The Details
- Flight: LH1948
- Aircraft: A320neo
- Class: European Business
- Seat: 2A
- Route: Munich (MUC)-Berlin (BER)
- Distance: 321miles
- Duration: 47min
- Departure: 5:13PM
- Arrival: 5:59PM
The Preflight
After arriving in Munich on my overnight trans-Atlantic flight from Washington Dulles, I had a layover of four hours and 13 minutes. Customs and border patrol clearance was swift, allowing me to enter the Schengen zone of Munich Terminal 2 within about five minutes. While lacking elite status with any Star Alliance carrier, I gained access to the Senator Lounge through my American Express Platinum Card. The lounge, reserved for elites, provided a much-needed opportunity to freshen up in one of Lufthansa’s shower suites after a long night. Following a few hours of work on my laptop and light snacking on pretzels, I arrived at gate G34 five minutes before the scheduled boarding time of 4:40 PM.
Our aircraft, a brand new A320neo with registration D-AINZ, was delivered to Lufthansa in August 2020. It was one of 20 active A320neos flying for Lufthansa, the launch customer of the type.
The Flight
Lufthansa’s Airbus A320neo boasts a total of 180 slimline economy class seats 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.
With eight rows designated as ‘business’ class, I found myself seated in 2A.
Notably, the Geven Essenza slimline seats have been introduced to replace the older Recaro BL3520 ‘NEK’ slimline seats, offering passengers the convenience of USB-A and USB-C sockets for charging, a feature absent in the previous Recaro BL3520 seats. There was a basic tray table with two cup holders as well as a small storage pouch.
Boarding concluded at 4:53 PM, and we pushed back promptly at 5:00 PM. Taking off just 12 minutes later, we were treated to sweeping views of the picturesque German countryside.
Even on this short 30-minute regional flight, Lufthansa provided a surprisingly delicious snack service. Within 10 minutes of takeoff, we were served a snack consisting of salmon, pureed peas, beets, two slices of chocolate cake, and a bread roll.
The flight attendants also conducted a beverage service, followed by distributing bottles of water and a small chocolate. It was impressive to experience such excellent food and beverage service on such a short flight.
We landed in Berlin seven minutes early at 5:59PM. After a short five-minute taxi to the gate, I was soon on my way to downtown Berlin.
I thoroughly enjoyed my short regional flight with Lufthansa, especially with their newest slimline seat. I appreciated the small snack service they provided, something that many US carriers might not offer on such a short flight. The inclusion of in-seat power is definitely a significant advantage. However, I’m not certain if I would be willing to pay a substantial premium over economy for this flight, despite the added perks.