Lufthansa’s flagship Airbus A380 now services Bangkok-Frankfurt route

[snoop1130]

Lufthansa’s flagship Airbus A380 now services Bangkok-Frankfurt route

By The Nation

 

First Class cabin

 

Lufthansa’s flagship Airbus A380 touched down for the first time at Suvarnabhumi Airport last week.

 

The A380 features four travel classes and the award-winning Lufthansa First Class cabin is a highlight that is not available across all the fleet, the German carrier said.

 

Thailand has once again proven to be one of the most important growing markets within the Lufthansa Group network. 

 

By replacing the previous Boeing 747 – 400 for the winter timetable, there is an increase of more than 35-per-cent capacity from October to March next year between Bangkok and Frankfurt.

 

“It is a great pleasure for us, as the only European airline, to bring the Airbus A380 to Bangkok due to the seasonal demand we see for this market. This is an ideal aircraft for long-haul flights as it offers comfort, space and quietness,” said Stefan Molnar, general manager sales for Thailand, Vietnam and the Mekong Region for Lufthansa Group Airlines.

 

“We offer four travel classes on the Airbus A380. And with the reintroduction of Lufthansa First Class, we would like to demonstrate to the Thai market once again the premium services to top customers. 

 

“For example, our caviar service is served as a separate course on the flight. In addition, we offer limousine transfer service from home to airport with BMW Series 7 for our First Class customers who purchase and travel on a round-trip ticket from Bangkok.”

 

The Lufthansa Airbus A380 carries 509 passengers and is configured as First Class (eight seats), Business Class (78), Premium Economy (52) and Economy (371).

 

Lufthansa Group Airlines – comprising Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Eurowings – offers more than three flights a day, 27 flights a week from Thailand to Frankfurt, Vienna, Zurich and Cologne-Bonn.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/Corporate/30331053

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-11-7

[jimster]

I have always wondered why airlines like Lufthansa (and British Airways) have managed to deploy A380s on routes to Singapore but not Bangkok, which you would think is more popular with German [European] tourists anyway? Singapore after all is mainly a transit stop for onward travel to other destinations; Bangkok is the destination. Singapore Airlines is justified when it comes to A380 services from Europe, because most passengers then head onto other Asian and Australian/NZ destinations (and vice versa), which Lufthansa doesn't serve.

 

Air France on the other hand is now using a slightly smaller aircraft on it's Paris-Bangkok route, but with 5 flights per week instead of 3 there will be 10% more seats available. Strange that they stopped flying daily - I am pretty sure they have maintained a daily flight to Singapore all this time.

[Dustdevil]

First class is not worth the extra money. Business is just as good. With my frequent flier miles I've crossed the Pacific for years in Business...always with a nice little cocoon and comfortable lie-flat seat with blanket. I never bother with airlines' censored TV and movies. (Nowadays, US domestic flights are eliminating seat-back screens and replacing them with brackets to hold your personal devices.) I always popped some Xanax so I could sleep most of the way across the Pacific and told them not to wake me for food except for the final meal. That's 15 hours across, you know, not like the 7 or 8 hours to and from Europe. All that sleep and the Xanax totally killed off the jet lag. Only way to travel.

[Dustdevil]

A380s--yes, nothing like traveling with 550 other passengers.

[fvw53]

36 minutes ago, Dustdevil said:

First class is not worth the extra money. Business is just as good. With my frequent flier miles I've crossed the Pacific for years in Business...always with a nice little cocoon and comfortable lie-flat seat with blanket. I never bother with airlines' censored TV and movies. (Nowadays, US domestic flights are eliminating seat-back screens and replacing them with brackets to hold your personal devices.) I always popped some Xanax so I could sleep most of the way across the Pacific and told them not to wake me for food except for the final meal. That's 15 hours across, you know, not like the 7 or 8 hours to and from Europe. All that sleep and the Xanax totally killed off the jet lag. Only way to travel.

I do not agree you promote Xanax : it is a benzodiazepine with serious side effects such as...addiction

[Jonnapat]

At last an alternative to those awful B777 cattle trucks, packed in like sardines in economy.

[Muhendis]

2 hours ago, Dustdevil said:

A380s--yes, nothing like traveling with 550 other passengers.

Yes. That's a thought. 550 other passengers would be enough to keep passport control busy for hours.

[jimster]

41 minutes ago, Muhendis said:

Yes. That's a thought. 550 other passengers would be enough to keep passport control busy for hours.

The Singapore Airlines A380 has 471 seats, while THAI's version has 507 seats. But point well taken - either way it's a big number. But irrespective, at some airports like Singapore, Sydney and many others, passport control is always quick makes little difference what kind of aircraft you've just gotten off of - this is especially true if you're a local citizen (although in Australia's case, many foreigners can now use the e-gates for entry). It's in Bangkok and many US airports that I would dread the thought of getting off a large aircraft knowing that passport control will take ages.

