You Trip Report

	DATE	FLIGHT NUMBER	SEAT	AIRCRAFT
29 Nov 19	LH 2229	3F	A320
CLASS	VIEWS	LANGUAGE	AUTHOR
Business Class	87929	English	jetsetpanda

Prologue:

Hello and welcome to the return portion of my CDG-SFO segment via MUC on LH.

After a restful night at the convenient Holiday Inn Express CDG the following morning we took the CDGVAL to get to T1. When the train arrived at our platform it was completely full so we had to wait for the next train in hopes of being able to fit in an emptier train. The morning train ride between terminals at CDG can be horrendously busy without enough trains to accommodate the volume of pax.

Before our flight I checked our reservations on the LH website and we were offered USD 50 to pugrade to J on the CDG-MUC segment. It was a tempting proposition so we paid for the upgrade. I was curious about flying J on this particular route since I have never experienced it on LH .

I did not take pics of the check in at T1 since it was busy except for the Business/Premium counter which was staffed with 1 employee and the rest were dedicated to Y. The agent must have suffered from constipation because it was rude and indifferent experience. A simple "bonjour" was not even acknowledged and this was one of those instances in which the quicker we go through this the better.

I get it that staff can be overworked at times and that Premium pax are not the most joyful set of people to deal with, but at least try to answer back when people greet you - it's not that difficult. Perhaps constipation is a very annoying condition so I give the agent the benefit of the doubt. Count to 10 and take a deep breath.

CDG T1 is a very unique airport. Its round structure with glass encased stairways shooting in all directions is appealing and give a futuristic vibe but from a 70's perspective. We go through series of corridors and finally arrive at the LH lounge. Thankfully the agent at the lounge had a more welcoming disposition and greets us with a smile.

Direction Senator Lounge. If this is the better lounge I would hate to see the Business side. There are no windows at the LH lounge so it feels a bit claustrophobic. The Senator side is not that big and consists of a buffet set up in the back of the room and a few seating partitions with counters.

Counter area.

Buffet.

My snack.

We board the plane and there were 2 cheerful FA's at the door to greet us. When the door closes I am the only one on my row so I move to the window seat.

Inside the cabin there was a festive touch on the bulkhead wall. Pre-dept. drinks are offered so I have a glass of water.

Plane spotting.

Take off.

Not a full flight in J.

Service cart for Y. Look at those tempting sandwiches.

FA delivers our meals. It's composed of several cold items.

Chocolate for dessert.

At one point pax in Y make a line to use the WC in front.

Landing in MUC.

Crowne Plaza Republique This time we decided to try a different hotel in another area of Paris. The Crowne Plaza occupied a nice building that has potential but unfortunately this hotel did not live up to that. There were a few things that were annoying like seeing water marks on the ceiling of the room not being able to control the temperature of the room because it was automatically set to heater so it was suggested that we open the windows not enough set of towels etc.

Entrance.

Lobby.

Inner courtyard.

Club Very small lounge with limited snacks and mostly beverages.

Room

Le Dix restaurant. Buffet breakfast in a functional setting. Pretty good assortment of breakfast items.

I had a nice chat with the cook who prepared my eggs.

My breakfast.

As an avgeek I love visiting the AF office @ Invalides. There is a regular ticket office and then an AF Museum boutique in the back of this building. I visited both offices and got some merchandise at each.

Going through the back of the building.

Direction AF Museum boutique.

AF ticket office

Some merchandise for my collection.

I also purchased a few vintage pics.

A walk through the Republique area.

School.

Monoprix grocery shopping.

Canal St. Martin.

Du Pain et Des Idées

Pistchio escargot - one of my favorite pastries in Paris and always worth returning for.

========== Paris Charles De Gaulle (CDG) - ==========

Security/Immigration efficiency: 8/10

Access and parking: 9/10

Services and activities: 8/10

General cleanliness: 9/10

========== Lufthansa Senator Lounge ==========

Staff Service: 9/10

Entertainment: 7/10

Business Center: /10

Food: 7/10

Lounge Design: 5/10

Spa and Bathroom: 6/10

Wifi: 9/10

========== Lufthansa - Airline ==========

Cabine comfort: 9/10

Crew: 10/10

Entertainment: 6/10

On-time performance: 10/10

Appetizer: 0/10

Starter: 0/10

Main Meal: 7/10

Main Meal-2: 0/10

Cheese: 0/10

Desserts: 0/10

Alcohols: 0/10

Mid-flight snack: 0/10

Breakfast or light meal before arrival: 0/10

========== Munich Intl Arpt (MUC) - ==========

Security/Immigration efficiency: 10/10

Access and parking: 10/10

Services and activities: 10/10

General cleanliness: 10/10

Summary:

Ground service was not the best but the flight was pleasant.

