Lufthansa is a five star airline according to Skytrax. So this should be the best possible way to fly, right? Unfortunately it is not.

Review by Nico
More by Nico

Nico took this flight before the pandemic.

Flight information
Lufthansa 1005
Brussels (BRU) to Frankfurt (FRA)
Saturday, February 29
Depart: 9:05 AM
Arrive: 10:05 AM
Duration: 1hr
Aircraft: Airbus 319
Seat: 1A (Business Class)

On the ground

Oddly enough, Lufthansa doesn’t use the check-in facilities of Brussels Airlines, although Brussels Airlines is fully owned by Lufthansa. Rather they use Swissport facilities.

There is a separate check-in for business passengers. There was no line, and we were quickly helped by a very friendly check-in agent. She also informed us we were entitled to use The Loft, the Brussels Airlines Lounge.

In the lounge, we got a text message saying our flight would be delayed 15 minutes. It is a nice feature to text it, so we could just stay in the lounge and wait there, rather than going to the gate way too early.

So 15 minutes after the scheduled boarding time we headed to the gate. At that time, the gate agents started boarding. She invited business class passengers and passengers who needed extra assistance to board first.

Weirdly enough, they didn’t allow us to actually board the plane. They just scanned our boarding pass, and kept us waiting in the tiny area between the counter and the doors towards the plane. We stood there for another 20 minutes without any explanation.

This was really stupid, certainly for the people who needed assistance, because you can’t even sit down in this area.

Once on board

Finally, almost 40 minutes after the scheduled time of departure we were allowed on the plane. Another let down is that no one told us the reason for the delay, nor an expectation how long the delay would finally be. I don’t mind delays at all, airlines can’t always help it. But there are certainly better ways to handle a delay.

The plane was a 22 year old Airbus 319 in the new Lufthansa livery. I know not everybody will agree, but I actually like the new livery. The yellow label next to the door is also a cute touch.

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Like most airlines in Europe, business class is just an economy class seat with a blocked middle seat, so you have a little bit more space. For the rest, the seat is nothing special.

Upon boarding all passengers were presented with a muesli bar. I’m not really sure if this is a standard feature or only in case of delay or what.

Lufthansa does have some nice cabin finishes, like ‘Lufthansa Business Class’ written on the bulkhead, and the Lufthansa Logo at the entrance welcoming all passengers on board.

Lufthansa doesn’t have any sort of pre-departure service for business class passengers. No pre-departure drinks, no newspapers were offered, nothing. So far for a 5 star airline, right?

Finally we took off, with an hour delay.

Even once airborne, service doesn’t start with a hot towel for example. Rather passengers are served a snack straight away.

The snack consisted of a muesli bowl with milk and another muesli bar. It’s not much, but it’s perfectly fine for a short flight like this. People who are really hungry can have a more extensive breakfast in the lounge. I found the basked they use rather cute.

In the basket there was also a refreshing towel. This was sponsored by a company making sliding doors and windows. I found this to be kind of odd. I get it if the towel would be sponsored by a soap company or anything. But sliding doors?

There is a picture of a dog on the wrap. I really like dogs, but I do not associate them with refreshing towels or cleanliness. So I thought this was just weird.

The steward serving the drinks addressed us by name, which is really nice. He did it in the most natural way, as if he knew us. He was really nice and attentive.

I ordered tea, which was served in a cardboard cup. Most airlines use chinaware in business class, so I found this to be rather cheap.

Soon enough the plane started descending into Frankfurt. We had a lovely view of the airport right before landing!

Bottom line

The cabin crew member who served us was really friendly and addressed us by name. But other than that, it totally lacked a feeling of luxury, which you do expect when you fly business class.

I don’t see why people would pay to fly business class for such a short flight. You don’t get a better seat, and I would certainly survive without this small snack. I guess most people were just flying to Frankfurt to connect on a long haul flight (just like we did, stay tuned!).