Solid flight with Lufthansa from Bilbao to Frankfurt – nice crew, relaxed experience on board and delicious food in business class. Lufthansa could improve on the chaotic Bilbao airport, but all in all a recommendable flight for those who want to travel relaxed!
Review #38
| Departure planned (actual) | 16.06.2024 – 17:30 (17:41) |
| Arrival planned (actual) | 16.06.2024 – 19:40 (19:57) |
| Aircraft type | A320 (D-AIZG) |
| Delay | 11 minutes at departure 17 minutes ar arrival |
| Travel class | Business |
| Seats | 3A & 3C |
Table of contents
Arrival
We arrived from the Hotel Ercilla de Bilbao in the city centre and took the A3247 bus to the airport. The journey takes a maximum of 15 minutes and is really cheap at 3 euros per person. The bus leaves from the city centre right next to the Hotel Carlton.
Of course, you can also come by car and park in one of the many car parks on site.
Departure airport
Bilbao Airport (BIO) is an extremely stylish and architecturally well-designed airport that impresses first and foremost with its impressive ticket hall.
Check-in
The departure lounge is seems to be too small for the number of flights and the whole area feels quite crowded and cramped. We checked in using the app and did not check any bags. So we can’t say anything about the check-in experience itself.
Security controll
At the end of the counter hall is the passage to the security checkpoint, which is well signposted at the entrance, but we couldn’t find any signs in the rest of the hall and it took us a moment to understand where we need to go.
There is a separate queue for Premium and Status passengers, but it simply bypasses the normal queue and makes very little difference. In general, getting ready to check in, i.e. filling the tubs, was rather tough as there was a lot of chaos. Despite the fact that we fly a lot, the procedure was not at all clear to us, and the employee who was supposed to improve the flow of passengers ended up shouting at us not to be so slow and to get on with it. In the end, this just led to more stress and confusion on all sides!
By the end of the screening process, the bags were piling up uncontrollably. In short, the whole procedure was completely chaotic and absolutely poorly organized!
Waiting area
After the security check, you have to walk through a really narrow duty-free shop. Here, too, the flow of people gets backed up as soon as even only one person stops to look at something on display. The area is simply too cramped and the walkway too small.
The waiting area at Bilbao airport is not really big enough for the number of passengers. Unfortunately, the gates are not displayed until very close to departure, which leading to a large group of passengers waiting in front of the display board at the entrance to the gate area, which in turn clogs the whole area and makes it difficult for all other passengers to get through.
There are no more additional seats at the gates themselves – but only waiting areas at the food court just before entering the gate area.
Lounge
The lounge at Bilbao airport, called Sala VIP Bilbao, offers access for business class passengers, but you can also use this lounge as a Priority Pass cardholder.
The long room was quite busy during our stay and, unfortunately, rather untidy. The four of us got one of the last two high tables available. The rest of the lounge was packed with passengers.
The lounge offers some cold cuts, tortillas and desserts such as muffins and cakes. There are also sweets, soft drinks and a respectable selection of alcoholic beverages. Unfortunately, I have to state that the food quality-wise wasn’t very good. The glasses provided were all dirty and when I asked the staff about it, the only answer I got was that that’s the way it is – the glasses just come out of the dishwasher like that – just as there were no other option as to put them back for use dirty. Well… Difficult in my opinion.
However, the selection of magazines and newspapers is quite good, although mainly Spanish of course.
Unfortunately, there are no showers or similar premium facilities to be found at the lounge. In the men’s toilets, one of the two urinal is out of order and one of the two cubicles cannot be locked. That speaks volumes, doesn’t it?
However, the staff are very friendly and eager to help!
Boarding
Our boarding gate was A11, at the very end of the gate area. The narrow corridor did not particularly make it any easier to prepare for boarding. Right at the gate entrance, there was a sign and partitions separating the boarding groups, which most of the passengers could not see further in the back.
As is usual with Lufthansa, the boarding groups are invited to board one after the other. The staff member in charge tried to organise a queue for groups 3, 4 and 5 in an area two metres wide. This again led to a lot of pushing and shoving, as the division was not written down anywhere and was only passed on from passenger to passenger. As a rumour, so to speak… Nobody knew exactly where to go and what the procedure was. All in all, once again – good idea, but incredibly badly executed!
