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Lufthansa doesn’t just have a lounge for their first-class passengers in Frankfurt. They have a separate terminal.
Many describe it as the best airport lounge in the world. Private baths. Sit-down dining. Dozens of complimentary single-malt scotches. Bellhop service for your bags. As a final luxury, you’re chauffeured to your flight in a Porsche Cayenne or Mercedes S-Class.
To get into the First Class Terminal, you have to be an “HON” member of Lufthansa’s Miles & More program (600,000 qualifying miles over two years) or flying on a Lufthansa first class ticket that day.
And remember: Award tickets count! Using your miles for an over-the-top experience like this is a good move, in my book. Sure, you could get from point A to point B in coach, too, with fewer miles, but for a few thousand more miles, you could be flying in real style.
I’ve mentioned it before on this blog, but thanks to Gary Leff’s recent post on the subject, we now have a video tour as well. Watch it below.
Want more lounge porn? Have another video. For those who understand German, or who just want more visuals of the first-class terminal, here’s a news report:
Still can’t get enough? Browse the photo gallery here.
Next thing to worry about in flight: Ozone
Like “sick building syndrome,” you can now start worrying about the plane’s air. But not because of the germs. It’s the ozone. Not holes in the ozone layer, either, but ozone levels in the cabin. Most interestingly, narrow-body flights are more prone than wide-body planes to higher ozone levels. Yet another reason to love the jumbos.
Korean Air shows off its Airbus A380 interiors
Singapore Airlines may be the first airline to fly the A380 mega-uber-hyper-super-jumbo-jet (and tickets are finally on sale for Sydney-Singapore flights, which start October 25, by the way), but you can get a photo tour of Korean Air’s A380. Lavender??! Who’s their interior designer? Yuck! (Thanks, Jeff!)
First class fare sale… if you’re traveling tomorrow
I know that airlines like to put out the e-fares and net-savers for weekend travel, but this offer from United struck me as odd. First class fares are on sale for travel on Saturday, September 15 only. Fly there in first, fly back in coach, savor the difference? Fares are less than regular paid first, but the bulk of fares are for really short flights where paying cash money for first class is bonkers.
Business class fare sales to Europe
All-business class L’Avion is flying Newark to Paris for $1398 roundtrip, pre-tax. Maxjet is doing London to New York or DC for $998, also roundtrip, also pre-tax. Both are through the end of 2007, but not every date may be available. (Thanks, Michelle!)
More dangerous shirts
I don’t know what to make of this. “Your liver is evil. It must be punished.” Har har har. But Continental Airlines wasn’t laughing when they kept Edna and Frank Taylor from getting onboard, because of that shirt. What’s with this “What Not to Wear” airline trend?
JetBlue goes Euro! Not to Europe, but the airline is considering a European-style premium cabin. It’s buried in an article about jetBlue’s pending introduction of refundable fares — another big change for the company. (Though it’s something which most other airlines have had for years, to appeal to business travelers, jetBlue has consciously avoided refundable fares until now.) So what will a jetBlue first class cabin look like?
[CEO] Neeleman today also said JetBlue is “experimenting with the idea” of a “virtual first class,” which would give higher-yielding travelers access to window and aisle seats between empty middle seats, particularly on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays–when business travelers take to the skies and load factors are historically lower.
All that’s missing is the adjustable armrests that you find at the front of intra-European “business class.” (I use quotation marks, because airlines like Lufthansa and Air France really just give you the same damn seat, with a slightly better snack, wider armrests, and an empty middle seat, when you buy business class. Americans may complain about their domestic “first class” travel experience, but the seat is still a heckuvalot nicer than anything you’ll find within Europe.
Transatlantic rift? Pfft. Sounds like the US and Europe are moving closer together after all. Creating a premium cabin is in line with what I predicted for jetBlue a while back. Their de facto premium economy section was a first step.
Creating a sub-cabin like this, in combination with refundable fares, would make jetBlue very appealing for many business travelers. Though the live TV could be distracting…
Downgraded: Lavender
Update: The controversial and lame American Airlines website for women got a minor redesign, as Meg at the Consumerist noticed. See the before-and-after screenshots above. The criticism must have gotten to them. Gone is the lavender flight search box, though it’s still a dumbed-down version with fewer options than the main search page. Is this progress?