[KhunBENQ]

3 hours ago, Jonnapat said:

At last an alternative to those awful B777 cattle trucks, packed in like sardines in economy.

The article is about Lufthansa which does not have 777 in the fleet.

Do you refer to 747?

 

[NanLaew]

On 11/7/2017 at 7:33 PM, jimster said:

Singapore after all is mainly a transit stop for onward travel to other destinations; Bangkok is the destination.

I think the figures for actual Singapore tourist arrivals that are not in-transit will surprise you. They certainly aren't building Changi T5 just to handle more people 'just passing through'. This addition will double the size of Changi on the ground and boost the overall passenger handling by up to 50 million pax/year to 135 million/year. 

 

Meanwhile, Suvarnabhumi's latest expansion will bring total passenger handling up by 15 million/year to only 60 million/year... just about what it handles now.

Edited November 8, 2017 by NanLaew

[NanLaew]

Last couple of high seasons, KLM had 2 x 777#s / day doing the Hamsterjam-Bangkok r/t. Since AF wears the pants in that unholy marriage, it will be interesting if they do it again if AF are using a 777 with slightly less seating only 5 days/week.

 

Back with regard to Luftwaffe, I would hope the lamentable seat hardness and short pitch they had in Coach on the 747-400's hasn't been replicated for the 'back of the bus' on the A380.

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

14 hours ago, Dustdevil said:

First class is not worth the extra money. Business is just as good. With my frequent flier miles I've crossed the Pacific for years in Business...always with a nice little cocoon and comfortable lie-flat seat with blanket. I never bother with airlines' censored TV and movies. (Nowadays, US domestic flights are eliminating seat-back screens and replacing them with brackets to hold your personal devices.) I always popped some Xanax so I could sleep most of the way across the Pacific and told them not to wake me for food except for the final meal. That's 15 hours across, you know, not like the 7 or 8 hours to and from Europe. All that sleep and the Xanax totally killed off the jet lag. Only way to travel.

Direct to UK is more than 7-8 hours, more like 11, so this will be the same.

If you fly Emirates etc quickest is 15+ hours with the stop.

This Luftwaffe flight sounds good though as you can connect to regional UK airports in Frankfurt for the hop if you don't live near an international airport.

I'll check it next time.

 

 

 

[geriatrickid]

On 11/7/2017 at 7:33 AM, jimster said:

I have always wondered why airlines like Lufthansa (and British Airways) have managed to deploy A380s on routes to Singapore but not Bangkok, which you would think is more popular with German [European] tourists anyway? Singapore after all is mainly a transit stop for onward travel to other destinations; Bangkok is the destination. Singapore Airlines is justified when it comes to A380 services from Europe, because most passengers then head onto other Asian and Australian/NZ destinations (and vice versa), which Lufthansa doesn't serve.

 

Air France on the other hand is now using a slightly smaller aircraft on it's Paris-Bangkok route, but with 5 flights per week instead of 3 there will be 10% more seats available. Strange that they stopped flying daily - I am pretty sure they have maintained a daily flight to Singapore all this time.

Singapore is a destination for a European demographic with a higher wealth characteristic compared to Thailand. The AB380 is deployed on routes where pax loads justify its use.  The AB350s and B787 service the routes that  can't generate the load factors for the AB380/B747/B777/AB330 equipment.

 

Singapore is more than a transit stop. It is a financial and business hub and  is now the only location in SE Asia that offers developed world infrastructure without the potential for PRC interference. It is also a desirable  vacation destination for the higher end segment of the tourist demographic, because of it is safe, clean and well managed. It is the only place in SE Asia where one can drink the tap water without fear.

 

The AF schedule is just a reflection of the seasonal pattern and it makes these adjustments on a regular basis.

Paris CDG – Bangkok eff 25MAR18 Increase from 3 to 5 weekly for summer season, operational aircraft switching from 468-seater 777-300ER to 312-seater 777-200ER

 

Unfortunately, AF is still using its decrepit aged B777 fleet on this route. There is only business class and in J the seats are angled not lie flat. It's pathetic that the config is 2-3-2  when other airlines use a config of 1-2-1  on their B777s.  AF will not deploy  new equipment and new seats on its marginal routes until the rest of the fleet is renewed.  I fly this route sometimes and I regret using AF everytime I do.

 

7 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Last couple of high seasons, KLM had 2 x 777#s / day doing the Hamsterjam-Bangkok r/t. Since AF wears the pants in that unholy marriage, it will be interesting if they do it again if AF are using a 777 with slightly less seating only 5 days/week.