Once boarding had started, however, we had to wait standing inside the passenger bridge for a good quarter of an hour because the plane was not even ready for boarding. The ladies at the gate were obviously simply started the boarding process as they were ready. Interesting procedure!
Welcome
On board we were greeted warmly by the cabin crew. However, there was no hot towel or the like for business class passengers.
Start & Routing
We took off a little late, heading north towards the Bay of Biscay, and flew in a wide arc over France, past Paris, over Luxembourg and on to Frankfurt.
Cabin & seat
Like all Lufthansa short- and medium-haul aircraft, the A320 is configured in a 3-3 seat layout. Business Class cabin can be configured as needed as you it uses the same seats as in Economy Class. The only difference is the empty middle seat. The foremost three rows feature a little more space between the rows of seats. On our flight from Bilbao to Frankfurt, only these three rows were reserved for Business Class passengers.
Our seats 3A & 3C were on the left hand side of the aircraft and formed the last row of Business Class on this flight. Both classes are separated a curtain. The distance between the seat rows is quite good. I am well over 1.80m and still had a full hand’s width of space between my knee and the seat backrest.
Each seat has its own reading light and air vent. There is a magazine pocket in the back of the front seat tucked away just behind the folding table and the usual knee-high net for stowing small items. The table folds down and pulls out a little.
Entertainment
There are no major entertainment options on Lufthansa short- and medium haul flights. At each seat you will find the in-flight magazine, the food and beverage menu, a safety card and a sickness bag.
For more entertainment options, you will need to download the Lufthansa app, which allows you to download up to 3 magazines or newspapers to your mobile device before your flight, or to check flight updates and play games on board.
All other entertainment options are up to you – or just enjoy the view!
Amenities
There are no additional amenities on Lufthansa short and medium-haul flights.
Foos, drinks & snacks
Immediately after take-off we were served our first round of drinks and about half an hour after take-off the flight attendants came by with dinner. There was a choice of meat and fish. The meals were all served together on one tray. As it was the World Cup, a special dessert was served. A second round of drinks was offered following the meal service.
Shortly before landing, each Business Class guest received a football chocolate and throughout the flight, drinks were proactively refilled as wanted.
Washrooms
As you probably know on Lufthansa narrow-body aircrafts (i.e. those with only one aisle) there are no special toilet facilities in Business Class. As you can see from the seat map, there is one toilet in the front section of the Premium cabin. Economy Class has two toilets in the rear section.
Lufthansa service
The service on our flight home from Bilbao was excellent. The cabin crew were friendly, cheerful and professional throughout the flight. There was always time for a chat and we felt very welcome throughout the whole flight.
Arrival
About 20 minutes before we landed, the captain made a fairly detailed announcement about the weather and gates for all connecting flights.
After landing, we had a relatively long taxi to our gate, which is normal for Frankfurt, but the boarding bridge was approached quite quickly, so we were able to get out rather fast.
Destination airport
Germany’s largest airport, Frankfurt Main, is well connected by rail, public transport and motorway. Onward journeys and leaving the airport is therefore usually quite easy. You should only consider the long distances and the size of the airport.
Conclusion
This flight, LH 1145 from Bilbao to Frankfurt, was also solid and the crew was once again extremely friendly. Sure, the Business Class seats can’t compete with those of other airlines, e.g. in the USA, but Lufthansa is in good company here in Europe. Otherwise it was a relaxed and great flight on board this A320.
Lufthansa is really trying more and more to live up to its claim of being a premium carrier – which in my opinion really shows. There are good and useful innovations on almost every flight. The airline is really making quite a progress.
Points
We award this Lufthansa flight 9 out of a possible 10 points.
Basically, the flight was great. Everything on board was absolutely fine! Only the experience at Bilbao airport, with the completely chaotic security check, the rather disappointing lounge and the confusing boarding process, urgently needed to be changed.
Recommendation
Flying Lufthansa’s European Short-Haul Business Class is recommended for all types of travellers. Singles, couples, families and business travellers are all well catered for.
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