Another LUFTHANSA DISASTER? Is 'EuroBusiness' Class worth it?

This is a comprehensive Flight Review of Lufthansa.

Class: Business
Route: Ponta Delgada (PDL) to Frankfurt (FRA)
Plane: Airbus A320neo

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#lufthansa #joshcahill #aviation

[HaEngelmann]

I generally agree with the Lounge Access thing. However it DID say "Lounge (where available)" in the screenshot you showed.

[RH-ckgn]

I used to be a most loyal Lufthansa customer, a 3-star Senator. Unfortunately LH elected to no longer service most routes in Europe and passed them to affiliates. Service is usually below average while prices are higher. These days I avoid LH when possible.

[avonleanz]

Sorry Josh. Your screenshot clearly shows "Lounge access (where available)". That "where available" is their "get out of jail free card" here. Yes, they should be giving vouchers to J Class but they won't as they've pushed the responsibility back on you to check whether there are lounges at the airport you're from which you're departing to determine whether J is the right price from that departure point.

(Edit) I've seen this for so many J Class fares with most providers around the world. It's most often used where the carrier isn't flying to an airport where they have a company lounge. This gives them the extra out if their contract lounge provider refuses access due to capacity.

[falafelraffel]

If you book a trip on a European airline in business class in a short or medium haul flight you gotta expect a Eurobusiness class. Same goes for British Airways, KLM Air France or SAS. Most people flying in Business class have onward flights on widebodies and just get treated a little bit better on their short connecting flight. That’s like booking first class in the US and expecting lounge access and champagne. Business class in Europe is more of a premium economy with included food, more legroom, a blocked middle seat and (usually) lounge access. Those airlines that offer a “real” C have other markets. SATA uses their planes for long flights to the US and Canada. TAP also sometimes offers a real business class in their A21Ns, but those planes primarily fly low demand routes to South America. Turkish Airlines also offers an actual C, but they compete in the middle eastern market on flights between Europe and Asia/Africa with Qatar, Emirates and Etihad, so they have to adopt to their rivals. If you choose to pay triple the price for a flight in C with a European airline without a connecting flight, it’s kind of your fault as you especially as a regular traveler should be well aware of what you get.

[TheIIOM]

If you are sold and paid for lounge access they are on the hook for it. If there isn't a Lufthansa lounge they should establish reciprocal arrangements.

[Mikey]

Well it does say on the ticket lounge access where available so it does say you might not get lounge access

[gibbs]

It says when you book the ticket"lounge access were availible". So its a bingo if you are lucky or not

[ocsurfreport]

You changed the MUSIC! Thank you for taking my advice. This sounds so much more relaxing, and a lot more professional! Also love the sunglasses.

[tattooedyogi]

4:30 you showed an image showing Loung access (where available) if a lounge is not available, why would they give you a food voucher?? that just doesn't make sense. Not all airports have lounges that every airline has access to!!

[Thorpeman]

It used to be the same with Aer Lingus. I'd occasionally get booked on the Cork Birmingham business class when the standard was booked out and guess what the only difference was a curtain between those that had been fleeced and those that hadn't

[reargiro]

I regularly fly Swiss from Zurich ZRH go
Lamezia SUF, outgoing i book Business as i get a Lounge Access and a more hassle free checking, but my return flight is always Eco, as in SUF there’s no Lounge and not a Voucher for any Restaurant and the checking is done by the same two desk and the
Only benefit is, you can skip a part of the Line. I maybe would consider to buy Business both ways if they were offering a Restaurant voucher

[Raftaman]

Why Latehansa when in the end it was an „on-time-departure“?

[dominikschmalstieg]

Well, concerning the lounges, SAS is the same when flying from Helsinki: lounge (where available), but they don't have any contract with either the Finnair or the Aspire (while LH actually does offer access to Aspire in business). I assume, the 'where available' line doesn't make them liable for anything.

[krauma]

Usually it does not make any sense to book Lufthansa in Europe in business class but sometimes the fare is about the same as in the economy. Then you get fast track and lounge access (if available). In plane it is quite disappointing and last time the food smelled like it was spoiled.But I think in general business class in the European Union isn't so great...

[DrStefanP]

In contrast to intercontinental flights, where the seat is the main advantage, in domestic euro flights, you pay for the add-ons. Which are lounge, priority security and check-in. Plus inflight food. Seat is the same, so no advantage. If something is missing, you should be eligible for some kind of compensation. As easy as that.

[andresmunoz]

I would say a voucher is a reasonable alternative. During Covid, at least on KLM, they provided me a voucher at the check-in counter of smaller airports in which the lounge hadn't been reopened

[cliff.allister]

I fly several times per year with Lufthansa Business inside Europe. So here are some remarks:
1 - Lufthansa is usually not in charge of the check-in or other organisational procedures in airports, especially not outside of Germany. So the complaint that there were no "priority lines" at the counter or insufficent communication has to got to the airport staff, not the airline!
2 - The main feature for me on "Eurobusiness" (which rarely exceeds 4 hours and is mostly less than that) is not a 'flat bed' or high-tech seat, not even the better leg room, the free middle seat (which provides you more comfort, ) the so-la-la warm meal or the priority boarding, it is the lounge access (where available - that´s also an airport thing!!!) and (most important!) that you can take up to 80 Kg(!) of luggage with you! 2 x 32 Kg check-in luggage and 2 x 8 Kg in the cabin. That is definitely worth the moderate mark-up from an economy ticket. For example: Economy from LCA to FRA (return) is around 400 €, the business ticket is around 600 € (all average prices - could be a little less or a little more, depending on the day and the season). That´s a difference of roughly 100 € per leg. And that is absolutely worth it!
Oh, btw, no, you´re not entitled to lounge access! It clearly states "where available" during booking. You don´t like that disclaimer - don´t book business! It´s as simple as that.
Just my two cents...

[deadzone]

In fairness like most say it denotes "where available" so it probably would then come down to if ticket cost calculations included lounge for this flight. Don't recall if you did a US domestic series but I'm pretty sure if you did or do you'd change your tone on Euro business.

[richardstreet]

LH had first class on B737s with fixed 2-2 seating and A300-600s with bigger seats... back in the late 1980s and it was often empty... so that was 30!+ years ago!!
Perhaps introduce 3 rows of fixed first class? (!), I was a regular on the London -Fra and onwards then..

[steveri]

I fly United to Costa Rica. I fly business/first. In Newark, their hub, there is a lounge and I get full access. In Costa Rica, they don't have their own lounge but there is a priority lounge, which does not have an agreement with United . I pay to get in, but my ticket as well comes with lounge access. The problem is, there is no lounge. I agree with you about the voucher. That is the least they can do.