LH996 Frankfurt to Amsterdam (Business Class)
Adventures with Lufthansa and FTU Amsterdam
EDITORS NOTE – Apologies for the delay in getting this part out – I’ve been a bit busy with the real world, and as such, I’ve neglected my trip report writing. As it is a quiet time of year, I’m putting time to clear the backlog that has been building up.
- Would I like to speak at FTU? Umm. Yes!
- To the airport, LH953 Birmingham to Frankfurt
- An (un)expected extended layover
- LH996 Frankfurt to Birmingham (Business Class) (This section)
- The Park Inn Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
- Speaking at FTU Amsterdam
- LH997 Amsterdam Schiphol to Frankfurt Main
- What is the meaning of the words “Reasonable Connection” at Frankfurt?
- LH958 Frankfurt to Birmingham
- Learning goes both directions
LH966 Frankfurt am Main Airport – Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
Lufthansa Boeing 737-500 2D (Business Class) – upgraded from Economy Class, Seat shifted from 3D
288 Miles Flown, 1250 miles earned + 313 Executive Miles.
I headed aboard the waiting Boeing 737-500 and headed aboard. I was greeted by the crew and headed towards 3D… where I found someone sitting in my seat.
A quick intervention by the crew – and I discovered that the person in 2D decided to switch seats to sit next to their colleague, and would I mind sitting in 2D.
I had no problem with this.
After finding somewhere to dump my luggage, I sat down in my Business class seat… which is another Lufthansa NEK seat. The major difference is the spare seat next to me compared to the economy class
Bulkhead legroom
Loading continued, with people having trouble finding space for bags. It seems the desire of everyone trying to fit as much stuff as possible aboard a plane is in full swing, with bags coming to the front for loading into the hold
Yes, Business Class!
The contents of the seat pocket.
As I was in an aisle seat, I couldn’t get a window to view the departure or views… a little disappointing, but a seat is a seat… even an upgraded business class seat with NEK seating.
Pushback was around on time, and soon enough our plane was heading up into the sky for the short hop over to Amsterdam.
With a quick flight like this, the crew were out pretty quickly to dish out food and drink.
The drawn curtain
Classic overhead panel.
Food distributed.
A tray arrived with many wonders on it. Ok, it was cold meat and cheese tray.
Menu
Meats, cheese, gherkin and grapes.
Frankfurt pudding in Vanilla custard.
The cold cuts and cheese special were fresh and cold, but not impressive (and if you had paid for a business class flight, I would be disappointed with what is offered to you). The pudding was different – very apple and cinnamon, offset by the vanilla custard. The packed chocolate would be useful at a later point of the weekend when I needed a nibble.
And some cola. Top tip: Normally Lufthansa serves coke from a bottle on top of the trolly. If you prefer your own little can of coke, it’s diet coke that’s the order of the day.
The seat itself was.. a NEK seat. In other words, a bench that’s leather-covered. The only advantage is of course the spare seat next to you.
The journey was a quick one, with a clear down and additional drinks offered as required. I was needing to functional when I landed, I had some water. Sometimes, it’s good to be prepared.
The cabin was darkened for landing, with a wonderful view of Amsterdam underneath us. Alas, I couldn’t get a decent shot from an aisle seat.
Eventually, our plane landed with a bump – and soon we were taxing over to the terminal. The taxi was rather short to the terminal, and soon enough the chimes dinged to allow everyone to get off the plane.
Overall: Intra-European Business Class can be very variable thanks to the short legs involved. As such there has to be a differentiation between catering and seats. The NEK seat again was bearable, but the catering could have been more creative I suspect.
Next: The Park Plaza, Schiphol Airport.
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