The fun on this flight was more the ride to the plane and the views out the window. That will be the focus of this brief report of Lufthansa Business Class aboard the A321-200 from Frankfurt (FRA) to Milan Malpensa (MXP).
Usually I dread remote stands…it means lugging bags up and down stairs, crowding into a bus, and having to board early. But there is a distinct advantage to boarding from a remote stand: great spotting opportunities.
As we drove across the tarmac of Frankfurt Airport, we passed many interesting birds. The highlight, by far, was a close-up look at an A380-800.
The flight wasn’t full this morning in business or economy class. Business class on European flights on Lufthansa is nothing to celebrate: the seat is identical. You are guaranteed a blocked middle and receive a decent meal, but I would never spend extra points for business on a short flight like Frankfurt to Milan.
Lufthansa 246
Frankfurt (FRA) – Milan (MXP)
Monday, June 18
Depart: 7:30AM
Arrive: 8:40AM
Duration: 1hr,10min
Aircraft: Airbus A321
Seat: 2F (Business Class)
Our taxi took quite some time and we passed a couple of Lufthansa freighters (LH is still using the MD-11 more than six years after it was supposed to be retired) as well as a Cathay Pacific 747-200 cargo ship. The views were quite enjoyable and would become even better as we took off.
The flight from Frankfurt to Milan passes directly over the Alps. It is always beautiful to pass over the snow-covered mountains.
As we flew over the Alps, breakfast was served. The continental breakfast included a mix of salmon, ham, cheese, warm bread (croissant and French roll), and a bottled berry smoothie. There was also some sort of sweet dish with muesli on top that I did not touch. FAs offered tremendous fresh-squeezed orange juice and decent coffee as well.
Wi-Fi was available on this price…at high speeds. I did not pay for it, but John tested it and reported it worked well. 15EUR for a one-hour flight is a bit much, it seems to me.
We landed on schedule in MXP, passing a Delta and Air China aircraft before pulling up next to a Ryanair 737.
It was time to get to work…
Looks like an excellent breakfast
It was an excellent breakfast.
You landed on schedule in Munich on a flight to Milan?
Fixed. Thanks.
Flights to Malpensa (MXP) are a bit undesirable, even more so when LH has so many flights to Linate (LIN).
The trip from Milan to Malpensa is at best 40 minutes on train, while Linate is just a short drive from downtown. My best time is 7 minutes, granted it was on the early morning.
Also, security is a breeze in Linate. Consistently. And if you have access to the “premium” queue, it’s just like walking straight from the airport entrance to your seat. I usually arrive just 40-30 minutes before departure, and I’ve never missed a flight. It’s a shame that since KLM and Air France “divorced” Alitalia, most of their flights moved to Malpensa.
I prefer Linate, but in this case we were not headed to central Milan but to a client near Malpensa.
For these less than 1hr hops i’ve always been fine with the €3 Flynet option. For such short flights the most i do is send E-mails or Whatsapp messages on my iPhone and the speed is perfectly fine. €12 is indeed too much.
The CX plane looks more like a -400F to me than a 200.
The CX plane is a 400 since it has winglets. Don’t be fooled by the shorter upper deck.
I have a business class seat on return leg to Atlanta from Rome via Frankfurt. I certainly hope that that seat is better than a main cabin seat without access to the middle. The leg room on the pic I saw doesn’t seem to be any better than in the main cabin. Is that really true? If I get on that plane and it looks like the pix I’ve seen, they will hear from me and I will campaign via every platform I have to discourage any and everyone I know or thinkI know from ever flying Lufthansa. Your thoughts?
That is your seat. Tight legroom, economy class seat with a blocked meal and a better meal. That’s it up in the air. You might want to modify your travel plans now.