- Another round the world for 90K: Introduction
- Review: Club International Seattle
- Review: Lufthansa Business Class Seattle to Frankfurt
- Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge Frankfurt
- Review: Lufthansa Business Class Frankfurt to Nice
- Review: Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Mediterranee
- Review: Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez
- Review: Park Hyatt Zurich
- Review: Swiss Senator Lounge Zurich
- Review: Austrian Business Class Zurich to Vienna
- Review: Austrian Business Class Vienna to Tokyo Narita
- Review: EVA Air Business Class Tokyo Narita to Taipei
- Review: Le Meridien Taipei
- Review: W Taipei
- Review: EVA Air Infinity Lounge Taipei
- Review: EVA Air Royal Laurel Class Taipei to San Francisco
- Thoughts on Nice, Monte Carlo, Cannes, Zurich, and Taipei
Lufthansa 1060
Frankfurt (FRA) – Nice (NCE)
Friday, June 28
Depart: 12:30PM
Arrive: 2:00PM
Duration: 1hr30min
Aircraft: Boeing 737-300
Seat: 6C (Business Class)
Our flight was originally scheduled to be operated by an Airbus A319, though last minute there was an aircraft swap to a Boeing 737-300. Despite the aircraft swap the boarding process was smooth, given that the planes have very similar configurations.
There were seven rows of business class and it was more or less full. As is the norm for intra-Europe flights, business class is simply coach with the center seats blocked and slightly better food/service.
The only thing that was atypical about the flight was the crowd. Holy crap. About half of the passengers were male and the other half were female, though if you added up the ages of all the males it would probably be about 500 higher than if you added up the age of all the females. The passengers in the cabin had more plastic than Legoland. Louis Vuitton was the low end luggage in the overhead bins on this flight.
And the guys in the cabin had the most bizarre fashion sense I’ve ever seen. They all seemed to wear white pants, a neon colored button down, and shoes of a different neon color, kinda like this guy I snapped a picture of in baggage claim.
I also don’t think a single couple in the cabin exchanged any words the whole flight. Who knows, maybe they didn’t even speak the same languages. Anyway…
Business class cabin
Business class cabin
As the departure time rolled around the captain came on the PA to advise us of our flight time of 75 minutes, and shortly thereafter we began our taxi. Due to the unique configuration of this gate, we didn’t actually have to push back, but rather the jet bridge retracted and then we could taxi straight ahead.
Our taxi to the runway was quick, and once we were airborne we hit some chop on the climb out.
View on climb out
Once we leveled off the meal service began. The menu read as follows:
As usual on Lufthansa they try too damn hard with their catering, and could learn a thing or two from Austrian and their DO&CO catering. The food was cold, soggy, and not especially well presented, in my opinion.
Inflight meal
The only good part of the meal was the chocolate bar wrapped in an advertisement.
Chocolate
The flight attendant working the business class cabin was a delight, though all I could think about the whole flight was how she looked exactly like Pam Ann. For those of you who don’t know who Pam Ann is, here’s a video (though it’s NSFW):
About 25 minutes out we began our descent. Unfortunately we were seated on the left side of the plane, as most of the good views seemed to be on the right side of the plane, including of Monte Carlo.
View on approach
As we initiated our final approach we could see the airport from out of the window, and then we lined up to land on runway 22R.
View on approach
Our touchdown was late but smooth, and once off the runway it was just a quick taxi to the gate.
Reverse thrust
Taxiing to the terminal
Taxiing to the terminal
Taxiing to the terminal
We parked next to an airline I had never heard of before, which always gets me oddly excited.
Rossiya-who?
I felt like a total loser in the arrivals hall, since everyone else seemed to have someone from a helicopter transfer service waiting for them.
Baggage claim
Man, I can only imagine what a flight from London to Nice would be like…
You...you never heard of Rossiya?!
Getting a helicopter from Nice to Monaco is cheaper than getting a taxi!! Food for thought :)
I have to flown into Nice many times and you were seated correctly. But it seems the wind was blowing from the west this time. Normally ( on the left side) you see St Tropez, Cannes before landing. Amazing view.
Lufthansa has horrible seats for intra-Europe business class. More than 30 minutes and you need a new butt. And that Edelweiss soup. Please Ben, since you are LH royalty, tell them to stop serving that !
@ abc -- I believe I left from gate A1.
@lucky: Do you remember the number of the gate you departed from in FRA?
OT: @Alan, props on the correct usage of all 3 they're/there/their in such close proximity :-).
Haha thank you kindly :-)
haha i flew Lufthansa intra-Europe in late July. The food was exactly like you showed in the picture and it was pretty gross. I ate the bread and that was it. That chicken skewer... did not look like chicken. They gave us ice cream instead of chocolate tho.
Hehe that sounds scarily familiar as an assessment of flying to Nice! I was in bmi business last time I did so (on a brilliant sale fare with lots of bonus miles!) and had exactly the same sort of age difference between the couple sitting behind - perhaps they're all just travelling there with their sons/daughters? ;-) Glad to see LH food retaining its usual weird combinations!
Forget the other link, was supposed to post this one:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh2FRFhS7QY
;)
http://www.highsnobiety.com/2013/07/30/justin-timberlake-take-back-the-night/
;)
Rossiya was founded in mid-1930s, is based in LED and merged with Pulkovo Aviation in 2006. It's actually THE operator of governmental (incl presidential) jets.
"Man, I can only imagine what a flight from London to Nice would be like…".
-Or Moscow.
Rossiya is an airline based in Saint Petersburg. It used to be called Pulkovo Aviation. I flew it once LED-HEL. Rather scary experience...
AFAIK Rossiya is Aeroflot's LED-based division.
@ Mitchzmagic -- Hah, figured it was Russian based on the name. Guess I can't keep up with all the airlines over there.
@ Levy Flight -- To clarify, you went to the First Class Terminal and not the First Class Lounge?
@ ffi -- Yep, they have service from JFK, and it's probably the single route that's most consistently only available at the "high" level for awards.
@lucky,
haha Rossiya is yet again, another Russian airline.
@fifi
When did you go to NCE, because DL's service is fairy new and also seasonal..and also ex JFK. :)
though LH planes are uncomfortable intra EU i am often amazed that they can serve food on short flights out of FRA.
(Missed you again by a hair - passed through FRA on way home from VCE). checked out the first class lounge. My expectations were higher. Perhaps it was the having to walk out of the airport to find i and showers, no batht. i did enjoy how LH look after first class...
though LH planes are uncomfortable intra EU i am often amazed that they can serve food on short flights out of FRA.
(Missed you again by a hair - passed through FRA on way home from VCE). checked out the first class lounge. My expectations were higher. Perhaps it was the having to walk out of the airport to find i and showers, no batht. i did enjoy how LH look after first class passengers though. Does not seem an improvement over the MUC first lounge. i digress. thanks for your reports.)
Lucky
What is a DL plane doing there?
I have flown DL to CDG and AF to NCE but never knew DL went direct there from the US