TRIP REPORT: More Passenger Innovations in Hamburg – To Aircraft Interiors Expo with British Airways

More Passenger Innovations in Hamburg
To Aircraft Interiors Expo with British Airways

It’s time for a little, small (by your authors’ standards) trip report, this time focusing on Passenger Experience in Hamburg. Including a few sprurpsines on the way. Are they positive ones? You’ll have to read through the segments ahead… 

In this week of passenger experience fun:

• Back to Hamburg Again. And yes, keeping it simple
• To Heathrow Airport with FlixBus and Terminal 5
• British Airways Galleries South, Terminal 5
• BA964 London Heathrow to Hamburg (Club Europe – New Configuration)
• The joy of the European Entry/Exit System and into Hamburg
• The Ibis Budget St Pauli (Refurbished)
• A walk through the Hamburg Dom Fair (Spring Fair)
• What you might have missed from Aircraft Interiors Expo 2026
• Off the Camera Roll – Exploring Hamburg during the quiet moments
• Escape from the Messe and Return to Hamburg Airport
• Hamburg Airport Lounge and European Entry/Exit System queues
• BA969 Hamburg to London Heathrow (Club Europe – Old Configuration)
• A Luggage Mess and a Messier Coach Ride Home
• Continued Innovation

Editors Introduction

I’ve forgotten to write a few of these, as it allows me to get a few things off my chest before diving into the main writing part. 

Welcome back to a Hamburg trip, where it’s time to try the latest in passenger experience, as well as catch up with people and have a different life for a week. I gave you all the year off last year (whilst the trip report is written, and in some cases, text made it into the WordPress console, there were a lot of outside/non-blog related things that hit at once, and the desire to publish just waned… even from me.

And if you know me, you’ll know that’s bad news. 

This year, I’ve got a lot more to write about, and more importantly, the motivation to get to the publish hurdle, as we’ve got new experiences to cover – even with old friends. 

Onto the usual bit. Whilst I am using Grammarly a lot more than I should (dyslexia inconsistency gets me most days of the week, even when I pay attention), my usual detractors who moan about my spelling and grammar can read this press release I wrote a few years ago about this inconstancy and how I deal with it.

Let’s get on with the show.

Hamburg Again – Let’s keep this as simple as possible. Even by my standards.

It’s time to head off again, this time to Hamburg, to see innovations, sit in seats, attend press talks, maintain business relationships and check the latest in passenger experience.

Or what is called “Aircraft Interiors Expo”, which celebrated its 25th Edition this year.

As I write more on seating and connectivity, I’ve found this show to be a useful stop in the year to take time to learn with others, ask the odd questions, and understand how things work.

In terms of planning logistics for Aircraft Interiors Expo and The Passenger Experience Week in Hamburg, it’s very much “keep it simple, stupid” when it comes to planning, travel, and making sure it is repeatable — keeping the whole thing as simple as possible, because when you get the press call for 7:30 in the morning, or 19:00 when your brain is full of aviation things, again, simple is best.

You need to know where you’re going, what you’re doing and where to crawl to so you can faceplant on the bed at the end of the day.

For flights, I turned to British Airways. This was booked when I was a Silver member and had Avios to spare, so there was a number of Avios and £59.83 in hard cash for a business-class flight.

Whilst a business class flight isn’t essential, it’s convenient, especially when economy class seats are thin on the ground. The only major issue was that I couldn’t get the flights I wanted on Sunday afternoon, so I had to book a morning flight to Hamburg and the last BA flight operating to London at night.

For hotels, normally it’s a case of “open my wallet and cry” when it comes to hotels and conference season in Hamburg. But luck did smile, with an Accor special offer with 20% off stays of more than two days.

The normal room 

£360 from £423? Bargain.

Always rounding up. 

And since I have four nights on the clock, 20% off is the best part of £63 off a £423 stay, taking it down to £361.

And £63 is £63. Even if it’s in the Ibis Budget St Pauli.

At least it’s been through a retrofit. Although I skipped the breakfast package, at £47 for four nights.

I can dine elsewhere or go to Penny/Edeka for breakfast bits.

Yes, I could have paid the extra to stay in a hotel room with carpet next door – but £80 for a carpeted floor is … low value – even if it earned Accor points.

Tying this all together was the return Flixbus journey (as it was £32 return, with National Express in the £50s)

Within Hamburg, it’s easy enough to get around with €8.20 day tickets (or cheaper if you buy online), and short hop tickets also exist when travelling around between things and meetings. And yes, Freenow too (or UberTaxi if you’re desperate).

So there are the basic, repeatable travel plans. And sometimes easiest.

It’s just the preparation that can be a pain.  And who knows? Maybe there will be some new things along the way to experience.

Next:

Sleep is for wimps. Hello again, Flixbus.

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