The Details

• Flight: LH175
• Aircraft: A320
• Class: European Business
• Seat: 2A
• Route: Berlin (BER)-Frankfurt (FRA)
• Distance: 341 miles
• Duration: 51min
• Departure: 7:53AM
• Arrival: 8:44AM

The Preflight

After spending a day in Berlin, it was time to head home to Indianapolis. For the return leg, I was fortunate enough to book a first-class ticket with Lufthansa, with the entire trip routing from BER-FRA-ORD and then a separate American Airlines regional flight from ORD-IND. I arrived at Berlin Airport about two hours prior to the scheduled boarding time at 5:15 AM to find an empty Business Class and First Class check-in area. I was the only passenger in the First Class lane and within five minutes had my signature Lufthansa First Class boarding pass in hand. There was a dedicated Fast Track security lane, and I was airside within ten minutes of checking in.

The Lufthansa Senator and Business Lounges were adjacent to gate B20. Additionally, hidden within the entrance to the two lounges was a separate room reserved for First class passengers. Thanks to my First Class ticket, I could access all three lounges.

The Senator Lounge was essentially one long corridor with a variety of seats arranged alongside floor-to-ceiling windows.

In the middle of the long corridor near the entrance was the hot food station, which offered scrambled eggs and English muffins. There was also an espresso machine and a variety of drinks.

Turning left, the corridor ended in an area with a few sofas as well as comfortable chairs, each with a nearby power outlet.

On the opposite end of the lounge were a few more larger sofas for groups and the dining area with tables. This was where the food buffet was also located.

Hot options included beans, hard-boiled eggs, and mushrooms. Bakery options included a variety of toast, the classic Bavarian pretzel, and bread rolls.

Additionally, there were cold cuts, cheese, olives, yogurt, and fresh fruit available. Sweeter options included donut holes and granola.

For drinks, there were bottles of red wine, white wine, beer, juice, milk, water, and sparkling wine.

I spent the majority of my time in the Lufthansa First Class portion of the lounge, which was located in a windowless room near the check-in counter.

It was one medium-sized room with a few sofas, chairs, and small tables.

Each seat also had two jars of candied nuts and caramel popcorn at its respective table.

The food options were fairly limited within the First Class room, although it did have fresh croissants, which were not available in the Senator or Business class lounge. If you wanted additional food, you had to exit the lounge to grab it. Beverage options included a coffee machine, Coke products, beer, wine, and a bottle of Champagne.

The champagne was Pol Roger Reserve which retails for approximately $50.

Boarding for my flight began at 7:13 at a bus gate (B13) in the basement of the terminal. Lufthansa Elites, Business class passengers, and a few economy passengers were all packed onto the same bus to take us to the aircraft.

Our A320, registration D-AIZX, was delivered brand new to Lufthansa in August 2013, making her just over a decade old. She was one of 53 active A320s flying today.

Thanks to the use of two boarding stairs, the entire boarding process took just twenty minutes.

The Flight

There are a total of 180 Recaro BLK3520 “NEK” model slimline seats on board the Lufthansa A320, arranged in a 3-3 configuration. Following the standard practice of European airlines, the business class cabin at the front of the aircraft features a blocked middle seat. Each seat offers a width of 17.7 inches, with varying pitch measurements throughout the cabin: rows 1-10 have 30 inches, row 11 has 34 inches, row 12 has 33 inches, rows 14-30 have 29 inches, and rows 31-32 have 28 inches.

I was seated in seat 2A today, which definitely showed its age. While the seat was clean, the leather was worn, and there was basically no cushioning left. In addition, unlike the newer Geven Essenza slimline seats on the A320neos and A321neos, the older generation Recaro seats do not have any in-seat power.

There was a simple tray table and storage pouch in the seatback.

We pushed back three minutes early and took off at 7:53 AM bound for Frankfurt.

During the climb-out, we had a clear aerial view of BER.

Service began quickly after take-off, and I had a glass of water with a cup of black coffee 15 minutes after take-off.

The breakfast of cold cuts, cheese, and yogurt was also served quickly. I always appreciate European airlines that serve even a small meal on regional flights.

Just as I finished breakfast, we began our descent into Frankfurt.

We landed at 8:44 AM, 51 minutes after departing Berlin, and we arrived at the gate eight minutes later.

I found the short regional flight with Lufthansa enjoyable despite the lack of in-seat power. It is time for Lufthansa to refurbish their A320s, as they are now beginning to show their age with worn-down seats. As of now, the planned refreshment of the A320 cabins is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2025.