Upgraded: US Airways, Downgraded: Southwestern temperance
The booze is back in the Land of Enchantment! US Airways is once again serving alcoholic drinks on flights to and from New Mexico. Recall that they got busted for serving liquor without a license. Tipple with impunity.
Downgraded: Late night arrivals at Detroit; Upgraded: Odds of a PBOR
It happened again. Passengers were stuck on a plane for hours, bathrooms had no water, etc. A late-arriving Spirit Airlines flight from Cancun couldn’t be processed after landing (at 11 p.m.), because Homeland Security’s Customs/Immigration agents had gone home for the night. It took until 4 a.m. the next day for passengers to be let out. Update: Or the plane landed early! And Customs’ computers were down. And passengers left the plane at 12:30 a.m., if you believe Customs. Or later, depending on who’s telling the story.
Upgraded: Lufthansa first class seating
No preview images yet, but Lufthansa is upgrading their first class cabins, beginning with winter 2008. The new seats were meant to debut with the A380, but given the delivery delays, they’re just rolling them out anyway.
Upgraded, potentially: Baggage screening
Assuming the bill survives a veto threat from President Bush, airports across America could receive new equipment that supposedly screens baggage faster and more accurately than previous versions. Why the veto threat? The bill also contains a provision permitting TSA agents to unionize.
Downgraded: Flights from LAX
United Airlines and Los Angeles World Airports are having a spat about the rent. United says the rent hike is a violation of the lease agreement, but until the dust settles, they’re charging passengers who board a flight at LAX an extra $10 to cover the difference, even though the actual costs to the airline are allegedly a lot less. Now Delta and US Airways have followed suit and raised fares out of LAX by the same $10. Lovely.
Upgraded: Baltimore!
Layover at BWI? Grab a glass of wine at the newest branch of Vino Volo, the chain of in-airport wine bars. Other locations include Washington Dulles, Sacramento, and Seattle. (Via Jaunted)
In today’s New York Sun, Phil Wahba has a piece on US Airways’ decision to start advertising on the tray tables in first class.
The airline has had ads on the trays in coach for some time now, but this is the most brazen incursion of advertising into the premium cabins.
“A lot of people will think placing ads in first class is déclassé,” Mr. Ashley, who logged 75,000 miles traveling the world last year, said. “I think it signals that US Airways is not trying to position its firstclass travel as a premium product.”
Gee that Mr. Ashley who’s quoted in the article sure makes a lot of sense!…
In particular, I’d follow up to say that US Airways has thrown in the towel on selling seats in first class. If you’re crassly making the cabin a billboard, then you’re implicitly admitting that the first class cabin is only appealing to upgraders. Upgraders are all freeloaders in the airline’s eyes, so why try to make them feel relaxed? Go on and make ‘em stare at an ad for Bose.
But 30% of US Airways passengers still pay for the privilege. I don’t know how this compares to other airlines, and I’m sure it varies tremendously by route. But if you’ve been a paying passenger in US’ first class, then you’ve just been thrown under the bus.
I’ve seen advertising in subtler forms before — free samples of mints or gum on the meal tray, for example. (I got a coupon for gum with the meal once on United, which was tacky, too.)
The US Airways spokesperson is quoted in the article as favorably comparing his airline to European low-cost carriers, who place ads all over the plane, making it a “flying subway.” Presumably he is referring to Ryanair, EasyJet, etc. But what kind of comparison is that? None of those airlines have first class.
From the sound of it, US Airways may not have a first class anymore, either.
Upgraded: Your odds of seeing the Airbus A380 in New York
Want to see the Airbus A380 up close and personal? Lufthansa is bringing the über-jumbo jet to New York (as mentioned previously here), and you can enter their contest to tour the plane. It’s still a long shot, but unless you’re a VIP, this is your only way in. Better hurry: The drawing is March 13, and the plane arrives in NYC March 19.
Upgraded: The civil discourse of travel blogging
The Sydney Morning Herald’s travel blog has a lively comments section, wherein the journalists take guff from their readers, but dish it right back. Barbs such as the French word for “shower” get thrown back and forth in the comments to this post. I have a hard time imagining such an exchange on an American newspaper’s official blog. Viva Australia! (Thanks to reader — and frequent, polite commenter! — S.A. for the tip.)