Catering consists of cold items only. I think it was a bit cheap not to offer a hot item but I guess for the duration of the flight is on par with competitors.

15 Comments

Thomas — Jan 11,2020

Thanks Adan for your review.
Rude agent for the check-in indeed. I experienced the same when I flew in J/F back in sep.
The lounge is nothing to write home about. I'll be there tomorrow.
I found the "light meal" fine.
Ah the French pastries... I miss that very much !
See you soon for the SFO leg !
Reply

jetsetpanda — Jan 12,2020

Hi Thomas,

Wow the counter staff at CDG should receive more 5-star training. A refresher course is in order.

The LH lounge is just a functional one.

Don't tell me that you can't get decent pastries where you are. ;) Maybe you should move.
AAFlyer — Jan 11,2020

As per usual, a lovely and comprehensive review done by a Panda. Nice meal for such a short hop. You're right the lounge is underwhelming at best. Can you use the Star lounge instead.
Thanks for the TR.
Reply

jetsetpanda — Jan 12,2020

Hi AAFlyer,

Thanks for your kind words. Glad you liked it.

I thought about using the *A lounge but when we arrived at the LH gates only the LH lounge was accessible. I'm not very familiar with CDG T1 but I think that the *A lounge is at another level. Also we were tight with the time so we just went to the LH one for the sake of convenience.
Emile — Jan 11,2020

Excellent review. Can't wait for the next report. This lounge is only good for 20 to 30 min or I'd go insane ! Thank you Adan. Nice tour in Paris.
Reply

jetsetpanda — Jan 12,2020

Hi Emile,

Absolutely right. I couldn't see myself being there for more than 30 min. Paris is always photogenic. ;)
GG_007 — Jan 11,2020

Thanks for sharing this TR

"Perhaps constipation is a very annoying condition so I give the agent the benefit of the doubt."
Anyway it's better than diarrhea

The lounge is not pleasant and too dark
The buffet spread could be way better :(

"It's composed of several cold items."
Not really appetizing (except the salmon but what was the green stuff under ?)
Was there a menu ?

"At one point pax in Y make a line to use the WC in front."
#NonStopThem ?

"it was automatically set to heater so it was suggested that we open the windows "
Very green attitude

"I had a nice chat with the cook who prepared my eggs."
I guess which cook

Great bonus : you're really good at

See you soon for another report

Reply

jetsetpanda — Jan 12,2020

Salut GG,

"The buffet spread could be way better :("
- There is always room for improvement in this space with little room. :P

"Not really appetizing (except the salmon but what was the green stuff under ?)"
- It was mashed avocado or avocat. But an "avocat(e)" cannot be soft ;) No menu unfortunately.

"#NonStopThem ?"
- When nature calls it could be unstoppable.

"Great bonus : you're really good at"
- Thanks but I don't want to start getting a reputation. :P
Casper — Jan 11,2020

wonderful review Panda. Thanks for this report both in the air and on the ground.
Casper
Reply

jetsetpanda — Jan 12,2020

Hi Casper,

Thanks for visiting. See you around.
AntoinePil — Jan 12,2020

Thanks for the new YTR! I love your bonus ;-) !
Reply

jetsetpanda — Jan 12,2020

Hi Antoine,

You are welcome. I hope you enjoyed the sweet treats. ;)
Capoune — Jan 13,2020

Hello Adan!!

Sorry for the very bad experience on the ground at CDG...
The lounge is not so bad regarding what you can find at CDG!
Onboard the catering could be better...

Very nice pics and bonus!!

Thank you for sharing my friend!!
Reply

jetsetpanda — Jan 14,2020

Hi Seb,

I think AF lounges are better @ CDG. ;)

Catering can be improved for sure. I was reading another report and I can't believe that from Germany-CDG all that was served was a big piece of lemon meringue pie in J. :P

Thanks.
Vendredi13 — Jan 20,2020

Ouaf ! JetSet' !

This not-welcome at the check in is very sad. The agent had all the reasons for being respectful.
Great opportunity, this upgrade ! I easily imagine your happiness on bord, in this seat;)) Catering is well dressed and looks good.
Definitively too much beer in economy class.

Lovely bonus on Paris !

Thanks, Adan, for this excellent report.
Reply