In May and June 2023, we travelled from east to west across Canada. From Halifax in Nova Scotia to Montreal in Quebec, to Toronto in Ontario, to Vancouver and Whistler in British Columbia. Along the way some night trains and commuter trains, the Niagara Falls and – imagine this – a bus journey. A true Trans-Canada Train Trek.
We had to make a quick dash across the airport from the main Terminal 2 where our delayed inbound Brussels Airlines flight from Brussels arrived to the satellite terminal where our Lufthansa flight to Montreal would leave. Thanks to the underground inter terminal train this was a quick and smooth affair. Sam briefly made the remark “why don’t they just let us walk, it’s only a short distance” before he had to swallow his words as the shuttle ride was a bit further than he thought.
Passing through emigration was also quick and painless thanks to the e-gates and the emptiness of the airport. It was really quite eerie to see such a big airport with very little passengers, probably this late on the day there weren’t many long-distance flights leaving anymore.
We arrived plenty on time at the gate where we first had to queue up for a document check. After the check was completed we had some more time to relax before boarding was called. As they announced there was a last-minute aircraft swap there would be no group boarding as almost everyone had a seat change, so it was a free for all once the priority and business boarding was completed.
The economy boarding was also right next to the document check desk which meant that the boarding queue mixed with the document check queue, making for a very disorganised and confusing situation. Eventually we got through and at the gate we all received a ‘beep’ and a ticket with our new seats. Instead of the window and aisle seats which I reserved and paid for in advance we received middle and aisle seats. In my opinion this is not a like for like seat change, however Lufthansa claims it is, so no refund for the seat reservations here.
The seat change happened because our normal Lufthansa configured Airbus A350 was swapped for one of the 4 A350’s they picked up from Philippines Airlines (PR) after they had to let go of some aircraft due to financial constraints. These 4 still feature the old Philippines Airlines (PR) Cabins and thus have a vastly different configuration from Lufthansa’s “own” A350’s. While in business class they have a much better 1-2-1 all aisle access seat compared to the standard 2-2-2 seating and Economy has the same 3-3-3 seating, the premium economy is vastly inferior with a 2-4-2 instead of a 2-3-2 seating.
Flight LH474
From Munich (MUC) 16:50 (17:24) to Montreal (YUL) 19:00 (19:11)
Flight Time 7 hours and 47 minutes
Airbus A350-941 D-AIVC “Munchen”
Delivered to Philippines Airlines in October 2018
Flying for Lufthansa since March 2022
Upon boarding we immediately noticed how tight these ex-PR seats felt, in width there wasn’t much difference against a normal economy A350 seat. Luckily it provided with some better legroom and recline. The tray tables were also stuck in the armrest but where quite flimsy and had a downwards slope, making the uncomfortable to use. The seat itself was comfortable and with the legrest and feet support I was able to make myself feel comfortable and get some shut-eye during the flight.
This proves that premium economy is better in providing some more space as I am normally unable to get sleep in economy seats. The seats did feel like they were abnormally low-mounted and thus it was difficult to sit with my legs upright instead of stretched out. Sam also complained of back aches, probably because his seat was worn-out or faulty. On our return flight we flew on Lufthansa’s own premium ecomomy seats and those where significantly more spacious and comfortable, so if you know you are flying on an ex-PR bird, maybe avoid premium economy.
Upon boarding we had a pillow, blanket, water bottle and mini amenity kit at the seat.
The amenity kit consisted of some basics like a toothbrush and toothpaste, some socks, an eye mask, a refreshing towel and some earplugs. It was all put into a rather boring Porsche Design bag, which Sam did go on to use during the trip to arrange some of his possessions in. the amenity kit wasn’t anything special, but considering economy doesn’t get anything it was still a nice touch to give premium economy a more upscale experience.
Covid-savings also meant that the earphones Lufthansa now provides are the cheap in ear ones instead of the better headphones they provided a few years ago, luckily I brought my own proper noise cancelling headphones.
`The entertainment system had the usual nice diverse offering we are used from Lufthansa, unfortunately the four ex-PR A350’s do not have outside camera’s like Lufthansa’s own A350’s do.
After boarding finished we were offered a welcome drink consisting of a ‘special’ herb treated orange juice, it was nice and refreshing.
After an uneventful take-off and climb out service started off about 45 minutes into the flight with a aperitif of some salted crackers, I had a sparkling wine and some water along with it, both served in plastic cups. Just before the meal service started the crew came around with hot towels, another nice upmarket touch to differentiate premium economy.
For the main meal we had a choice between chicken and pasta. While both Sam and I had the premium economy chicken, my parents had to content with the normal economy chicken as they ran out of premium meals on their side. The biggest difference was the use of porcelain dishes in premium versus an aluminium foil box in economy.
On the tray we also had a nice warm and crispy bread (some of the best bread I had on a flight), a couscous salad, some cheese and butter and an apricot crumble for dessert. There was a proper glass on the tray for drinks as well as metal cutlery, once a gain some nice upscale touches. I had some coke and water to drink as well as some tea when they made the tea and coffee round after the meal service.
During the flight I watched some movies, relaxed a bit and napped. The one big advantage of the ex-PR premium economy is that it has its own toilet at the front of the cabin, whereas on Lufthansa Premium Economy you have to go to the back to use the economy toilets. This premium toilet stayed clean and in good condition throughout the flight.
Before landing there was a snack service. We were served a prawn cocktail on a bed of lettuce along with a fresh fruit salad and another crispy warm bread and butter. This was a nice and fresh snack, perfect to fill up the gap.
Landing was once again uneventful and being at the front of the plane meant we were relatively fast off the plane. We mentally prepared ourselves for all the processes we head top got through to enter Canada and make our final connecting flight to Halifax, the story continues next week …
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