Upgraded: Surreptitious beverage transportation for ladies
You may recall the Beer Belly, the under-your-clothes beverage bladder that upgrades six-pack abs to a full case. It’s essentially a CamelBak undergarment, most certainly a violation of the TSA’s 3-ounce cutoff for liquids and gels, and your fast-track ticket to a cavity search. But until recently, it the liquid smuggling business was a man’s world. Now, in a celebration of gender equality, there’s a similar product for women, with the beverage storage slightly higher on the torso: The Wine Rack. (via Thrillist; thanks Dr. Vino!)
Downgraded: Blackjack in Vegas
Your odds of coming out ahead when playing the tables in Las Vegas have dropped. Several casinos are reducing the payouts on blackjack from 3:2 to 6:5. You need to check the fine print on the signs at each table. If you want to play single-deck blackjack with 3:2 payouts, you’ll have to head to the El Cortez or Four Queens hotels, though both of these less-than-desirable properties only feature two such tables each. (via Tim Leffel)
Upgraded: Qantas first and business qlass
The Global Traveller points to Qantas’ PR for their soon-to-be-revamped first and business class products. Highlights: pajamas in business class, and the claim that their lounges will be the best in the world.
Downgraded: Daylight savings time
The Wall Street Journal warns that the impending shift to daylight savings time will put international connections out of whack for the coming weeks, as some countries will adjust their clocks but others won’t. But frankly, this has almost always been the case. Europe and the United States always had a week or two’s discrepancy on both the autumn and spring sides. Yes, there will certainly be some connections that are out of whack with the normal schedule for the next few weeks, so if you fly a given route regularly, your typical connections may not be possible for the next few weeks. But the airlines’ timetables should reflect the reality of the new times when you buy the ticket, so just double-check your itineraries. I’ll still take my daylight savings time, thanks.
Upgraded: The number 13
Hotels are no longer enumerating their buildings’ floors incorrectly for the sake of superstition. The 13th floor is making a comeback. The statistics are tinged with irony: “A recent USA TODAY/Gallup Poll suggests a large majority of Americans — 87% — would be comfortable with a 13th floor room assignment. But 13% say they’d be bothered by a 13th floor room assignment.”
You’re sitting in coach and have to use the toilet. The line in the back of the plane is huge. So you walk to the front of the plane, perhaps pushing aside the wispy curtain separating first class from the cattle car. But you’re denied: You’re told to return to your own cabin to wait in line at the back of the jet.
Not anymore! Your lavatory is liberated!
At least on American Airlines. Starting today, coach passengers will be allowed to use first class toilets.
The ban on coach passengers using the first class toilets was imposed after 9/11 as a “security measure.” Presumably, passengers congregating at the front of the plane, waiting to pee, was a threat to the pilots. It was dangerous then, but somehow isn’t a threat anymore.
I’ve honestly got mixed feelings about this. The security argument always struck me as suspect, especially after the cockpit doors were reinforced. And I’m glad to see one fewer policy in this society that’s justified by the bugbear of security.
But, as long as the economy toilets aren’t overflowing, I don’t necessarily have a problem with separate bathrooms for first class. You paid for premium seats (or upgraded with your hard-won miles or certificates), so why not get a premium toilet?
So which is preferable? Democratized communal water closets, or a premium pissoir for a premium passenger? Sound off!
This isn’t living up to the blog motto of living the first class life at coach prices, but it IS living the first class life at business class prices…
If you’re flying to London, American Airlines is offering a complimentary upgrade to first class from semi-discounted business class fares. Full details here, with instructions on how to book it on aa.com.
The fare basis code for this fare is DUP — much like the Y-UP fares that seat you in first class under an economy class booking code on domestic flights. But be warned: these aren’t the cheapest fares you’ll find, so the value proposition is questionable. But if you’re booking a business class trip anyway…
I know that so called y-up fares can be a good way to sit in first class for cheap, but I can’t find them for flights to Europe or Asia. Can you help?
The reason you can’t find them, Steven, is because there are none by that name. International long-haul discount first (and business) class fares go by different names than their domestic equivalents.
Y-UP fares and their ilk are limited to North American flights, and generally refer to an upgrade from coach to first on two-class planes. See here for background on Y-UP fares, and see FareCompare’s Y-UP search tool to find these fares on routes you travel.
