Amsterdam Schiphol is one of Europe’s leading air transport hubs, and quite rightly so. Its layout is easy and quick to navigate. After the non-Schengen area was given a major upgrade a few years back already, they recently completed the work remodelling and facelifting the Schengen area too. Next, the new A pier is expected to open in 2027.

Getting to the Airport

Schiphol is connected to The Netherlands’ national and international railway network, and there are frequent trains out to the airport. From what I understand, a project to extend the metro out to the airport was recently stopped by the government to discourage people from flying, which is about the dumbest thing I’ve heard in a long time. The only thing that kind of decision will achieve is to make people use their car more to get to the airport. It’s not going to stop them travelling.

Lufthansa Business Class Check-In

Lufthansa checks in at Departure Hall 1 of Schiphol Airport, where it has quite a presence together with its other group members. The group’s flights are handled by DNATA. I’ve already checked in online and received both boarding passes to Frankfurt and my onward connection in the Lufthansa app, so I can head straight for security when I reach the airport.

The Amsterdam Star Gold Lounge

To enter the security checkpoint area, you have to scan your boarding pass. To enter the fast track security area one floor up, you’re supposed to show your boarding pass to the attendant manning the access point to the priority lane, which, in my case, is a rather uninspired looking young man. He’s currently busy talking (and flirting with) to some young lady. He completely ignores me meanwhile, even though I’m standing right in front of him holding out my boarding pass for him to check. I give him thirty seconds and then just keep on walking. Just as I start putting my things on the belt, he yells at me from the entrance that “next time, you better wait until I’ve checked your document”, which is rather a stupid thing to say. So I yell back that, “next time, how about you just do your job properly, hm?”.

The Star Alliance Gold Lounge is located one floor above the KLM lounge. It’s quite a nice lounge, and today it’s also rather empty. I grab myself a water and park myself by the windows where I can shamelessly ogle the decommissioned KLM F100 that has been placed up on the public viewing terrace as an exhibit.

Lufthansa Business Class Boarding

I exit the lounge at 08h00. Boarding starts at 08h30, but there might be something interesting worth taking photos of on the way. You can never know…! The Lufthansa flights operate from the B gates.

Boarding starts just as I arrive at the gate. There’s a pre-boarding call for passengers travelling with children, followed by a call for passengers in groups 1 and 2 to board. Group 2 is the Business Class passengers and Star Gold members.

Lufthansa Business Class Cabin & Seat

This aircraft retains the old seat layout and cabin. I’m seated on 2F. There is no row 1 on the starboard side, which puts me on the bulkhead row. The Business Class cabin extends back to row five, for a total of 18 passengers. However, this morning there are only eight passengers and I have the whole of row 2 to myself.

Lufthansa Business Class Service & Crew

The Lufthansa crew on this flight is very good. They’re great, even. The first thing I notice is that their announcements are very polished and clearly enunciated in both German and English. The purser and the cabin attendant manning the Business Class cabin are L1 speakers of German but highly proficient at near-native ability in English. And they’re lovely!

On the ground they hand out bottles of still water while we wait for a whole group of dizzy youngsters on their way to Brazil to settle in and take their seats. Throughout the flight the crew insist on addressing me by name, and even remember that I speak German. Our flight time to Frankfurt will be forty minutes.

Lufthansa Business Class Meal – Breakfast

The meal is served soon after take-off. Lufthansa appears to have abolished the printed menus they used to have on short-haul flights. Given that there are no options to choose from, it’s not really important anyway. In any case, it’s a nice tray with a nice selection on it. The main is cold cuts and cheese with a cream cheese and avocado paste. This is served with a selection of rolls and croissants. The crew pass through the cabin twice with the breadbasket. Jam and unsalted butter are served on the tray. There’s also a bowl of plain yogurt with strawberry coulis and Müsli, which is very nice.

By the time the trays are removed, we’re already well into the descent. The crew pass through the cabin with little boxed chocolates – it’s a small white chocolate praline with a citrus core. It’s not bad, but I think I prefer a simple bit of plain milk chocolate.

Arrival in Frankfurt

Our approach into Frankfurt is quite scenic and brings us in from the West. We fly past the city of Frankfurt to the North and then make a series of wide right hand turns to line us up with the northernmost of the three parallel runways. We taxi in right behind a LOT B 737-800 which eventually comes to a stop just four stands away from us. By the time we disembark, it’s 09h30. I have two hours to make my connection.

Conclusion – Lufthansa Short-Haul

Recently, there have been noticeable improvements in the Lufthansa service. Either that, or a) I’ve just be lucky or b) I’m becoming more forgiving in my old age. The crew on this flight were excellent and offered a textbook service. They were attentive and paid attention to small details, like making sure they addressed each passenger by their name. I suspect it also helped that occupancy in the Business Class cabin was low on this flight. When they have a full cabin to deal with, especially on such a ver short route, the crew imply don’t have the time.