oslo just a few minutes late. We take off in an easterly direction and then make a left turn to point us north, which brings us straight over the city of Frankfurt at low altitude. I’m even able to make out the fabulous Sofitel where I stayed earlier this year.
Lufthansa Business Class Service & Crew
The crew is a bit bland, but otherwise okay. There is no service while we’re still on the ground. However, the purser passes through the cabin to welcome the HONs and SENs.
Lufthansa Business Class Meal – Late Lunch
As soon as we’re airborne and the fasten seatbelt sign is turned off, the crew hand out the menus with the two options for the meal. I opt for the vegetarian dish – mozarella, pomodoro, and asparagus mousse. It’s an attractive looking plate. In addition to the fresh cherry tomatoes, there’s a tomato sugo, which is excellent and packed with rich flavour. In contrast, dousing the asparagus mousse with the pesto is a mistake, in that the pesto – which is very good – is so overpowering that it completely smothers the delicate taste of the asparagus.
The dessert is typically German and very nice. I think the Germans have a very particular style of baking cakes that I like a lot. Also, the vanilla custard is just lovely. With dessert I have a coffee, which is very weak, unlike the formidable espresso I was given on Air Dolomiti on my previous flight.
The meal concludes with a small cube of milk chocolate with nuts. The chocolates served in the Business Class cabin are different to the ones served in Economy Class.
Arrival in Oslo
The flight passes quickly. As we approach the Norwegian coastline, the weather clears up to reveal the beautiful landscapes of Norway. And shortly after, we’re already in the descent. Eventually, we land only a few minutes behind schedule. We slowly taxi to our stand at the very end of the Schengen pier. I now know have two hours here in Oslo before my onward connection.
Conclusion
These two flight with Lufthansa from Basel to Oslo via Frankfurt were not bad. I think there’s been some cost cutting at Lufthansa since my last flight. For example, previously they would give you a small bottle of still water before departure. There was also no salt and pepper on the tray. Over all, though, it was okay.
Frankfurt Airport is just nasty. However, with many of the other airlines making the move over to the new Terminal 3, there is hope that this will alleviate the situation a bit. Lufthansa’s hub will likely still be a dump, but hopefully a less crowded one.