For Europe or Asia, you’re generally going to be looking for Z-fares. But there’s no handy-dandy search tool (yet) for Z-fares like there is for Y-UPs. (Neil and Rick, consider this a challenge!…)
Z-fares crop up from time to time, but aren’t available on every route. Traveling in summer or the December holiday season maximizes your chances of finding such a fare.
For international premium class travel, be sure to also consider the startup airlines like Maxjet, Silverjet, Eos Airlines, MiMa, and L’Avion. These offer all-business class flights to London, Milan, or Paris.
Following up Friday’s post on the next generation of United’s first class seat, here’s the photo, and the press release.
It looks nice, but it also resembles a lot of existing business class seats out there, such as Air New Zealand, Virgin Atlantic, or even the forthcoming Delta seat. Increasingly, first class isn’t looking that different from new-generation business class (unless, of course, you’re Singapore Airlines…)
At the end of the day, if first class seats are only marginally better, the difference between business and first class comes down to service in the cabin (and on the ground, for that matter). But I have my doubts; consistency and top-notch service are necessary, and I haven’t seen a consistent level of service on board United in a while.
No image of the new equipment, unfortunately, but some specific information about United Airlines’ next-generation first-class seat (or “suite,” as they call it). (UPDATE: See here for image of new seat.) The new seats will be installed on 3-class widebody planes, which primarily fly internationally but occasionally show up on domestic flights.
But don’t expect to sit in one of these seats anytime soon: The first installations will be “live” in the 4th quarter of 2007.
Here are some details, from an in-house release:
* The United First Suite reclines to multiple angles or serves as a fully flat 6-foot, 6-inch long bed which fulfills requests by customers for more privacy and a versatile area to work or relax.
* The suite also provides a cutting-edge entertainment system, with an individual 15.4-inch widescreen flat panel monitor and an on-demand digital video and music system that offers multiple selections of movies, TV programs and video games.
* Customers will have their choice of 50 channels of XM-branded audio delivering more than 3,000 songs and a jukebox to create customized playlists. Both the entertainment system navigation controls and content will be offered in several languages.
The suites also provide:
* a 110-volt universal plug for laptop power, compatible with power outlets for 145 countries;
* a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port to charge personal electronic devices, such as personal digital assistants, cell phones and digital cameras;
* multiple stowage compartments to accommodate a laptop bag and other personal items;
* noise-canceling headphones; and
* an Apple iPod connector that enables customers to play their own music and video content through the suite’s entertainment system, as well as recharge the iPod unit.
So we know the length, but not the width of the new seats.
No details either on any service changes (e.g., meals, wine) to accompany the improved equipment.
If anyone is willing to share photos of the prototype seats, which were apparently debuted in-house earlier this week, I’ll be happy to post them. (anonymity assured…)
I’m looking to buy tickets from Newark to San Francisco for the holidays, and Expedia has the lowest price for tickets on United. (Even lower than united.com) Can I upgrade these tickets if I buy them from Expedia? Thanks!
You’re in luck! For travel within the United States, most every airline allows upgrades if the tickets were purchased from online agencies like Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, CheapTickets, etc. As long as the booking class is legally upgradable, it doesn’t matter where you buy it.
(The exception: If you bought “opaque” tickets from Hotwire or Priceline, i.e., you didn’t select the airline and/or flight times when you made your purchase, then you can’t upgrade.)
For international tickets, upgrades are generally a little more complicated. Not all booking classes are upgradable, either with miles or certificates. But again, as long as the ticket you buy conforms to the upgrade rules of the airline, then it shouldn’t matter where you buy the ticket. As long as you are buying a “published” fare, you should be fine. (And even then: I’ve upgraded a ticket purchased from a consolidator. But it’s up to each airline to set such rules.)
Buy the ticket from Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, or wherever it’s cheapest. And good luck getting the upgrade!
P.S. In theory, you could buy the ticket from United and invoke their low fare guarantee by pointing to the lower fare on Expedia to get $50 in credit, but it’s probably not worth the trouble…
(image)
Upgraded: Surreptitious beverage transportation for ladies
You’re sitting in coach and have to use the toilet. The line in the back of the plane is huge. So you walk to the front of the plane, perhaps pushing aside the wispy curtain separating first class from the cattle car. But you’re denied: You’re told to return to your own cabin to wait in line at the back of the jet.
No image of the new equipment, unfortunately, but some specific information about United Airlines’ next-generation first-class seat (or “suite,” as they call it). (UPDATE: 
Reader Julie writes:
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