 

Back with regard to Luftwaffe, I would hope the lamentable seat hardness and short pitch they had in Coach on the 747-400's hasn't been replicated for the 'back of the bus' on the A380.

The KLM schedule  change with the season.

The seats on the old B747 were changed some time ago, when  KLM went to its new World Class config. Unfortunately, the  selection of an outdated design has doomed the KLM seats. Having flown in J BKK-AMS, I won't be doing it again. It was as bad as a TG B777.  However, still better than the even older AF B777 seats.

The LH AB380 offers slimline seats to pax in economy. These seats increased the available leg room by almost 5cm compared to the  previous seats. If someone finds the seat hard, then I suggest to bring a cushion.

 

 

Edited November 8, 2017 by geriatrickid

[Dustdevil]

21 hours ago, fvw53 said:

I do not agree you promote Xanax : it is a benzodiazepine with serious side effects such as...addiction

Yes but I control it. You can take it on a flight without getting addicted.

[Dustdevil]

20 hours ago, Jonnapat said:

At last an alternative to those awful B777 cattle trucks, packed in like sardines in economy.

You should know that every airline configures its own seating, not Boeing or Airbus.

[Dustdevil]

19 hours ago, jimster said:

The Singapore Airlines A380 has 471 seats, while THAI's version has 507 seats. But point well taken - either way it's a big number. But irrespective, at some airports like Singapore, Sydney and many others, passport control is always quick makes little difference what kind of aircraft you've just gotten off of - this is especially true if you're a local citizen (although in Australia's case, many foreigners can now use the e-gates for entry). It's in Bangkok and many US airports that I would dread the thought of getting off a large aircraft knowing that passport control will take ages.

Dubai is a hub for Hajj pilgrims to Mecca and also the destination for thousands of workers daily to and from the subcontinent. Rumors were that Emirates Airlines would pack them into 550 seats.

[Dustdevil]

19 hours ago, jimster said:

The Singapore Airlines A380 has 471 seats, while THAI's version has 507 seats. But point well taken - either way it's a big number. But irrespective, at some airports like Singapore, Sydney and many others, passport control is always quick makes little difference what kind of aircraft you've just gotten off of - this is especially true if you're a local citizen (although in Australia's case, many foreigners can now use the e-gates for entry). It's in Bangkok and many US airports that I would dread the thought of getting off a large aircraft knowing that passport control will take ages.

Not only tourists but so many business, educational (one million foreign students in the US), cultural and many other kinds of people disembark at US airports. I have a Trusted Traveler US e-gate card, and it may be that green card holders can use it too, but I'm not sure.

Edited November 9, 2017 by Dustdevil

[Dustdevil]

7 hours ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

Direct to UK is more than 7-8 hours, more like 11, so this will be the same.

If you fly Emirates etc quickest is 15+ hours with the stop.

This Luftwaffe flight sounds good though as you can connect to regional UK airports in Frankfurt for the hop if you don't live near an international airport.

I'll check it next time.

 

 

 

Ja vohl!

[KhunBENQ]

11 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Back with regard to Luftwaffe, I would hope the lamentable seat hardness and short pitch they had in Coach on the 747-400's hasn't been replicated for the 'back of the bus' on the A380.

It has been

I looked up LH772, 2nd December.

If data from seatguru is correct, it's 31 inch on standard economy. Width is just OK, 18.2.

Consult your doctor

 

 38 on premium economy (52 seats).

https://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Lufthansa/Lufthansa_Airbus_A380_V3.php?flightno=772&date=

 

Lufthansa follows the mainstream and competes with cheap carriers for the price of quality.

It's consistent with comments I heard from people flying on LH A380.

Not great.

Emirates A380: 32 to 34. Some luck required?

[CNXBKKMAN]

The seats and legroom may be the same but if you have an A380 flight option Its always worth choosing because the the cabin is noticeably quieter and generally feels more comfortable. Thats goes for economy anyway. 

[NanLaew]

14 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

... Unfortunately, AF is still using its decrepit aged B777 fleet on this route. There is only business class and in J the seats are angled not lie flat. It's pathetic that the config is 2-3-2  when other airlines use a config of 1-2-1  on their B777s.  AF will not deploy  new equipment and new seats on its marginal routes until the rest of the fleet is renewed.  I fly this route sometimes and I regret using AF everytime I do.
 

CDG is the deal-breaker for me, regardless of who I am flying with.

 

14 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

... The KLM schedule  change with the season.

The seats on the old B747 were changed some time ago, when  KLM went to its new World Class config. Unfortunately, the  selection of an outdated design has doomed the KLM seats. Having flown in J BKK-AMS, I won't be doing it again. It was as bad as a TG B777.  However, still better than the even older AF B777 seats.

The LH AB380 offers slimline seats to pax in economy. These seats increased the available leg room by almost 5cm compared to the  previous seats. If someone finds the seat hard, then I suggest to bring a cushion.

 

KLM stopped using the upgraded 747's on the BKK route years ago which was unfortunate as the new seats were a pleasant change, especially that long narrow, port-side bit for 'Economy Comfort' adjacent to the for'ard galley. I agree, the KLM 777 experience is meh, even the 'Economy Comfort' experience is underwhelming.

 

If I experience a hard seat on an airline, then I don't fly them again. Bugger lugging pillows and cushions around just because the airline has cheap, hard seats.

 

If LH offer decent connections onward to UK like the did a few years back, I may give them a shot although FRA is a bit like the moon when it comes to ambiance and user-friendliness. AMS still has some of the original charm despite the vertical extensions and being busier year-on-year. CDG?... the less said the better.

[GreytMan]

On 09/11/2017 at 3:51 AM, KhunBENQ said:

It has been

I looked up LH772, 2nd December.

If data from seatguru is correct, it's 31 inch on standard economy. Width is just OK, 18.2.

Consult your doctor

 

 38 on premium economy (52 seats).

https://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Lufthansa/Lufthansa_Airbus_A380_V3.php?flightno=772&date=

 

Lufthansa follows the mainstream and competes with cheap carriers for the price of quality.

It's consistent with comments I heard from people flying on LH A380.

Not great.

Emirates A380: 32 to 34. Some luck required?

 

Will be flying on it soon. Thanks for the good news. 

 

[jimster]

On 11/9/2017 at 8:30 AM, Dustdevil said:

Not only tourists but so many business, educational (one million foreign students in the US), cultural and many other kinds of people disembark at US airports. I have a Trusted Traveler US e-gate card, and it may be that green card holders can use it too, but I'm not sure.

Things might have changed since the last time I was in the US (when I was a foreign student studying there btw) but according to recent reports, the USA still does not have an e-gate entry scheme for ordinary foreign visitors, except maybe Canadian citizens even though countries like Australia allow US nationals to use an e-gate to enter Australia.

 

There is nothing a US national needs to do to qualify for e-gate entry into Australia other than be in possession of an e-passport or biometric passport. They could be a first time visitor. While the "trusted" traveler e-gate card you speak of is a step in the right direction, it's hardly equivalent to what Australia offers. A first time Australian visitor to the USA likely wouldn't be granted one.

[jimster]

On 11/9/2017 at 8:25 AM, Dustdevil said:

Dubai is a hub for Hajj pilgrims to Mecca and also the destination for thousands of workers daily to and from the subcontinent. Rumors were that Emirates Airlines would pack them into 550 seats.

Dubai is more of a hub airport for connecting flights in general - many airlines with large Muslim populations operate non-stop flights to Mecca from their home countries without the need to connect in Dubai - THAI, which normally doesn't fly to Saudi Arabia at all is an example with it's Hat Yai-Mecca and Bangkok-Mecca flights. Most flights from India are on smaller narrow-body aircraft (Emirates generally deploys 777s on most of it's Indian routes - perhaps Mumbai is served by an A380 but that's about it). It's the longer haul Australian, European and some of the major East Asian routes (including Bangkok) that use A380s to pack in all the Europeans heading east and the Aussies/Asians etc. heading west to Europe as well as smaller numbers using Dubai as a transit airport for travel to the USA and Africa. Emirates flies to more international destinations than just about any other airline in the world, and also has more A380s in it's fleet than any other airline. Hardly a comparison to THAI or Lufthansa for example, though both airlines operate out of hubs (Frankfurt/Bangkok, respectively) for their respective regions.

 

My point with the Lufthansa A380 service to Bangkok is that Bangkok is the "spoke", part of the hub and spoke system out of Lufthansa's main hub airport, Frankfurt. Singapore is also a spoke, since Lufthansa no longer flies beyond these two cities to other destinations in Australia (like it used to years ago) or other cities in Asia, unless it still flies Singapore-Jakarta? Not sure, but in any case, German travelers are far more fascinated with Thailand than with Singapore or Jakarta (hence the justification for an A380 service to Bangkok over such a service to Singapore) and any German traveler wishing to transit Singapore is likely to choose an airline that can transport him beyond that city, which would be Singapore Airlines. It would be much more expensive to purchase a separate Lufthansa/Singapore Airlines ticket (even with a codeshare agreement few travelers would likely have the option of choosing a Lufthansa flight for their first leg followed by Sing Airlines for the next leg).

[CNXBKKMAN]

Lufthansa has been flying to Singapore and Hong Kong for a long time with A380's and only now have they used one to BKK. BA fly A380's into SIN and HKG also with a smaller 777 into BKK. The airlines chase the revenues and SIN and HKG have more business class and premium traffic than Bangkok so the A380's have been deployed on these routes from the start.